Free not-new mulch

I was able to get almost all of the pine needles I needed to mulch the beds with this year. My soil is alkaline, so the pine needles help give it the acidity it lacks. Plus, they are a lot lighter to lug around and they are free! The pooch seems to really like them (which could be a problem come Spring). You can also see the half-arsed repair job I did on a birdfeeder. I repaired broken glass, replacing some with acrylic from another too-old-and-broken to fix feeder. I still need to find a part to make the top fit better. Oh well...cost me nothing so far.

The plot thickens.

I forgot to take a pic until after I started putting the plastic back on, but I think you can get the idea of how much dirt there is piled on my plot. I'd say a little less than half of the purported 10 cu. yds. is spread out over the approximately 220 sq. ft. I tried doing the math to figure out just how high that should be and I discovered that I can't perform math in 3 dimensions. I ran out and bought a bit more plastic to cover the plot and tried to secure it down as best I could, but I'm nervous. They are predicting torrential rain and wind gusts up to 60 mph tomorrow. I guess I'll see how it holds. (Probably shouldn't have bothered raking the leaves?)

My hot peppers did great in containers.

A reader commented that her peppers and eggplants did well in containers and perhaps it was the heat. I think she is right. The only veggies that did well for me in baskets were my hot peppers. They were more productive in my lousy baskets than peppers I planted at my very fertile rental plot last year.

Talked to the Town Building INspector's office about my "structure."

My temporary hoop house is in a murky, grey area of the building code. Very difficult to define what a structure is and what temporary means. I could see that the Town would rather not have to deal with it. I was going to take the hoop house down by the first week in June anyway, but I I was thinking I may want to put it up again for a few weeks in the Fall or for even a couple months in the Spring. I did find out who complained (it's a matter of public record). Unfortunately not someone I really know (a few houses down and across the street), so it might be kind of awkward to just go over there and talk about compromise. I don't want them to feel uncomfortable that I know they complained. However, I think once they see things starting to look nicer with the plantings establishing, they won't be bothered...they really aren't that close that they have to look at it. This did give me pause to think about less offensive options and it occurred to me that I can build a Spring greenhouse in the backyard...there won't be leaves on the trees then, so there should be plentiful sun through just bare branches. It will be a lot more work moving plants to the front plot in June, but if it keeps the neighbors happy, well worth the effort I suppose. Hopefully no one will get upset if I put it up for a few weeks in the Fall (the way our Winters have been arriving early, I'll be lucky to use it in the Fall...we got 7' of snow this past Nov.)

A kinda "not new" greenhouse...that may turn into a kite.

I made this from new materials, rather than buying a greenhouse kit, so it's on-the-line when it comes to being "not new." Trouble was, it was hot as Hades out there today while I was constructing it, so it's not as well done (think "tight") as it should be. Which I didn't think would be a problem since I"m only going to have it up for 2-3 weeks (then put away for reuse in the fall or next spring. But, as I was driving to my class immediately after building the dang thing, I heard a high-wind warning on the radio: 50 mph winds predicted at 10 am tomorrow. Sooo....when I got home tonight, I installed as many weights around the perimeter as I could manage. I think it may hold. Cross your fingers for me.

The problem with free mulch day is the "day."

I can't complain about free mulch, but I can complain about the weather. Our town only offers mulch fee to residents one day a year. This year, it was 87 degrees during pick up time. It took me an hour in that heat to shovel the mulch into the bags and load up my car. Mostly it was old men and women picking it up (perhaps the young are wiser than the old.) I had room for more mulch, but no energy left to get it. Especially when it got up to 91 by the time I had to unload it. I suppose it could be worse. If it were raining, the mulch would have been a lot heavier and messier.

As you can see, I still need a lot more. When I go back, I'll have to pay for it, but it will still be cheaper than the store's mulch...and I'll know it's made from waste wood that would otherwise, well, go to waste. (But I'm not going back until it cools down and my son can help.)

Leek lovers, save your cardboard tubes.

Last year, I put the tubes from paper towels and toilet paper around my leeks when I planted them (as seedlings). Worked pretty good to create more "white meat" and keep the dirt out.

No more raised veggie garden bed in the front yard.

I heard a neighbor was very upset with the raised bed I was putting in my front yard, so I nixed it. Far be it from me to ruin someone's life with my garden. I did not discard the idea of a veggie garden altogether, though. I am putting in a regular bed instead. I don't think anyone will be able to tell the difference between my flower garden and my veggie garden once it's done (thought the raised bed woulda looked okay, too, had it been given the chance). Probably won't get a huge yield this year as I don't have enough planning/time to till the soil. I'm hoping a week or so of the black plastic will kill some of the grass, then I will just plunk the veggies down with lots of compost. Next year should be much better.

One of the neighbors might be upset about my veggie garden.

Not really sure what to do. I've put an awful lot of sweat and manhours into getting my garden set up, but the dirt still hasn't arrived. Today a neighbor told me another neighbor seemed upset by it. I was planning to screen it from view as much as possible, but the plantings will only hide it from about JUne-Oct. I called the town and there are no regulations against having a veggie garden in your front yard, raised or not. I also checked before planning the garden and their are no regulations against a greenhouse either. In fact, they specifically state this is a "pro agriculture" community and greenhouses of any kind are allowed as long as they adhere to setback rules, which mine will. It will only be a temporary, hoop-style greenhouse up for the cool months (March-May and Oct-Nov...unless we get more 7' snowstorms in NOv., in which case I will have to take it down early). What would you do...continue with the garden or take it out? I'm going to try to make it look as nice as possible, but veggie gardens do get raggedy late in the summer. I will be sharing my harvest as much as possible.

Repurposing for free "not new" seed starting containers.

While many gardeners might not buy things in such containers, I'm sure your neighbors might. A walk down the street on garbage day could result in all sorts of containers for seed starting: most with lids!

I hope these pop bottles work for the raised bed.

It doesn't look like I got anything done today, but I am once again too tired to make my soup. I filled soda pop bottles with water to start forming the sunward side of the bed. I left room in the bottles so they (hopefully) won't break when they freeze. I think I'm going to have to use at least one more row of pipe so the bottles don't push out when I add dirt. I am also going to have to tie the sides together through the middle...not sure what I'm going to use for that, maybe just a non-rotting rope? You can see I have one support in for the "greenhouse." I was surprised that the conduit pipe would bend enough to form an arch. It's way too high, though (considering this is in the front yard of a neighborhood where people haven't been putting veggie gardens in the front...okay, one person had one, but it is gone now). Still trying to decide what height to cut it down to. I think I'd like to add more height to the bed as swell...the pop bottles are about 6" shorter than I'd like.

Finally getting a little somewhere on the raised bed...and full disclosure of new purchases.

Well, here's the garden bed starting to take shape. Doesn't look like much, but it has exhausted me to get this far. Was going to make soup and do laundry tonight, but instead I will take some aspirin and go to my own bed. I put down newspaper under where the garden will be. It was no small task as even though there didn't seem to be a breeze, there was one about every 3 or 4 minutes. But, I got the paper down, put plastic over it and secured the plastic around the edges so (hopefully), nothing will be able to blow away.

The plastic extends about a foot beyond the garden. I'm going to mulch that area so the lawn guy can mow right over it and not have to use the edge trimmer around the bed. Hopefully, the plastic will last a few years and keep the grass from growing there. I will cut the plastic out from the bed itself once I get dirt to put in there. I'm hoping to have everything done but the dirt tomorrow, but at the rate I've been breaking down, that may be optimistic.

Full disclosure: I bought a new pair of garden gloves. Mine had such holes that it was rather fruitless to continue wearing them. Also, I'm thinking about purchasing a $59 pop-up roof thingie (they call it a tent, but it has no sides) at Ollies. I am planning to do a couple craft shows this summer. I wasn't going to bother with a tent as I'm not sure I'll be successful enough to continue, but the Ollies tent is a good deal and you can never count on anything being at Ollies from week to week. I doubt I will find a pop-up-type tent used...they only started making them recently and I am so old and decrepit, I need the convenience of a pop-up.

Free "not new" mulch is actually better than the stuff you pay for

The pine needles and chopped leaves (both shown) make a terrific mulch, as do grass clippings (not shown as no one has mowed their lawns here yet). The pine needles will help acidify my soil (needs it). You have to be careful not to put the leaves or clippings on too deep (and the leaves need to be chopped up...mow them if you have no other way to do it). These will "feed" the soil much better and faster than wood chips and similar expensive mulches bought at the store. If you are lucky, you can find the pine needles already raked into a nice pile at the curb for you. The first mow of the year makes nice mulch as the grass tends to be longer, untreated and has no seed heads in it yet. Since I get the leaves from my own yard, it's a lot less lugging, too!

Hoping my "not new" celery can last until I get my greenhouse up.

I read about regrowing celery, so I thought I'd give it a try. cut the stalks off and put the bottom in some water. It is growing very nicely, but the butt end is getting a bit slimy in the water. It should be transplanted, but our weather is still rotten and I likely won't have my raised garden bed and greenhouse done for at least a week (maybe two, depending on the wind). I suppose "not new" celery is best done in the summer...but I am looking forward to getting at least "two for one" with this technique through the warm weather.

Full disclosure on recent things I had to buy "new."

I spent way too much time and gas looking for "not new" supplies to build my raised bed garden and greenhouse, so I have started buying new: cinder blocks, conduit pipe (supposed to hold up to the weather exposure better than PVC and was cheaper, too...if anyone knows a reason I should not use this as the framework for my greenhouse, please speak up as I have not purchased it yet) and connectors and plastic sheeting. I'll have to get some "new" topsoildelivered, too, but I'm sue it will be, well, old as dirt. I have landscape fabric I got on clearance last year, so I won't need to buy that.

I also purchased the offspring a new baseball cap (allowed myself "new" gifts), but he did not like the style. It was $3.88. I kept it for myself rather than taking it back as I did need a dark gardening hat for Spring and Fall. I'm sure I'll regret it as it is for the Husky company...so in addition to having the cute logo of the Siberian Husky (the breed of our rescue dog), it says "Husky"...and I am a woman of a certain weight.

My favorite plant ever was murdered...and I haven't found another just like it.

This big, beautiful delphinium was murdered by another plant. I can't recall the name of the murderous plant, but it was yellow and daisy-like (not one of the ones in this pic). The killer wasn't even all that attractive. But, I put it in one year and the next, it was all over the place...including the spot where this delphinium used to be. I was still pulling remnants of the evildoer 3 years later.

I loved this delphinium. It was the perfect color blue. It was huge...taller than me and even wider than me! I have trouble growing delphiniums. They are finicky for me. But this one thrived for a good number of years. The form of this delphinium was very unusual, as you can see. I've seen small delphinium varieties with same bushy form, but never any big ones. I can't tell you how much I loved this plant. It game me so much "bang" for one plant. The plant that did it in wasn't even near it (well, until the following Spring when it was everywhere). I bought both from the same reputable nursery (though many years apart). When I remember the name of the murderer, I will post it.

Planning a bargain perennial garden: if it's large, go with Purple Echinacea.

A large garden and small budget practically require this plant...if you also have some patience. The first year, you'll just have the one plant. But, this baby reseeds readily, so you'll have big purple/pink flowers all over the place in years to come (NB: if you don't want these everywhere, best not to plant any...or be extremely vigilant about deadheading before the seeds fall).

This is a perennial, so it comes back every year. That also means it doesn't bloom the entire season, but it does have a long blooming season. Plus, it's difficult to fail with this plant. It tolerates drought and some shade. When I first started my garden, I used this as a "filler" plant. But, as I've gotten more plants over the years, I've eliminated it (I have no spots left to "fill" and was tired of pulling this out of spots I no longer needed it). However, I've introduced other echinacea variants that aren't as hardy and never seem to reseed. kind of miss this one, though.

Regrowning carrots from carrot tops...

can't be done. Well, it can, but it will take two years. The first year, I'm supposed to get an attractive flowering carrot plant from which I'll get seeds. The second year, I'll get carrots from the seeds. Or, at least, that's the info I found on the web. A lot of time and trouble for some "not new" carrot seeds, but the seeds being free and the plant supposedly attractive, I'm willing to give it a try. Hopefully, once this thing roots, it will be warm enough to plant it outside. Hopefully.

Having difficulty finding a "not new" greenhouse.

Since I am turning the side yard into a mini-farm, I need to construct some sort of greenhous-y thing over part of the garden (it's Buffalo, NY, I need extra heat and a longer season to grow some of the plants on my list). Thought I might be able to find some sort of used shell at least, but not having any luck so far. If I were handier, I might be able to construct something out of used windows...I'm guessing my neighbors will be lucky I'm not that handy because it probably wouldn't be pretty.

If I can't find anything, I will hopefully be able to get a least some of the materials "not new" at Buffalo ReStore...thinking pvc pipe frame covered in poly or vinyl will do the trick, but I'll wait a bit longer and see if anything turns up. The greenhouse kit on sale (new) at Big Lots this week said it blocked UV light, ending my temptation to buy it (I'm guessing the plants make use of UV).

Mother Earth News, hopefully, to the rescue...and family bowling fun.

Just suscribed to Mother Earth News magazine, the guide to living — as one reader stated — "with little money and abundant happiness." I subscribed many years ago and found it very helpful with tips for my garden at another house. Since I am planning on installing a large, raised bed garden in the Spring, I'm hoping to find new tips and inspiration. (I've been growing a large part of my family's veggies at a community garden where I rent a plot, but having my own plot in my own yard will mean fresher produce and the ability to grow perennials.)
The one problem with Mother Earth News is that it is so aspirational. I'll find myself wanting to build the solar hot water tank or whatever. Hopefully I'll be able to resist the projects that are beyond me, but still find some do-able ways to save (money and the planet).
Tonight the extended family celebrated two birthdays at the local bowling alley. It was great fun, some exercise, and we all agreed we should do it again soon. It was nice to get a little inter-generational competition going and very affordable (best yet, this alley has a fairly decent restaurant attached to it).