Garden Stuff
August 31, 2010
Revisited! There's a mystery scavanger in the garden!
Remember this entry? I was hoeing a row of corn yesterday in the garden when I discovered some red tinted feces filled with strawberry seeds. Definitely a small mammal. I check over the whole fence looking for possible entries and found nothing that looked like it had been breached. The is always very unsettling. It makes the whole garden vulnerable. It wasn't a bird so some animal has found a way inside.
After some speculation and a look in the Sierra Nevada Natural History, I settled on a the idea that is is a ringtail cat. The can climb a little, can squeeze through small apertures and eat fruit as well as other small animals and bugs. Other possibilities are a fox who eats mostly small animals but does eat berries on occassion or a raccoon.
So I have a plan. I 'm going to put the Have A Heart trap out in the garden. I"ll put in s rotten strawberry or two and some fish and a piece of meat and set it in the garden near the corn where it seems to have established it's bathroom. Hopefully I'll get the little critter and take it for a long long ride and let it loose.
Well the picture shows what I caught! I was thrilled that I had out foxed the fox and took him/her to an area about 10 miles away and let it loose!
The bad news is that there is a ground squirrel or a mole digging in the garden now and I have to set the trap again and hope it does it's job.
At Havahart 1089 Collapsible One-Door 32-by-10-by-12-inch Cage Trap for Raccoons, Stray Cats, and Woodchucks
July 9, 2010
A great hammock is the perfect summer pleasure
I bought this hammock four years ago and it has held up very well. It has no tears, no fraying, no problems whatsoever, although I sometimes have the sprinkler going and it gets wet. The colors have stayed bright! I have it up all summer and only take it down when the rains start in the fall.
I've had a lot of hammocks. I used to swear by the Mayan string hammocks, but they did not hold up well with the abuse they get from visiting children. The spreading hammocks are fine for adults. I have a rope one on a stand which is great for me, but kids like a hammock what cradles them. My difficult to put to sleep grandaughter fell asleep easily in the Jobek hammock. Older kids put the strength of this hammock to a real test. They love to swing each other high and fast enough for the adults to occasionally to intervene to calm things down. After my guests had left, I lay down to relax in the hammock and although the rope that held it to the trees had stretched with the vigor of child play, the hammock itself was still unsullied and I relaxed with some lemonade and a short doze before continuing on with my day.
At Jobek 24107 Light Blue, Vanilla Stripe Rumba Spreadless Hammock
March 29, 2010
Baker Creek Heirloom seed catalog is amazing
Trust me. This is the shinniest, glossiest seed catalog it's ever been my pleasure to look at. Baker Creek has been around for 12 years and is located in Missouri as well as having a Petaluma, California stores. They handle only open pollinated seed and promote the pure food movement by educating their customers about the dangers of GMO and corporate patented and owned seeds.
The Gettles who run Baker seed say their business is growing very fast so that it is hard to keep up with demand. Many homeowners are starting gardens for the first time, spurring on by the current recession and in rebellion against the limited and controlled offerings of fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets. What I like about this attitude is that gardeners are encouraged to save their own seed which can be done with open pollinated varieties but can't be done with hybrids. Michael Pollen is involved in this movement and will be signing his book, The Omnivore's Dilemna" at the Baker Creek seed bank in Petaluma.
But the catalog itself is something to behold. There are huge life size photos of every variety of vegetable. They have gone all out to make your eyes light up and the mouth water. Included in the catalog are some asian and tropical fruits, an amazing variety of lettuces and melons. African wild melons are included which I have never seen before anywhere if you're into stunning your friends and neighbors. There are full page spreads of peppers life size and gorgeous. Strange items like Red Roselle are listed along with rutabagas. The cranberry flavored Roselle is used for making jellies and drinks. There are squash varieties we've never seen and of course, page after page of purple, red, orange, green, yellow and stripped tomatoes.
This catalog is worth checking out for the pictures and layout alone, even if you are not a died in the wool pure food person. Great fun.
At Baker Creek
March 16, 2010
Jawa Nome from StarWars to guard the garden
OK. Couldn't resist this item. A garden nome exclusively at the StarWarsShop stands about a foot high and has amber eyes that glow. Perfect for the StarWars fans everywhere and a great addition to the garden, protecting the plants from predators of all kinds.
- Crafted in solid resin, this fully painted Jawa is ready - rain or shine
- Measures close to a foot in height
- Sculpted in a chunky, garden gnome-like style
At Jawa Garden Gnome
March 2, 2010
Organic Bytes is a newletter that informs and provides action alerts
If you are truely concerned about home grown and organic food, this newletter is a great help. It alerts readers to threats to organic laws and provides email addresses and advice for action. This week it alerted readers that the Obama administration is trying to lift the ban on Monsanto's roundup ready alfalfa. As you may know, Monsanto genetically alters corn so that the plant will be able to withstand massive doses of Monsanto's Roundup. " Patented "Roundup Ready" genes are now spliced into millions of acres of corn, cotton, soy, canola, sugar beets and alfalfa. A 2009 study showed that, in 13 years, Roundup Ready crops increased herbicide use by 383 million pounds. This is very good business for Monsanto, but not so good for the environment.
During the Bush administration, the movement to stop GMOs was making progress. Reflecting public concern over GMOs, in 2007, a Federal court ruled that the Bush USDA's approval of Roundup Ready alfalfa violated the law because it failed to analyze risks such as the contamination of conventional and organic alfalfa and the development of "super-weeds." The court banned the planting of GM alfalfa until USDA completed a rigorous analysis of these impacts. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals twice affirmed the national ban on Roundup Ready alfalfa planting, but Monsanto is appealing. They're taking organic alfalfa farmers all the way to the Supreme Court!"
If this abuse of corporate power makes you angry, then in this website, you can take action to stop Monsanto.
At Organic Bytes
January 29, 2010
Burpee seed catalog brings the hope of spring
Burpee is one of the oldest and most venerable of seed companies. It made itself famous during WWII promoting victory gardens and in 1954 offered $10,000 for a white marigold. This is the company that developed the Big Boy Tomato and has continued to supply seeds and plants, both perennial and annual as well as garden supplies.
This year's catalog has a seed growing supplies and a tomato growing book as well. They have a raised bed 4' by 4' which can be doubled in size, and they claim any novice can set up it easily. There are all the flowers and vegies that any garderner needs and any homebound wishful thinker could spend hours enjoying and dreaming.
It's a great catalog, a classic, and one well worth perusing.
At Burpee seed catalog
January 28, 2010
Thermostatically Controlled Outlet comes on at 35°F, goes off at 45°F
This is a great idea for those of us who have a greenhouse or unheated room, anywhere a freeze needs to be avoided, yet don't want the expense of heating it all the time. The outlet plugs into any 15 amp socket and turns on automatically and goes off automatically according to air temperature. Just what is needed, for example, in a greenhouse to keep the seedlings frost free. It turns on at 35 degrees and off at 45 degrees. So simple and such a energy saver as well as keeping free from the anxiety of a sudden freeze. Each unit has two recepticals for use with more than one heating device. There are five models each of which has it's own temperature controls. The one reviewed here is for frost protection.
At Farm Innovators Thermo Cube Thermostatically Controlled Outlets Model TC-3 - On at 35°F, Off approx. 45°F
January 14, 2010
Southern Exposure Seed Catalog has heirloom and open poliinated seed
The seed catalogs have started coming and there is nothing more cheerful during the third week of snow and cold in January than to sit inside and thumb through the lovely pictures of flowers and vegetables and dream about the garden to come. Southern Exposure is located in Virginia and specializes in organic and mid-Atlantic seed, but serves the whole country and encourages seed saving and heirloom varieties.
What I like about this catalog is that it explains their perference for open polinated and heirloom seed and their rejection of GMO crops even though if people save the seed they buy from Southern Exposure, they have no reason to buy seed the next year. The price of the seed is comparable to other major seed stores and the planting information is extensive and very helpful. For example, with the open pollinated corn seed, they include tips on using mineral oil on the silk to discourage corn ear worms.
They also include a section on gifts for gardeners.
In all, a really informative and helpful gardening catalog well worth having no matter what part of the country you garden in.
At Southern Exposure
January 5, 2010
Hen-Feathers Boutique Thistle Thermometer adds an antique look to the garden decor
I'm in the market for a new thermometer. The old one is hanging on the locust tree in front of the cabin where it has been for 20 years. It's one that you use a magnet to return temperature so that you can see the change every day. I always forget to do that and I'm not even sure if the thermometer works. So I'm thinking of something simple that I don't have to manage. This thermometer by Hen-Feathers looks really cool. It has an antique look in hand cast copper and if I hang it on the tree outside the window, I can see the temperature easily.
At Hen-Feathers 73370HWTB 7-1/4-Inch High by 4-1/4-Inch Wide by 1-1/2-Inch Deep Boutique Thistle Thermometer
December 29, 2009
10" Copper Plant Markers will mark where the bulbs are planted
This is a good time to get the tulip and daffodil bulbs planted and these copper plant markers will let you know where you put them. Here in New England our neighbor was planting tulips remarking that the squirrels would probably dig them up and eat them which in Boston is probably true. I have the problem of planting bulbs and then when planting something else, discovering I have sliced the bulbs in half, ruining them. Sad to say, I"m too lazy to make my own plant markers, and so must buy them ready made. These are made of plastic and have a space at the top to label the variety.
At 10" Copper Plant Markers - 5 pack
December 15, 2009
Tall Tulip Garden Lantern Feeder provides both food and entertainment
The lantern feeder holds 6 pounds of seeds and lets you see when the feed is getting low. My aunt who lived to be 92 loved this bird feeder. It gave her hours of enjoyment watching from her kitchen window and she only had to fill it once every three weeks. The birds came all winter long. This is a great gift for the bird lover or someone who delights in nature.
At Birdscapes® 366 Tall Tulip Garden Lantern Feeder, 6 lb capacity (Colors May Vary)
November 27, 2009
Arrow Red Barn Shed will protect garden tools all winter
If you're like me, when I start to bring in all the garden tools, the rototiller, the shovels, rakes and hoses, I am dismayed to find, there is no room for them or for me in the tool shed. Instead of piling tools on top of the rototiller and jamming the hoses inbetween shelves why not treat yourself to this 10' by 8' shed? This shed offers a huge amount of headroom and is great for organizing many types of large lawn and garden tools, equipment, It is shaped like a barn and is red and made from galvanized steel.
At Arrow Red Barn Shed - 10ft. x 8ft.
November 11, 2009
Hearth & Garden Stack of Chairs Cover makes storing them easy
Now here's a great idea. Every get tired of putting away the stackable chairs and then having to bring them out and clean them next spring. I store mine under the back porch roof and they come out covered in debris that makes me scrub them down again. This stackable chair cover should protect the chairs, keep the water off, and let you bring them out as clean as they were when you put them in. It's made of PVC coated polyester that resists cracking, fading, or scratching your furniture.
At Hearth & Garden Stack of Chairs Cover
October 12, 2009
PlantHouse looks great, is easy to set up and will keep your tender plants alive.
This portable, pop up greenhouse is perfect for extending your growing season and protecting your plants.The greenhouse set up the easiest it has ever been. Screened vent openings allow for air circulation and closing the vents will promote and maintain high humidity levels. The PVC material is UV resistant for longer life. Solar heat from the sun heats your greenhouse during the day while an electric heater will be needed on freezing nights or in cloudy or snowy conditions. Folds up easily into a compact storage carry bag and includes shade cover, stakes, high wind tie downs and free storage bag with sholder strap.
At PlantHouse 5' Clear
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