Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Wall
So close! I managed to get quite a bit done with the help of my MIL. Then threw out my back. Waaa! It's supposed to rain the next five days too. I really wanted to finish this today (the last sunny day for a while) but since I'm down for the count it doesn't look like it'll happen. ::pouts:: Since my last update Little Miss S and I did plant over 100 bulbs. She loved it! We counted bulbs and she got to help shovel dirt and pat it back down. One day after we'd cleaned up the house in the morning I turned to her and asked, "You can do anything you want to today. What should we do?" (I was thinking park, zoo, etc) She looks at me and says, "Flowers!" Awwww - that's my girl!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Perennial Plant List
I will attempt to document my perennial plants here but because I started my garden four years before I started this blog this will continue to be a work in progress. I have a lot of plants! Sadly I don't always remember what I have and have forgotten the names of a few - so I will add to this this as I have time. Enjoy!
Common Name: Sunshine Dahlia
Botanical Name:
Planting Time: Spring (Feb-May)
Flowering Time: July till Frost
Light: Full Sun
Girth: 14" high x 12-20"
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune: Dead head to promote more flower growth
Fertilize:
Other: Hardy in zones 8-10 otherwise dig up and overwinter in dry peat - plant again the following spring.
Common Name: Alfred Grille Dahlia
Botanical Name:
Planting Time: Spring (Feb-May)
Flowering Time: July till Frost
Light: Full Sun
Girth: 36" high x 12-20"
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune: Dead head to promote more flower growth
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods:
Common Name: Thomas A. Edison Dahlia
Botanical Name:
Planting Time: Spring (Feb-May)
Flowering Time: July till Frost
Light: Full Sun
Girth: 36" high x 12-20"
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune: Dead head to promote more flower growth
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods:
Common Name: Anemone 'Royale'
Botanical Name:
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Spring
Light:
Girth:
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune:
Common Name: Autumn Fern
Botanical Name: Dryopteris erythrosora
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: No flowers, evergreen
Light: full shade / part shade
Girth: 18-24" high, 2' between plants
Soil: Plant in moist, rich, well drained soil in partial shade
Growth rate: Slow
Prune: In spring, when new fronds begin to unfurl, cut back spent foliage
Fertilize:
Other:
Common Name: Blue Star Creeper
Botanical Name: Laurentia fluviatilis
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: May to Sept
Light: sun to partial shade
Girth: 2" high, spreading
Soil: Will tolerate most soils and foot traffic
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball
Common Name: Bronze New Zealand Flax
Botanical Name: Phormium tenax 'Atropurpurea'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: late spring, evergreen
Light: full sun / partial sun
Girth: 6-8' high, 2' between plants
Soil: Plant in most any well-drained soil
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: This is the red foliage form of the species and is one of the toughest of the New Zealand Flax - tolerates inland heat and colder temperatures than most of the hybrids.
Common Name: Christmas Fern
Botanical Name: Polystichum acrostichoides
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: No flowers, evergreen
Light: Partial shade / shade
Girth: 24" high, 24" apart
Soil: Prefers consistent soil moisture
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Native Americans used the rhizomes of the plant to make a tea for chills, fevers, pneumonia, and to induce vomiting.
Common Name: East Friesland Hybrid Sage
Botanical Name: Salvia nemerosa 'east friesland'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Summer to Fall
Light: Full sun
Girth: 24" high, 18-24" spread
Soil: Semi Moist
Growth rate: Medium
Prune: To increase bloom time, it should be cut back after the first bloom. Propagate by division or cuttings in early summer.
Fertilize:
Other: Tolerances: deer, drought, heat & humidity, seashore, and slope. ‘East Friesland’ is a magnet for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds and is deer-resistant. It is hardy for container gardening and provides excellent cut flowers.
Common Name: Golden Coral Bells
Botanical Name: Heuchera 'Amber Waves'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time:
Light: Part shade / They grow most vigorously and have the stongest colors when grown in partial shade (preferably afternoon shade)
Girth: 8" high, 17" wide
Soil: Moderately moist rich soil, good drainage and a neutral PH
Growth rate: Moderate (to slow if planted in full shade)
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball or from herbaceous stem cuttings / Seed Collecting: N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed. Heucheras can be grown under Black Walnut trees because they are resistant to the toxin Juglone which the trees emit from their roots. Heucheras are also salt tolerant. They are useful in the north along pathways which are salted in winter or for people gardening in coastal regions.
Common Name: Mediterranean Bells
Botanical Name: Nectaroscordum Siculum
Planting Time: Sept. - Dec.
Flowering Time: May - June
Light: Sun / Partial Shade
Girth: 30" high, 4" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate: fast
Prune: Deadhead spent flowers, cut back leaves once they've browned completely
Fertilize: After the plant flowers
Other: Mulch overwinter to protect from severe frost
Common Name: Red Hot Poker, Poker Lilly, Torch Flower
Botanical Name: Kniphofia 'Coral Glow'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Summer
Light: Sun, part shade
Girth: 3' high, 2' wide
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Natives of Madagascar and tropical South Africa they were brought to England in 1707, and kept as greenhouse treasures until 1848, when someone had the bright idea of planting them outdoors, and their abiding hardiness was discovered. Heat and drought tolerant they are also loved by hummingbirds.
Common Name: Siberian Bugloss or Perennial Forget-me-not
Botanical Name: Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time:
Light: part shade / shade
Girth: 8-10" high, 12" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: A native of Siberia as the common name suggests, it is frost hardy and has large branched clusters of pale blue flowers which resemble the blooms of the hardy biennial Forget-me-not.
Common Name: Silver Mound
Botanical Name: Artemisia schmidtiana
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: No flowers
Light: Full sun / partial shade
Girth: 12" high, 12-18" wide
Soil: Plant in well drained soil. Excess water can cause root rot.
Growth rate:
Prune: Cut the plant back to 1" (2.5 cm) at the end of the growing season or before growth restarts in the spring.
Fertilize:
Other: The species is native to northern Japan and its island chains leading to Siberia. It is found in rocky sites in nature.
Common Name: Tulip 'Blue Diamond'
Botanical Name: Tulipa doulbe late
Planting Time: Sept. - Dec.
Flowering Time: April - May
Light: Sun / Partial Shade
Girth: 20" high, 4" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate: fast
Prune: Deadhead spent flowers, cut back leaves once they've browned completely
Fertilize: After the plant flowers
Other: Mulch overwinter to protect from severe frost
Common Name: Tulip 'Kikomachi'
Botanical Name: Tulipa (Triumph)
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Mid spring, Flowers are fragrant
Light: full to partial sun
Girth: 12" high / 6" - 9" between plants
Soil: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) / 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) / 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) - well drained
Growth rate:
Prune: Remove faded flowers, but do not cut back the stems before Autumn.
Fertilize:
Other:DANGER: Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested Propagation Methods: By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets). Seed Collecting: N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed. Zones 4a to 10b
Common Name: Tulip 'Queen of Night'
Botanical Name: Tulipa single late
Planting Time: Sept. - Dec.
Flowering Time: May
Light: Sun / Partial Shade
Girth: 24" high, 4" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate: fast
Prune: Deadhead spent flowers, cut back leaves once they've browned completely
Fertilize: After the plant flowers
Other: Mulch overwinter to protect from severe frost
Common Name: Wallflower
Botanical Name: Erysimum linifolium 'Variegata'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: May to August, evergreen
Light: Sun to part shade
Girth: 20" high, 20" wide
Soil: Good drainage, drought tolerant
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods: From softwood cuttings / Seed Collecting: N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed
Common Name: Sunshine Dahlia
Botanical Name:
Planting Time: Spring (Feb-May)
Flowering Time: July till Frost
Light: Full Sun
Girth: 14" high x 12-20"
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune: Dead head to promote more flower growth
Fertilize:
Other: Hardy in zones 8-10 otherwise dig up and overwinter in dry peat - plant again the following spring.
Common Name: Alfred Grille Dahlia
Botanical Name:
Planting Time: Spring (Feb-May)
Flowering Time: July till Frost
Light: Full Sun
Girth: 36" high x 12-20"
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune: Dead head to promote more flower growth
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods:
Common Name: Thomas A. Edison Dahlia
Botanical Name:
Planting Time: Spring (Feb-May)
Flowering Time: July till Frost
Light: Full Sun
Girth: 36" high x 12-20"
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune: Dead head to promote more flower growth
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods:
Common Name: Anemone 'Royale'
Botanical Name:
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Spring
Light:
Girth:
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune:
Common Name: Autumn Fern
Botanical Name: Dryopteris erythrosora
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: No flowers, evergreen
Light: full shade / part shade
Girth: 18-24" high, 2' between plants
Soil: Plant in moist, rich, well drained soil in partial shade
Growth rate: Slow
Prune: In spring, when new fronds begin to unfurl, cut back spent foliage
Fertilize:
Other:
Common Name: Blue Star Creeper
Botanical Name: Laurentia fluviatilis
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: May to Sept
Light: sun to partial shade
Girth: 2" high, spreading
Soil: Will tolerate most soils and foot traffic
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball
Common Name: Bronze New Zealand Flax
Botanical Name: Phormium tenax 'Atropurpurea'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: late spring, evergreen
Light: full sun / partial sun
Girth: 6-8' high, 2' between plants
Soil: Plant in most any well-drained soil
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: This is the red foliage form of the species and is one of the toughest of the New Zealand Flax - tolerates inland heat and colder temperatures than most of the hybrids.
Common Name: Christmas Fern
Botanical Name: Polystichum acrostichoides
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: No flowers, evergreen
Light: Partial shade / shade
Girth: 24" high, 24" apart
Soil: Prefers consistent soil moisture
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Native Americans used the rhizomes of the plant to make a tea for chills, fevers, pneumonia, and to induce vomiting.
Common Name: East Friesland Hybrid Sage
Botanical Name: Salvia nemerosa 'east friesland'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Summer to Fall
Light: Full sun
Girth: 24" high, 18-24" spread
Soil: Semi Moist
Growth rate: Medium
Prune: To increase bloom time, it should be cut back after the first bloom. Propagate by division or cuttings in early summer.
Fertilize:
Other: Tolerances: deer, drought, heat & humidity, seashore, and slope. ‘East Friesland’ is a magnet for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds and is deer-resistant. It is hardy for container gardening and provides excellent cut flowers.
Common Name: Golden Coral Bells
Botanical Name: Heuchera 'Amber Waves'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time:
Light: Part shade / They grow most vigorously and have the stongest colors when grown in partial shade (preferably afternoon shade)
Girth: 8" high, 17" wide
Soil: Moderately moist rich soil, good drainage and a neutral PH
Growth rate: Moderate (to slow if planted in full shade)
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball or from herbaceous stem cuttings / Seed Collecting: N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed. Heucheras can be grown under Black Walnut trees because they are resistant to the toxin Juglone which the trees emit from their roots. Heucheras are also salt tolerant. They are useful in the north along pathways which are salted in winter or for people gardening in coastal regions.
Common Name: Mediterranean Bells
Botanical Name: Nectaroscordum Siculum
Planting Time: Sept. - Dec.
Flowering Time: May - June
Light: Sun / Partial Shade
Girth: 30" high, 4" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate: fast
Prune: Deadhead spent flowers, cut back leaves once they've browned completely
Fertilize: After the plant flowers
Other: Mulch overwinter to protect from severe frost
Common Name: Red Hot Poker, Poker Lilly, Torch Flower
Botanical Name: Kniphofia 'Coral Glow'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Summer
Light: Sun, part shade
Girth: 3' high, 2' wide
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Natives of Madagascar and tropical South Africa they were brought to England in 1707, and kept as greenhouse treasures until 1848, when someone had the bright idea of planting them outdoors, and their abiding hardiness was discovered. Heat and drought tolerant they are also loved by hummingbirds.
Common Name: Siberian Bugloss or Perennial Forget-me-not
Botanical Name: Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time:
Light: part shade / shade
Girth: 8-10" high, 12" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: A native of Siberia as the common name suggests, it is frost hardy and has large branched clusters of pale blue flowers which resemble the blooms of the hardy biennial Forget-me-not.
Common Name: Silver Mound
Botanical Name: Artemisia schmidtiana
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: No flowers
Light: Full sun / partial shade
Girth: 12" high, 12-18" wide
Soil: Plant in well drained soil. Excess water can cause root rot.
Growth rate:
Prune: Cut the plant back to 1" (2.5 cm) at the end of the growing season or before growth restarts in the spring.
Fertilize:
Other: The species is native to northern Japan and its island chains leading to Siberia. It is found in rocky sites in nature.
Common Name: Tulip 'Blue Diamond'
Botanical Name: Tulipa doulbe late
Planting Time: Sept. - Dec.
Flowering Time: April - May
Light: Sun / Partial Shade
Girth: 20" high, 4" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate: fast
Prune: Deadhead spent flowers, cut back leaves once they've browned completely
Fertilize: After the plant flowers
Other: Mulch overwinter to protect from severe frost
Common Name: Tulip 'Kikomachi'
Botanical Name: Tulipa (Triumph)
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: Mid spring, Flowers are fragrant
Light: full to partial sun
Girth: 12" high / 6" - 9" between plants
Soil: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) / 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) / 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) - well drained
Growth rate:
Prune: Remove faded flowers, but do not cut back the stems before Autumn.
Fertilize:
Other:
Common Name: Tulip 'Queen of Night'
Botanical Name: Tulipa single late
Planting Time: Sept. - Dec.
Flowering Time: May
Light: Sun / Partial Shade
Girth: 24" high, 4" between plants
Soil:
Growth rate: fast
Prune: Deadhead spent flowers, cut back leaves once they've browned completely
Fertilize: After the plant flowers
Other: Mulch overwinter to protect from severe frost
Common Name: Wallflower
Botanical Name: Erysimum linifolium 'Variegata'
Planting Time:
Flowering Time: May to August, evergreen
Light: Sun to part shade
Girth: 20" high, 20" wide
Soil: Good drainage, drought tolerant
Growth rate:
Prune:
Fertilize:
Other: Propagation Methods: From softwood cuttings / Seed Collecting: N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed
How Can It Be Fall Already?
Ug. I went outside this morning and could see my breath. It was 42*! That's *wrong*! I'm such a cold wimp. The rain is also back. I'm not ready! I still want to play outside in the dirt and flowers and sunshine. I've got one last hurrah planned for Sunday where my family is coming over to help with some major back yard clean up. Fingers crossed for dry weather. I hope we're able to get a lot done. Might even spruce up the front a bit too. I've been resisting buying bulbs but it's so hard. I have a least three bags worth I need to get in the ground before Halloween. I'm not sure where I'm going to put them. I was thinking the new back bed but it feels rushed. I want to plan that out a little better. There's always room in the front especially on the kinda empty part of the hell strip that we recently cleaned up. I'm just wondering if they'd get enough sun there once the dogwood leafs out in the spring.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
A work in progress
After having suffered the stomach flu for too long I was finally able to make it to the local McDepot for more blocks to work on the wall. It was soooo stinking satisfying to get some gardening done today! That's all I've wanted to do for the past two weeks - it's been killin' me I haven't been able to.
This afternoon I worked on dismantling our old compost pile. (It's right in the path of the new wall.) What a PITA. Luckily I inherited Grandpa Jack's old pitch fork to help with this unpleasant chore. Can I just say that it's the *coolest* tool ever?! With ease I moved all the larger non-degraded material off the top of the pile (sticks, small branches, matted grass clippings, etc) to another pile and then just spread the yummy compost at the bottom of the pile around the area to flatten it out a bit. Once that was done I could work on the wall. I continued to stack brick until I ran out of foundation sand. Grrr! I so wanted to use up all the bricks I had. Ah well. I hope I'll get to go back tomorrow and get more sand and more wall brick. I'm really excited for all of this to come together! I need to do some homework but I think planting blueberries in this new bed would be a brilliant idea! (NO idea if they'll grow there or not - like I said, homework) But I'm just envisioning an apple tree near by with blueberries and a large kitchen garden... ah. I love a yard you can graze in. lol... ;^) Food me!
This afternoon I worked on dismantling our old compost pile. (It's right in the path of the new wall.) What a PITA. Luckily I inherited Grandpa Jack's old pitch fork to help with this unpleasant chore. Can I just say that it's the *coolest* tool ever?! With ease I moved all the larger non-degraded material off the top of the pile (sticks, small branches, matted grass clippings, etc) to another pile and then just spread the yummy compost at the bottom of the pile around the area to flatten it out a bit. Once that was done I could work on the wall. I continued to stack brick until I ran out of foundation sand. Grrr! I so wanted to use up all the bricks I had. Ah well. I hope I'll get to go back tomorrow and get more sand and more wall brick. I'm really excited for all of this to come together! I need to do some homework but I think planting blueberries in this new bed would be a brilliant idea! (NO idea if they'll grow there or not - like I said, homework) But I'm just envisioning an apple tree near by with blueberries and a large kitchen garden... ah. I love a yard you can graze in. lol... ;^) Food me!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Mushroom Compost
My neighbor rapped on my door a few days ago wanting to know if she could borrow our weekend warrior (Ol' Penny, our pick up truck) to make run over to Wood Waste Management. She wanted to get a yard of compost. I'd loaned her the truck a few days earlier and she didn't get quite enough and needed to go back for more. She's just entering the world of gardening and is kinda jumping in feet first at the deep end of the pool. For the past three years her yard had consisted mostly of dead lawn, a pine tree and several struggling spidery rhododendrons. About a year and half ago she had it professionally landscaped. They removed ALL of the lawn (and the rhodies) and put in a beautiful naturalistic landscape. Of course it's gorgeous but now she needs to take care of it. So she's been asking me a few questions here and there about taking care of plants and gardening in general. I do not consider myself an expert in any way shape or form but since I do love it I read up on the things that interest me and eventually some of it sinks in. Heh. So when she came by to ask if she could borrow the truck again she also asked what the difference was between "regular compost" and "mushroom compost". I was stumped. I told her by the time she came to get the keys (in a few days) I'd let her know.
The upshot being I personally don't think it's worth it to use Mushroom compost. All the good bacteria is steralized out of it and most of the nutrients used up in growing mushrooms. It's finer and can cause crusting problems as well. If you have the time you could let the pile sit after adding a "starter" to it like compost tea or other product marketed for this sort of thing. However when I pick up a load of compost I usually have a plan for it right away - so that's not really an option for me. The other thing that I keep reading about that bothers me are the actual raw materials for the compost to begin with.
Hay, straw, and corn cobs do not have an abundance or variety of minerals and nutrients to begin with. Horse manure is a little better when the horses themselves have been fed a variety of foods other than grasses (apples, oats, etc) and chicken poop maybe the best with a varied diet of protein (bugs) and seeds which offer the densest concentration of nutrients, plus the occasional berry and etc. (Assuming the manure source comes from "organic" free range chickens.) However since we don't know exactly what the Mushroom compost's original recipe is, or where their materials are sourced from, it's hard to tell how well it would perform even if it wasn't sterilized twice and the bulk of the nutrients used on growing mushrooms. Whereas at least with "regular" compost there's no steam sterilization, and a wide variety of original ingredients will bless the pile adding a diversity of minerals and nutrients and microorganisms. I'm all for that. Plus it's cheaper.
*Source
**Source
How Spent Mushroom Compost is Made
Mushroom compost is normally made in a hot composting process with straw, animal manure and gypsum. Sometimes leaves or ground corn cobs are used in place of the straw. As you probably noticed, this is a much simpler recipe than you will find in most home compost piles.
There are usually other nutrients added either while composting or after composting. Many of them are organic in nature, such as blood meal, or cottonseed meal, but sometimes there are inorganic additives such as urea.
The pile is allowed to heat up to about 160 degrees and turned several times, just as you would do with your home compost pile, except on a much larger scale. The mushroom farm down the street from me uses those giant straw bales that are shipped one per semi trailer.
Now, unlike your home garden pile, they don't let the compost sit and age at this point. They take the compost, load it into planting beds and then they steam pasturize everything!
That's right, they kill off all those wonderful micro-organisms that will continue the composting process and are so important to your garden!
Of course, they aren't thinking about your garden, they are thinking about getting rid of the competition for the mushrooms, and there are a lot of strains of wild fungi in that compost.
Then they top the bed off with a couple of inches of peat moss, and innoculate the bed with the mushroom spawn. They get their first harvest in about a month, and continue harvesting for the next 6 to 10 weeks.
After they are done, they steam sterilize the bedding again, and sell it as spent mushroom compost.*
The upshot being I personally don't think it's worth it to use Mushroom compost. All the good bacteria is steralized out of it and most of the nutrients used up in growing mushrooms. It's finer and can cause crusting problems as well. If you have the time you could let the pile sit after adding a "starter" to it like compost tea or other product marketed for this sort of thing. However when I pick up a load of compost I usually have a plan for it right away - so that's not really an option for me. The other thing that I keep reading about that bothers me are the actual raw materials for the compost to begin with.
This compost is made by mushroom producers from material such as hay, straw, corn cobs, poultry and horse manure – or any combination of organic material that is 1) inexpensive and 2) readily available.**
Hay, straw, and corn cobs do not have an abundance or variety of minerals and nutrients to begin with. Horse manure is a little better when the horses themselves have been fed a variety of foods other than grasses (apples, oats, etc) and chicken poop maybe the best with a varied diet of protein (bugs) and seeds which offer the densest concentration of nutrients, plus the occasional berry and etc. (Assuming the manure source comes from "organic" free range chickens.) However since we don't know exactly what the Mushroom compost's original recipe is, or where their materials are sourced from, it's hard to tell how well it would perform even if it wasn't sterilized twice and the bulk of the nutrients used on growing mushrooms. Whereas at least with "regular" compost there's no steam sterilization, and a wide variety of original ingredients will bless the pile adding a diversity of minerals and nutrients and microorganisms. I'm all for that. Plus it's cheaper.
*Source
**Source
Friday, September 12, 2008
Rain Barrels
I've been thinking a lot about rain catchment systems lately. I know you're probably thinking, why in the world would you need to catch rain when you live in the rainy PNW? Well my friends let me give you my top three reasons:
1. For one, we get dinged by the water company for all the water that goes down our drain pipes and into the sewer. In our case the people who lived here before us actually had pipes installed to catch the down spout water and direct it INTO the sewer system. They were crazy. (But that's another story). So we have horrendously high water bills in the winter when we're not using a lot of water. If you use a rain barrel you get credits and it lowers your bill... (I'm not sure exactly how it works but something to that effect - believe me when I get my barrel(s) I'll find out).
2. It actually does stop raining for about two and half months out of the year. Which means that yes, we have horrendously high water bills in the summer too when we are using a lot of water! Wouldn't it be nice to actually take some of that late spring rain and put it to good use? I think so.
3. Rain water is generally very clean oxygenated water that is quite good for plants. When used from a barrel the temperature is more ambient to the air temp and won't shock the plants like faucet water can. (I know our tap water is *cold*) I'd like to, especially for a kitchen garden, use water that's a little warmer and cleaner then what comes out of the tap.
Now comes the question of which one to get? What's practical for us? There are of course many options.
1. Craig's List has food grade opaque* 50 gallon plastic drums that you have to convert into rain barrels yourself. The price is sure right though at $25 a pop. Of course you then still need to buy or get a hold of a spigot, plumbers tape, calking, a drill and bit, various hoses, etc. So the price goes up from there.
2. Plastic barrels. There are many, many different kinds of these. Engage in some Google Fu and you can take your pick of the litter. Prices range usually from $75 - $700 depending on storage capacity, multiple barrels, diversion kits, installation, shipping, etc.
3. Wood barrels. Again, many different kinds, many different prices.
If I had an old farm house I would getting a much different barrel then the one I'm considering. But since the house I live in isn't too rural or "farmy" I'd like something that doesn't scream "old oak barrel". I'm quite fond of this one; it's simple and doesn't look like a rain barrel! Plus it will fit in the front of the house in a narrow space I have reserved for it. I may consider getting a different one for the back yard that holds more water but isn't as aesthetically pleasing. More on that later.
65 Gallon Urn
Since we also get a lot of rain I actually have to worry about serious overflow issues. I can't have the barrel filling up and out and washing away - everything! It wouldn't take long either. We average 42.7 inches (1080 mm) per year. If you have 1000 square feet of roof at 1" of rain = 625 gallons of water. Theoretically if I had enough barrels I could store 26,687.5 gallons a year!!! So one paltry 65 gallon barrel isn't going to cut it. Which means that I would also need this cool little doo-hicky.
Garden Watersaver Downspout attachment
What it does is basically lets your barrel fill all the way up and then redirects the water back down the downspout automatically. Since I can't stand there and watch my rain barrel levels 24/7 this is awfully convenient. It also means I don't have to worry about an overflow valve on the barrel itself. Which are convenient if you have a place for it to drain off to but in our case, being in a fairly urban environment, we don't really have a lot of options for runoff. It can go down the drain or I could build a drain field but I have neither the time, energy or space for one currently.
A really great option for the back yard, especially once I have the raised beds in, would be this guy:
The Garden Drip Irrigation System
I'm sad - it seems the whole page was taken down for the kit that you could make, so no more link. It was a rain barrel turned on it's side and elevated nearly five feet off the ground in order to create enough pressure to force the water out of a soaker hose. It was pretty cool. I'm sorry it's gone. (and damn me for hotlinking it to begin with! I should've nicked the picture and hosted it myself - ah, lesson learned)
"The drum is mounted on a 54 inch high stand which gives the height needed to produce the 2 psi required to operate the drip irrigation kit when attached. If you use all the material in the kit it will water a 100 sq. ft. garden (ten - 10 foot rows or five - 20 foot rows)." I'm still not sure about the aesthetics of this - or the size! - but I like its functionality. I think I need to look at where the downspout is and take some measurements. It maybe too large to fit into that space up against the house with where our windows are placed, etc. If it is I would most likely get the same barrel as I use in the front.
All told I'd eventually like to get three barrels. That would cover the front of the house, the back of the house and I'd be able to catch 1/2 the water off the garage roof (which is still nearly 300 sq ft) and would water the plants on the other side of the back yard. While I won't be getting these all right away (even though I'd like to!) I hope to be getting at least one soon. I'll be sure to post back on performance, ease of instillation and how much I like it!
*Best to not get the translucent barrels as it allows for fungal growth in the standing water.
1. For one, we get dinged by the water company for all the water that goes down our drain pipes and into the sewer. In our case the people who lived here before us actually had pipes installed to catch the down spout water and direct it INTO the sewer system. They were crazy. (But that's another story). So we have horrendously high water bills in the winter when we're not using a lot of water. If you use a rain barrel you get credits and it lowers your bill... (I'm not sure exactly how it works but something to that effect - believe me when I get my barrel(s) I'll find out).
2. It actually does stop raining for about two and half months out of the year. Which means that yes, we have horrendously high water bills in the summer too when we are using a lot of water! Wouldn't it be nice to actually take some of that late spring rain and put it to good use? I think so.
3. Rain water is generally very clean oxygenated water that is quite good for plants. When used from a barrel the temperature is more ambient to the air temp and won't shock the plants like faucet water can. (I know our tap water is *cold*) I'd like to, especially for a kitchen garden, use water that's a little warmer and cleaner then what comes out of the tap.
Now comes the question of which one to get? What's practical for us? There are of course many options.
1. Craig's List has food grade opaque* 50 gallon plastic drums that you have to convert into rain barrels yourself. The price is sure right though at $25 a pop. Of course you then still need to buy or get a hold of a spigot, plumbers tape, calking, a drill and bit, various hoses, etc. So the price goes up from there.
2. Plastic barrels. There are many, many different kinds of these. Engage in some Google Fu and you can take your pick of the litter. Prices range usually from $75 - $700 depending on storage capacity, multiple barrels, diversion kits, installation, shipping, etc.
3. Wood barrels. Again, many different kinds, many different prices.
If I had an old farm house I would getting a much different barrel then the one I'm considering. But since the house I live in isn't too rural or "farmy" I'd like something that doesn't scream "old oak barrel". I'm quite fond of this one; it's simple and doesn't look like a rain barrel! Plus it will fit in the front of the house in a narrow space I have reserved for it. I may consider getting a different one for the back yard that holds more water but isn't as aesthetically pleasing. More on that later.
65 Gallon Urn
Since we also get a lot of rain I actually have to worry about serious overflow issues. I can't have the barrel filling up and out and washing away - everything! It wouldn't take long either. We average 42.7 inches (1080 mm) per year. If you have 1000 square feet of roof at 1" of rain = 625 gallons of water. Theoretically if I had enough barrels I could store 26,687.5 gallons a year!!! So one paltry 65 gallon barrel isn't going to cut it. Which means that I would also need this cool little doo-hicky.
Garden Watersaver Downspout attachment
What it does is basically lets your barrel fill all the way up and then redirects the water back down the downspout automatically. Since I can't stand there and watch my rain barrel levels 24/7 this is awfully convenient. It also means I don't have to worry about an overflow valve on the barrel itself. Which are convenient if you have a place for it to drain off to but in our case, being in a fairly urban environment, we don't really have a lot of options for runoff. It can go down the drain or I could build a drain field but I have neither the time, energy or space for one currently.
A really great option for the back yard, especially once I have the raised beds in, would be this guy:
The Garden Drip Irrigation System
I'm sad - it seems the whole page was taken down for the kit that you could make, so no more link. It was a rain barrel turned on it's side and elevated nearly five feet off the ground in order to create enough pressure to force the water out of a soaker hose. It was pretty cool. I'm sorry it's gone. (and damn me for hotlinking it to begin with! I should've nicked the picture and hosted it myself - ah, lesson learned)
"The drum is mounted on a 54 inch high stand which gives the height needed to produce the 2 psi required to operate the drip irrigation kit when attached. If you use all the material in the kit it will water a 100 sq. ft. garden (ten - 10 foot rows or five - 20 foot rows)." I'm still not sure about the aesthetics of this - or the size! - but I like its functionality. I think I need to look at where the downspout is and take some measurements. It maybe too large to fit into that space up against the house with where our windows are placed, etc. If it is I would most likely get the same barrel as I use in the front.
All told I'd eventually like to get three barrels. That would cover the front of the house, the back of the house and I'd be able to catch 1/2 the water off the garage roof (which is still nearly 300 sq ft) and would water the plants on the other side of the back yard. While I won't be getting these all right away (even though I'd like to!) I hope to be getting at least one soon. I'll be sure to post back on performance, ease of instillation and how much I like it!
*Best to not get the translucent barrels as it allows for fungal growth in the standing water.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Wall
So one of my current projects is to get a small retaining wall up in the back yard. The dirt was just mounded up around the base of the evergreen. It was like this when we got here. It looks really odd. I'd like to make it look intentional. That's the problem with our back yard. There was no thought really to where anything was planted or placed. If I had the money I'd rip it down to the dirt and start over completely. Ah well. Someday when I win the lottery. ;^)
This is the tree "before". Sadly it's really hard to tell that it's on a slope.
Here we are in progress. While it's still difficult to see the slope the dirt behind the wall actually goes up to the bottom of the third brick.
Anyway I've been a bit frustrated this week because I really want to keep working on it! But so many other things have gotten in the way. I wish I could get back to it. The weather's been lovely and I want to take advantage of the sunny dry days before the rain comes back. I was going to do a half circle just around the base of the tree but I had an epiphany the other day standing there looking at it wishing I had more bricks. What if I run it straight back to the fence? Then it would give the corner some purpose. As it is right now it's just a nowhere man's land. At least with a bed it feels more "included" in the rest of the yard. I'm also planning on pulling out the bush to the left (who's name is currently eluding me) and replacing it with an apple tree.
I grew up above apple orchards and for all the PITA that pruning them is, it's worth it in the fall to just walk out the back door and snap a warm apple off the tree. I'm looking forward to getting to do that someday. Now in the meantime I need to go remove that pile of detritus* that's in my future walls way. (I've been waiting for them to collect the yard debris so I have empty cans again. I've filled four large bins so far with weeds! How did I ever let it get to this sad sorry state?)
*Actually the remains of the compost bin and heap that needs to move to a new spot anyway. For now I'm just letting our recycler have it.
This is the tree "before". Sadly it's really hard to tell that it's on a slope.
Here we are in progress. While it's still difficult to see the slope the dirt behind the wall actually goes up to the bottom of the third brick.
Anyway I've been a bit frustrated this week because I really want to keep working on it! But so many other things have gotten in the way. I wish I could get back to it. The weather's been lovely and I want to take advantage of the sunny dry days before the rain comes back. I was going to do a half circle just around the base of the tree but I had an epiphany the other day standing there looking at it wishing I had more bricks. What if I run it straight back to the fence? Then it would give the corner some purpose. As it is right now it's just a nowhere man's land. At least with a bed it feels more "included" in the rest of the yard. I'm also planning on pulling out the bush to the left (who's name is currently eluding me) and replacing it with an apple tree.
I grew up above apple orchards and for all the PITA that pruning them is, it's worth it in the fall to just walk out the back door and snap a warm apple off the tree. I'm looking forward to getting to do that someday. Now in the meantime I need to go remove that pile of detritus* that's in my future walls way. (I've been waiting for them to collect the yard debris so I have empty cans again. I've filled four large bins so far with weeds! How did I ever let it get to this sad sorry state?)
*Actually the remains of the compost bin and heap that needs to move to a new spot anyway. For now I'm just letting our recycler have it.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
One Mud Monkey's Adventures in Organic Gardening
Hello! Since this is my first post and there's no readership to speak of does it really matter what I say? ::smiles and crinkles up nose:: Well yes, I guess it does. It matters what we do when people are looking and when they're not. It matters how we treat ourselves, each other and how we treat the earth. I strongly believe in using organic methods in the garden and leaving the chemicals and pesticides behind. I believe that compost is a great ally. If you start with healthy soil you will gain healthy plants that will be more resistant to disease and pests. When I first started gardening in ernest about seven years ago I had someone tell me that "90% of gardening is in the dirt", meaning that what you do "down there" really effects what comes up - work your dirt not your plants. They couldn't have been more right.
With that said a little history of mine if you will... I didn't start really gardening until I moved to Oregon even though I've always loved dirt (I was a ceramic major in college - now there's a useful degree lol). I only wish that I'd discovered gardening so much sooner! I moved into a small rental that had, to my new eyes, "a plot of dirt". I didn't have a very good idea of what to do with it or what state it had been in so I figured it wouldn't hurt to amend the soil with some chicken poop. I amended, tilled, watered and plunked in some starts (many at the *wrong* time of year!) Well I was new. We stayed in that house for a few years and I came to understand the soil and the plants and their life cycle. In the meantime I bought some books and read up on gardening an discovered zones and seasons and cover crops and compost and bulbs and flowers and so, so many wonderful things. I became a gardener!
This was my little plot of dirt two years into the world of discovery that is gardening
Then came "the move". We bought a house. I was crest fallen. It was all vinca and mock orange in the front yard and grass and *all* shade in the back yard. How was I going to get a kitchen garden?! There were many things that needed to be worked on and so the inside took priority though I tried to pull out some of the weeds and vines. It took nearly two years before we could take a good stab at the front yard. (Note that DH and gardening are like oil and water so this was a great accomplishment!) I designed the whole front from scratch and we literally ripped *everything* out.
The day we bought the house
Currently
We added hardscaping with the addition of two walkways across our hell strip and a small patio in under the front windows (in leu of a front porch) and a path under the dogwood to the side yard.
It's funny to look back at how small the plants were! It was such new landscaping then
I also took a stab at the side yard. I wish I could say it still looked this nice. Unfortunately that clover is so invasive that in a matter of months it'd "eaten" up everything again. At this point I'm resigned to leaving the path and the ferns which seem to hold their own against the onslaught of clover. I pulled out all the other plants that survived and moved to my folks house where they are happily thriving - clover free! Their whole yard is a beautiful park like shade garden. This is the only truly shady spot on all of our property (which isn't much either way! lol).
And so now you join us at the point where we're moving forward. I still have the whole back yard to tackle! I've been waiting for DH to make raised garden beds for years now and have given up. I'm taking the bull by the horns so to speak and will be working on the back yard by myself. Just a little a day - chip, chip, chip. I hope you can join me in watching it blossom into a wonderful place to be instead of the annoying weed patch it is. I can't live without my kitchen garden another season. This fall I hope to accomplish so much. And now I will leave you with a photos of some of my delights...
With that said a little history of mine if you will... I didn't start really gardening until I moved to Oregon even though I've always loved dirt (I was a ceramic major in college - now there's a useful degree lol). I only wish that I'd discovered gardening so much sooner! I moved into a small rental that had, to my new eyes, "a plot of dirt". I didn't have a very good idea of what to do with it or what state it had been in so I figured it wouldn't hurt to amend the soil with some chicken poop. I amended, tilled, watered and plunked in some starts (many at the *wrong* time of year!) Well I was new. We stayed in that house for a few years and I came to understand the soil and the plants and their life cycle. In the meantime I bought some books and read up on gardening an discovered zones and seasons and cover crops and compost and bulbs and flowers and so, so many wonderful things. I became a gardener!
This was my little plot of dirt two years into the world of discovery that is gardening
Then came "the move". We bought a house. I was crest fallen. It was all vinca and mock orange in the front yard and grass and *all* shade in the back yard. How was I going to get a kitchen garden?! There were many things that needed to be worked on and so the inside took priority though I tried to pull out some of the weeds and vines. It took nearly two years before we could take a good stab at the front yard. (Note that DH and gardening are like oil and water so this was a great accomplishment!) I designed the whole front from scratch and we literally ripped *everything* out.
The day we bought the house
Currently
We added hardscaping with the addition of two walkways across our hell strip and a small patio in under the front windows (in leu of a front porch) and a path under the dogwood to the side yard.
It's funny to look back at how small the plants were! It was such new landscaping then
I also took a stab at the side yard. I wish I could say it still looked this nice. Unfortunately that clover is so invasive that in a matter of months it'd "eaten" up everything again. At this point I'm resigned to leaving the path and the ferns which seem to hold their own against the onslaught of clover. I pulled out all the other plants that survived and moved to my folks house where they are happily thriving - clover free! Their whole yard is a beautiful park like shade garden. This is the only truly shady spot on all of our property (which isn't much either way! lol).
And so now you join us at the point where we're moving forward. I still have the whole back yard to tackle! I've been waiting for DH to make raised garden beds for years now and have given up. I'm taking the bull by the horns so to speak and will be working on the back yard by myself. Just a little a day - chip, chip, chip. I hope you can join me in watching it blossom into a wonderful place to be instead of the annoying weed patch it is. I can't live without my kitchen garden another season. This fall I hope to accomplish so much. And now I will leave you with a photos of some of my delights...
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