Category Archives: Square Foot Gardening – Raised Beds

March 25, 2021 · 10:09 am

“Washout of a Day?”

Quora

Today is supposed to be a “washout of a day. Heavy rain and lightning will be the main concerns today. Some small hail and gusty winds will be possible in the stronger storms but the threat is low overall.” It’s cool and gray and rainy right now – a great day to take a nap under my throw in my recliner. My husband is sleeping in this morning, and the morning chores are done. Nice and quiet.

I’m hoping to have a burst of energy so I can get the paperwork that is piled up finished, plus get a good start on adding some of my craft products to my page on Amazon Handmade. Adding things is to the page is kind of laborious – hence my needing a burst of energy to get started. :0)

So far I’m very encouraged about my spring garden. I’m glad we drilled lots of drain holes in our 4’x4′ wooden raised bed planters. All is designed to drain well and not get waterlogged. Needless to say, with all the rain we have been getting, delivery of the new sprinklers will just be NICE, rather than NECESSARY. I’ll get some pics to share with you when the rain stops.

I hope that you have a really nice day today.

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March 23, 2021 · 9:35 am

Thoughts on a Tuesday 3-23-2021

Camelot Care Centers

There are lots of reasons to be down these days. Some of them we share. Others are personal. I think it’s more important than ever to be grateful we are HERE and ALIVE, and live with enthusiasm for the gift.

I just went out to check our spring garden. The plants are totally unaware of any possible problems in our world. I’m not advocating being UNAWARE. I guess I’m advocating living as IF “heavy, heavy” isn’t hanging over our heads. Much of what is happening is beyond our control. We can be aware of those things, but concentrate on the things over which we DO have some control.

My spirits rose today as I saw that my garden plants – well watered from an overnight rain – seem to be thriving. On the other side of our property, our tomato plants are also looking good. I stopped to remove the PVC irrigation pipe that was shattered on one brick planter during one of our last winter storms, saving the faucet part that we can reuse. There are many things to be done in the yard, and I’m happy for the normalcy of that.

I’m taking a new direction in selling my craft products. I’m concentrating my efforts on my page on Amazon Handmade, listing new stuff in a steady stream. Linda Lewis Artworks If you happen to visit, I would very much appreciate your honest feedback.

My husband and I are both in reasonably good health at this point, although our bodies remind us that we might have taken on too much sometimes. :0) We are trying to get the lard off, and I am trying to exercise and move more on a daily basis to stay as healthy as possible. We will both get our 2nd COVID shot next Monday. I will feel relieved that two weeks after that, we should be as protected as we can be and will not be a source of the virus for anyone else.

Today we are scheduled to have some windows replaced. Several years ago we had all of our windows replaced by Window World. We have lived in our home since we built it in 1987. Obviously, some things have really gotten better since then. Replacing our windows made a big difference in our energy bills, but also in the QUIET. Many times we get a hard rain and don’t even notice it! We are very pleased with this company. It has taken a long time for us to get the replacement windows, but we are lucky we are all in a position to do this at all. Hopefully, it will happen this afternoon.

Everett Ruess via Lisa Bearnes Richey

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March 21, 2021 · 10:31 am

Seasonal Help with Eating

BoredPanda.com

I’m grateful for spring also because this season of the year helps me in my efforts to lose the lard.

I’m growing leaf lettuce, head lettuce, radishes, yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and celery. Being able to look forward to harvesting some of this straight from the garden to our table at night makes a big difference in my eating. I can throw off the comfort food of the winter and embrace being outside longer each day and eating big, healthy salads for our dinners.

All of my outside activities encourage me to drink more water, as well. My pedometer takes notice of my increased mobility and that encourages me to do even more.

Fingers crossed that this all comes together and I can make some good progress on my efforts to get healthier, stronger, and more flexible.

123RF.com

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March 21, 2021 · 10:12 am

Glory

The past two days I have spent outside.

There are things left to be done of course, but my main spring garden is planted. I weeded two brick planters yesterday and got my tomato plants in, too. We have ordered new sprinklers for the main garden, and the irrigation system for the yard needs to be tested. We need to replace a PVC pipe that waters one planter in the front yard. I have two celery starts that need to go out to the main garden. These are details.

I’m still overwhelmed by how my SPIRITS lifted when I bought the plants and worked to get them into the garden. I guess I’ve let the state of our world sit on my shoulders too much. It’s hard to stay upbeat when there is so much bad stuff happening all around you. I felt good feelings FLOOD into me, though, with HOPE for the future as I found places for all my plants the past two days.

I’m smiling as I type, ready to get back outside and see what details I can handle today. :0)

I hope there is something wonderful flooding YOUR heart and soul today.

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March 20, 2021 · 10:44 am

Spring Has Sprung!

After Lunch Bunch yesterday, we went to the co-op and bought a bunch of veggie plants.

This is the way my raised bed square foot garden has looked all winter. I did an experiment this year. Hoping to avoid having to spend a day or two weeding the boxes before I could plant, I cleaned out the boxes when the growing season was over, filled up the boxes with Mel’s Mix (soil alternative), put a pail in the middle of each box and covered each box with a tarp, held in place by bungee cords. I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

Happily, this is what I found!

I planted Buttercrunch Leaf Lettuce, Head Lettuce, Spinach, cabbage, yellow crookneck squash, zucchini, and red onions. I will add radish seeds and some celery I’m starting in the kitchen.

We discovered we needed to replace a section of the hose. Then we discovered that the sprinklers’ pressure setting parts in the center of each were broken from being in the weather too long, so we have ordered new sprinklers.

Today I need to weed the two brick planters we converted to square foot gardening and plant the tomato plants we bought yesterday.

I can’t tell you how MUCH my spirits lifted to be outside in the sunshine digging in the dirt, planting my spring garden!

I hope that you are enjoying some nice weather, too.

Happy Saturday!

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March 19, 2021 · 9:17 am

Essentials

Charles Schultz – Peanuts – http://www.snoopy.com

Spring officially starts tomorrow. I’m hoping to be able to get some veggie plants for my garden today, kicking off my season of being outside every possible day, kicking up my activity level, cutting DOWN on my comfort eating!

I will also look forward to eating fresh stuff from my garden. I always try to grow lots of spinach and lettuce, radishes, onions, and broccoli, and then whatever else looks interesting. In two other planters, I plant tomatoes. Availability varies, but I LOVE watching things grow, taking care of my plants, and then harvesting the results.

Some years I’m really successful and I can take fresh food to my friends. That is the BEST. :0)

Each year I feel renewed hope for the growing season – a new lease on life.

It’s especially welcome this year, and I look forward to sharing my efforts with you.

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March 9, 2021 · 10:34 am

“When I grow up I want to be an old woman.”

The above is a quote from Michelle Shocked

I am 74 today – older than dirt – older but not wiser – still ornery and kickin’ .

I have started a petition – in my own mind at least – to obliterate the word, “Elderly.” Supposedly, this includes people 60 and above. Every time I hear the word, realizing that the people uttering it are referring to ME, I get hostile.

“I’ve enjoyed every age I’ve been and each has had its own individual merit. Every laugh line, every scar, is a badge I wear to show I’ve been present, the inner rings of my personal tree trunk that I display proudly for all to see. Nowadays, I don’t want a “perfect” face and body; I want to wear the life I’ve lived.”
— Pat Benatar

I’m just getting a good start now. Right at this moment, I’m feeling a bit older than usual, though. My husband and I got our first shot of the COVID vaccine yesterday. My arm is a bit achy, and I’m not feeling very energetic, but that is a TEMPORARY condition, and this one time I’m glad I’m ‘old enough’ to get something.

I am full of plans for spring. I want to re-plant the elephant ear plant bulbs I’ve been storing in the garage for the winter. I want to repair our irrigation system where the cold weather busted one of the pvc pipes we use to water our plants. I am eager to uncover my raised bed planters so I can get spring veggies started.

I have ideas rattling around in my head for things I can try in my art room. In fact, I’m planning to spend part of my birthday today up there. :0)

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”~ Sophia Loren

It’s a nice day, so I’m going to spend time on my elliptical trainer in the garage, and then do a good, long session of yoga stretches this afternoon.

BoredPanda

“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”
— George Bernard Shaw

I truly love finding things to post on this blog. There is so much to share that is hopeful!

“As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning.” — Criss Jami

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March 1, 2021 · 10:11 am

New Month – New Chance

Spoon University

My scales are finally beginning to take notice of my efforts to lose the lard.
Though I vary on eating between meals, my basic program remains the same. I am eating healthy individual portion frozen dinners prepared by good people at either REAL FOOD or STU’S CLEAN COOKIN’ in Greenwood. The ingredients and amounts are listed on the meals. No unpronounceable additives or preservatives are used.

Otherwise, a sandwich or tuna salad, sugar-free jello, and olives or grapes for lunch.

Now that our weather is finally warming up, I don’t dread spending time on my elliptical trainer in the garage as much. I’m trying to do 35 minutes on it three times a week and my yoga stretches every day. I’m doing pretty well at that, even though I have missed days due to helping my husband fix all the stuff that is falling apart around here lately.

I gave up on my efforts to start seeds. I got some messy sprouts, but all were trying their best to die, so I stopped. My title as ‘Serial Seed Killer” remains. :0( Happily, some plants are available locally. I’m trying to decide if I should go ahead and plant things, even though our average last frost date isn’t until April 5th.

I hope that today is a good day for you.

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February 28, 2021 · 9:38 am

What You Think

QuotesGram

Though it’s on my wish list, we have very few quiet days around here.

I’ve told you that things are falling apart around here lately. We are having to jump from one thing to the next, sometimes trying to juggle several things at once, trying to keep our heads above water.

We are waiting for our propane supplier to call us – hoping that one of their delivery people can stop by the next time they are in our area to help us get the pilot light lit for the heater in the shop. I’m assuming that because my husband can’t do it this time, it needs something replaced. We are in a good holding place on this problem. Everything is turned off. We don’t HAVE to work in the shop, and the weather is gradually getting warmer anyway.

I told you that my husband ran over something in the road on the way back from Ft. Smith last week, resulting in a flat and our having to order two tires. The turn signals quit working and the exhaust system is rattling now. The wonderful Vette designers made it so the whole front of the Vette has to come off to work on – or change – the turn signals. We are planning to take it to the dealer in Ft. Smith tomorrow and leave it with both problems to be fixed. THEN, when the tires arrive, we will take it to the local tire place to have the new tires mounted and balanced. Hopefully, that will finish THAT project.

I THINK that is the last of the series of things we have been dealing with the past month of so. (Knock on wood) I’m very glad to be enjoying the LAST day of February!

I saw the local hardware store is selling veggie plants! I may break down and get some. The seeds I started may one day finally be strong enough to go out in the garden, but I’m not depending on that. The plants are calling to me. L- I -N -N- N—- D- A! WE’RE W- A- A- A- A- I- T- I -N -G F O R Y O U !!!!!!!! :0)

Happy last day of February. I hope it’s a fun day for you.

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February 21, 2021 · 10:10 am

Spring – Bring It!

sondasmcschatter.wordpress.com

I love this painting!

My sweet daffodils which shot spears of green up around the well house in anticipation of glorious blooming are now dull and frozen-looking. I don’t know if the plants will bounce back now that temperatures are warming and the snow is melting, but I hope so.

I am trying to get some seeds started for my raised bed, square foot garden. I have read a bunch, but really have no clue what I’m doing. I used a seed tray starter kit, filling it with seed starter medium, planting some seeds and marking them, sprinkling some fertilizer, spraying them carefully with water and covering them with a transparent cover. They have been sitting on the dining area table, the best place for getting whatever sun there is.

I planted spinach, lettuce, broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and green peppers. When I saw that some had sprouted, I took the transparent lid off. I have been turning the tray each day, trying to provide equal sun and encourage the sweet little sprouts to grow up straight. Some sprouting has been good. Some of the seeds haven’t done anything.

I would love it if I end up with some nice plants to put out in the garden when the time is right, but the biggest thing for me at this point is the HOPE. The PROMISE of spring. The CHANCE of new life, The ANTICIPATION of being able to play in the dirt again sometime reasonably soon.

I hope that you are seeing – or creating – some signs of spring wherever you are.

Simple Nourished Living

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February 12, 2021 · 10:33 am

Thoughts on a Friday in February

MAN v FAT

It’s harder to stick with a rational, mature eating plan when the weather is yelling for comfort food. It’s 17 degrees F here in Greenwood, Arkansas. February is always our coldest month, but I was beginning to believe we wouldn’t have much of a winter this year. Hahahahahahhaha! Our highs are in the 20s, we have ice everywhere, our deck is a skating rink unfit for old folks to fill the bird feeders, and our 650+ foot long, STEEP driveway and the road that runs in front of our place are not encouraging travel – even to retrieve our mail at the bottom of the driveway. The forecast is for ‘dangerous cold, and snow Sat – Monday, then again Wednesday of next week. Did I tell you I HATE February?

VectorStock

I’m trying to be the “mature adult woman” that I’m supposed to be, NOT stuffing my face while continuing to earn my gold stars on my desk calendar for exercise. I put on my sweatshirt, sweat pants, puffy vest, knit hat, and gloves to go out to the garage to put in my time on my elliptical trainer. The good thing is I feel very proud of myself if I manage to get my time in out there each day. The yoga in the afternoons is easier.

Yesterday I finally got the seeds planted for my spring garden. The seed starter tray is sitting on our dining area table where the seeds will get the best sun. I’m watching the tray like a mother hen, hoping my seeds will sprout and then do really well so that I’ll have healthy, good-looking plants to put into my raised bed square foot garden the first week of April.

I am planning to continue my efforts to clean and reorganize my art room today. So far, the only clean area is my drafting table. Today I’ll tackle this table.

I hope you’re having a good Friday. Maybe we can start a petition to do away with February…

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February 11, 2021 · 2:28 pm

Seeds Started 2-11-2021

This afternoon I have finally planted seeds that I HOPE will make transplants for my spring garden.

It was more involved than I thought it would be. I simplified it as much as I could, but it still took me two days. The biggest problem was trying to get the seed starter medium wet. That sounds like a dumb problem, but the medium is VERY light. If I had sneezed into the bag, the medium would have covered the whole kitchen – I kid you not. I added water VERY carefully and slowly. The spray in the kitchen sink was MUCH too strong. I finally used a turkey baster to ease water into each of the peat planter pods, making sure each didn’t overflow. I also didn’t want the peat pots to fall apart, so I stopped several times in the process. I did it last thing last night, hoping that things might settle in overnight.

This afternoon I found a spray bottle in the garage and used it to add more water. Then I used a pencil to make two planting holes in most of the pots, but only one hole in the ones for the broccoli. I planted two rows of spinach, two of broccoli, two of lettuce, and one row of green pepper. I split the last two rows, planting some yellow squash, zucchini, and two kinds of tomatoes.

I pushed the holes closed and tamped down the medium a bit in each peat pot, and then sprinkled some fertilizer pellets. Finally I sprayed everything carefully one more time and added the clear plastic seed starter tray top. I had to hold it down with some pill bottles because it didn’t want to close tightly.

Supposedly, things will start sprouting in 8 to 14 days, depending on the seed. When that happens, I’ll take the plastic top off and turn the tray around each day, hoping the sprouts will grow up reasonably straight.

I have little clue what I’m doing. Everything I have read is like the recipes for bread that say, “Knead it until it feels right.” :0(

It’s exciting to be TRYING to grow plants that I can move to my spring garden around the 5th of April.

123RF.com

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February 8, 2021 · 10:42 am

Gardening Progress?

imgur

Hahahahahahahahaha! I love this!

So far, it’s mostly words and little action on my efforts to start some seeds for my spring garden.

I’ve found and printed a “starting seeds guide,” gone through the seeds I have on hand, listed 3 kinds of seed I need to buy, found my seed starter tray, a calendar, a note pad, and a pencil. Not much, huh.

The next step is to research when to try to start each type of seed. Instructions are based on the last frost date in your area. Then you count backwards from there to figure out when each type of seed should be planted.

I’ll make a list of those,

Fill my seed starter with Mel’s Mix,

Cross my fingers and see what happens!

I’m going to TRY to start seeds for: head lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, green pepper, crookneck squash, and zucchini. At the proper time, I’ll look for sweet onion sets. I’ll plant radishes directly into the garden around the 1st of April.

If the seeds don’t make, I will HOPE that I can find starter plants at the local stores in Greenwood. It would do my heart good, though, to be able to do this on my own this year.

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February 6, 2021 · 12:31 pm

Hope = Planning for the Garden

sapronova.35photo.ru

I’m starting to plan my spring garden.

I’m HOPING to be able to start and grow some plants this time, rather than hoping our local resources will have what I want when I’m reading to plant.

A lot of people do this routinely. Part of my hope is that THIS TIME I’ll be successful, having some good, healthy plants that I can transfer to my garden when the time for the last spring frost for my area is past – April 5th. I will try to plant seeds in my seed starter in tranches, so if one group doesn’t make, another may. It would also be good not to have all of my plants needing to be harvested or eaten at one time. Talk about hope!

So far, I’ve found that the last spring frost date is April 5th, and the first fall frost date is October 31st. I found my seed starter tray and brought it in. It has a cardboard covering that gives directions for use. I have a bunch of seed packets, also with instructions.

LOTS of reading and research to do before actual planting, but my excitement is growing as I type.

I have a raised bed, square foot garden into which I would like to transfer these plants. Before winter started, I weeded the six 4′ square chest-high planters we built. I mixed barrels of Mel’s Mix (vermiculite, peat moss, and at least 3 different types of compost) and filled up the planters to the top. Then I covered the planters with tarps to try to keep the weeds to a minimum over the winter to make less work when I start my spring garden.

I will try to take pics of each step in the process – success or fail – in case you’re interested in following the process with me.

Hope springs eternal that I will have success this time!

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December 5, 2020 · 10:01 am

Did It!

Dreamstime – Pinterest

Mother Nature warmed things up here yesterday afternoon for long enough that I was able to clean out the second tomato planter. This was a laborious process of trying to untangle or cut the plants off the tomato cages and supports, then stack the cages and supports out of the way, then pull the plants out – sometimes one branch at a time – then gather the frozen tomatoes that could now be used as ammunition in case of intruders, then dispose of the vegetation, then clean up a bit and put the wheelbarrow away, I was tired and cold by the time I finished, but feeling triumphant that another yard project could be checked off my list.

We had a nice tomato harvest this year, even though our weather was a bit wonky. I’m still enjoying some cherry sized tomatoes for snacks and in salads. :0)

Today’s project – again if Mother Nature is feeling cooperative – is to do some weed whacking in my garden area.

Winter for our Square Foot Garden

We converted two brick planters on the far side of the house to be used to grow tomatoes. Those are the ones I’ve been trying to clean out. As you can see here, our square foot garden is ready for the winter. This is the first time we’ve used the tarps. This is to keep the Mel’s Mix Soil Alternative from blowing out and also hopefully to keep weed growth to a minimum as far as getting the planters ready for spring planting.

It’s the perimeter of the garden outside the fencing, plus the area around the trash barrels that hold the Mel’s Mix ingredients and around the propane tank for the shop that need attention with the weed whacker. I will be happy if I can get that under control today. :0) Right now it’s 37 degrees F. – too cold, but the forecast is for 59 this afternoon. Fingers crossed.

This and my yoga will be my exercise for the day.

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November 29, 2020 · 9:43 am

Winter Approaches

DeMilked

Mother Nature is bringing winter closer in Arkansas in the coming days. I’m not ready.

I’ve really been enjoying the fall. I’m not a hot-weather person. I’m not really a cold-weather person, either. The temperature range at which I feel comfortable has lowered and then narrowed as I age.

Right now it’s around 42 degrees F. and very cloudy, wet, and raw outside. A good day to express thanks for a warm, dry house.

We got our irrigation system turned off, hoses unhooked and drained, vents closed, and outside faucets covered this past week. We’re supposed to have freezing temperatures each morning for at least the next 10 days, starting tomorrow morning.

We have had a wonderful season of veggie garden, flowers, and elephant ear plants, so I’m trying very hard to be thankful for that without being too greedy for more. I love to see things thriving and blooming all over the yard and in the garden, so it’s hard to see that come to an end.

I’m setting up in the garage to have a small place where I can try to get seeds started for my spring garden. If I’m successful, I can get an early start to good veggies for the spring!

I hope you are somewhere warm and dry this morning where you can dream of veggies and flowers in the future.

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November 24, 2020 · 3:17 pm

Last Hurrah?

Gif Abyss-Alph aCoders

The cold front seems to be coming through now. It’s cold and rainy – a GREAT time to have a warm, dry house.

When we got home from errands, we went back outside and shut down the irrigation system. This involves turning off a control, disconnecting a hose and rerouting a water system in the well house, and then disconnecting a main hose that runs across the front of the yard just off the civilized part we mow. We then gathered outside faucet covers and installed those all around the house, closing the vents. The forecast is calling for a light freeze overnight, so we’re just in time.

I then came back outside again and gathered what will probably be the last of the tomatoes.

We have had a really good run of tomatoes this year, despite a lot of weird weather. These are mostly cherry tomato size – perfect for salads and snacks.

This is probably the last of the roses and one twice-blooming iris I found.

And finally is my elephant ear plants. They are tall enough to almost cover the window in the garage. The research I did said that after the first freeze, I should cut the leaves off and store the bulbs in a combination of peat moss and potting soil in the garage until the spring. Fingers crossed that will work.

So, a last hurrah for a good year of growing. I lost my green house in a bad storm, but I will try to start seeds on the counter in my garage for the spring. I’ll need to clear things off a bit again, but I have a grow light set up, Mel’s Mix in a small trash cans, and my trays, so I should be in good shape to start up again, probably in February.

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November 15, 2020 · 11:07 am

It’s COOL Outside!

We had rain and a cool front come through overnight. It’s 44 degrees F. outside right now with a bit of a wind, so it feels pretty chilly.

The wonderful fiber optic people came through recently hanging wire for the future. They had to cut branches out of a couple of trees in our side yard that were encroaching on the lines. When they finished, it looked like the trees had exploded or had been hit by lightning, with broken branches hanging down. They said they would neaten things up. I don’t think they decide where they go or what they do each day, so they haven’t been back.

My husband disappeared, and I went to find him. He was coming back from the shop with the chain saw – just the thing I had been trying to avoid. We are a bit long-in-the-tooth now for activities such as chain sawing and hauling big branches around. Since he was determined to handle it, I dropped what I was doing and helped him.

We worked about an hour, but made some headway. At least it looks now as if someone might have had a plan. I’m still hoping that the guys will come back and cut both of the trees down, but I won’t hold my breath.

This is part of what we cut down.
This is part of what’s left.
This is the rest of what remains

The other thing we did recently was to prepare our raised bed, square foot planters for the winter.

Audrey Hepburn – keepinspiring.me

(We built six 4’x4’x8″ wooden planters and put them on metal supports, kind of like tables, at about my chest level.)

I harvested the remaining onions very carefully, since the fire ants had taken up residence in the planters. It amazes me that they wanted a home so high up off the ground. Unfortunately, they were aggressive about defending what they considered their home. I had to keep hosing the planters down with bug killer, then harvesting as much as I could or weeding until they started to swarm again, over and over until the job was done.

We then re-filled the planters with Mel’s Mix – a combination of peat moss, vermiculite, and as many different kinds of compost as you can find or make. The level of this had really gone down, so it was quite a job to mix up the mix needed to top them off.

We have made this alternative soil process as seamless as possible, with big trash cans holding the ingredients of the mix, and then a used cement mixer to combine things.

We strung some wires across the remaining two planters not used this year to create the ‘squares’ we use for spacing the plants. We decided to wait until spring to replace the wooden strips that we put along the middle of each trio of planters that hold the sprinkler for the middle of each box and connect the irrigation hoses.

We put a pail in the middle of each of the boxes and then covered each box with a tarp. We are hoping this will cut way down on the weeds in the planters for when we uncover things and get ready for spring planting.

You can see 5 of the 6 planters here.

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October 25, 2020 · 11:42 am

Today’s Haul

Roses and Tomatoes

I just came in from about 20 chilly minutes outside. It’s not really that ‘cold,’ (52 degrees), but it’s raw-feeling and quite overcast and the wind is whipping around, making it FEEL a lot chillier.

I am planning to have several short sessions outside while it’s not actually raining, since we’re supposed to have rain tonight through Thursday.

This first time I gathered the few ripe tomatoes on the vines and then was caught up by some pretty blooms on our Rio Samba rose bushes. We also have a couple of twice-blooming iris, but I haven’t decided it I’ll bring them in or not. :0)

Even at mid-week, I was having to put on a sweat band to work outside very long. Not so today! I wore a much-used down vest and still got cold.

I will fix us some lunch and then see if I can get the irrigation system controller off the agricultural faucet next.

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October 21, 2020 · 10:22 am

Serial Weed Murderer

Ace

Armed with a 2-gallon sprayer of Killzall, the serial weed killer will be active around here today and tomorrow, while the weather is supposed to be sunny and in the low 80’s – perfect weather for a murder.

It seems that everywhere I look there are things that need to be pruned, cut back, cut down completely, or sprayed with weed killer. The fall has brought vigorous plant life, and I would like to get things under control before cold weather arrives.

The 2-gallon sprayer is about the most I can handle, and ONE sprayer-full is all I can do at a time. Sometimes I can do one load in the first part of the day, rest a bit and then do a second, but mostly one is it for the day.

I’ll concentrate on the spraying while the weather is warmer and then switch to the loppers.

If I win the lottery, I’ll employ a lot of good people to help me get our little part of the world more civilized!

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October 20, 2020 · 9:29 am

Onions are Finished!

Yesterday I finished cleaning the onions from the garden.

These are the onions in a wonderful mesh bag I bought last year – hanging in the pantry, ready for me to use.

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October 19, 2020 · 9:53 am

Onion Harvest

I pulled these out of the garden – only a few at a time due to an infestation of fire ants living in my raised bed, square foot planters. I spread them to dry on a trailer that has a nice metal mesh bed perfect for this.

Yesterday my husband cleaned them off with a hose while I was weed whacking. I will finish cleaning them up today, putting them in mesh bags to hang from hooks in our pantry.

I hope that they are nice and sweet.

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October 19, 2020 · 9:46 am

Tomato Harvest 10-18-2020

I keep putting it on my list to clean out the tomato planters, but then I find lots of little bitty tomatoes! This happened again yesterday, so I will enjoy each and every one as long as I can. :0)

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October 1, 2020 · 4:36 pm

Working in the Garden

Animal Wallpapers-Desktop Nexus

Earlier today my husband came out to help in the garden. I turned off the water to the irrigation system. We removed the hoses and sprinkler heads from the narrow wooden strips that went down the middle of each group of three planter boxes. We then removed the broken wooden strips. We stretched wire in two directions on the last planter, making the planting ‘squares’ we inadvertently forgot to do this year.

(This is a pic from the beginning of the season.)

 

I went back out about an hour ago to start the process of mixing Mel’s Mix and filling up the planters.

Mel’s Mix is a soil alternative made from

  • 2 parts peat moss
  • 2 parts vermiculite
  • 1 part of as many different types of compost as you can buy or make. (I use cotton burr, mushroom, and barnyard, plus I add the one I try to make from yard and kitchen waste.

I keep the ingredients in large lidded trash cans we keep along the back of our shop. We also have a used cement mixer. I measure out the ingredients into the cement mixer. I usually mix a double load each time. I mix the ingredients for about 3 minutes, and then empty the mixer into a big plastic yard bucket with handles. I then carry the bucket to one of the garden planter boxes and dump it.

This is kind of a laborious process, but I only have to do this once every few years. Usually, when you pull out a plant and plant something else during the seasons, you add a bit of mix. (I usually keep a small trash can of pre-mixed Mel’s Mix so this is quick and easy.)

Today was hard because the trash cans are getting empty, so I was kind of having to stand on my head to reach in and fill up the measuring bucket in each trash can. I also found a humongous ant hill that was in my way as I was going back and forth. I had to go back to the garage to get the EIGHT bug killer spray so I could hose them down before I got bitten or stung.  I decided after mixing and distributing the one double load, that was it for the day. I think I can do one more double load tomorrow, but then I’ll have to replenish supplies.

I just finished calling the Greenwood Co-Op, the wonderful outfit that provides my ingredients. Sometimes they have everything I need. This time they had to order some of it, so it should be ready for us to pick up Monday or Tuesday of next week. (After mixing up another double load tomorrow, it’ll probably take this old lady that long to rest up… :0)  )

When the planter boxes are all full of Mel’s Mix, my husband and I will replace the wooden strips, tying the hoses and sprinkler heads onto them. Then I’ll take some pics before we cover the planter boxes with tarps for the winter.

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September 30, 2020 · 10:36 am

Gorgeous Fall Day!

Cheezburger-“just-going-for-a-leaf-swim”

I’m still smiling from finding this!  I LOVE this cat!

It’s gorgeous, sunny, and 64 degrees F. here in Arkansas today.

I’m still patting myself on the head because I was able to figure out why our yard irrigation system was failing to come on. I don’t know what got it ‘wonky,’ but I was giving it a last-ditch-effort, having tried everything I could figure out to do on reprogramming the thing, and it FINALLY came on as it was supposed to. My husband was impressed. I just smiled – as if it were no big thing – but INSIDE I was jumping up and down. :0)

I will try to spend some time working on my garden boxes today.

Enjoy your day.

 

 

 

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September 29, 2020 · 12:00 pm

Thoughts on a Tuesday 9-29-2020

dogspotting-Bored Panda

Today is cool, sunny, and beautiful.

Today is a two-outing day for us.

We’re leaving in a couple of minutes to take out our trash in the truck, get our mail, then run errands. Later today I’ll go out again for a hair cut. Exciting life we lead!

Actually, I can use a BUNCH of ‘ordinary,’ ‘quiet,’ ‘normal,’ and ‘peaceful.’ All really beautiful words and much appreciated. I plan to do a bunch of relaxing between outings.

 

Last night we tried our first frozen dinner from Stu’s Clean Cookin’ in Greenwood. 1435 West Center St., Greenwood, AR 72936.  479.597.3242. the meal was “Chicken, Brown Rice, and BBQ Sauce.” The chicken was excellent. The rice, not so much for me. I got one mouthful of really HOT (to me – a real wuss) BBQ sauce. My husband loved the dinner and said it was one of his favorites since we’ve been eaten food from the two new places in Greenwood. He didn’t have anything hot. He said he could have easily eaten twice as much of the chicken – but that has been our problem – reasonable portions for a human. We were both satisfied, so that was good. I’ll make sure we order this again for my husband next time. Tonight we will try “Pork, Black Beans, Brown Rice and BBQ Sauce.” Their store was clean. There were two really friendly guys who greeted us, had our order ready, and we were out the door in under 3 minutes flat. Impressive. I also like the fact that they print the nutrition information on their website, on the packages, etc. so you know what you’re ordering and eating. I am feeling SUPER lucky that we have TWO new places that BOTH offer good, convenient frozen foods for us to plan our dieting around. :0)

I seem to be in an ‘advertising-frame-of-mind’ today.  I have awful hair – thin, fine, yucky. I’m lucky to have a wonderful hair stylist, Michael Remillard in Greenwood at Tangles, 40 Town Square, Greenwood AR 72936. 479-996-6636 who understands this. I’m going for a haircut today. He knows that my hair doesn’t do anything good on its own. The best thing I can do for it is keep it clean and go to Michael for good hair cuts. I wash it every morning and blow it dry. He cuts it so that it looks like there is a PLAN. Mine is very short now, kind of like a pixie cut. It’s easy to take care of.

I have found a shampoo that I REALLY like. It’s called “Herbal Essences Bio:renew, Blue Ginger & Micellar Water Refresh.” Quite a mouthful, isn’t it!  I like it because

  • it smells good
  • it makes a truly wonderful amount of lather
  • it rinses out really well, without my feeling I have any kind of residue

I looked for it at Walgreens today. They had Herbal Essences, but not this flavor. I just ordered it online. It comes in a nice twin-pack. :0)

I harvested these sweet little bitty tomatoes yesterday. This may be the last of the year. I’m continuing to work in my raised bed, square foot garden. I’ll show you pics when things get a bit farther along. The tomatoes come from two brick planters on the opposite side of our house from the garden. We converted them from regular planters, filling them up with Mel’s Mix. Even with the weird growing season we have had this year, we had a nice crop.

While we were out doing errands, we saw our plumber, Travis Hawkins. 479-461-8347. He helped us recently with a water pressure problem, and then with a follow-up problem with our master bedroom shower. He told us that when we called about the shower, he tried to get to us himself, but got covered up in work, so sent his co-worker, Josh. He said he MEANT to just stop by and not charge us. Since Josh DID, he said he ‘owed us a service call and won’t charge us for the call the next time he comes.’ To say we feel lucky to have found him is a HUGE understatement. He is a really first-class person.

I hope that your Tuesday is a fun one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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September 28, 2020 · 10:01 am

Beautiful COOL Fall Day

Giphy

A cold front came through overnight. Our temperature right now (9:45 a.m.) is 53!  The sun is shining and it’s beautiful outside. This is the first morning in a LONG time we haven’t opened our doors first thing when we come downstairs. It was actually TOO COOL to do that!  We’ll probably do it later as the day warms up, but it looks like summer is finally waving goodbye.

I got my six 4 foot x 4 foot raised bed, square foot planters weeded yesterday. I managed to harvest the remainder of the onions and finish the weeding without getting stung or bitten by the fire ants that had taken up residence in a couple of the planters. We live on about 8 acres. I have no clue why they would climb up the legs of the planters and live in my veggies, but it really has been a problem for me.

Today I’ll remove the broken wooden strips that support the irrigation hoses and sprinkler heads for the garden, plus I’ll string wire on the one box we forgot to prep this season. I’m not sure if I’ll start the process of mixing Mel’s mix for the boxes today or not.

Mel’s Mix is the wonderful soil alternative that allows me to have a garden at about my chest height so I don’t have to worry about the quality (or lack of) of my soil, and can have a garden where I can plant, weed, and harvest without having to bend over double or get up and down on my knees. Mel Bartholomew of Square Foot Gardening is the man who came up with the process. Mel’s Mix is a combination of vermiculite, peat moss, and as many different kinds of compost as you can find. It makes a really rich medium in which to grow plants.

I keep the ingredients in big trash cans along the back of our shop, just next to the garden. We got a used cement mixer that I use in preparation. I put the components in the proper ratio into the mixer, mix it for awhile, then dump it into a big plastic container and dump it into one of my planters over and over until the planters are all filled up.  Though a bit laborious, it works very well.

When this is all done, I have a tarp to put on each planter that I’ll secure with bungie cords. This should keep the growth of weeds down until I’m ready to plant in the spring.

I’m doing a bit on this each day Mother Nature is feeling cooperative. I’ll take pics of the garden prep soon.

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September 22, 2020 · 10:31 am

Thoughts on a Tuesday 9-22-2020

“The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.”
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 

Evgeni Evgeniev-Unsplash

Fall is my favorite season.

I love it when I am a bit too cool and need to throw on a hoodie to be comfortable. I enjoy snuggling under my throw in my recliner and nodding off when I get sleepy. One of my favorite drinks is hot chocolate. A fire in the fireplace is a luxurious, comfort thing. The colors of the leaves lift my spirits.  I hope we get a good, long autumn this year!

Gardening Know How

I got SOME of the onions harvested yesterday before I pulled one and a gazillion ants swarmed out. Thankfully, I was armed with my new 2-gallon sprayer of Eight Bug Killer and hosed down the planter box again. It’s raining today (Tropical Storm Beta) but I’ll try it again when the weather is cooperative.

 

Depositphotos

I also managed to file (or throw away) the huge pile of paper sitting on the table beside my computer yesterday. Today I will tackle August bookkeeping. Hopefully, I can get that accomplished today – since September’s stuff will be staring me in the face soon.

 

“Caught Red-Pawed” – Audrius P. – Bored Panda

My husband and I enjoyed Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad for our dinner last night from REAL FOOD in Greenwood. It was truly YUMMY. We are so lucky it is so good and so convenient for us. I also lost a bit more weight! I looked at my records for South Beach and BistroMD, and I’m losing at the same – if slow – rate. If I live 100 more years, I’ll eventually reach my goal! :0)

Penn Fitness Warehouse

Another thing I love about the fall – I can use my elliptical trainer in our garage in a lot more comfort. My husband mounted a wall fan on the wall in front of it for the summer, but I still end up overheated when the temperatures and heat indices go nuts in the summer. I won’t say I look forward to going out there, but putting in the time is much more palatable now.  My yoga stretching in the afternoons is rounding out my exercise nicely.

I don’t have a big project for the day. We drove the trash down to the bottom of the driveway, and I have load #2 in the clothes washer. The dishwasher is running. I’ll go do the elliptical (hopefully doing 35 minutes) and then hit the bookkeeping. I live such an exciting life! :0)

I hope that things are good for you today.

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September 21, 2020 · 2:45 pm

Today’s Harvest 9-21-2020

Calendarpedia

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” ~ George Eliot

On this, the first day of Autumn, I was able to harvest small little bitty tomatoes!

 

I don’t know if this is the last of them. There are some green tomatoes on the vines, but we’ve had that before and they never ripened. I keep threatening to remove the plants, but I just can’t when there is the possibility of more tomatoes!

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September 19, 2020 · 12:21 pm

A Beautiful Day for Murdering Fire Ants

Orkin

I just hosed down our raised bed square foot garden with EIGHT, a wonderful spray that kills ants and other bugs, but is safe for our animals and plants. I will do it over and over again before finishing my harvest of our onions, since the minute I pull out a weed or onion, they swarm all over the place. :0(

The clean up of the garden will be a many-step-many-day enterprise.

  • I will harvest the onions first, armed with more EIGHT spray, if needed.
  • Then I’ll pull the dead plants and weeds.
  • I will mix a BUNCH of fresh Mel’s Mix and keep making and distributing more until all six planter boxes are full to the brim.
  • I will replace broken boards that hold the hoses and sprinklers, plus run wire criss-cross fashion to delineate square feet in one box that needs it.
  • Finally, I will cover each planter with a tarp, probably holding them with bungie cords.

Hopefully, this will result in nice, fresh, happy planter boxes without a lot of weed growth to welcome my spring efforts to get my garden planted.

My 2-gallon sprayer seems to be giving out, though, so we have it on Monday’s list to get a replacement at our local hardware store.

It’s a really lovely day to be murdering fire ants!. :0)

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September 8, 2020 · 9:22 am

Happy Tuesday!

Reader’s Digest

We have several errands this morning, and more this afternoon, so I might not get ANYTHING else done today.

In about an hour, we’ll leave 4 leaf bags of trash at the bottom of our driveway for pickup. (I made my goal of finding 2 extra bags of things that SHOULD have been thrown away a long time ago. I’m hoping to continue this each week.) We will also get our mail.

We have been experiencing serial failures of our fluorescent light fixtures this year. We have changed out the ballast transformers on many of them. Now we are replacing the switches that control them.  We will pick up those at Yeagers. We will stop at our co-op to see if they have lettuce plants. (I’m hoping to pull out the spent tomato plants in the long brick planter by the house and put in lettuce plants.) Then we will stop and check the new Real Food store on the way home, hoping to find some frozen meals to buy and try.) Later, we’ll go back for my husband’s hair cut and a quick trip to the clinic for a shot for him.

I got lazy yesterday and didn’t do anything outside. This afternoon I’m planning to mix up EIGHT bug killer and will hose down my raised bed, square foot garden planters before I even THINK about trying to harvest the rest of our onions. I am finally healed up from the attack of the fire ants that I discovered living among my onions, so I’m ready to wage war. If I’m successful on getting the lettuce plants, I’ll take some pics for you.

I finally got an email from Amazon Handmade, confirming that I have been accepted to list my work there, and giving me some directions on how to get to a place I can register. When I have a calm space of time, I’ll try to follow them. Fingers crossed!

I hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day and that you make today a great day, too.

 

 

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