Good friends of my wife and I have decided to start a garden. As you know, I have an affinity for "Lasagna" or no-till gardening. In fact, when we moved to our place in March, I started my garden with the moving boxes as they were unpacked, and later covered them with 5 yards of "gardener's soil" from the local landscaping supply.
The results weren't great, but we did have some success with some of the plants, especially pumpkins. I pretty much suspected it, because even though it's "gardener's soil" from the landscapers, landscapers aren't necessarily gardeners. Also, the plot that our friends are going to work is only approximately 10' x 8', and is at the base of a large tree. It's also got a lot of gravel in it. Essentially, it'd be just about impossible to double dig, till, or even turn. It's the perfect candidate for lasagna gardening (or a stick of dynamite and backfill).
We put down the cardboard from my solar shed, and began to shred leaves from the local Freecycle group. After getting the shredder, I put up an add there for bagged leaves. I got 10 responses the same day. A couple were too far away for the blue beast to venture (my 1985 Ford F-150), but my friend with the garden plans picked up about 10 bags. On the way up, I picked up 5 more.
We laid down about 3 inches of shredded leaves over the next couple of hours, wetting it as it went. They'll be top dressing with coffee grounds through the winter, and hopefully picking up a load of manure. Here's some pictures of the process. Starting a new garden is like starting a new book. I'm always nervous I won't like the book over the first few pages; the truth is, the ones I like the most to start with I always end up disappointed with, they start so fast. The ones I'm not sure about for the first couple of chapters never fail to impress.
********
Got started bright and early this morning on the shed. There was frost all over everything. The fire was hard to start, and the tarp was actually stiff. Add to it, we had to hit the hardware store, and we didn't get much done before my buddy had to leave.
I stayed on out there picking at the pine branches. I'm actually stripping each branch of needles, planning to shred them for mulch for tomatoes, compost some, work some into the soil for the blueberries I'll plant next year. It's incredibly tedious, and might not be something I can do in the harsher winter months. But, for now, it's a few hours of quiet. Beautiful day today, really.
Early afternoon, I popped in for a poker freeroll through my rakeback site raketherake and busted out just at the end of the 1st hour, around 650 of 1,100. Bummer. Got back to the pine needles though.
Shortly after starting again, one of the freecycle contacts called to say they'd just bagged up 9 bags of chopped leaves (!). I'd been in contact with him, and started right over, after unloading the chipper shredder and the leaves I'd picked up on my way home last night. It turned out he was just around the corner, in fact a 5 minute walk through the woods (but not w/9 bags of leaves). I knew the neighborhood, as a friend had lived there, saw a bunch of bags on the sidewalk and started loading. I noticed they were oak leaves, and not chopped, and wondered why he'd told me they were, but figured maybe he had just topped the bags off with the oak. I was back home in just a few minutes, and had just gotten settled into a rhythm on the pine needles when my wife came out again, with the phone and a confused look.
It turned out I'd picked up those leaves from the guy's neighbor. I even had a conversation with the gentelman, thanking him for calling me and offering to return w/some compost in spring if he'd like. He hadn't said a word.
So, unloaded the truck again and went and got the "right" leaves.
I picked up 6 bags last night, 9 the 1st trip today and 9 the 2nd. In addition, I've collected a ridiculous amount from my yard, the neighbor next door has been vacuuming and giving them to me, and the guy 3 doors down has, too. I've got more leaves than I thought I would. However, given the qualities of composted leaves on the garden, especially over time, I'm pretty happy with the haul so far. I'm still looking for more.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Vegetable Garden
In the long, slow process of getting the vegetable garden put away for Winter. The storms in September, when we here in Cincinnati were witness (and victims) of Ike's winds, took out a 30' cherry tree in the back. It came down in such a way as to victimize several other trees, so now I get to pick up the pieces. Literally. (piles of wood pictures)
I also have the start of a solar shed going up. I've got a friend, a carpenter, helping, so it's going a little slower than I think it would if I did it myself, but I suspect it will be sturdier in the end. I'm pretty excited to have this complete.
I might have had the gentleman (a neighbor, actually) who cut up the tree cart it away. As I work at it, I think I might do something like that. I went out and bought a used chipper shredder, and I couldn't be happier with it. The amount of leaves I've got just so far, with more on the way I hope, would be great in a couple of years, unshredded. Shredded, I hope they'll be useful next year. I'm mixing them with the coffee grounds I have from work.
I've been collecting 3 5-gallon buckets of coffee grounds from the cafeteria and the coffee lady at work, each week for the last 3. I extol the virtues of coffee grounds, as I happened to mix some with sawdust from the tree and it heated up within a couple of days. So, I figure I can use it in equal parts directly on the garden, with the leaves, and finally with the sawdust (from the friend). That should keep me going all winter.
No work on the shed today (a shame), so I'll be sorting out the piles. It's amazing that almost a full day of shredding, with my little shredder, yields just this much mulch. Oh, well. I'm sure there will be more than enough to mulch in a path from the porch to the garden in the end.
I also have the start of a solar shed going up. I've got a friend, a carpenter, helping, so it's going a little slower than I think it would if I did it myself, but I suspect it will be sturdier in the end. I'm pretty excited to have this complete.
I might have had the gentleman (a neighbor, actually) who cut up the tree cart it away. As I work at it, I think I might do something like that. I went out and bought a used chipper shredder, and I couldn't be happier with it. The amount of leaves I've got just so far, with more on the way I hope, would be great in a couple of years, unshredded. Shredded, I hope they'll be useful next year. I'm mixing them with the coffee grounds I have from work.
I've been collecting 3 5-gallon buckets of coffee grounds from the cafeteria and the coffee lady at work, each week for the last 3. I extol the virtues of coffee grounds, as I happened to mix some with sawdust from the tree and it heated up within a couple of days. So, I figure I can use it in equal parts directly on the garden, with the leaves, and finally with the sawdust (from the friend). That should keep me going all winter.
No work on the shed today (a shame), so I'll be sorting out the piles. It's amazing that almost a full day of shredding, with my little shredder, yields just this much mulch. Oh, well. I'm sure there will be more than enough to mulch in a path from the porch to the garden in the end.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
1st post
This blog will be about, well, whatever I want to blog about.
However, as I'm turning over new leaves daily, I'll get us going with a few things I did today.
M. got his cast off. As you probably know, my 4 year old broke his arm in a most disturbing way 4 weeks or so ago. This morning, my beautiful wife C. and I drove to the outpatient center, where they removed the green cast that extended from his shoulder to his wrist. They moved us to radiology, just around the corner, and got the shots. Then, back to an exam room. The xray was up on the screen, and I was worried the cast would have to go back on. When the first images were taken, the break was barely visible; now, it was very clear. The doc indicated that was because the break was healing, and sent us on our way.
A few things really bothered me about the experience. As you also probably know, I work for the particular institution we visited. 1st: there was 1 book on the bin for kids my M.'s age. One. A standard one, but just one. Variety? None. If another 4 year old visited and wanted to read it? Guess what? There'd be none. 2nd: Xray techs, the kid is 4. If you need us to assist, say so up front, it's not his fault you put him in odd positions and he moves. 3rd: 45 minutes is a long time to be in an exam room @ 8am with a 4 year old, OK? Just, OK? God knows, I know how busy we are, but OK?
I picked up 3 pocket knives today, to sell. We'll see how the old ebaying thing goes. As you know, or should, I maintain a huge collection of Case Pocket Knives. I have 11, but at least 4 times that many are being maintained for me, care of whoever found them when I put them down wherever I put them down at. I know of one in particular, my favorite, that is being maintained, or was, by Michael Banks of, at that time, Goshen, Ohio. That was a nice, Damascus steel peanut Case. I'm looking forward to getting that back sometime; it's only been 15 years, I know, patience.
Garden is doing OK. 1st year for it here, because as you know we only moved to this place in March. This morning, as is my custom, I visited. A groundhog or some other rodent had significantly disturbed the mulch material I laid around the edge. I bet they were looking for worms, I only hope they were grabbing grubs. Though, after some thought, I consider the possibility that the disturbances were created by grubs as the matured into beetles, though I doubt that they could cause that much disturbance. Who knows.
Of particular garden interest to me are the pumpkins. I've read that the male flowers bloom quite a bit before the female flowers, so as to prime the pollinator pump, so to speak. They've been in bloom a couple of weeks now, and I've noticed the "female" flowers, which have a small base instead of the long stem of the male flowers. None have bloomed. I'm looking forward to watching the plants set fruit.
Also new to my garden this year are potatoes. I've grown them in tires this year, stacking the tires as the plants exceed the height and filling the void with straw. It has gone great. 2 stacks are 4, could probably take another, one is 3, and 1 (owing, I think, to lack of sun) is in need of a 2nd tire, but it's raining so bleh.
I'll be vermicomposting soon. I have the conventional compost structure (recycled pallets) that I've been putting everything on. However, I picked up a lawn sweeper thing for grass clippings, and will have plenty of leaves, so may start putting my kitchen scraps in the worm bin once it gets going. My major dilemma is that I want to buy a commercial bin, because of the aesthetics and ease of use/cleanup. However, I'm cheap. On the one hand, I've only recently convinced C. to accept the idea of 10,000 + worms in the house; on the other hand, I'm cheap. I think that if I do it my way (dresser drawer) she'll avoid it and we'll have CompostGate II (as you know, the idea of composting was a difficult sell in the 1st place), so I have to buy a composter. But, I'm cheap.
Most poker players, I think, are. At least ones with the $600 or so bankroll I have. More details on bankrolls, grubs, pocket knives and worms as events warrant.
Thanks for reading.
However, as I'm turning over new leaves daily, I'll get us going with a few things I did today.
M. got his cast off. As you probably know, my 4 year old broke his arm in a most disturbing way 4 weeks or so ago. This morning, my beautiful wife C. and I drove to the outpatient center, where they removed the green cast that extended from his shoulder to his wrist. They moved us to radiology, just around the corner, and got the shots. Then, back to an exam room. The xray was up on the screen, and I was worried the cast would have to go back on. When the first images were taken, the break was barely visible; now, it was very clear. The doc indicated that was because the break was healing, and sent us on our way.
A few things really bothered me about the experience. As you also probably know, I work for the particular institution we visited. 1st: there was 1 book on the bin for kids my M.'s age. One. A standard one, but just one. Variety? None. If another 4 year old visited and wanted to read it? Guess what? There'd be none. 2nd: Xray techs, the kid is 4. If you need us to assist, say so up front, it's not his fault you put him in odd positions and he moves. 3rd: 45 minutes is a long time to be in an exam room @ 8am with a 4 year old, OK? Just, OK? God knows, I know how busy we are, but OK?
I picked up 3 pocket knives today, to sell. We'll see how the old ebaying thing goes. As you know, or should, I maintain a huge collection of Case Pocket Knives. I have 11, but at least 4 times that many are being maintained for me, care of whoever found them when I put them down wherever I put them down at. I know of one in particular, my favorite, that is being maintained, or was, by Michael Banks of, at that time, Goshen, Ohio. That was a nice, Damascus steel peanut Case. I'm looking forward to getting that back sometime; it's only been 15 years, I know, patience.
Garden is doing OK. 1st year for it here, because as you know we only moved to this place in March. This morning, as is my custom, I visited. A groundhog or some other rodent had significantly disturbed the mulch material I laid around the edge. I bet they were looking for worms, I only hope they were grabbing grubs. Though, after some thought, I consider the possibility that the disturbances were created by grubs as the matured into beetles, though I doubt that they could cause that much disturbance. Who knows.
Of particular garden interest to me are the pumpkins. I've read that the male flowers bloom quite a bit before the female flowers, so as to prime the pollinator pump, so to speak. They've been in bloom a couple of weeks now, and I've noticed the "female" flowers, which have a small base instead of the long stem of the male flowers. None have bloomed. I'm looking forward to watching the plants set fruit.
Also new to my garden this year are potatoes. I've grown them in tires this year, stacking the tires as the plants exceed the height and filling the void with straw. It has gone great. 2 stacks are 4, could probably take another, one is 3, and 1 (owing, I think, to lack of sun) is in need of a 2nd tire, but it's raining so bleh.
I'll be vermicomposting soon. I have the conventional compost structure (recycled pallets) that I've been putting everything on. However, I picked up a lawn sweeper thing for grass clippings, and will have plenty of leaves, so may start putting my kitchen scraps in the worm bin once it gets going. My major dilemma is that I want to buy a commercial bin, because of the aesthetics and ease of use/cleanup. However, I'm cheap. On the one hand, I've only recently convinced C. to accept the idea of 10,000 + worms in the house; on the other hand, I'm cheap. I think that if I do it my way (dresser drawer) she'll avoid it and we'll have CompostGate II (as you know, the idea of composting was a difficult sell in the 1st place), so I have to buy a composter. But, I'm cheap.
Most poker players, I think, are. At least ones with the $600 or so bankroll I have. More details on bankrolls, grubs, pocket knives and worms as events warrant.
Thanks for reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)