Gardening as therapy

When I feel like I am "loosing it", I go play in the dirt. It helps because I know I can control what is happening when I am manipulating plants and dirt.

This past weekend, when I was off, I built and installed this small arbor. I have been wanting to add something like this for awhile, and finally got to it. I have morning glories growing at at the base so that they can cover it and you can see them from the window when they droop down. It will also offer protection to the humming birds when they come back. I think I am going to move some of the clematis I have to this as well so that they can grow together and make some interest. I have added gerber daisies in the blue pot in the center. I eventually want to add window boxes which I will make out of old pallets. Once the wood dries I plan on staining it the same color as the deck, when we actually stain it that is.

I have also planted some things in the garden. Beets are the only thing to make it of the first seed planting. I am going to put some potatoes in the ground today. I started some in some trash cans, but I had to cut up the seed potatoes so they could scab over before I planted them. I also moved some herbs here because I wanted a specific place for them and could never decide. I am excited and can't wait for things to fill in!!

Later that day.....

Look at my creation!!! Yes, I did this, and you can too!! HA! hahahaha!!! I am proud of myself. I am going to add another one on to this one so that I can turn the contents into the other to help aid in the breaking down of the materials. It is full now because I moved my free standing compost pile into this. Tomorrow, I will go get the rest of those pallets and add on. The cute thing I did was the back pallet has an area at the top there that I closed off at the bottom, added dirt and will plant flowers in!! Yeah, I am soooo smart!!! Hee, Hee!!

Saving money and being Crafty!!

Compost Tumbler - More DIY How To ProjectsYesterday I went to my daughters work and got some pallets to make a compost bin. When I got to researching about making composting things, I found the web site called Instructables and found this cool rotating composter. I can't find any 55 gallon drums, but plan on doing such a thing in the future. Right now I am sticking with just making a regular, turn it yourself with a yard fork kind:
That is my job today before I go the the money paying job. So, I am off to my project!!!

I haven't resorted to that....yet.

Did you know that dandelion greens are very good for you? We haven't had to resort to eating them to keep the house in these "hard economic times", but I have to say that if we had to, we wouldn't starve. I am "that yard" in my neighborhood that everyone drives by and cusses, because of all the pretty yellow flowers that will soon turn to seed and contaminate their own chemically altered golf course like lawns - MMMMWWAaaaahhhhahahahaha!!!!!

• Dandelions are a good source of calcium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C.
• One cup of dandelion greens has as much calcium as half a glass of milk.
• Vitamin A is important for eye health, for building a healthy immune system and for maintaining skin integrity.

If you are considering eating the ones you grow you should make sure that you haven't used chemicals on your lawn. Otherwise you can buy them from a local farmers market or grocery. In the good old days, dandelions were picked where the grass grew tall and free before the last spring frost and before the first yellow dandelion bloomed. If you wait until after they flower they become bitter and chewy. You can add them to a salad or cook them like spinach or kale and there are a lot of recipes online if you go looking for them.

You should go to this site: http://www.prodigalgardens.info/may%20weblog.htm and find out a lot more about dandelions.

They're BAAaaaack!!

Ok, so last year we had some swallows flitting about the back yard checking out the real estate which they choose not to purchase. This morning I look out to a commotion of them trying to decide if they want to put in a bid this time. Spring is so close!! All those birdies getting twitterpated, I am ready, bring on the heat!!!

Winter, woes, WOW!!

I am very glad that winter is winding down. These past couple of days of nice weather has been a tease. I know longer, warmer days are coming and that is good. I will try harder to put more up here for those of you who might enjoy or get something out of this. On the left you will see where I am building a wall, a short one, compared to the last, and out of "stolen" rocks. I probably shouldn't mention that, but it is true. Several posts back you can see the bare spot where the deck was going to go, and here you can see the finished product. We are going to add another step down so that we don't have to build the wall so high. I love my deck and that is the WOW of this post.

You can go down to a previous post and see the before picture and I tried to get the same view after of the deck. That was taken this morning and you can see Angus on the deck and Peter in the lower right hand corner.

I had one real woe this winter during the ice storm. The layer of ice caused my red bud tree to split almost down the middle. Once it got warm enough to melt most of it off, I went out and tied it back up together, I sure don't want to loose that tree, it is lovely in the spring and give some green dimension through the summer and fall, so we will see what happens.

I guess that is all for today. I have expanded the garden this year added about 2 feet on each side and about 6 feet to the length. A sad thing I found out is that the Kentucky Horse park is no longer giving away their compost, you have to pay 40$ per load. So, I guess my compost pile is going to have to be pretty big now. I will probably make it a ground pile instead of contained in something, so that I can stir it regularly and get it hot and cooking, we will see.

I have been a slacker

So, I have been bad this year. Well, I will give myself a little credit and say I have been busy. I did not do my garden winterization like I should have. My yard is a mess but I guess I can live with it, ok, I HAVE to live with it.

I am enjoying my Thanksgiving today but I just wanted to put something up here since I haven't posted in such a long time.

I dug it up at work!!

Last year before I worked for Chili's they had ornamental peppers as part of their landscape. This year I watched a plant like this grow outside the front door. I researched it and found that it was called a "Black Pearl" ornamental pepper. I also found different suggestions as to weather you could eat it or not. With the cold coming on I didn't want it to die so I dug it, well actually 3 of them, up. I now have it sitting in my kitchen. I am not sure if the 2 large plants are going to make it, as they have been here for a couple of days and are still rather wilty. The third smaller plant looks better and will probably do ok.

As you can see it is rather a pretty plant. I hope to start a bunch from seed and maybe sell them. I have been toying with the idea of starting a business selling seeds and plants. There is a local domestic violence shelter, beautiful on 40 acres, close by that I would like to find the funding to start a business there that will allow them to make a little money and help the women make some money for when they go out on their own again. Right now that is difficult for them.

We will see where the future leads. Definitely toward some more plants growing!!