Rain and Grandchildren
The rain and my grandchildren have pretty much kept me out of the garden since last Thursday. I don’t really mind we really needed the rain; and grandchildren are as much fun as the garden. The rain is making the greens grow. We can have a big mess of them with our “Hoppin’ John” on New Years Day.
“Hoppin’ John” is a southern New Years tradition that is traced back to England (I think). The general idea was that the nobility would eat like poor people one day; so the poor people could eat like nobility. I doubt that the poor people of that era ever ate like nobility. The three requirements of “Hoppin’ John” as it has evolved are: 1) Pork for health, 2) Peas, for change and 3) greens for “greenbacks”.
One other big benefit of having the grandchildren is that my son came with them. He did not have a mechanical bypass. He is actually quite handy. He helped me put up the storm door for the greenhouse. (Really, he did it.) We did not have a drill bit that we needed so we could not mount the handle. I bought the drill bit; but it has rained too much since then.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Progress on the Garden Plan
Progress on the Garden Plan
Yesterday and Wednesday I spent measuring the rest of the garden, testing the soil and deciding what to plant. I get so excited. I made a list of everything I had to do and more-or-less when it should be done. Then I went to the Blums Almanac: http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ and made a schedule that will co-ordinate the activities with the signs. Then I made a do list of dates and activities.
One thing I have discovered from this research… Good Friday is always supposed to be the correct time to plant everything. I don’t know if that is still true. All of the signs are wrong for Good Friday. Also Good Friday comes very early in the season again. Last year I planned for Good Friday planting. I set all of my bedding plants in the yard to “harden them off”. Then came freeze warnings. I had to take everything back inside and I could not plant on Good Friday except for seeds. The seeds did very well.
Last year was the first year to start my own plants. I did not really know what I was doing and I was late getting started. I labeled the flats instead of the seed cups. When I had to bring everything back inside in a hurry, I mixed up the varieties of cucurbits and tomatoes. The tomatoes did great. The cucurbits did not do well from plant. I wound up replanting from seeds. The plants from seeds did much better than the plants started in the greenhouse. This year I will not start any cucurbits in the greenhouse.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Yesterday and Wednesday I spent measuring the rest of the garden, testing the soil and deciding what to plant. I get so excited. I made a list of everything I had to do and more-or-less when it should be done. Then I went to the Blums Almanac: http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ and made a schedule that will co-ordinate the activities with the signs. Then I made a do list of dates and activities.
One thing I have discovered from this research… Good Friday is always supposed to be the correct time to plant everything. I don’t know if that is still true. All of the signs are wrong for Good Friday. Also Good Friday comes very early in the season again. Last year I planned for Good Friday planting. I set all of my bedding plants in the yard to “harden them off”. Then came freeze warnings. I had to take everything back inside and I could not plant on Good Friday except for seeds. The seeds did very well.
Last year was the first year to start my own plants. I did not really know what I was doing and I was late getting started. I labeled the flats instead of the seed cups. When I had to bring everything back inside in a hurry, I mixed up the varieties of cucurbits and tomatoes. The tomatoes did great. The cucurbits did not do well from plant. I wound up replanting from seeds. The plants from seeds did much better than the plants started in the greenhouse. This year I will not start any cucurbits in the greenhouse.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
I got my greenhouse ready to use last week. It is not finished, just ready to use. I still had one wall to complete. That was the wall with the door. I bought a storm door; but I could not figure out how to install it. My son is coming home with the grandchildren this week so maybe he can figure it out. I did finish the rest of the wall; but I have not painted it. I used some expandable foam from a spray can to seal all of the cracks. This is the first time I have ever used that stuff. For those of you with experience you may think I have a little bit of “overfill”. I do.
The 24th and 25th, Christmas eve and Christmas day, the signs were right to plant seed beds and root crops according to Blums http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ . I looked at the seed packets and determined when to plant the different items. I planted cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and chives. I might should not admit this… I did plant 5 tomato plants. I intend to put them into larger containers and have early tomatoes. It might work.
In the garden I planted potatoes, onion sets and radishes. In our climate, especially with global warming, radishes and onions grow year round and with some arugula, spinach, and lettuce, which also grow year round we can have some winter salads from the garden for a special treat.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
I got my greenhouse ready to use last week. It is not finished, just ready to use. I still had one wall to complete. That was the wall with the door. I bought a storm door; but I could not figure out how to install it. My son is coming home with the grandchildren this week so maybe he can figure it out. I did finish the rest of the wall; but I have not painted it. I used some expandable foam from a spray can to seal all of the cracks. This is the first time I have ever used that stuff. For those of you with experience you may think I have a little bit of “overfill”. I do.
The 24th and 25th, Christmas eve and Christmas day, the signs were right to plant seed beds and root crops according to Blums http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ . I looked at the seed packets and determined when to plant the different items. I planted cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and chives. I might should not admit this… I did plant 5 tomato plants. I intend to put them into larger containers and have early tomatoes. It might work.
In the garden I planted potatoes, onion sets and radishes. In our climate, especially with global warming, radishes and onions grow year round and with some arugula, spinach, and lettuce, which also grow year round we can have some winter salads from the garden for a special treat.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Wet & Cold
Wet and Cold
Saturday was wet and cold. Sunday was just plain cold. I think last night was freezing. Saturday morning, I finished laying most of the garden. I raked where I had tilled earlier and put the material in the compost pile. I am finally back up to 3 bins of compost. Compost loses mass as it rots. Most of my compost is leaves and that loses mass quickly and decomposes slowly. Adding old vegetable stalks and roots and some dirt improves the quality of the compost as well as the volume.
I have to confess, I did put out some chemical fertilizer. If is a mitigating factor, I used Vigoro. The 15th and the 16th were the days Blum’s almanac http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ recommends for chemical fertilizer. Somehow it seems really strange to put out chemical fertilizer by the signs. I really hate to use the stuff; but what can I do if I don’t have any finished compost?
Sunday I cleaned up all the debris from the trees I cut last week. This stuff has to be “gift wrapped” if one wants the city to pick it up. I wonder if I should buy a chipper. I also had some construction debris. Windows had to be “X’ed” with masking tape. All the nails have to be bent flat. One has to make a “reservation” to get service.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Saturday was wet and cold. Sunday was just plain cold. I think last night was freezing. Saturday morning, I finished laying most of the garden. I raked where I had tilled earlier and put the material in the compost pile. I am finally back up to 3 bins of compost. Compost loses mass as it rots. Most of my compost is leaves and that loses mass quickly and decomposes slowly. Adding old vegetable stalks and roots and some dirt improves the quality of the compost as well as the volume.
I have to confess, I did put out some chemical fertilizer. If is a mitigating factor, I used Vigoro. The 15th and the 16th were the days Blum’s almanac http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ recommends for chemical fertilizer. Somehow it seems really strange to put out chemical fertilizer by the signs. I really hate to use the stuff; but what can I do if I don’t have any finished compost?
Sunday I cleaned up all the debris from the trees I cut last week. This stuff has to be “gift wrapped” if one wants the city to pick it up. I wonder if I should buy a chipper. I also had some construction debris. Windows had to be “X’ed” with masking tape. All the nails have to be bent flat. One has to make a “reservation” to get service.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Garden Plans & Seeds
Garden Plans & Seeds
Blum’s Almanac http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ said that yesterday (the 13th) was a good day to prune for getting rid of growth. I took the opportunity to cut down 3 trees that are shading my garden. With any luck they won’t sprout.
I also took the time to make a list of the seeds needed for the bedding plants that will be planted in the greenhouse. I can see them growing now. I compared the list with the seeds that I have left from last season. The next step will be to go to Renfrow’s Store in Matthews NC. I will see what seeds they have that are on my list. Some of the seeds I like are branded and can only be obtained from the catalogues. An example is the Porterhouse Beefsteak Tomato from Burpee. http://www.burpee.com/home.do .
The Porterhouse Beefsteak Tomato supposedly gets up to 4 pounds. Last year was the first year for that tomato. Mine did not get to 4 pounds; but they were big enough that 1 slice covered the sandwich bread and hung out on the sides. They were also the 1st seeds to germinate and the 1st plants to produce ripe tomatoes.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Blum’s Almanac http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ said that yesterday (the 13th) was a good day to prune for getting rid of growth. I took the opportunity to cut down 3 trees that are shading my garden. With any luck they won’t sprout.
I also took the time to make a list of the seeds needed for the bedding plants that will be planted in the greenhouse. I can see them growing now. I compared the list with the seeds that I have left from last season. The next step will be to go to Renfrow’s Store in Matthews NC. I will see what seeds they have that are on my list. Some of the seeds I like are branded and can only be obtained from the catalogues. An example is the Porterhouse Beefsteak Tomato from Burpee. http://www.burpee.com/home.do .
The Porterhouse Beefsteak Tomato supposedly gets up to 4 pounds. Last year was the first year for that tomato. Mine did not get to 4 pounds; but they were big enough that 1 slice covered the sandwich bread and hung out on the sides. They were also the 1st seeds to germinate and the 1st plants to produce ripe tomatoes.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Strawberries, Blackberries and Grapes
Blackberries, Strawberries, Grapes
Yesterday I planted blackberries and strawberries and started putting up the arbor for the grapes. For the blackberries, I dug holes with the post hole diggers and filled them up with water. I don’t have any good compost yet so I had to uses store-bought cow manure to fill the holes before planting the blackberries. I had prepared the ground by tilling in rock phosphate and a little compost. These are blackberries that I dug up from pretty much the same place.
The strawberries were real easy. I separated the crowns and placed them equidistant in the bed. The ground was so soft that I just opened the whole with the trowel and set the strawberries in the hole and filled it. Strawberries and blackberries both need to be planted with the crown exactly the same level with the ground as they were before they were dug.
The grape arbor is not really a grape arbor. It is a fence. I am using some old fence post from a rail fence. The fence will be about 5’ high and the posts will be 8’ apart. There will be wire to hold the grapevines. The top 2’ will be of lattice for now to provide screening from the neighbors. As the vines grow I will be able to take the lattice down and let more light on the grapes.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Yesterday I planted blackberries and strawberries and started putting up the arbor for the grapes. For the blackberries, I dug holes with the post hole diggers and filled them up with water. I don’t have any good compost yet so I had to uses store-bought cow manure to fill the holes before planting the blackberries. I had prepared the ground by tilling in rock phosphate and a little compost. These are blackberries that I dug up from pretty much the same place.
The strawberries were real easy. I separated the crowns and placed them equidistant in the bed. The ground was so soft that I just opened the whole with the trowel and set the strawberries in the hole and filled it. Strawberries and blackberries both need to be planted with the crown exactly the same level with the ground as they were before they were dug.
The grape arbor is not really a grape arbor. It is a fence. I am using some old fence post from a rail fence. The fence will be about 5’ high and the posts will be 8’ apart. There will be wire to hold the grapevines. The top 2’ will be of lattice for now to provide screening from the neighbors. As the vines grow I will be able to take the lattice down and let more light on the grapes.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Broken Toys
Broken Toys
Yesterday I went home early to blow leaves. The choke on the leaf blower would not stay up. I could not start the leaf blower. Any readers who know me know that I had a mechanical bypass at a very early age and I am totally unable to fix anything. My leaves are unblown and the leaf blower is in the trunk of my car.
I did lay off and sulfur the 4th row of the garden. That is the row where some stuff is already growing. Greens, radishes, arugula and lettuce are coming along nicely. The temperature went to 80 degrees yesterday. It is supposed to do so again today. That should make things grow. Our salad last night had arugula and radishes from the garden. Most of the 1st planting of the fall garden did not come up because of the drought. That is why everything is so late this year.
I also ordered grapevines and asparagus crowns from Stark Bros. http://www.starkbros.com/ yesterday. Their web page said they were sold out; but they took my order over the phone for February delivery. Ordering stuff is almost as much fun as planting. Nothing is more fun than eating the produce from the garden though.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Yesterday I went home early to blow leaves. The choke on the leaf blower would not stay up. I could not start the leaf blower. Any readers who know me know that I had a mechanical bypass at a very early age and I am totally unable to fix anything. My leaves are unblown and the leaf blower is in the trunk of my car.
I did lay off and sulfur the 4th row of the garden. That is the row where some stuff is already growing. Greens, radishes, arugula and lettuce are coming along nicely. The temperature went to 80 degrees yesterday. It is supposed to do so again today. That should make things grow. Our salad last night had arugula and radishes from the garden. Most of the 1st planting of the fall garden did not come up because of the drought. That is why everything is so late this year.
I also ordered grapevines and asparagus crowns from Stark Bros. http://www.starkbros.com/ yesterday. Their web page said they were sold out; but they took my order over the phone for February delivery. Ordering stuff is almost as much fun as planting. Nothing is more fun than eating the produce from the garden though.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Sulfur
Sulfur
I was having a hard time finding sulfur at a price I was willing to pay. I finally found 4# bags at Myers Park Hardware for $5.25 each. I was a little surprised as this store is normally a little more expensive.
If you go buy sulfur take a plastic trash bag and a way to close it securely. I put the paper bags of sulfur in the trunk of my car. It makes the whole car stink. I have had to explain to everyone who rode with me that I had not given George Bush a ride.
At this point I have laid off 3 rows counting the raised bed. All of them tested between 6.5 and 7. PH. I did not put anything on the raised bed yet. I will do that when I plant the strawberries. I did put about ½ pound of sulfur in beds 2 and 3. After that I covered them with leaves to a depth of about 8”.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
I was having a hard time finding sulfur at a price I was willing to pay. I finally found 4# bags at Myers Park Hardware for $5.25 each. I was a little surprised as this store is normally a little more expensive.
If you go buy sulfur take a plastic trash bag and a way to close it securely. I put the paper bags of sulfur in the trunk of my car. It makes the whole car stink. I have had to explain to everyone who rode with me that I had not given George Bush a ride.
At this point I have laid off 3 rows counting the raised bed. All of them tested between 6.5 and 7. PH. I did not put anything on the raised bed yet. I will do that when I plant the strawberries. I did put about ½ pound of sulfur in beds 2 and 3. After that I covered them with leaves to a depth of about 8”.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Soil PH
Soil PH
A few weeks ago, I asked if anyone was reading this blog and if they knew how to reduce soil PH. No one answered. I am going to be optimistic and assume that someone was reading; but they either did not know or did not care. I found out how to reduce soil PH.
Bartlett tree service http://www.bartlett.com sent me a newsletter suggesting that soil PH could be reduced with the use of sulfur. I searched with Google and found this to be the case. Aluminum sulfate and iron sulfate will also work. The iron sulfate may actually be superior in some soils and some conditions. The aluminum sulfate sounds like it is fast; but it has some toxic side effects. The sulfur seems to be cheaper and longer lasting than the iron sulfate.
I found a couple of sources of more information that may be helpful. Clemson University http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1650.htm has some useful charts to show how much of the soil amendment to use based on area, soil type and desired effect. The Garden Helper http://www.thegardenhelper.com/soilPH.htm gives the desired PH range for different popular fruits and vegetables.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
A few weeks ago, I asked if anyone was reading this blog and if they knew how to reduce soil PH. No one answered. I am going to be optimistic and assume that someone was reading; but they either did not know or did not care. I found out how to reduce soil PH.
Bartlett tree service http://www.bartlett.com sent me a newsletter suggesting that soil PH could be reduced with the use of sulfur. I searched with Google and found this to be the case. Aluminum sulfate and iron sulfate will also work. The iron sulfate may actually be superior in some soils and some conditions. The aluminum sulfate sounds like it is fast; but it has some toxic side effects. The sulfur seems to be cheaper and longer lasting than the iron sulfate.
I found a couple of sources of more information that may be helpful. Clemson University http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1650.htm has some useful charts to show how much of the soil amendment to use based on area, soil type and desired effect. The Garden Helper http://www.thegardenhelper.com/soilPH.htm gives the desired PH range for different popular fruits and vegetables.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
I Love Dirt
I Love Dirt
This weekend I tilled the whole garden except for the spots where I have winter crops planted. Churning up the earth is such a wonderful experience. I love the smells and the way the earth feels when it is freshly turned. Now I am ready to lay out the rows, test the soil and mulch the rows with a deep layer of leaves. I am also ready to plant the donated strawberries and the blackberries that I dug up before working the soil.
I worked on the green house a little bit yesterday. I am trying to put a storm door on it for a door. I am mechanically incompetent. I built a new door frame from 2”X6”’s. I just can’t figure out how to mount the storm door to the frame. The instructions seem to have been written by someone from Microsoft. Last year two walls of the greenhouse were just polyethylene. The door was a flap that was taped together. This year I have covered one more wall with the fiberglass panels. The wall with the door is what is giving me a fit now.
It is almost time to plant seeds. As soon as I finish laying out the garden and test the soil I can plan the garden and order the seeds needed for the bedding plants.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
This weekend I tilled the whole garden except for the spots where I have winter crops planted. Churning up the earth is such a wonderful experience. I love the smells and the way the earth feels when it is freshly turned. Now I am ready to lay out the rows, test the soil and mulch the rows with a deep layer of leaves. I am also ready to plant the donated strawberries and the blackberries that I dug up before working the soil.
I worked on the green house a little bit yesterday. I am trying to put a storm door on it for a door. I am mechanically incompetent. I built a new door frame from 2”X6”’s. I just can’t figure out how to mount the storm door to the frame. The instructions seem to have been written by someone from Microsoft. Last year two walls of the greenhouse were just polyethylene. The door was a flap that was taped together. This year I have covered one more wall with the fiberglass panels. The wall with the door is what is giving me a fit now.
It is almost time to plant seeds. As soon as I finish laying out the garden and test the soil I can plan the garden and order the seeds needed for the bedding plants.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Odds & Ends Again
Odds & Ends Again
Yesterday (Nov 27) I pruned the fig trees. I posted a picture of the green trees today (Nov 28). Here are the trees after being pruned. Not much left, huh?
I am also including pictures of the raised bed. Finished…mulched…no plants yet:
My granddaughters helped me plant the fall garden. Here they are:
I also put some of my neighbors leaves into the compost bins. The bags on the roadside were still too wet yesterday. I did pick up a few bags today.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Yesterday (Nov 27) I pruned the fig trees. I posted a picture of the green trees today (Nov 28). Here are the trees after being pruned. Not much left, huh?
I am also including pictures of the raised bed. Finished…mulched…no plants yet:
My granddaughters helped me plant the fall garden. Here they are:
I also put some of my neighbors leaves into the compost bins. The bags on the roadside were still too wet yesterday. I did pick up a few bags today.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Pruning the Fig Trees
Pruning the Fig Trees
The sun is out again today (Nov. 27). I am eating Brunswick stew from yesterday and thinking about my fig trees. Blum’s Almanac says that the 26th,27th and 28th of November are in the signs of Cancer. This is supposedly the time to prune for growth. All the leaves have fallen off of the fig trees so today (the 27th) should be a good time to prune them. I took a picture of the trees about a month ago when they were fully leaved and bearing figs.
All of next years figs will be on new growth. The trees produce so much growth that it is necessary to bend the branches down to pick the figs. This works fine with tender 1st year growth. The old wood won’t bend so easily. I will cut all of the vertical branches in the centers of the trees. Everything else will be trimmed off at the level of my eyes. I will post an after picture tomorrow along with a picture of the raised bed. I was having a problem downloading from my camera; but I got it fixed.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
The sun is out again today (Nov. 27). I am eating Brunswick stew from yesterday and thinking about my fig trees. Blum’s Almanac says that the 26th,27th and 28th of November are in the signs of Cancer. This is supposedly the time to prune for growth. All the leaves have fallen off of the fig trees so today (the 27th) should be a good time to prune them. I took a picture of the trees about a month ago when they were fully leaved and bearing figs.
All of next years figs will be on new growth. The trees produce so much growth that it is necessary to bend the branches down to pick the figs. This works fine with tender 1st year growth. The old wood won’t bend so easily. I will cut all of the vertical branches in the centers of the trees. Everything else will be trimmed off at the level of my eyes. I will post an after picture tomorrow along with a picture of the raised bed. I was having a problem downloading from my camera; but I got it fixed.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Brunswick Stew
Brunswick Stew
It is too rainy to play outside today; so I am staying inside and making a Brunswick stew. I actually started the stew 2 days ago. The first step was to soak some dried speckled lime beans. I use the small ones. I also started assembling the ingredients. It is good to use all of the vegetables you have available. The required ones are corn, tomatoes, okra and lima beans. You also need 3 different kinds of meat. At least one kind of meat needs to be cured. Game meats are especially good; but I did not have any this time.
Sunday, I started cooking the beans and added the vegetables in my big crock pot. The meats were all started in a smaller crock pot and allowed to cook for several hours. I make this in the office. Before going home I cut off both crock pots and just let them sit. This morning I pulled all of the meat off of the bones and added it to the big crock pot. I had too much stuff for the crock pot so I had to put some in the little crock pot.
After everything comes to a rolling boil corn meal is added to thicken the mixture. Ideally no one can recognize anything in the stew except the corn. I usually season the stew with whatever I have. The meat was cooked with whole sticks of rosemary. I pull them out when I remove the bones. This time I had oregano, garlic salt, chili powder, crushed red pepper, black pepper, salt and chicken bouillon. It also has a secret ingredient that is not necessary to having a good Brunswick stew. I just want mine to be better than yours.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
It is too rainy to play outside today; so I am staying inside and making a Brunswick stew. I actually started the stew 2 days ago. The first step was to soak some dried speckled lime beans. I use the small ones. I also started assembling the ingredients. It is good to use all of the vegetables you have available. The required ones are corn, tomatoes, okra and lima beans. You also need 3 different kinds of meat. At least one kind of meat needs to be cured. Game meats are especially good; but I did not have any this time.
Sunday, I started cooking the beans and added the vegetables in my big crock pot. The meats were all started in a smaller crock pot and allowed to cook for several hours. I make this in the office. Before going home I cut off both crock pots and just let them sit. This morning I pulled all of the meat off of the bones and added it to the big crock pot. I had too much stuff for the crock pot so I had to put some in the little crock pot.
After everything comes to a rolling boil corn meal is added to thicken the mixture. Ideally no one can recognize anything in the stew except the corn. I usually season the stew with whatever I have. The meat was cooked with whole sticks of rosemary. I pull them out when I remove the bones. This time I had oregano, garlic salt, chili powder, crushed red pepper, black pepper, salt and chicken bouillon. It also has a secret ingredient that is not necessary to having a good Brunswick stew. I just want mine to be better than yours.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
One Gone Gum Tree
One Gone Gum Tree
I spent my “garden time” yesterday (Nov. 22) cutting down a big gum tree that is inside my garden. I started the garden in the corner of the yard years ago and it grew around the tree as the years went on. The tree had two trunks. Last year I cut the smaller trunk, which was balanced to fall the way I wanted. This year I decided to do the big one. If it fell naturally (the way it is balanced), it would crush my neighbor’s garden shed. If it fell half way between the way it wanted and the way I wanted, it would be on top of my house. Neither option seemed very good.
I decided to get a little extra insurance by tying the tree to another tree before I cut it. I put my ladder against the tree and tied a very heavy duty rope around the trunk as high as I could. I then tied it to the other tree. Next I took a notch in the direction I wanted the tree to fall. I made a very deep slanting cut to drop the tree. On the last cut, I left a “hinge” of wood to keep the tree from kicking back. Unfortunately the tree just stood straight up and didn’t fall either way. I pushed it to no avail. I was afraid to cut anymore.
The rope was my salvation. It was tied high enough to get good leverage on the trunk. I pulled the rope and the tree fell. A limb on a mulberry tree caught the gum tree. This morning I used a pruning hook to take the limb off and let the gum tree fall. I cut the trunk of the gum tree up for firewood. Splitting gum logs is very difficult; but I have a special technique that works well on hard to split wood. Next year, when I split those logs, I will share that with you.
I also mulched the raised bed with about 6 inches of unmulched leaves from the side of the road. I hope they will help the ph drop as they rot. I picked up some more leaves today. I may have enough compost after all.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
I spent my “garden time” yesterday (Nov. 22) cutting down a big gum tree that is inside my garden. I started the garden in the corner of the yard years ago and it grew around the tree as the years went on. The tree had two trunks. Last year I cut the smaller trunk, which was balanced to fall the way I wanted. This year I decided to do the big one. If it fell naturally (the way it is balanced), it would crush my neighbor’s garden shed. If it fell half way between the way it wanted and the way I wanted, it would be on top of my house. Neither option seemed very good.
I decided to get a little extra insurance by tying the tree to another tree before I cut it. I put my ladder against the tree and tied a very heavy duty rope around the trunk as high as I could. I then tied it to the other tree. Next I took a notch in the direction I wanted the tree to fall. I made a very deep slanting cut to drop the tree. On the last cut, I left a “hinge” of wood to keep the tree from kicking back. Unfortunately the tree just stood straight up and didn’t fall either way. I pushed it to no avail. I was afraid to cut anymore.
The rope was my salvation. It was tied high enough to get good leverage on the trunk. I pulled the rope and the tree fell. A limb on a mulberry tree caught the gum tree. This morning I used a pruning hook to take the limb off and let the gum tree fall. I cut the trunk of the gum tree up for firewood. Splitting gum logs is very difficult; but I have a special technique that works well on hard to split wood. Next year, when I split those logs, I will share that with you.
I also mulched the raised bed with about 6 inches of unmulched leaves from the side of the road. I hope they will help the ph drop as they rot. I picked up some more leaves today. I may have enough compost after all.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Tomato Fence
Tomato Fence
Yesterday (Nov. 20) I took home some leaves from the side of the road. They looked like they had not been mulched when I picked them up. When I opened the bags, I realized they had been; so I layered them into the compost bins. Now I have 1 1/2 bins of compost. I picked up more leaves today. Yesterday I also tested the soil in the raised beds, took down the tomato fence and picked some arugula. I measured out the pathway beside the raised bed too and hauled the rest of the legustrum wood to the firewood pile.
The soil in the raised bed is from 6.5 to 7 ph. That will probably be ok for the asparagus; but strawberries need 5.5 to 6 ph. If anyone is actually reading this and if you know how to lower ph, please tell me.
I like to be creative in the garden. A lot of my experiments turn out to be really stupid. My tomato fence is in the rare category of the things that work very well. I have tried all kinds of ways to stake tomatoes. Problems range from falling or blowing over to damaging the tomatoes to just being inconvenient. I have used the tomato fence for two years now and I think it is superior to anything else I’ve tried.
I took down an old rail fence that was about 8 to 10 feet inside the property line. It was a 3 rail fence; but I put it in the garden as a 2 rail fence. I had a lot of extra 8’ rails left. I tied them to the cross rails vertically with coat hanger wire. I bought plastic fence fabric from Home Depot and attached it to the rails as high as I could reach with bent nails. I tied the tomatoes to the fence with strips from old polyester rags.
The whole fence, which is over 30’ long comes back down and goes into storage in less than an hour.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Yesterday (Nov. 20) I took home some leaves from the side of the road. They looked like they had not been mulched when I picked them up. When I opened the bags, I realized they had been; so I layered them into the compost bins. Now I have 1 1/2 bins of compost. I picked up more leaves today. Yesterday I also tested the soil in the raised beds, took down the tomato fence and picked some arugula. I measured out the pathway beside the raised bed too and hauled the rest of the legustrum wood to the firewood pile.
The soil in the raised bed is from 6.5 to 7 ph. That will probably be ok for the asparagus; but strawberries need 5.5 to 6 ph. If anyone is actually reading this and if you know how to lower ph, please tell me.
I like to be creative in the garden. A lot of my experiments turn out to be really stupid. My tomato fence is in the rare category of the things that work very well. I have tried all kinds of ways to stake tomatoes. Problems range from falling or blowing over to damaging the tomatoes to just being inconvenient. I have used the tomato fence for two years now and I think it is superior to anything else I’ve tried.
I took down an old rail fence that was about 8 to 10 feet inside the property line. It was a 3 rail fence; but I put it in the garden as a 2 rail fence. I had a lot of extra 8’ rails left. I tied them to the cross rails vertically with coat hanger wire. I bought plastic fence fabric from Home Depot and attached it to the rails as high as I could reach with bent nails. I tied the tomatoes to the fence with strips from old polyester rags.
The whole fence, which is over 30’ long comes back down and goes into storage in less than an hour.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Compost
Compost
As I have mentioned before, I am concerned that I will not have enough compost for next spring’s planting. Today (Nov. 20), I decided to take some drastic steps. I put the top down in my car and picked up a few bags of leaves on the side of the road. I don’t really like to do this because one never knows what people put on their yard. Leaves are not the best compost anyway. The tree sucks all of the nutrients out before letting the leaf fall. Also most trees practice chemical warfare. They have poisons in their leaves that keep other plants from growing in the trees’ “space”.
I have not “harvested” the leaves in my yard or on my roof yet. I normally use them for mulch. They keep the moisture in the ground and make life easier for earthworms and other creatures that aerate the soil. In the spring I till them in to give the soil more organic matter and keep it fluffy.
The leaves I picked up beside the road will not be nearly enough and they look like they were just raked or blown up without being mulched first. This will make them hard for the compost pile to digest. I always mulch the leaves from my yard before I get them up. I may have to save the roadside leaves and the roof leaves for mulching and use my yard leaves for compost.
As I have mentioned before, I am concerned that I will not have enough compost for next spring’s planting. Today (Nov. 20), I decided to take some drastic steps. I put the top down in my car and picked up a few bags of leaves on the side of the road. I don’t really like to do this because one never knows what people put on their yard. Leaves are not the best compost anyway. The tree sucks all of the nutrients out before letting the leaf fall. Also most trees practice chemical warfare. They have poisons in their leaves that keep other plants from growing in the trees’ “space”.
I have not “harvested” the leaves in my yard or on my roof yet. I normally use them for mulch. They keep the moisture in the ground and make life easier for earthworms and other creatures that aerate the soil. In the spring I till them in to give the soil more organic matter and keep it fluffy.
The leaves I picked up beside the road will not be nearly enough and they look like they were just raked or blown up without being mulched first. This will make them hard for the compost pile to digest. I always mulch the leaves from my yard before I get them up. I may have to save the roadside leaves and the roof leaves for mulching and use my yard leaves for compost.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Garden Planning Pt. 1
Garden Planning
My favorite part of gardening is planning next years garden. Not everything was perfect in this year’s garden; but next year’s garden (in my mind) is super fantastic. Everything is green, productive and weed free. The rows are straight, the paths are clean. WOW.
The tasks that I have lined up for soon are. Take down the old stakes and trellises from this years garden. Mulch the raised bed and plant some donated strawberry plants. Make a new garden map. I have some large sheets of graph paper for this. Layout the rows & beds for next year and test the soil. Plan the planting strategy to take advantage of the ph level in the different rows and the sunshine available.
Speaking of available sunshine…I have some trees and bushes that need to come down. I also have to prune the fig trees and get the green house ready to start the bedding plants. I will also make a schedule for starting the bedding plants and buy the seeds. Compost is a problem. Unless I find some more compostable material, I will not have enough compost for the garden.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
My favorite part of gardening is planning next years garden. Not everything was perfect in this year’s garden; but next year’s garden (in my mind) is super fantastic. Everything is green, productive and weed free. The rows are straight, the paths are clean. WOW.
The tasks that I have lined up for soon are. Take down the old stakes and trellises from this years garden. Mulch the raised bed and plant some donated strawberry plants. Make a new garden map. I have some large sheets of graph paper for this. Layout the rows & beds for next year and test the soil. Plan the planting strategy to take advantage of the ph level in the different rows and the sunshine available.
Speaking of available sunshine…I have some trees and bushes that need to come down. I also have to prune the fig trees and get the green house ready to start the bedding plants. I will also make a schedule for starting the bedding plants and buy the seeds. Compost is a problem. Unless I find some more compostable material, I will not have enough compost for the garden.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Home Again
Home Again
I have not made any garden notes; because I have not been in my garden. I was in Las Vegas for a week at the REALTOR’s convention. I did get back in the garden Saturday morning (yesterday)
I picked a lot of figs. It rained last week so the ground was damp. It did not freeze hard until Saturday morning. The leaves are coming off of the fig trees and some of the figs showed signs of freezing. The figs were not as sweet as the ones we got before the trip.
I also turned ½ of the compost pile. I turned ½ of the other half this morning. Last week I cut an old legustrum tree that was shading the garden. The name legustrum is never used by itself. It is always that “old legustrum”. I cut it down and cut it up some; but I could not put it on the street because of the trip. Today I put it on the street. There are 3 more legustrums and a gum tree to cut. Also I have two mulberry trees that has grown so tall we can’t pick the mulberries. I am going to cut one of the off at about chest height to see if it will sprout. If it does I will cut the other one next year. There is also a poplar and a mimosa tree that need to go; but they could fall on the house. I may have to get a professional to do them. Maybe I can get a load of mulch at the same time.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
I have not made any garden notes; because I have not been in my garden. I was in Las Vegas for a week at the REALTOR’s convention. I did get back in the garden Saturday morning (yesterday)
I picked a lot of figs. It rained last week so the ground was damp. It did not freeze hard until Saturday morning. The leaves are coming off of the fig trees and some of the figs showed signs of freezing. The figs were not as sweet as the ones we got before the trip.
I also turned ½ of the compost pile. I turned ½ of the other half this morning. Last week I cut an old legustrum tree that was shading the garden. The name legustrum is never used by itself. It is always that “old legustrum”. I cut it down and cut it up some; but I could not put it on the street because of the trip. Today I put it on the street. There are 3 more legustrums and a gum tree to cut. Also I have two mulberry trees that has grown so tall we can’t pick the mulberries. I am going to cut one of the off at about chest height to see if it will sprout. If it does I will cut the other one next year. There is also a poplar and a mimosa tree that need to go; but they could fall on the house. I may have to get a professional to do them. Maybe I can get a load of mulch at the same time.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Odds and Ends
Odds and Ends
Yesterday, Nov 7, 2007, brought the first freeze of the fall season. The temperature only dropped to 31 Fahrenheit. I don’t think it hurt my garden. I did not find any damaged figs, tomatoes or eggplants. I pulled all of them off anyway and took them inside. I only picked the figs that had swollen. The others will never ripen off of the tree. Green tomatoes can be ripened in the window, chopped and stir-fried, or made into fried green tomatoes. The eggplants are small; but they should be ripe enough.
I finished up the raised bed it is ready for strawberries and asparagus. Originally I had planed to run 2 rows the length of the bed with one for each type of plant. Last night I decided to check in “Grow It” one more time. Asparagus need a ph of 6.5. Strawberries need 5.5 to 6. I guess I will have to devote half of the bed (lengthwise) to each one.
I also consolidated my compost piles. This has been a bad year for compost. Normally I cut my grass every week to 10 days. The clippings go in the compost. I haven’t cut the grass since July. Normally at this time of year, I would have 3 full compost bins. They will turn into 1 bin by spring. This year I have 2/3 of a bin. I have got to find some more composting material fast or I will not have enough compost to do the spring planting.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Yesterday, Nov 7, 2007, brought the first freeze of the fall season. The temperature only dropped to 31 Fahrenheit. I don’t think it hurt my garden. I did not find any damaged figs, tomatoes or eggplants. I pulled all of them off anyway and took them inside. I only picked the figs that had swollen. The others will never ripen off of the tree. Green tomatoes can be ripened in the window, chopped and stir-fried, or made into fried green tomatoes. The eggplants are small; but they should be ripe enough.
I finished up the raised bed it is ready for strawberries and asparagus. Originally I had planed to run 2 rows the length of the bed with one for each type of plant. Last night I decided to check in “Grow It” one more time. Asparagus need a ph of 6.5. Strawberries need 5.5 to 6. I guess I will have to devote half of the bed (lengthwise) to each one.
I also consolidated my compost piles. This has been a bad year for compost. Normally I cut my grass every week to 10 days. The clippings go in the compost. I haven’t cut the grass since July. Normally at this time of year, I would have 3 full compost bins. They will turn into 1 bin by spring. This year I have 2/3 of a bin. I have got to find some more composting material fast or I will not have enough compost to do the spring planting.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Blackberries
Blackberries
I did nothing in the Garden yesterday, nor will I today; because I am in Brunswick County, NC teaching a real estate class. One thing I started last week was redoing an old blackberry bed. The blackberry bed is a remnant of a time when the house backed up to woods. I had never done anything with the area because it was behind the fence in the yard and I just did not bother.
When a subdivision was built, one of the people who owned a house behind us planted a lot of really nice azaleas on my property thinking it was his property. I thanked him profusely and asked him if he minded if I moved a couple of them around to the front. He got a survey and put up a fence. That added about 8 feet to my yard. I started taking the fence down to expand my garden. That is when I go to thinking about the blackberries. The raised bed I wrote about Sunday is in that area. There was still about a 30 foot area of blackberries. They don’t produce much because they have been neglected.
I dug up 10 nice blackberry plants and put them in pots. Then I ran the tiller through the area. Next I will really work on getting the soil in shape and replant the blackberry plants. It will probably take a couple of years before they actually produce anything.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
I did nothing in the Garden yesterday, nor will I today; because I am in Brunswick County, NC teaching a real estate class. One thing I started last week was redoing an old blackberry bed. The blackberry bed is a remnant of a time when the house backed up to woods. I had never done anything with the area because it was behind the fence in the yard and I just did not bother.
When a subdivision was built, one of the people who owned a house behind us planted a lot of really nice azaleas on my property thinking it was his property. I thanked him profusely and asked him if he minded if I moved a couple of them around to the front. He got a survey and put up a fence. That added about 8 feet to my yard. I started taking the fence down to expand my garden. That is when I go to thinking about the blackberries. The raised bed I wrote about Sunday is in that area. There was still about a 30 foot area of blackberries. They don’t produce much because they have been neglected.
I dug up 10 nice blackberry plants and put them in pots. Then I ran the tiller through the area. Next I will really work on getting the soil in shape and replant the blackberry plants. It will probably take a couple of years before they actually produce anything.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 5, 2007
Raised Bed Gardening
Raised Bed Gardening
My wife has been telling me I should do raised beds in the garden. I don’t think she knows how much work is involved in getting that set up going. I finally decided to do one raised bed to do Strawberries and Asparagus.
I try to get home early enough to spend an hour in the garden every day. Also I usually spend about 2 or three hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I can’t always do that and I travel a lot so the raised bed project for the one bed has taken a little over a month. First I marked off exactly where I wanted the bed to be and measured it very carefully. These beds are really permanent.
I ran my tiller through the site for the bed and buried it as deep as I could. Then I laid down a piece of heavy duty plastic and scooped out the loose dirt. That was done 3 times before I got about 1 foot down. The next chore was to build a frame for the bed. You can see it in the picture. The frame extends the bed 6” above the ground. I used the left over boards from a deck that I am tearing off of the back of my house.
On the bottom of the row I put a layer of half-finished compost about 6” deep. I sprinkled this generously with rock phosphate and brought the tiller through the whole row again, digging everything in as deeply as I could. I have a shortage of compost this year (we’ll talk about that in the next blog) . I had to use some mulch that a tree man gave me about 2 years ago for the next layer. It is black and rich and it has earth worms in it; so it must be good.
A caution about fresh wood mulch. It will suck the nitrogen out of the soil. Not taking any chances, I gave it a dusting of 10-10-10. Ok so I’m not purely organic. I alternated layers of this stuff and the dirt that I had scooped out of the bed until I filled the whole frame. I ran out of time, there is still a little bit of dirt to put into the bed. I’ll do that next week and the bed will be ready for strawberries and asparagus. I may put a layer of mulch on the top to protect the earthworms until time to plant.
I think one raised bed will do me for now.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
My wife has been telling me I should do raised beds in the garden. I don’t think she knows how much work is involved in getting that set up going. I finally decided to do one raised bed to do Strawberries and Asparagus.
I try to get home early enough to spend an hour in the garden every day. Also I usually spend about 2 or three hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I can’t always do that and I travel a lot so the raised bed project for the one bed has taken a little over a month. First I marked off exactly where I wanted the bed to be and measured it very carefully. These beds are really permanent.
I ran my tiller through the site for the bed and buried it as deep as I could. Then I laid down a piece of heavy duty plastic and scooped out the loose dirt. That was done 3 times before I got about 1 foot down. The next chore was to build a frame for the bed. You can see it in the picture. The frame extends the bed 6” above the ground. I used the left over boards from a deck that I am tearing off of the back of my house.
On the bottom of the row I put a layer of half-finished compost about 6” deep. I sprinkled this generously with rock phosphate and brought the tiller through the whole row again, digging everything in as deeply as I could. I have a shortage of compost this year (we’ll talk about that in the next blog) . I had to use some mulch that a tree man gave me about 2 years ago for the next layer. It is black and rich and it has earth worms in it; so it must be good.
A caution about fresh wood mulch. It will suck the nitrogen out of the soil. Not taking any chances, I gave it a dusting of 10-10-10. Ok so I’m not purely organic. I alternated layers of this stuff and the dirt that I had scooped out of the bed until I filled the whole frame. I ran out of time, there is still a little bit of dirt to put into the bed. I’ll do that next week and the bed will be ready for strawberries and asparagus. I may put a layer of mulch on the top to protect the earthworms until time to plant.
I think one raised bed will do me for now.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Sunday, November 4, 2007
This Blogs For Me
This Blog’s For Me
I have been writing an International Real Estate Blog for several months now. I am enjoying the writing and sharing the information and I have become much more observant of things in the international real estate world. My hobby is my garden though, and it keeps wanting to come to the paper as I write. I have three reasons for writing this blog and they are all personal.
The first is that every time I try to write my international real estate blog, this garden stuff comes to mind and I need to get rid of it.
The second is that it is really important to a garden to keep a good journal; so that one learns from experience. I try to do this; but it only lasts for a few days. Supper is ready when I come in or I’m too tired. There is always some reason. I believe I will write this blog for you whether you read it or not.
The third reason is that I am still learning to garden. I really hope that when you read my blog and you see that I need help, you will give me some advice. Every gardener has a lot of personal methods. Some are inherited, some are learned, some are invented. I tend to learn a little and invent a little. Some of my inventions turn out pretty good. Other provide a learning experience.
I think November is the ideal time to start the chronicle. The season is almost over and preparations are being made for next year. I have already started building a raised bed at the back of the garden for Strawberries and Asparagus. I’ll tell you about it in the next blog. I may even show you a picture.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
I have been writing an International Real Estate Blog for several months now. I am enjoying the writing and sharing the information and I have become much more observant of things in the international real estate world. My hobby is my garden though, and it keeps wanting to come to the paper as I write. I have three reasons for writing this blog and they are all personal.
The first is that every time I try to write my international real estate blog, this garden stuff comes to mind and I need to get rid of it.
The second is that it is really important to a garden to keep a good journal; so that one learns from experience. I try to do this; but it only lasts for a few days. Supper is ready when I come in or I’m too tired. There is always some reason. I believe I will write this blog for you whether you read it or not.
The third reason is that I am still learning to garden. I really hope that when you read my blog and you see that I need help, you will give me some advice. Every gardener has a lot of personal methods. Some are inherited, some are learned, some are invented. I tend to learn a little and invent a little. Some of my inventions turn out pretty good. Other provide a learning experience.
I think November is the ideal time to start the chronicle. The season is almost over and preparations are being made for next year. I have already started building a raised bed at the back of the garden for Strawberries and Asparagus. I’ll tell you about it in the next blog. I may even show you a picture.
David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
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