Category Archives: Lawn and Garden

Reflections of Shabbat

goatsbeard art

Yesterday, as is typical on shabbat, I spent time relaxing and taking in the outdoors.

Breathing in the near-country air, and reveling in the sights and sounds of a healthy yard give me great satisfaction.  It’s a necessary recharge for this introverted gal.

What I noticed yesterday in particular was the insect population, both good, bad and neutral.

Ant hills dot the yard.  These busy yard citizens are defying the hard packed soil and building in every bare locale.  Fat ones, skinny ones, red ones, black ones – constant motion all.

Gnats are beginning to show, little annoyances that tickle my skin.

Mosquitoes were mostly quiet yesterday, although they are certainly amassed and ready for conquer this year.  Our drained pool/pond was an attractant like no other, of this I’m certain.

Paper wasps are busily building a structure on the fence, just behind my clematis bush.  I’ll warn visitors who choose to sit in the area, as I’d rather they build there than above the entrance door as they tend to do.

Ladybugs are every place I look in the yard this year.  Not en masse, mind you, simply quiet little worker bugs who have spread out to selectively rule over their predators in every corner.  As I sat, I watched many of them lifting and alighting across the lawn.

Flea beetles have managed to find the broccoli, in concert with the cabbage moth.  Little holes, big holes – they’ve done much damage in a short time.

Negro bugs are appearing across the gardens.  I just identified these little shiny things today, and cannot quite decide if they’re foe or neutral.  I don’t see damage on the leafs they’re on, but will watch them closely.

Butterflies are making an appearance, flitting and flirting in crazed dance recitals held in the air.

A special treat was the aerial flight of a goatsbeard seed, gracefully floating like a parasol bent upward, to land just nearby.  I can’t describe the simple joy this flight imparted.

goatsbeard seed head

Isn’t God’s creation grand?

Dreamin’ Gal

Makin’ Beds

Oh yes, I did.

I got distracted.

I know, in my last post I dangled out kitchen tips and organizing projects and such.  And I meant it, I really did.

I began the process of redecorating and reorganizing our kitchen, working out these winter soft arms, bulking up my stamina, and making a genuine mess of the house.

Then I stalled.

I got distracted.

Lured away from my diligent project by the siren call of Spring!

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Garden 2013

This is the garden bed that was put to rest last season.  Covered with hay, it lay dormant through 2012.  Then last month, Hubby said he wanted to till.

Well, add a few warm days post till, and here’s what a Dreamin’ Girl will do with opportunity – make garden beds!

Garden 2013???????????

To accomplish this, I tooth-raked the tilled soil up into the bed structures, leaving the cleared paths in their wake.

Next, I rolled out and cut lengths of landscape cloth to line the paths, then threw discarded rugs over the top of the landscape cloth.

I rummaged through our various material piles to line the beds with bricks and limbs and stones.

This was a lot of work, but I was feeling pretty stoked about finally having a few permanent garden beds to be able to intersperse perennials.  The remaining garden plot was going to be similarly plotted, with larger areas to grow cantaloupe and pumpkins.

Then, I read an article that reminded me of my hopes to put in a hugelkultur bed.  :)

Yessirreee, I did:

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The bed is dug down about a foot in the center, with the internal trench being about two foot wide.  The neighboring lot had a pile of rotting cottonwood logs, which were piled into the bed.   The sides were also trenched in about six inches deep to provide irrigation, then the branches were placed over to spare ankles and such.

I patted down the entire mound to tamp the soil, then created terraces for planting.

With the remaining area, I relocated the cattle panel trellis from the front garden:

Garden 2013

This will come in quite handy for planting pole beans.  The inward soil is already prepped with spinach seed.

Garden 2013

Here’s the view of the prepped beds, with cold crops added:  grape vines, raspberry bush, blueberry bush, hyssop and poppy seed, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, kale, beets, sugar snap peas, shelling peas, carrots, radish, onion seed and garlic.

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And the view after the hay was added to line the paths.  It’s beginning to look a lot like a garden!

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And it comes with a bit of whimsy.

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The strawberry plants survived the neglect and the drought in the water trough planter.  I finally added water to the reservoir just last week.  The plants were using only the moisture that winter provided.

Now, back to the kitchen.  :)

How are your garden plans?

Dreamin’ Girl

Stinkhorns and Other Lawn Squatters

what sort of fungus

This has to be one of the strangest mushrooms!

It seems we have the perfect environment for them, as I had five pop up at the same time a few weeks ago.  I did a quick online search and found that it’s a Stinkhorn, only edible at the puffball stage, so I’d have to mark the spot and dig it up if I wanted to try it out.

I have to tell you, it certainly doesn’t appear appetizing at this stage.  I’ve not leaned in close enough to smell it, but from what I’ve read, it’s earned its name.  I’ll trust the source.

The plant below is one I’ve fought in the lawn every year.

This year it had reached flower stage before I caught it, so I’ve let it be.  I’ll pay for that later, because this thing multiplies like rabbits!

invasive plant

I’ve pulled out weed identification books and native plant books but have not been able to name this invasive.

invasive leaf closeup

The flowers certainly aren’t eye-catching until you’re right up on them.  They have a very subtle charm.

invasive flower closeup

The plant below is another that grows here and there.  I allow it because it’s just a lovely little plant that makes me think of daisies.

aster like weed

close up aster weed

I’ve noticed an influx of guests to our lawn and gardens this year, and I’m hoping they’ll put down stakes and stay awhile.

It’s all come about since I’ve become more relaxed about weed growing and done some purposeful planting of those things that attract beneficial insects.

The lacewings have been very active, as have the ladybugs.

We’ve got dragonflies for the third year along with returning hover flies and parasitic wasps.

Additionally, I’ve seen an abundance of honey bees and butterflies.  I did not harvest lavender or hyssop this year, allowing the insects full harvest rights.  The drought has taken a toll and even the white clover has suffered.  A busy little community has moved in, making good use of the pampered nectar.

I know it’s a stretch of the terms, but it makes me feel like I may be doing something similar to leaving the corners for the poor of the land.  Torah style.

That’s all for now…

Later!

Dreamin’ Girl