| We try to include plants and trees around our home that are both super easy to grow and also add some level of use for beneficial insects. One of our favorites we added three years ago was a Vitex tree. Vitex Vitex agnus-castus also known by Chaste Tree, Lilac Chaste Tree and Monk's Pepper -Its hardy from Zone 6a-9b and can grow up to 20 ft tall. It likes full sun to partial shade and is grown for its nice foliage. If the tree is dead-headed it will encourage more blooms later in the season Its drought tolerant and suitable for xeriscaping. BUT, what sold us on it was the fact we saw how nicely it grew in the grassy median of the interstate not too far from us. If the tree could survive there, we knew it was the tree for us.
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Great Tree To Attract Butterflies & Bees
Blogathon Theme Day #3 - Wordle
Sustainability At Work
Sometimes I do things because it just makes sense to me at that time. When we moved out to the country the thing I wanted most was a clothes line. I resented the fact that living in town with restrictions against them really bothered me. I can understand it aesthetically, but with wood privacy fences galore, I couldn't reason out in my head about, "What's the big deal?". I LIKE hanging clothes outside. Its good for the environment, my clothes and my wallet. Running the A/C in 100 degree weather June-August here and Texas is necessary if you don't live in the woods. Add running a clothes dryer in the house and the poor A/C system struggles to keep up with the added heat. Thus, my rant.
When we installed the clothes line here, we used 4x4 wood post framework and strung 3 lines of vinyl coated wire in between. Our backyard is fenced in so the neighbors don't have to bear the view of unsightly laundry blowing in the wind. It has worked beautifully and actually dries faster than my indoor dryer.
When we started getting rabbits we realized me needed shade. It was then we built the animal enclosure which encompasses the end of the clothesline frame into its structure. Not long afterwards we added grape vines to grow over the animal enclosure. Its worked wonderfully also.
As I hung a load of jeans out to dry this morning, I looked at the grapes hanging from the clothesline and just smiled. I never thought I would see so many sustainability systems converge at our house.
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| Can you see the rabbit hutches through the grape vines? |
This has provided:
- solar clothes dryer - saves life of dryer
- food to eat - both leaves and grapes
- shade for the rabbits - much cooler and safe for them to eat
- energy savings - fans for rabbit area reduced, not using dryer, and not adding to the heat level of our house in the summer
- our clothes last longer because the dryer does damage them over time
- needed exercise and a chance to soak up some much needed vitamin D for my health
We keep our animals well taken care of so hygiene and odor issues are kept to a minimum. Because I like efficiency, this works for us very well and has for the 2 years that the grapes have flourished.
Update On The Baby Chicks
At the beginning of the blogathon, we also began to raise a new batch of chicks. It had been nearly 3 years since we'd taken on this challenge and we were ready. - Well, at least we were willing. You can read how we got started here: New Baby Chicks
Over the past 3 1/2 weeks we've advanced from the tiny cage with a heat lamp to moving them to a sort of nursery cage outside. We are waiting for them to grow larger and finish filling in their feathers before we introduce them to our older chickens.
Through these past few weeks its taken quite a bit of decision making on what our next steps should be with the chicks. Its been a season where snakes have been acting unusual and I've heard plenty of stories of them getting onto porches and garages when the storms come. The weather has wreaked havoc on their habitat and feeding grounds so its no wonder they want to come live with people. I've had two so far this year, one being in the chicken coop. It greeted me at the door by hanging from the ceiling near the door and a window. It ended up being a 4-5 ft black rat snake that I had to knock out of there and unfortunately end its life. A chicken had died 2 days before and I just wasn't taking any chances. I think if I want rodent control, a cat that's a good mouser will do me just fine.
Thinking about placing the chicks outside really had me concerned that they would end up as snake food. Chicken wire has holes large enough for a snake to crawl through, even though its may not get out after eating one the chicks. It was because of that we decided that we could use an empty rabbit hutch we had open to hold the chicks for a few more weeks. I had to modify it a bit and make some much needed repairs that was a result from a bored rabbit who chewed through the wood around the door. I sealed up every nook and cranny around the ceiling that I thought a snake could crawl through before I could feel comfortable about leaving the chicks in there.
I was thankful that the chick's nursery cage fit right in the hutch. I thought if anything, the nursery cage would provide a place where they felt secure, like a coop would normally do. Surprisingly though, the within an hour the chicks were out and about, leaving the nursery cage behind. They even slept outside of it the first night.
Its been 4 days so far and I must say I'm really satisfied with this arrangement. The chicks are safe and they are MUCH easier to care for now. No more kicking the bedding out on the floor, changing their water every couple of hours because they've filled it with bedding. I do miss their singing though. Did you know baby chicks sing? Yes, they do. Its a pleasant sound and often reminds me of my parakeet's songs. It is a far cry from the adult chickens voices that are deep and screaming at times.
Through all of this, I've come to realize that having a "hospital" type of cage outside is important. I needed a place for the baby chicks to be in isolation until they develop large enough. But it also will be great if I need to house an injured or sick chicken. They need to be kept separate from the flock anyway because a) they may be contagious or b) chickens can be cruel and pick on a weak or injured one. Either way, it allows me a level of control of how they are treated.
Phase 2 is now underway and I'm thankful. I must tell you that phase 3 will make me nervous when I introduce the chicks to flock. I may have a few sleepless nights and lots of visits to see how they are socializing. A new pecking order will have to be established and I'm not looking forward to witnessing it.
Over the past 3 1/2 weeks we've advanced from the tiny cage with a heat lamp to moving them to a sort of nursery cage outside. We are waiting for them to grow larger and finish filling in their feathers before we introduce them to our older chickens.
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| May 5, 2011 |
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| May 24, 2011 |
I was thankful that the chick's nursery cage fit right in the hutch. I thought if anything, the nursery cage would provide a place where they felt secure, like a coop would normally do. Surprisingly though, the within an hour the chicks were out and about, leaving the nursery cage behind. They even slept outside of it the first night.
Its been 4 days so far and I must say I'm really satisfied with this arrangement. The chicks are safe and they are MUCH easier to care for now. No more kicking the bedding out on the floor, changing their water every couple of hours because they've filled it with bedding. I do miss their singing though. Did you know baby chicks sing? Yes, they do. Its a pleasant sound and often reminds me of my parakeet's songs. It is a far cry from the adult chickens voices that are deep and screaming at times.
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| See how much they've grown? (click on photo to see it better) |
Phase 2 is now underway and I'm thankful. I must tell you that phase 3 will make me nervous when I introduce the chicks to flock. I may have a few sleepless nights and lots of visits to see how they are socializing. A new pecking order will have to be established and I'm not looking forward to witnessing it.
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My Garden Gnome Eats Daisies
| ----Well, at least he is a suspect. The only daisies that have all of the petals eaten off are the ones by him. I know I've been slacking when it comes to giving or gnome aka 'Minion' attention, but I never thought it would come to this. Or possibly he's trying to work out the, "She loves me, she loves me not" question? All I know is that my daisies are suffering for it.  Seriously, whatever is eating my daisies will have to be investigated. So far I've gathered its a chewer and I will have to look under the other flowers and examine surrounding plants to see if I can find out what it is. That will help me to determine what to do next. In my yard, you won't always find my plants pristine like the ones you see in magazine photos. I try but I sometimes have a round of this or that pest and I try to use the least harmful method first on them. In some cases just a good spray of water on plants knocks culprits off such as aphids. But depending on what it is I will have to deal with it accordingly. If I find its some sort of caterpillar, I may have to use Bt, and organic pesticide that is a protien that caterpillars can't digest. On the negative side though, I also must consider what is a wanted caterpillar, like for butterflies for example. They are not immune to Bt. Organic methods have their harms and drawbacks also. Most pest control really is common sense. If your problem is with insects then:
One issue many of us have is that we just grab up something and use it. And we often think that more is better and that's not always the best solution. In fact it often works against us. It takes a bit of a gumshoe detective work and a bit of research, but its doable. Once you learn how to deal with that particular pest, the information will make you more confident if it arises in the future. Gardening sometimes is like working on an old car that breaks down from time to time. You learn how to fix each thing as the problem comes along. That's why I love hanging out with people that have gardened for years. They just seems like wise old owls with a wealth of helpful information and the war stories to go along with it. --- But we still need to find out if Minion is innocent of the crime against my daisies. He's a good gnome and dutifully guards his post by my front steps, so his character is rock solid as far as know. |
Growing Rosemary
Rosemary is an herb that is a royal treat to have in your garden. It appeals to all of senses from its evergreen quality to its unmistakable fragrance as you brush by its branches. A beautiful plant that has its place in every landscape. I love mine. And it started from a cutting I was given at our Master Gardener demonstration garden called, Heritage Garden.
Something you may not realize about rosemary is that it is fairly easy to start from a cutting. From just a few of these you can have more rosemary for your own garden, some to share with friends or give away as gifts.
I have the shrub-like variety known as Rosmarinus officinalis It grows to a height of up 48" with a width of nearly the same. It is hardy for zones 7a-10b. Like most herbs, it prefers a drier well-drained soil. Rosemary that grew the largest at my house is planted on the south facing side of the house, where it gets plenty of sun.
Rosemary can be started by both seeds and cuttings, but cuttings have a higher rate of success and grow much faster.
Here is how to do it to propagate rosemary from cuttings:
Something you may not realize about rosemary is that it is fairly easy to start from a cutting. From just a few of these you can have more rosemary for your own garden, some to share with friends or give away as gifts.
I have the shrub-like variety known as Rosmarinus officinalis It grows to a height of up 48" with a width of nearly the same. It is hardy for zones 7a-10b. Like most herbs, it prefers a drier well-drained soil. Rosemary that grew the largest at my house is planted on the south facing side of the house, where it gets plenty of sun.
Rosemary can be started by both seeds and cuttings, but cuttings have a higher rate of success and grow much faster.
Here is how to do it to propagate rosemary from cuttings:
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| 1. Cut branches from rosemary that are either semi-hardwood or softwood. (See the brown and white stems of each?) |
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| 2. Cut pieces about 5 inches long, stripping leaves off bottom 2/3 |
Stephanie Suesan Smith over at Information Central, Gardening Questions Answered. | ||||||
Using Baskets As Planters
A Stroll Through My Garden
Gardening With Friends
 Back in March of this year, a small group of my gardening friends out of support for one another, decided to help one of our friends who'd had a difficult past year. Due to family health problems she couldn't get out to work in her garden and keep up with all of the things she wanted to do. So, we put together a plan to help her. We picked a day we would come out, decided what lunch fixings we each were going to bring and the details of the visit. We were set.When the day arrived we met mid-morning so we could enjoy a cup of coffee before heading out to work. We had all brought our tools and plants to share from our own gardens. After a bit of direction on what to do, we dug in and started planting, moving plants, filling containers and cleaning out the greenhouse. Time flew as we helped each other with the things we could handle. Interestingly, the balance was wonderful. A few women are older and have limitations, but their garden knowledge was phenomenal, while some of us have stronger back and able to lift bags of soil and dig holes. It all worked out and within a few hours we swept through the garden adding new life and encouragement to our dear friend. When lunchtime came we all shared about how fun it was and we shouldn't stop there. We should make the rounds to each of our gardens within the next few months. So that's what we've been doing. Trading plants and giving each other a helping hand in the process. -- So much fun! OUR ONLY RULE - We wouldn't pull weeds!!  It made me wonder WHY isn't this done more often? It reminds me a bit of the trades made in the old days of things such as a barn raising or crop harvesting time. People often came together to help one another. It just changes the attitude from both sides. Helping in someone else's garden seems less like work AND it was humbling to have help in mine. All around it was amazing. And, In some ways it held me accountable for preparing for my garden visit and it also made me mindful of what plants I had to share with my friends. Also, after visiting around, it was easier to see what my friends could use that I had growing here. As a result, I think our garden help is going to be a part of our regular social time together for years to come. I wish we had thought of it earlier. Starting a gardening group is fairly easy. All you need to is a plan and a bunch of people you enjoy spending time around. It can be family or friends with varied skills. Just a willing heart and a bit of sweat and I think it will change how you view gardening.  |
I've Grown All of This Mint, Now What?
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| Preserving Mint Leaves - This is Apple Mint |
I can't think of a much easier plant to have success in growing than mint. Its one of those plants that seems to find a way to spread everywhere if you don't keep in confined. Its such a wonderful plant to walk by and break off a leaf, crumple it between your fingers and smell the undeniable fragrance of mint. Its a treat young or old. But besides enjoying the pleasant fragrance, this is what you can do with it:
Harvesting -
Harvesting mint can be done for the length of the growing season a leaf at a time if you like. The best leaves are the younger tender ones as the older ones may become bitter. The best time for harvesting is right before the plant begins to bloom. The oils are at their peak during that time. Pick the leaves or cut the stems first thing in the morning and don't take more than 4-5 inch stem cuttings if you want to harvest later. Otherwise use longer stems for some drying methods.
Rinse mint under cool water, shake the water off and towel dry to remove excess water before starting anything.
Preserving -
Rinse mint under cool water, shake the water off and towel dry to remove excess water before starting anything.
Preserving -
- Drying - Hanging mint to dry while left on the stem is common. The cuttings are tied together in small bundles and hung upside-down together until dry. They can be used as needed or stored in an airtight container when completely dry. The other method is removing the leaf while fresh and spreading it out on an absorbent surface like paper or a towel to dry. Store leaves when dry the same way.
- Freezing - This is a good method if you are using mint for cooking because the leaves will lose their normal green color. Flash freeze the leaves by spreading the cut leaves out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place in the freezer until frozen, then transfer to a freezer storage container for later use.
- Fresh leaves (good to add to drinks) - Keep in the house by placing cuttings in a glass of water to keep fresh. I like to remove the bottom few leaves from the cuttings. You may find that some of them start producing roots after 3 weeks though, but that may be a bonus too.
Using
- Tea - Both fresh and dried mint leaves make excellent tea. Mint Tea Recipe - The bonus is that its caffeine free if needed.
- Mint Tea Punch and Minted Lemonade use fresh mint leaves and are refreshing summer drinks.
- Doing a search for recipes that include mint are a snap. One that I'm going to try soon is Apple Walnut Salad
- Mint has been used for centuries medicinally. Medicinal Uses for Mint
I'm sure there are more, but I hope this will start you thinking about what to do with all of the mint you have grown.
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Help With Grasshoppers The Green Way
| Experiencing a grasshopper plague over the course of a couple of summers just does something to you. You start to become desperate and search for every option available to rid your yard of these chomping and spitting pests. They make you crazy. It really got that bad here and I wasn't sure at the time if I would ever be able to having a living plant or tree in my yard. They literally ate everything to the ground. I researched all of my options and none really seemed to be a long term fix. And the cost would be high because we live on a couple of acres surrounded by mostly pasture land. Whatever we chose it would only be a matter of time before the grasshoppers got a green-light that our yard was back open for business. It wasn't long into the process I started looking into what eats grasshoppers. It wasn't long and I found that Purple Martins were a perfect match for us, if I could only just get them to come. And so they did.
I learned nearly everything I could about the Purple Martins from PurpleMartin.org They have wonderful resources about everything you would want to know. Something interesting about the diet of the Purple Martin from the website: They eat only flying insects, which they catch in flight. Their diet is diverse, including dragonflies, damselflies, flies, midges, mayflies, stinkbugs, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, June bugs, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, bees, wasps, flying ants, and ballooning spiders. Martins are not, however, prodigious consumers of mosquitoes as is so often claimed by companies that manufacture martin housing. I was surprised when I read it. I see they eat bees, but I haven't noticed it being a problem so far. I'm sure there is plenty of other things to eat around here. If word gets out, we may have to add a few more houses for them. This is just another reason that I like to leave pesticides out of my yard. I would feel terrible if I harmed these birds by poisoning their food or them not having enough. Purple Martins rely on humans to provide them housing so that goes hand in hand with care also. | ||
Setting Up A Plant Database
 Yeah, I know this sounds super boring, but to someone who is trying to get a handle on what's growing in your garden, its a must. I know personally that my brain can only handle so much and I often forget that I have planted certain things. A plant database is also helpful when people come over to look at your garden and want to know the name of each plant. This is a chance for you to appear as a super genius for knowing the scientific names for your plants. I'm going through this process right now, myself. Its easier to identify a cultivar and variety of a plant when its in full bloom and at its maximum height. If I look through a few good plant databases online, I then have enough information to find what I need. A few good resources I like to use are: Dave's Garden - PlantFiles - Non-subscribers are limited to 10 searches per day, but I love the details provided and the great pictures. The feedback from contributors is helpful also. If you subscribe, then you have access to an unlimited amount of searches. USDA - Plants Database - Great Resource with reliable information that can be broken down by states. It also includes Canada U.S territories, France and Denmark. Printable Fact Sheets and Plant guides are available if you want to create a binder for your garden The Plant Encyclopedia - This is like the Wikipedia community for plants. Its goal is to collect plant information from around the world. There are already 300,000 plants listed. There are many others that are state specific, so I'm sure you can find what you need. **Word of Caution - If you google a plant, be wary of what pops up as reliable. Its better to use information from a university, government agency or other research based guide. You just don't know what you're going to get otherwise.  To make your plant database shine:
Don't be intimidated that you can't get all of the information, but build it as you go. Now is a great time to start. There is plenty to keep you busy. You will thank yourself later. |
The Most Beautiful Tree Frog
| Every year we attract at least one American Green Tree Frog to our yard. They are amazingly beautiful and I like that they let you admire their beauty unlike a toad that is just plain jumpy. This year we've had one that's lived on our front porch for the past month or so, maybe longer. Every day its liking playing, Where's Waldo looking for him. He likes the table, chairs, deck railing, door frame and window so far. I know its the same one because he has distinct markings on his back. (or maybe her back, hmm... I need to find out) We've decided to name him Chester no matter what though. Here are a few moments we've been able to capture his picture:   From what I understand, they are popular pets because they don't require lighting for heat. They eat crickets, moths, flies, fireflies and other small invertebrates and some worms. I think he likes our porch because we have a porch light that is on a lot. I bet he eats pretty well here. Here is another one of our tree frogs from a couple of years ago. Its brighter green than Chester. |
Honeybee Inspection Day
I have been keeping an eye on my bees this Spring after the fiasco I faced last Spring. There's nothing like having a houseful of company in from out of state and looking out at your beehive that's decided to swarm. Yes, May 2010 was eventful. So much busy work getting ready for the big event of my son's graduation that I had neglected to watch for the signs of a potential swarming to come. I should have known. Spring blooming was strong and everything was nice and lush around here. That kind of activity tells the bee colony that they need more workers to collect nectar and pollen. But, I was just too busy to see it, until it was close to being too late. Thanks to the help of my dad and some quick thinking we were able to set up the second hive to attract the swarm. It was touch and go for awhile but in the end we succeeded!
In case you are wondering, I have two Kenyan Top Bar Hives. I have a lot of reasons for choosing it because of the more natural environment. I have previous posts that explain it in further detail here about beekeeping.
Being May again I am monitoring those hives like a hawk. I'm ready with the third hive if needed.
The bees are doing well and the hive looks healthy. I am concerned though about another round of cross-combing in the older hive. I battled this last year and cleaned them out, checked that the hive was level and it still happened. How do you tell a bee they are building honeycombs the wrong way? I just hate it because inspecting the honey area always causes damage to the combs they are forming. The new hive is fine thankfully. I will just keep checking and see what I can do.
Honey harvesting here starts at the end of June through July. And last year's honey was delicious!
In case you are wondering, I have two Kenyan Top Bar Hives. I have a lot of reasons for choosing it because of the more natural environment. I have previous posts that explain it in further detail here about beekeeping.
Being May again I am monitoring those hives like a hawk. I'm ready with the third hive if needed.
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| This is a brood comb where bees are raised The brood comb will be darker and the wax harder. The raised cells are drones. The flat will be workers. No queen cells here. |
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| This is an actual honey comb that is just starting to be filled. In a Top Bar Hive it is behind the brood combs. The wax is light and they will add more combs as the season progresses |
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| This is the new hive we added last year. By moving several bars of brood combs from the older hive about to swarm, they stopped and relocated to this hive which is next to the older one. See the different color bars? |
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| Every bee has a job and these are a couple of undertaker bees removing one that has died. |
Honey harvesting here starts at the end of June through July. And last year's honey was delicious!
What Shall I Name My Garden Beds?
 I recently came across an article on bed names and it got me wandering why I haven't named my beds anything special. Instead of always using the location to describe what bed I'm talking about, how about I name them? I'm working out a list and I hope my nameless gardens will have an identity instead of calling them things such as "The bed at the end of the house by the kids bedrooms" or "The bed on the inside of the side gate" ---so lame.Here's news, according to a post at Dave's Garden I have tons of ways I can name each of them. Of the ones listed I think I do have a bed I need to call-
 Others names I have came across are ---
Now I could get fancy and give them all posh names to mark us having good-breeding and a prized estate somehow. That would be fun AND funny all at the same time. We could start taking tea in the afternoons near some of the garden beds if it suits us. Do you have your garden beds named? -----I would love to hear them. Also, if you have ideas on some interesting garden names please post them. This will be such fun!! By the way, tomorrow we may or may not serve tea out by the Garden of Indecision. I need to decide and get back with you one it. *grin* |
Table Top Composter - Guest Post Day
Its Blogathon 2011 Guest Post Exchange Day and I am thrilled to have fellow blogger Veronica Del Bianco who writes for ECO-NOLA as my guest today. Veronica is a freelance writer and environmental educator at Audubon Zoo , New Orleans, LA
Desktop Composting
Composting at work seems like an inconvenient and impossible task for anyone that doesn’t work at a farm, dude ranch, botanical garden or zoo. But the truth is that desktop composting is not only possible, but can cost you nothing and provide entertainment (add worms!), great potting soil, and a happy concience come Earth Day.
All you need is a decomposition column - an easy project made from three 2-liter bottles that’s from my favorite book that teaches basic scientific inquiry, Bottle Biology. (It was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)
Snacking on a banana at work because you missed breakfast? Compost the peel! Enjoy an afternoon tea? Compost the tea bag! Crossed off the list on the sticky note? Yup, you can compost that paper too. Throw it in your decomposition column and done.
The small holes made from safety pins allow air to flow while any fruit flies remain inside the column. Add a few worms, like red wigglers, to help accelerate the decomposition process.
A Decomposition Diversion
Add a cocoon or chrysalis that you find in the ground of your yard to the column, to observe a metamorphosis first-hand. We once had an office pool going on the hatch date.
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| Step One - Cut First Bottle |
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| Step Two - Cut Second Bottle |
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| Step 3 -Cut Third Bottle |
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| Assembled, Finished and Composting |
Thank you Veronica for showing this. I will be building one of these today! I am really excited about it.
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