tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15931783963927873912024-03-05T08:43:00.456-08:00 Texas Urban Homestead Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-29864831398963193932014-02-21T12:29:00.000-08:002014-02-21T12:30:09.130-08:00November UpdateWell I have been so lazy lately that I have had nothing to report on. Thank goodness that the weather has been great, and we have had rain, and my garden is taking care of itself. We are still getting produce from the garden, but I have decided to pick it all today since we could get a freeze at anytime now. Here are some pictures of how things stand so far.<br />
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This is from the back of the garden. Behind me was supposed to be a mixed greens bed, which I sewed three time, but nothing ever came up. In front of me is Brussels sprouts, broccoli, Swiss chard, and some squash to the left. In the foreground are tomatoes, okra, and peppers.<br />
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I like to call this the broccoli jungle. This is the very same broccoli I planted in the spring. I never ripped it out and all I had to do is protect it from worms and water it a little, and now I am still picking off side shoots off of it in the fall. I think it was worth leaving it in all summer. Next to it you can see Swiss chard, and arugula, and an old cabbage.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-41657750146052218552014-01-04T08:47:00.003-08:002014-01-25T16:08:41.743-08:00And the Lord God Planted a Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Man must use the earth as a wise steward under God, as a trustee. This
means neither a wasteful exploitation nor a sterile preservation of
things as they are. ~ R. J. Rushdoony<br />
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Just a thought. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-5705054665890848332013-09-09T13:20:00.000-07:002014-02-13T10:18:34.748-08:00Beneficial Insect Success!I started an experiment last Fall that I am very happy with. I have been experimenting with a permaculture concept- a combination of green mulching and interplanting with flowering plants that attracts beneficial insects. In the past I have either weeded diligently or mulched heavily with some kind of prebagged mulch or hay to suppress all the weeds.<br />
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I have changed my mind about "weeds" and realize that most of them are probably good for one reason or another. Either they attract beneficial insects, or they bring nutrients up from the deeper soil that will be released back into the garden when they decompose. This year I decided to only weed out grasses (which have shallow root systems that compete for nutrients with your garden pants) or things I really did not want, like burrs.<br />
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Weeds that I usually loathed, like dandelions, I left unmolested. It took a great deal of self-control at first, but I came to revel and rejoice in my weeds! I no longer considered dandelions as loathsome, but instead as great bio-accumulators (that's the fancy word.) Periodically I chopped off the tops of the weeds to keep them in bounds and strew them on top of the garden soil. At times I had a pretty thick amount of this mulch which will keep in moisture and, later, break down and amend my garden soil.<br />
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Here is a picture from March 1st when things are just getting started. The arugula from last year is blooming (white flowers) and you can see purple flowered hen-bit in the foreground - something I used to loath and pull, but now have found out is edible! Hen-bit grows here all winter and dies off as soon as it gets hot. Its flagrant growth used to really bug me, but now I see that it is in reality a valuable green winter mulch!<br />
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In addition to the things I let grow up on their own, I also planted wildflowers, and scarlet clover seed was scattered all over. The clover is a nitrogen fixer and is a living green mulch. I let the clover set seed and hope it comes back next year, but just in case I will scatter some more seed this fall. <br />
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This picture was take on April 24th. You can see that the hen-bit has died back and is making a nice mulch on the ground. The clover is blooming amongst the turnips. Next year I am hoping to have a lot more clover.<br />
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Right away in the spring I noticed a wonderful result- my garden was full of lady bugs! Lady bugs need a lush moist landscape, and if you don't provide it, they will fly somewhere else. Usually I have a terrible problem with aphids, but this year there were so many lady bugs, they ate all the aphids and I did not have to do a single thing to control them! I began to notice many many more bugs - good ones!<br />
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You will have to click on this picture to see this, but there are some teeny-tiny red bugs here. They seemed to particularly like the dying hen-bit. I panicked when I saw them, but instead of trying to kill them, I looked up what they might be. They were Glossy Shield bug nymphs - they grow up into a type of predatory stink bug that eats caterpillars! The nymphs do suck plant juices, <u>but they only seemed to bother the dying hen-bit.</u> I saw these little nymphs all over my garden where I had left the hen-bit to grow. I'm so glad I left it there because I did not have my usual problem with caterpillars this year!<br />
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I saw so many other beneficial insects, besides lots of bees. I saw wasps galore of many different shapes and sizes (yes wasps are good). I saw Syrphid Flys (bee mimics) whose larvae also eat many pests such as aphids, Green Lace Wings whose larvae eat a wide variety of pest including spider mites and red mites (chiggers, hallelujah!), and many different kinds of assassin bugs. Check out the one below.<br />
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This is a large Assassin Bug, called a wheel bug, Arilus cristatus, eating a blister beetle on one of my tall verbenas. Blister beetles are horrible pests, <u>but this is the only one I have seen this year! </u><br />
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Wasps, and hover flies are some of the many beneficial pollinators who will be attracted to your garden if you interplant it with wildflowers, especially small flowered ones, such as chives and yarrow. Not only will they pollinate your garden plants, but either they or their larvae eat many pests.<br />
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My first attempt at this new way of gardening was a success in my opinion. Gardening in a way that mimics nature as God planned for it to work is the best way. I will continue learning and implementing as much permaculture as I can on this urban homestead, and will keep posting the results.<br />
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To that end I am not planting a fall garden and probably not a spring one. Only what comes up by itself will be harvested, the rest goes back into the soil. Why? Because I have been gardening in this spot non-stop for 8 years and it is past time to give the garden a rest, as per the biblical mandates of <a href="http://ecclesia.org/truth/sabbath-land.html" target="_blank">giving the land a sabbath rest every seven years</a>.<br />
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This will be another interesting experiment! Let me know what you think!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-15465457284434112412013-05-14T13:04:00.000-07:002014-02-21T06:53:57.858-08:00My New and Improved Black Soldier Fly Set UpI have had a Black Soldier Fly contain for about 3 years now. I found the Black Soldier Fly Larvae by accident, and raise them for fun and to sell to a few friends who feed them to their chickens. Well something about my set up, about everybody's set up, has always bothered me - it's the ramps the BSF use to self harvest. These ramps are such a pain to set up and hard for the BSF to find and use.<br />
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You can look at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1593178396392787391#editor/target=post;postID=6646769343283242709;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname" target="_blank">my old set up here</a>. It's a 55 gallon water drum with a door cut in the side. I used PVC pipes for ramps that ended in collection buckets. Although the system worked, I always felt the chances of the BFS larvae finding the ramp and using it were not as good as they could be. A broad ramp leading to a broad exit hole would be better, but you can't just insert a plywood ramp into your set up. First of all it will rot, and second of all, BSF can get through any crack and they will all end up lost on the other side of the ramp. Then I thought one day, why bother with a separate ramp? Why not tilt the whole container the 20 degrees I wanted and cut a long slit for an exit hole in the side?<br />
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Here is the design my husband and I came up with. The design was mine and the execution was his (of course.) The barrel is tilted at a 20 degree angle. The collection bucket is the beige container with the green top on the right. The drain goes to the jar with the red top on the left.<br />
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There is a slit cut inside at the high end of the barrel. The larvae will instinctively crawl up and fall out of the slit, into the collection bucket, when they are ready to pupate. The barrel was pretty full since I hadn't cleaned it out in a few years and it was very mucky since my old drain did not work too well. I have a lot of composting material to spread around now.<br />
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There is a wooden stop at the low end to keep the barrel from sliding off the support. My husband thought of this and this stop was really needed. You see I wanted to simply prop the barrel at an angle with cinder blocks and, no, that did not work, so don't try it. The barrel gets pretty heavy and just slides right off of cinder blocks. My husband stepped in at that point and built me the wooden frame. He's so handy!</div>
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There is a drain here as well. I pour the liquid in my compost tea maker. </div>
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At the other end we have a support for the collection bucket. We ended up making the slanted support for the bucket, because we could not figure out how to cut the bucket properly so that it would fit up against the barrel right. The geometry of a cube partially intersecting a cylinder at an angle was beyond us! So the collection bucket is tilted at the same angle as the cylinder, which makes it much easier to cut the sides so the bucket snugs up against the barrel. The wooden slice of a circle you see in the picture was what we used to draw the cutting line for the supports and the side of the collection bucket.</div>
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The lid of the collection bucket had to be cut too. We just measured from the exit slit to the end of the barrel, then fit it by trial, and no error thankfully.</div>
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Some of the larvae after a few days.<br />
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The system works great! I am getting a lot more larvae each day with this simple integrated ramp (doesn't that sound fancy.) I can't believe I didn't think of this before! Send me your comments and questions!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-35501009014497729812013-03-23T11:01:00.000-07:002014-02-21T06:52:24.215-08:00Laundry to Lanscape Greywater Project UpdateLast spring my wonderful husband installed a laundry to landscape Grey Water system in our backyard. It feeds three fruit trees (a peach, some raspberries, and a fig) at the front end, and waters the vegetable garden at the back end. So far I have been thrilled with its performance!<br />
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Here is<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1593178396392787391#editor/target=post;postID=475530771372889318" target="_blank"> part one</a>, and here is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1593178396392787391#editor/target=post;postID=5531692247354229449" target="_blank">part two</a>.<br />
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Some changes we have made: Shortened the lines and added a plug.<br />
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We shortened the lines by lopping off the last two pots on each line. The directions said it could support up to 30 pots, but of course I tried to make it longer. The last bit never got enough water. That part of the bed also got too much shade, so I am converting it to a wild flower patch.<br />
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Garry modified the end so that it now has a clean-out plug. This was necessary for the second up date for the system. Note! Brand new bath towels produce a ton of lint! Our system did clog up due to a batch of new bath towels that produced copious lint. We were washing them over and over to try to get all the lint out, and we managed to clog up the system - the middle of the garden was getting soupy. Garry hooked in the garden hose to the hose service connection and blasted the clog right out. (I am so glad he included that!)</div>
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Here is a picture I took March 1st. The arugula had been blooming for a while, the cabbages I planted in the fall. Basically everything I planted in the fall was still living at this time. I even harvested some broccoli in February! I attribute this to a pretty mild winter combined with the extra water the garden got all during the cold season. We wont say anything about the aphids who survived the winter...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-69265133027761545012013-03-23T08:33:00.000-07:002014-01-25T15:40:43.649-08:00The Most Beautiful Color of Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The beautiful color of tender new growth in the spring! For much of the year the predominant color in Texas is the beige you see in my grass in this picture. When we get rain, or if we water, we can have a green lawn, but if the countryside does not get rain, the grass goes dormant in the summer, AND it goes dormant in the winter when it gets cold. Then how I long for this lovely refreshing green to appear!</div>
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These are my day lilies coming back after a hard drought, then a mild winter. Their fresh new green is a contrast to the older evergreen liriope edging the bed, and the dormant beige grass. Can't wait for them to bloom!</div>
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The color green is supposed to be relaxing, good for your heart, calming, soothing and comforting. I praise the Lord every year for His Spring, the color Green, for New Life and for my Life in Him! Have a wonderful spring!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-87958094104738730722012-12-17T18:37:00.000-08:002014-02-21T06:51:29.381-08:00Josef Holzer Permiculture VideoThis is a fantastic video by Josef Holzer who has perhaps one of the most famous farms in the world (the world of permaculture and agroforestry.) Makes me dream big dreams (with lots of "if only" sighs in them). I hope you enjoy it. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-68807544036664085542012-11-17T08:50:00.002-08:002014-02-21T12:12:59.661-08:00Pumpkin Soup Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We bought some pie pumpkins recently and processed them for the freezer. In honor of pumpkins, and all their goodness, I thought I would post my Pumpkin Soup recipe again.<br />
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Place
all the ingredients in a sauce pan and blend after it is all heated
through, or if you are using fresh pumpkin and sweet potatoes, you have
to cook them through before you do any blending, obviously. See below
for the best way to cook fresh pumpkin.<br />
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5 cups chicken broth<br />
3 cups cubed and peeled cooked fresh pumpkin, or one 15 oz can pumpkin<br />
2 sweet potatoes cubed, peeled and cooked, or one 15 oz can sweet potatoes, drained<br />
1/2 of a 15 oz can coconut cream, or 1/4 cup coconut cream concentrate plus one tablespoon brown sugar, or one can coconut milk plus one tablespoon brown sugar. <br />
2 Tablespoons coconut oil<br />
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger - use fresh! <br />
1/2 tsp dried onion powder <br />
Dash of dried garlic powder or one clove fresh.<br />
1 Tablespoon lemon juice<br />
2 Tablespoons lime juice<br />
1/8 tsp chili powder<br />
1 tsp ground cumin<br />
1/2 cup of fresh basil (don't leave this out, it is awesome!) <br />
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Simmer until heated through, then blend and serve. Makes about 8 cups of soup.<br />
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You can cook this in a Vitamix. Dump everything in and blend on high until it is hot. <br />
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If you use canned coconut cream and canned sweet potatoes it will be sweeter than with fresh sweet potatoes or coconut milk, so taste it and add more brown sugar if that is what you desire.<br />
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It
is so delicious! This does not taste like pumpkin pie! The sweetness
combined with the ginger, basil, lime, and spices - just great! <br />
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Everybody loved this soup, even the doubters : ) Hope you enjoy!<br />
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Here's
how to cook fresh pumpkin easily. Using a sharp, heavy knife, chopped
the pumpkin into large chunks very carefully. Use a spoon to scrap out
all the seeds and membrane. Steam the pumpkin chunks, with the rind
still on, for about 30-40 minutes until it is very soft. Wait until the
chunks are cool enough to handle, then use a spoon to scrape the cooked
flesh away from the rinds. It's messy, but easier then trying to peel a
fresh (hard) pumpkin. We cook all large squash varieties this way too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-1062642454169820672012-06-27T09:33:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:13:38.297-08:00Happy ButterfliesWe have a little butterfly that really likes to hang around our house. We see it flitting everywhere, hanging out by the hundreds on the west wall of the house, or in the oak trees. It's very busy and flies very fast in crazy circles. We frequently see them chasing each other in butterfly battles. I had a laugh one day watching a Mocking Bird try to catch one (unsuccessfully.)<br />
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This morning I was attracted by the sight of a trail of ants going up my oak tree (I'll get back to the butterflies.) I needed to check this out and make sure the ants weren't chewing on my tree, or tending any aphids. I was busy trying to follow the trail of ants around the tree when my husband came out to say good-by in the morning.<br />
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I said good-by distractedly, "Sorry, I'm following these ants."<br />
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The ants didn't appear to be up to no good and there were no aphids. The ants only wandered around to the ends of each twig and back again. While I was focusing on the tiny ants I was totally missing this sight below being enacted all over the tree:<br />
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I almost jumped when my eyes focused on the comparatively enormous butterflies after staring at the ants for so long! </div>
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Well the mystery was solved. If you click on the picture to get it bigger, you can actually see the butterflies' tongues sipping sap from the ends of the twigs! I assume that is what the ants were doing too. I'll keep an eye on them though, because I don't trust them. </div>
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These butterflies are Hackberry Emperors (don't butterflies have pretentious names? There sure are a lot of Admirals and Emperors in the butterfly world) and they prefer sap to nectar. Who knew?</div>
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After picking some ripe peaches, we sorted them out into two piles. The perfect ones got put in a pretty bowl on the counter. The not so perfect ones - the ones the birds took one bite out of - filled up a colander. These were the ones destined for the peach butter.<br />
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Usually recipes for peach butter have you boil and peel the peaches, cut
them up and sieve them. That is VERY messy and time consuming. We
simply pitted the peaches cutting out any bad spots or bird pecks, and
blended them skin and all (in a Vita Mix.) <br />
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We ended up with 8 cups of pureed peaches. The pureed peaches went into a crock pot with 4 cups of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp of cloves (this was too much cloves according to John, but Anna loved it.) I let it cook on low for 6 hours with the lid propped up on two long wooden spoons so the peaches could reduce.<br />
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When they were nice and thick we jarred them up and boiled them in a water bath for 15 minutes. We ended up with four full pints and one almost full pint. The almost full one did not get processed because it will soon be eaten all up!<br />
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The peach butter was a success. Next batch I will make without any spice as I read that you get a better peachy flavor that way, but I love these spiced ones too. <br />
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What do you do with excess peaches?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-55316922473542294492012-06-09T11:18:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:15:54.200-08:00Our Laundry to Landscape Greywater Project, Part 2We have finished our Laundry to Landscape Greywater Project! It has been operational for a few weeks now and we are very happy with it. Click <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1593178396392787391#editor/target=post;postID=475530771372889318" target="_blank">here to see part one </a>of this post. Part one also has the link to the plans that we used.<br />
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Picture of the out-side part of the setup. You can see where the hole was drilled into the brick in the wall of our laundry room. This contraption allows air to escape the system, and has a back flow valve to keep dirty laundry water from going back into my washer. It also has a spot where you can hook in your regular garden hose into the system. (Part one shows the inside part of the system. The inside part has a valve that lets us direct the water into the sewer or out to the garden.)<br />
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The PVC pipe goes off to the left and meets up with a flexible water line at the fence line.<br />
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Mulch basin, empty. Garry is positioning an awl to drill a pilot hole in the water line. Once the water line is drilled, the white flower pot you see will have two large holes drilled into it to receive the water line. Water will drip out the small hole in the water line into the mulch basin - the whole thing will be covered over with mulch. The flower pot keeps the water line up out of the dirt and mulch, so that the hole does not get clogged.<br />
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Drilling the hole in the water line. The fig tree that we are trying to water is on the right. You can see the terrible soil we have to deal with!<br />
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Drilling large holes in flower pot.</div>
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Sliding the last few pots onto the water line. This water line goes on into the vegetable garden which you can barely see in the background. It branches out into two lines and feeds a series of mulch basins in the vegetable garden. I water about a third of the garden with soaker hose for root crops.</div>
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Finished and ready for the mulch. I knew I was saving all those flower pots for some good purpose!</div>
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Pressurizing and testing out the system with the garden hose. Success!</div>
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We ran a load of laundry and you can see that the bottom of the hole is getting wet. The mulch will absorb this water and hold on to it for the plants roots. The bacteria in the soil and mulch will kill all the germs.</div>
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We are very happy with the system and will start using it just about every day, as needed, now that the dry season is upon us. We will have to change over from a once-a-week laundry day to an as-needed laundry system, but I think that wont be too hard. </div>
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If you are in a similar dry area and have expensive city water, you might want to give this greywater project a try. All the kudos to my handy-man Hubby!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-12991817630275127452012-05-18T10:48:00.003-07:002014-02-21T12:16:30.381-08:00Butterfly DaysDuring April we had masses of butterflies in our yard. I have always gravitated to flowers and plants that say "attracts butterflies", or "feeds birds/wildlife", so as the garden matures we are reaping the blessing of this lovely decoration. Hope you enjoy these pictures. Anna patiently took most of them.<br />
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I will not attempt to identify all these butterflies (being lazy), so if you know what they are, feel free to comment about it. I will restrict my identification to, "I think this is a (blank)", or "white butterfly" kind of thing.<br />
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Most of these pictures were taken in the Herbal Tea Garden. This garden is a few years old and is maturing up nicely. I posted about planting it in the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1593178396392787391#editor/target=post;postID=112046413756849140" target="_blank">no-till fashion here</a>.<br />
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It's hard to get across in these pictures the sheer numbers of butterflies that were flying everywhere, but each plant had at least ten butterflies on it at a time!<br />
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This plant with blue flowers in the Herbal Tea Garden is Nepta, or Cat Mint. You can see several sulfur butterflies on it or flying near. </div>
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Sulfurs on the cat mint. I looked this up - its an Orange sulfur.<br />
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Butterfly on the thyme blossoms. We don't know what this one is, but it sure is interesting!</div>
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These Grey Hairstreak butterflies are so cute. I lied - I can't help looking up some things!</div>
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Buckeye butterfly on the thyme. (Looked that up too.)</div>
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Common Sulfur on the Cat Mint.</div>
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Lovely white something on the tall Verbena. This tall verbena is in the vegetable garden. I have been working on getting a lot more flowers in there to attract beneficial insects, and it is working.</div>
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Red Admiral? </div>
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Some kind of Skipper.</div>
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and there were many more! All of these shot the same morning. If you love butterflies, its worth it to plant plants just for them. Do some research on what grows in your area that butterflies like, and enjoy God's beautiful creation.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-38475189157309355832012-04-13T13:35:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:17:07.924-08:00Watching Wasps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fcYhMFmzwiKBHANFwRlRc9D7NoOO0R4LLfBBHBDVUUtz2rMkYNbqpz1Aexmuy5x2EcWBhOqc5C-vFsBNYlcQM-rc_n8rsozNVRJMamFPTaGMlcfrcTzNoMwmO0Fb6br94FwA07rw3pGs/s1600/IMG_4799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fcYhMFmzwiKBHANFwRlRc9D7NoOO0R4LLfBBHBDVUUtz2rMkYNbqpz1Aexmuy5x2EcWBhOqc5C-vFsBNYlcQM-rc_n8rsozNVRJMamFPTaGMlcfrcTzNoMwmO0Fb6br94FwA07rw3pGs/s400/IMG_4799.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
This morning I noticed that my roses were covered in wasps. I don't know what they were doing there. Looking for bugs? I know wasps are great predators of many pesky bugs and beneficial to the garden. It didn't look like they were getting any bugs and it didn't look like they were getting nectar either. Then I noticed that one of them was licking dewdrops off the rose leaves!<br />
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I could see this with my eyes, but of course it didn't come out in any pictures. Next time you see wasps in your garden, be thankful for all the caterpillars they will be eating!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-4755307713728893182012-03-29T13:41:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:18:10.732-08:00Our Laundry to Landscape Greywater Project Part 1We are finally getting our laundry greywater garden project under way. The design we are using is from Art Ludwig's book,"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Create-Oasis-Greywater/dp/0964343398/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333051919&sr=1-1">The New Creating an Oasis with Greywater</a>"<br />
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We are starting at the garden end and working our way up to the house. Hopefully we will be all done by the time the spring rains are gone.<br />
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Here is a picture of one line dug with the mulch basins and pots in the ground. The black flexible water pipe has holes drill on the underside beneath the pots. The pots will be covered over in mulch, keeping all the grey water under ground.<br />
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There will be two lines in the garden. I am leaving the back third of the garden without grey water so I can grow root crops. These will be watered with a soaker hose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPNf5KroLHRRgoz2Zf5C1E_Mq2yMwHqNjc-O42CpP_QcdwFcf5qRxfxjccpJfPjpQOizJamGiCxyrlvEQ_d-NfsUvaC59fPDm2mt0xcn3Nvu-e-90OUeQLXbfWyN3wBizL23zohf1bzq_/s1600/IMG_4698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPNf5KroLHRRgoz2Zf5C1E_Mq2yMwHqNjc-O42CpP_QcdwFcf5qRxfxjccpJfPjpQOizJamGiCxyrlvEQ_d-NfsUvaC59fPDm2mt0xcn3Nvu-e-90OUeQLXbfWyN3wBizL23zohf1bzq_/s400/IMG_4698.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here is the finished installation in the garden with a few plantings.</div>
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Some plantings at the end of the garden.</div>
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The two lines connect at the top of the garden with a y-fitting. The flexible pipe continues along the back fence where mulch pits will water the fig and blackberries. Then the pipe will be connected to PVC pipe which will run to outside the laundry room. A lever inside the laundry room will allow me to direct the water to the garden or down the drain.<br />
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Left to do is the part along the back fence, the run up to the house, and drilling a hole in the laundry room wall. All the fittings for inside are ready.<br />
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I am so excited about having more water for my garden. The system will be connectable to the rain barrels we already have, so we can use rain, rain water we have stored, laundry water, or city water. I will post more as we get the project finished and report on how well it works later in the hot dry part of summer.<br />
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The plans for this are also available on-line at <a href="http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/laundry/index.php">Oasis Design- Laundry to Landscape Greywater System</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JzW4BTpepRWOTyQ90M3pWDSzxXYMQ8YgWH1Kdh1itsLSzM2RgUL8rJG3uQIe-UpwzvCCydxuEEzaB9NNs74ERuatOnE8-NvORr8iWZLB8FiTkwfiaJoxSUN_LSao8ba4Q4WM87K9Tjr1/s1600/IMG_4626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JzW4BTpepRWOTyQ90M3pWDSzxXYMQ8YgWH1Kdh1itsLSzM2RgUL8rJG3uQIe-UpwzvCCydxuEEzaB9NNs74ERuatOnE8-NvORr8iWZLB8FiTkwfiaJoxSUN_LSao8ba4Q4WM87K9Tjr1/s400/IMG_4626.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I will leave you with a picture of Marmalade enjoying the trench running through the broccoli and Swiss Chard.<br />
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Click <a href="http://texasurbanhomestead.blogspot.com/2012/06/we-have-finished-our-laundry-to.html" target="_blank">here to see part two</a>. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-27185973908944875812011-10-14T06:24:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:18:53.521-08:00Delicious Pumpkin Soup RecipeI was feeling in the mood for some pumpkin soup the other day, so I did what I usually do if I am not sure of a recipe - I googled it, then combined what I liked best about each recipe into a new one of my own. I was looking at Asian soup recipes and if I didn't have the ingredients they asked for (or didn't know what they were!) I improvised. The resulting soup was so good!<br />
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I put all these ingredients in my vitamix (I used the canned pumpkin and sweet potatoes just because I didn't have fresh) then blended. A vitamix will cook the ingredients right in the container, but if you do not have one, place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and blend after it is all heat through, or if you are using fresh pumpkin and sweet potatoes, you have to cook them through before you do any blending, obviously. See below for the best way to cook fresh pumpkin.<br />
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5 cups chicken broth<br />
3 cups cubed and peeled pumpkin, or one 15 oz can pumpkin<br />
2 sweet potatoes cubed and peeled, or one 15 oz can sweet potatoes, drained<br />
1/2 of a 15 oz can coconut cream (Not coconut milk, get the one with the least amount of sugar)<br />
2 Tablespoons coconut oil<br />
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger - use fresh! You can get it in tubes if you want.<br />
1/2 tsp dried onion powder (or saute some fresh onions - I think I used fresh?)<br />
Dash of dried garlic powder<br />
1 Tablespoon lemon juice<br />
2 Tablespoons lime juice<br />
1/8 tsp chili powder<br />
1 tsp ground cumin<br />
1/2 cup of fresh basil (don't leave this out, it is awesome) <br />
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If you are making this in a pot, simmer until all the pumpkin and sweet potatoes are tender, then blend and serve. Makes about 8 cups of soup.<br />
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It is so delicious! This does not taste like pumpkin pie! The sweetness combined with the ginger, basil, lime, and spices - just great! Everybody loved this soup, even the doubters : ) Hope you enjoy!<br />
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Here's how to cook fresh pumpkin easily. Using a sharp, heavy knife, chopped the pumpkin into large chunks very carefully. Use a spoon to scrap out all the seeds and membrane. Steam the pumpkin chunks, with the rind still on, for about 30-40 minutes until it is very soft. Wait until the chunks are cool enough to handle, then use a spoon to scrape the cooked flesh away from the rinds. It's messy, but easier then trying to peel a fresh (hard) pumpkin. We cook all large squash varieties this way too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-83471636676257234982011-07-20T05:45:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:20:24.363-08:00What the Bird Said Early In the Year - By C.S. LewisI heard in Addison's Walk a bird sing clear<br />
'This year the summer will come true. This year. This year. <br />
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'Winds will not strip the blossom from the apple trees <br />
This year, nor want of rain destroy the peas. <br />
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'This year time's nature will no more defeat you,<br />
Nor all the promised moments in their passing cheat you.<br />
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'This time they will not lead you round and back <br />
To Autumn, one year older, by the well-worn track.<br />
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'This year, this year, as all these flowers foretell,<br />
We shall escape the circle and undo the spell.<br />
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'Often deceived, yet open once again your heart,<br />
Quick, quick, quick, quick!—the gates are drawn apart.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-45325979572673076002011-06-28T08:27:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:21:48.660-08:00Insect Control with the Water WandThis summer I have been trying out a new device to control spider mites, aphids and other garden pests.<br />
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It is a store bought water wand with a head that can rotate to various angles, that has been extended with an adaption. The extension in length allows you to comfortably stand upright as you spray the underside of the plants leaves with the water wand's head resting on the ground. The head is adjusted to spray upward at a nighty degree angle. This makes spraying the underside of the plants leaves so easy and really saves your back. I have used a water wand without the extension, but it is a struggle to get the wand at the right angle to spray the underside of the leaves, and you have to stoop over to get the wand up under the bottom leaves of the plant.</div>
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The extension is made up of three parts bought at the hardware store. The grey plastic pipe is a riser for an in-ground sprinkler system, 12 inches long and threaded at both ends. The two brass fittings are adapters that allow you to connect the plastic pipe (iron pipe thread) to the water wand and to your hose (hose thread). For the water wand end you need a male hose thread/female iron pipe thread adapter, and for the hose end you need a female iron pipe thread/female hose thread adapter. A worker in the store helped us pick out all the parts and my husband put the whole thing together in a few minutes, using plastic pipe thread between the parts to keep it from leaking.<br />
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The piece between the brass fitting and the hose is a snap fitting that I use on all my hoses to make connecting things a snap! : )<br />
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The extension pretty much doubles the cost of the water wand (about ten dollars for the three parts bought retail.)<br />
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The water wand in use. In this picture the head is not pointing straight up. With taller plants and the head adjusted to 90 degrees you can still reach upper leaves while standing comfortably as shown. </div>
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Now the point of all this spraying is that aphids and spider mites, which reside under the leaves of your plants, are easily knocked off with a spray of water and don't seem to be smart enough to crawl back on. Spraying every couple of weeks helps to keep these populations in check.</div>
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I have also used the water wand with a partner to pick off stink bugs and cucumber beetles. One person sprays a fine mist under the leaves which causes the stink bugs to run up to the top of the leaves. The other person (not me) has the job of catching and squashing the bugs.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-73195440418491710202011-06-03T15:25:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:22:39.665-08:00Why I love Swiss Chard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R6q-Id3tDjQRRo_k4e3ifZrzu4jxzjknwozPi4nDmoOQ9LSura2eYcIFgHsEYmHayGrhlQ_Dj5hVQud8GzsaY0Acxa4OfmDB8diYA-MTImDGzLxc26EHHQOYoL6O0eVDUnk7aOMInW24/s1600/IMG_3776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R6q-Id3tDjQRRo_k4e3ifZrzu4jxzjknwozPi4nDmoOQ9LSura2eYcIFgHsEYmHayGrhlQ_Dj5hVQud8GzsaY0Acxa4OfmDB8diYA-MTImDGzLxc26EHHQOYoL6O0eVDUnk7aOMInW24/s400/IMG_3776.JPG" height="317" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Here I am with a bucket of one of my favorite greens - Swiss Chard. This is one of two buckets I picked that day from around the edges (outer leaves) of four chard plants. Why do I love chard? For one thing you dont have to replant it every year since its a perennial. Every year it just gets bigger and better and I can pick on it almost all winter. Chard has very few pests and is heat and drought tolerant. You can use it in anything you would use spinach in (except fresh salads) and it is so good for you.</div>
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Here is the mountain of chard sitting on the washing machine. Look how big those leaves are! I used my super big laundry sink to clean it all, they my mom and Anna helped me strip and chop all the stems, chop up the green part, and cook about 6 batches of chard with bacon and apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. We ate one batch that night for dinner with cream and Jack cheese added, and packed the rest in freezer bags for the freezer.<br />
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Swiss Chard cooks down a lot. Here is what was left of that mountain once it was cooked. Two very large bowls of stems and one large bowl of greens. Its enough chard for 6 meals though. Use any Southern greens recipe for Swiss chard, but don't forget the vinegar when cooking the stems or they will turn brown.</div>
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Nothing to do with Swiss Chard, but Claire finally got a picture of the critter that has been digging holes all over the back yard. A big Armadillo! He is hiding under my rain barrel in this picture. Since he eats grubs, I don't mind him too much. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-62267651178918999422011-05-24T08:34:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:27:49.452-08:00Onion Subirrigation, Onions in clumps, Herbal Tea Garden, Companion Planting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTu3vq0bjuQg2H4Xxdfi_eUnaRB0SSOtu_aPHvQVNztRln4uwexBCFn-B3eUFQfuNGgs4b2HsY8lddSm4z7lzZ0UqlOLB_snspkT1Kr9hvW5yhszR_V6uoh5hzNXl6cJ-zKXX1vZVQoLVy/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTu3vq0bjuQg2H4Xxdfi_eUnaRB0SSOtu_aPHvQVNztRln4uwexBCFn-B3eUFQfuNGgs4b2HsY8lddSm4z7lzZ0UqlOLB_snspkT1Kr9hvW5yhszR_V6uoh5hzNXl6cJ-zKXX1vZVQoLVy/s400/IMG_3745.JPG" height="300" width="400" /> </a></div>
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This year I tried using subirrigation with my onions. In this picture you can see a buried soda pop bottle. The bottle has small holes poked all over it, and when you fill it with water the water slowly leaks out to water the plant below the surface of the soil. This puts the water right where the plant needs it, saves water, and helps control weeds by keeping the soil surface dry. I think it worked quite well with the onions.<br />
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Another thing I was trying here was planting the onions in groups instead of the traditional rows. I had read on another blog that you could plant them in a clump and the onions would have no problem pushing themselves away from each other as they grew. I found that this worked very well, and it saved a lot of room. I planted my usual three bundles of onion sets in a fraction of the space they usually use up when strung out in long rows. My three onion set bundles were clustered around about 6 buried bottles with about 20 -25 onions around each bottle.<br />
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Onions from around one bottle.</div>
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All my onions drying before I put them in onion braids. By my estimation I have about my usual onion harvest, with about the same ratio of big and little onions. Admittedly I could do a better job at growing onions period, but I haven't yet done an extensive study of growing onions in a low maintenance garden. </div>
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Here is a picture of my herbal tea garden the family planted a few years ago using sheet mulching over the lawn to get it established. This year I changed the direction of the rows so that I have a circle within a circle. This gave me more planting space. The garden is coming along fine and I added quite a few plants this year - apple and pineapple mint, more lavender, cat nip (protected by the can to keep the cats from rolling on it), bee balm, anise hyssop, cat mint, rue and verbena.</div>
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I have been reading a lot about permiculture on-line and I realized I had made a mistake by separating my flowers and vegetables from each other - flowers in front yard and vegetables in back yard. I should have know better since my inspiration was my French Grandmother's pottage type garden. My herbal tea garden in the front was buzzing with bees and beneficial insects, but in the flower free vegetable garden there was nothing there for the beneficial insects to eat. I had read about companion planting before but thought it was some funky wives tale. I had an "Ahha" moment when I realized the purpose was to give beneficial insects places to hide and feed, so that they would lay eggs on your vegetable plants. Then their larvae will attack vegetable pests. I went right out and bought a bunch of my favorite flowers (what a great excuse!), and not so favorite marigolds, and some clover seed, and planted a row of this right down the middle of my vegetable garden. </div>
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I chose to plant a row of permanent perennials flowers (with the annual marigolds) to keep the work to a minium every year. Since I rotate my veggies around the garden every year I will not have to rotate and plant a bunch of annual flowers too. I can cut clover and other plants like comfrey when I get them and use them as mulches around the plants that would benefit from that companion. The flowers will attract beneficial insects and the marigolds will hopefully concentrate aphids away from my other plants. This will be an ongoing experiment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2sk4UpCUnTw8sxoOPyTr7sVjZijK7Bc0bUjrM8_PIT_cRasSAa0Nj5x6V3oDue6SvUUhAhuuh4-rn_ryH813TskuNQeh-7bztX0laTjDtv4UFniAi5zIMYMEi9lFCcYOuu8IecJB-yif/s1600/IMG_3748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2sk4UpCUnTw8sxoOPyTr7sVjZijK7Bc0bUjrM8_PIT_cRasSAa0Nj5x6V3oDue6SvUUhAhuuh4-rn_ryH813TskuNQeh-7bztX0laTjDtv4UFniAi5zIMYMEi9lFCcYOuu8IecJB-yif/s400/IMG_3748.JPG" height="297" width="400" /> </a></div>
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This last not very good picture is of a blue mud dauber on my parsley blossom. A lot of these were buzzing around in the tea garden. It was windy and I could not get a very good shot. Anyway I had fun watching them and did a little research on them later. It turns out that the adults eat pollen and nectar, and the larvae eat the spiders that the adults stuff in with them when they make their mud daubers nests. The blue mud dauber particularly likes Black Widow spiders, so its all right by me. I call that a beneficial insect. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoEGPtibJyDzvJL2s_hoJbWwbKris1Wjdn5w_Ax_CPPGi2U42va7luxxSFZF5zFYGbFLPZ27snsh_NEty05ySRF6t3P2kdpeFz7RnqJE3MaBQwOP4NcTRyJDKLxh8h9Y2NPu4gl_EZ8Pt/s1600/IMG_3603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoEGPtibJyDzvJL2s_hoJbWwbKris1Wjdn5w_Ax_CPPGi2U42va7luxxSFZF5zFYGbFLPZ27snsh_NEty05ySRF6t3P2kdpeFz7RnqJE3MaBQwOP4NcTRyJDKLxh8h9Y2NPu4gl_EZ8Pt/s400/IMG_3603.jpg" height="400" width="340" /></a></div>
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Here is a close up of a 12 inch clay pot buried in the ground and filled with water. The hole is plugged with plumbers putty. The lid is a cheep plastic plate which usually has a rock on top to keep it from blowing away. The pots will slowly leak moisture to the surrounding garden soil. This is a very efficient way to water the plants planted near the pots. These pots use much less water even then drip irrigation. Water only goes to the plants around the pot, not all over the garden, and as the plants dry out the soil, they pull just the moisture they need from the pots. You can see a just sprouted squash plant next to the pot.<br />
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The pots are about 3 feet apart and I plant around them in a circle.</div>
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Here is one with a circle of broccoli, Swiss chard and chives around it. These were transplants. I gave them supplemental water for a few weeks to get them started, then they only receive water from the buried pot after that. Last year I cut my water use for gardening in half by using, rain barrels in the spring, subirrigation, and grey water in the summer.<br />
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Another benefit of using the buried pots is that, without water running across the soil surface less weed seeds sprout. Using this method in conjunction with heavy mulching, I hardly ever have to pull any weeds.<br />
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In the garden right now: broccoli, swiss chard, onions, potatoes, peas, lettuce mix, garlic, beets, tomatoes, many kinds of peppers, egg plant, many kinds of squash and cucumbers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyVXQzlQaAVrrGAZUu3b7jrkfueprLd0Dt67M1tmd5zaYHTwD2Gx0W-7VKFXHRNLxodjMr21RomqF8jrdWM7oVr4_ilKnHzcH32AAGWNwxPgzKISZGnOkASWgFzShA_ocRBCgbwRtyacV/s1600/IMG_3609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyVXQzlQaAVrrGAZUu3b7jrkfueprLd0Dt67M1tmd5zaYHTwD2Gx0W-7VKFXHRNLxodjMr21RomqF8jrdWM7oVr4_ilKnHzcH32AAGWNwxPgzKISZGnOkASWgFzShA_ocRBCgbwRtyacV/s400/IMG_3609.jpg" height="400" width="255" /></a></div>
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A pretty picture to end with.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-42065097183946844752010-09-12T20:13:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:30:53.743-08:00September Update - Rain!This has been a very hot, dry summer. After a more than unusually cool and wet spring, a late planting of the garden, then early hot dry weather, this year the garden has barely hung on and not produced a whole lot. Now that our fall rain has finally started I am looking to the fall garden to make up for the loss. After no rain for a couple of months, we finally had rain last week - 6 torrential inches in a few hours time! The one road going East out of town was flooded and closed down which meant going around a long way either North or South to get out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmN4SjQMb-03Wjax3LHxDT4voH3L-QY1tTKUTI1ENzp1VDn_jPBfGPRAWIvIEbHoqy8f97vHqdD2eLkpVj32IRDTSv1VwxZ-buQW5qq2pi6MBg9c-aMMvYu43dapU8DhrUL2qJJogbOH0j/s1600/IMG_3098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmN4SjQMb-03Wjax3LHxDT4voH3L-QY1tTKUTI1ENzp1VDn_jPBfGPRAWIvIEbHoqy8f97vHqdD2eLkpVj32IRDTSv1VwxZ-buQW5qq2pi6MBg9c-aMMvYu43dapU8DhrUL2qJJogbOH0j/s400/IMG_3098.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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This ditch in front of our house is 20 feet across. The water is really moving fast. Imagine what probably happened to the lettuce seeds that I had just planted out back in the garden!</div>
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This pretty little vine is Malabar Spinach. It is an edible perennial. I am very interested in anything that is perennial and edible, and I just read somewhere that Swiss Chard was a perennial! I am very interested in finding out if this is true. Wouldn't it be great if you only had to plant a vegetable garden once?</div>
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New growth on roses.</div>
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Spider Lilies coming up. I hope to eventually have a lot of these.</div>
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Crepe Myrtle Still blooming.</div>
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Its a small thing, but, hey, anything that will bloom this time of year is all right with me.</div>
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Day lilies this year put on a poor show. I am hoping that a good fertilizing in October will help for next year. But wait did I say that these bloom in the FALL like clockwork every July 23rd? I love them.</div>
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Turk's cap in full bloom. We see a hummingbird in these every day. They are right out side the dining room window and I can see them from my seat.</div>
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Pyracantha, otherwise know as fire thorn. The great thing is that you have to actually be allergic to them for the thorns to bother you, and I'm not. I love anything that blooms in the fall and has berries! Robins love these. This shrub has gotten so over grown that a major pruning is due once the berries fall in the winter, something I don't look forward to as, even though I am not allergic, thorns are still thorns! How will I protect the trash men from these?</div>
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My one annual plant is responding well to the rain. I am usually too lazy to plant annuals - Thanks for Giving me this Gail!</div>
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Shot of the pitiful garden. You can see squash on the left, broccoli, swiss chard, rocket and kale left over from spring on the right, tomatoes and peppers looking worse for ware, Okra going strong.</div>
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Other side of the garden. Lima beans, peppers, tomatoes and okra and a cucumber plant that so far has given us one tiny cucumber.</div>
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One morning after the rain I found a bunch of prints on the ground around the overflow to the rain barrels. I found cat, dog (we don't own a dog) and strange large bird prints. I mean a really large one legged bird! I don't know what it was, but it looked like the cat chased the bird up the tree!? Weird. There was also evidence that some creature, probably a possum, was digging in the vegetable garden for grubs. It must have been an interesting night out there!</div>
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What I planted so far this month: butternut squash, deluxe baby lettuce mix, spinach, swiss chard. I am hoping that my tomatoes and peppers will begin producing again and that the broccoli will also produce something.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-53557798837012796872010-09-11T15:06:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:32:13.370-08:00August Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Black-eyed Susans and Purple Cone Flowers</div>
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You can see how much the grasshoppers have devoured the Irises.</div>
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A lonely Rose of Sharron. </div>
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This summer was so hot and dry that nothing really bloomed spectacularly.</div>
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Turks cap just beginning to bloom.</div>
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Hummingbirds love these.</div>
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Rain Lilies</div>
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There were at least ten of these cabbage butterflies feeding at the blooming oregano at once. I know I should "hate" these, but they have such a twinkly cheerful way of flitting around the garden. I took dozens of pictures but nothing did them credit.</div>
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More Cabbage butterflies.</div>
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I canned some pickled okra and banana peppers. </div>
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It was really easy because you packed the jars with all the ingredients and seasonings, then poured boiling vinegar over them. Then just seal and boil in a water bath for ten minutes. Simple and uncomplicated, plus you can do a few jars at a time as you get the produce from your garden. Each jar has either okra or banana peppers, or both, a clove of garlic, a hot chili pepper, salt and dill seed. We have already tried these and they are good.</div>
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In August I planted more Lima beans and more squash. So far no stink bugs.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-51209247020816845962010-07-17T11:28:00.000-07:002014-02-21T12:36:42.213-08:00Always Learning New ThingsToday I was alternately grossed out and charmed by nature and learned a few new things along the way too.<br />
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First the gross stuff. Well part of it is interesting. We have this humongous garden spider that has made a web near the side entrance door. Anna has named it Allie. We have been watching it get bigger and bigger. We have watched her capture and eat a June bug or two, and yesterday Anna fed her a great big Tomato Horn Worm.<br />
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This is Allie. She is an Argiope aurantia and is about 4 inches long right now.<br />
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This is a close up that shows the tiny male spider. If you look to the left of her abdomen between the back legs you see a blurry little beige spider. He is actually on the back side of the web behind her - smart guy since she could eat him. Anna named the male James. LOL Allie seems to tolerate James just fine and she even shared a caterpillar with him!<br />
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Ok, this is all very interesting, but now comes the gross part!<br />
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Anna put a Tomato Horn Worm caterpillar in Allie's web as a gift. The caterpillar was very large- about as big as Allie, and about as fat as my thumb. At first Allie ran away from this thing breaking her web. Then she decided it was prey and she attached a few lines to the caterpiller and drew her up to the center of her web. She did not spin all around her as she did with the June bugs. She only left her entangled enough to stay put.<br />
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Claire got this close up so that you can see Allie's fangs. They are the tiny black pointed things coming from her head. They are hinged and you usually can not see them at all because they are folded up underneath her head. They are not the little black and yellow legs on either side of her head. Those are palps (not considered legs.) Allie bit the caterpillar repeatedly in a pattern all down one side, then retired until it died.<br />
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Ok, That's not the end of the gross/interesting stuff or the learning. The next thing was really gross! Anna was cutting some Swiss Chard for me with some scissors and she accidentally cut a grasshopper in half. Out of the grasshopper, who had looked perfectly healthy, uncoiled several very, very, very long thin worms!<br />
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Of course we had to look it up and we found out that the worms are called hair worms. The hair worm is actually aquatic, so at a certain point they somehow drive the grasshopper crazy enough to jump in and drown in water. Then the worms emerge and mate in the water. I really didn't need to see or know all this, but here is the picture anyway!<br />
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It almost makes you feel sorry for the grasshopper, but since it is the pest of the month - I dont. Hope worms eat them all up, or at least the birds and spiders get a good meal off of them. Seems to me as soon as you figure out how to combat one type of pest you will never see it again and something new will come along to baffle you.<br />
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I hope you have stayed with me so far because now we will talk about some of God's more charming creatures. I dont have any pictures though so you will have to use your imagination. You may remember that we have a bird house right outside the dinning room window under the eves of the front porch. We have been watching a sparrow pair raise their young for the last couple of weeks. We sit at the table a lot to read, talk, crochet, eat, so we get to see the family a lot.<br />
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A few days ago the babies were getting so big that they were practically hanging out the entrance hole by their toes and shouting, "Hey mom, feed us!" One female in particular hogged the entrance and the parents had to fight her out of the way to get to the other two babies in the nest.<br />
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I knew they would fledge very soon and I sure wanted to be able to watch. Sure enough one day while I was gone at the grocery store, with everybody else sitting at the table, the birds somehow managed to fledge without anybody noticing! This is usually a very noisy affair! Oh well, I was disappointed, but since then we have been able to see the babies about the yard and they sure are funny! Instantly they went from sitting in a bird house to flying perfectly. Its amazing!<br />
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There are one male and two females. The little male is a momma's boy and keeps getting back in the bird house and begging! Or one of the females will sit on top of the bird house and stare all around it, peeking back behind it, as if to say, "So thats what this thing looked like all the time!" Or they will all get into a fight over who can get back inside the bird house. They are very charming and make me very glad for all the effort we have taken with the gardens. This place is full of birds and butterflies abound, the peach tree is so over laden with fruit we just had to pick half of it before it broke - it really feels like a tiny Eden sometimes.<br />
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Now the very last thing that happened in this eventful day was learning something new about how to cook Swiss Chard. My mother is staying with us and she grew up in France. When we were fixing the Swiss Chard she told me that her family used to make a dish with the Swiss Chard stems. I had always just thrown mine in the compost pile. How wasteful! Well I looked up a good recipe for the stems using olive oil and parmesan cheese which I will share in the next post. The funny thing about the Swiss Chard is that Mom said she didn't remember them using the green part at all! Can you imagine if in France they were throwing away the leaves and eating the stems, and here in America we were doing the reverse! Surely not.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-32740803647755473102010-06-21T10:38:00.000-07:002014-02-24T08:40:50.677-08:00The Bugs Bite Back, Weeds held in Check<span style="font-size: small;">This year has been a real battle against bugs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Last year I had a battle with cucumber beetles. They devastated squash and cucumber seedlings and spread disease in the garden. I made some changes to a few things and so far this year I have seen very few cucumber beetles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">First of all I covered all of my seedlings with fine row covers. This protected all my crops form cucumber beetles as well as from all kinds of caterpillars, and it really reduced aphid problems. Covers can be left on indefinitely for plants that don't need to be pollinated. The only thing I don't like about them is that it is more trouble to check your plants to see how they are doing. I like to check things everyday. To get around that I want to make some kind of hoop system that can be lifted up easily for checking plants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">My squash grew like gang busters under the row covers and did fine for a while after I uncovered them for pollination. Unfortunately last week I discovered hundreds of stink bus on my squash plants! These bugs can quickly kill a plant as tender as squash. I wasted lots of time trying to find some organic way to kill them (being a little squeamish about touching the stinky things) but nothing worked. Finally we resorted to hand picking and squashing the bugs (with gloves on.) The bugs have managed to kill two thirds of my squash plants and so far we have had no harvest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This plot shows all that is left of once tall healthy, lush squash plants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The good news is that our combination subterranean watering and mulching has kept weeding down to a minimum. Whereas before I spent a great deal of time weeding, now I only pull a few weeds here and there as I go about other garden chores. By applying water lower down to the roots of the plants and keeping the soil surface dry, weed seeds do not sprout. A few spots even that have no mulch are weed free. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Y9HSuLthZh9HGturrsLPcrbHTW5on8B0L8fM4mQD36-fjjp3D72Zu0K4luwlkbtsgm_c76wUzl9M2agOQUPd_3DZPCJFY_SS8MOxLocxaZXkEFN9QUHkVOrMHkENoqZey5pfOnm6bt2s/s1600/IMG_2923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Y9HSuLthZh9HGturrsLPcrbHTW5on8B0L8fM4mQD36-fjjp3D72Zu0K4luwlkbtsgm_c76wUzl9M2agOQUPd_3DZPCJFY_SS8MOxLocxaZXkEFN9QUHkVOrMHkENoqZey5pfOnm6bt2s/s400/IMG_2923.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">This picture shows a buried coke bottle next to a lemon balm plant. The bottle has small slits cut in it. I fill the bottle either with collected rain/or laundry water using a watering can, or I use the adapter shown hooked up the a garden hose. The hose can be hooked up to a rain barrel or the city water if necessary. You can see the snap fittings I use on all my hoses. This saves a lot of time moving the hoses around from place to place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqY2v97kAqUsyQsQ28Agl9wmIEdJUkeWzXcfGTVrwDJzE3iy38jw08CB3GI3dhVlWR2-Y1Q6382SPNoDDLWRWR8pB8nUdp87WQ7HNUPN0rbGzj4zHMptwzI8N3tDoFKwijtUrKh-0ev4p/s1600/IMG_2928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqY2v97kAqUsyQsQ28Agl9wmIEdJUkeWzXcfGTVrwDJzE3iy38jw08CB3GI3dhVlWR2-Y1Q6382SPNoDDLWRWR8pB8nUdp87WQ7HNUPN0rbGzj4zHMptwzI8N3tDoFKwijtUrKh-0ev4p/s400/IMG_2928.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">In addition to bottles I also bury porous clay pots which slowly seep water to the surrounding plants. This one pot watered all these surrounding plants. I still have swiss chard growing next to this pot even though the temperature has been in the hundreds!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaE6-ZhbHrVs47lxnpnL_K27pzM0iQcQqDrjEnq98AMgeBNe1GeD6wNV0PLJsOKBo2MLP9CMVPNUB2VfPQacbjL6r-H_iW22rD__kVBwcyzDSm_XSZS9HFGKMyi7EaVTTi8KUglTqRE46/s1600/IMG_2926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaE6-ZhbHrVs47lxnpnL_K27pzM0iQcQqDrjEnq98AMgeBNe1GeD6wNV0PLJsOKBo2MLP9CMVPNUB2VfPQacbjL6r-H_iW22rD__kVBwcyzDSm_XSZS9HFGKMyi7EaVTTi8KUglTqRE46/s400/IMG_2926.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Part of the garden showing lima beans, okra, swiss chard, carrots. Tomatoes are on the right out of the picture. Garry has access to lots of used cardboard boxes at his work and he brings them home for me to use as mulch in the garden. The back half is waiting to be used in the fall, so it is completely covered with cardboard to keep down weeds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw0WHNG3WHRYt7G0zSLTNTNq7pu2HRGEvMv6MGTbUAUt5Om0MKsH_pW6TZK9IXlT-oYWNAT1X8gwhsFYb9dtu2dlMrkkhYLT4TT8Ia8J3d3-xYx14ilmpkphYrCzM7lH9hZKoxEewVjOz/s1600/IMG_2927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw0WHNG3WHRYt7G0zSLTNTNq7pu2HRGEvMv6MGTbUAUt5Om0MKsH_pW6TZK9IXlT-oYWNAT1X8gwhsFYb9dtu2dlMrkkhYLT4TT8Ia8J3d3-xYx14ilmpkphYrCzM7lH9hZKoxEewVjOz/s400/IMG_2927.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Tomatoes. The bottoms show the fight with spider mites, but the tops are still growing. As soon as I finish harvesting these I will pull them and replant for fall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sPHbXDzI58Swrlli4PDD9ONfyeWkQ6j02knsHJmlxiwLYGvLnaLNr5KxX7fs6Pw1E_VgseI8ocVHFNexnsSoWxBzNTLHSqRo5nSlf-i9d3dembuYVLLXmFew7lzTMHwnVeGs8DkXCY23/s1600/IMG_2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sPHbXDzI58Swrlli4PDD9ONfyeWkQ6j02knsHJmlxiwLYGvLnaLNr5KxX7fs6Pw1E_VgseI8ocVHFNexnsSoWxBzNTLHSqRo5nSlf-i9d3dembuYVLLXmFew7lzTMHwnVeGs8DkXCY23/s400/IMG_2934.JPG" height="335" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One more bug story. We have some very persistent wasps who have been trying to build a nest right on the lintel of our front door. We have knocked their nest down four times. We DO knock the nests down, but they always seem to be back again by the time the kids music teacher shows up each week. I am sure he is getting leery of our front door! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Anyway I was in the vegetable garden the other day and I got to watch two wasps hunting for bugs in the holey and spent broccoli patch. One wasp pounced on something on a broccoli leaf. I saw something fall to the ground and watched the wasp land on the ground and zoom around looking for his bug. Wasp chew up bugs and feed them to their larvae. The adult wasps feed on a nectar the larvae exude. They will even steal nectar from other wasps nests! The wasp in the picture above is very alert and warning me not to go near the two larvae you can see just under her legs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> It was very interesting watching these wasps hunt. Not all bugs are bad, even ones that sting. I welcome wasps in the environs, just not on my front door!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-18800604430834305212010-06-18T11:25:00.000-07:002014-02-24T08:42:28.437-08:00May UpdateI see that I am very behind with my posts. This post will show what we were up to in May. The early spring flowers are gone, but now my day lilies are blooming.<br />
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Orange Day Lilies</div>
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Yellow Day Lilies</div>
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Plum Day lily</div>
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Gulf Coast Penstemon amongst the Louisiana Iris. This lovely little plant will rebloom for a long time if you cut the dead flowers.</div>
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Purple Coneflowers starting up.</div>
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Pomegranate Blossoms</div>
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Blackberry bush. I am buying three more of these in the Fall.</div>
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Figs are finally producing and the peach tree is also doing well so far this year.</div>
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The vegetable garden has not done so well so far do to the wet cold Spring weather, but we did get onions and garlic out in May along with greens and a little broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts.</div>
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A wheelbarrow full of onions.</div>
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Onion Braids in Pantry. I braid these with a string in one of the leaf bundles for strength. then I use the string to tie off the top and hang up the braid. This many onions wont last long around here.</div>
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Garlic harvest. This is my first year to grow garlic. It was super easy and fun to see a few bulbs multiply into many.</div>
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Some things harvested from the herbal tea garden. In the bowl chamomile, lavender, and borage blossoms. In front of the bowl chocolate mint and pineapple mint, beside the bowl is stevia, and on the end is some dill which a child accidentally "weeded". The dill made a delicious tarter sauce and the herbs made a lovely tea. </div>
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A funny thing about the tarter sauce, Claire wouldn't eat it because she said she did not want her fish to taste like pickles!</div>
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