Perhaps the nest is just too big. There are still fire ants in the compost. There seem to be less and less of them though. The mound destroyer has been applied several times. The ants seem to be reduced to a small pocket in one bed. Maybe they will be gone when I get home today.
Almost everything in the greenhouse has germinated. A different watering regime is in place from last year. Last year the tray was kept wet. This year the tray is kept wet until germination. After germination the tray is filled to a level of about ¼ “and allowed to dry. It is left for one day and refilled. Three tomato plants in the raised bed are doing well. They are about 6” high now. Cucumber will be started in pots this week. As soon as they have true leaves, the bottom of the pots will be cut out and they will be transplanted. My luck with transplanted cucurbits has been poor; but they may not germinate without bottom heat.
Everything planted in the raised beds is doing well. The PH meter bit the dust; so a new one was purchased. This is a critical element in a good garden. All the beds I tested seemed to be close to 7 (neutral) last night. Lime has not been added for at least 4 years. This PH level seems suspicious. Some soil will be sent off to the Dept. of Agriculture for testing. Renfrow Hardware has free kits to send the soil samples off.
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 25, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Abundance of Abundance
In hard times it is sometimes difficult to think of abundance. Gardeners know about it. Sometimes we have a couple of items that don’t do well. Other items we have in abundance. Leaves may be trash to many people. When gardens need mulching they represent abundance. My little garden produces so much greens that I can give them away to whoever will take them and still have plenty. A friend told me a little while ago that his family wants kale to make kale soup for the day after thanksgiving. He asked if I had enough. I said, “Kale yeah!”
The leaves picked up on the side of the road are so full of acorns. The deer and the squirrels will love digging through them when the other stuff is gone. I cannot imagine a squirrel going hungry in or around Charlotte. It may be harder for the deer. They cannot always just walk out into the open and get what is available. There is plenty of browse available though.
There does not seem to be an abundance of money or work; but that means there is an abundance of time. That should increase the abundance of the garden and an abundance of opportunities for self improvement. Incidently the recession seems to be reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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 leaves picked up on the side of the road are so full of acorns. The deer and the squirrels will love digging through them when the other stuff is gone. I cannot imagine a squirrel going hungry in or around Charlotte. It may be harder for the deer. They cannot always just walk out into the open and get what is available. There is plenty of browse available though.
There does not seem to be an abundance of money or work; but that means there is an abundance of time. That should increase the abundance of the garden and an abundance of opportunities for self improvement. Incidently the recession seems to be reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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 19, 2009
Too Big to Fail
All of the small to medium fire ant hills treated with Spectracide Fire Ant Mound Destroyer have been destroyed. The one in the compost bin must have been “too big to fail”. Two days elapsed between the treatment and the next turning. The fire ants were working like maggots when I turned the first forkful of compost. The pile was retreated. (I retreated too.) Yesterday the ants appeared to be gone.
The things planted in the greenhouse are coming up pretty well. Out of 5 flats planted to date, 3 are completely sprouted. 4 more were planted yesterday. The first planting (other than tomatoes for the indoor bed) was the test for the spaghetti squash seeds. Something green is growing in those cups; but it is not recognizable as a squash plant yet. It is important to make sure the seeds are viable before giving them away and having people risk a planting on bad seed.
The raised beds are coming along pretty well too. There is not enough lumber in the right sizes to build any more beds. The things that are planted are doing well though. The spinach is finally sprouting and growing and the cress is sprouting well. This is the 4th time to plant Cress (creasy greens) and the first time it has even germinated. Onions from seed were planted for the first time and they seem to have all sprouted. The onions from sets planted at the same time are much larger; but size is not important at this stage of the game.
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 things planted in the greenhouse are coming up pretty well. Out of 5 flats planted to date, 3 are completely sprouted. 4 more were planted yesterday. The first planting (other than tomatoes for the indoor bed) was the test for the spaghetti squash seeds. Something green is growing in those cups; but it is not recognizable as a squash plant yet. It is important to make sure the seeds are viable before giving them away and having people risk a planting on bad seed.
The raised beds are coming along pretty well too. There is not enough lumber in the right sizes to build any more beds. The things that are planted are doing well though. The spinach is finally sprouting and growing and the cress is sprouting well. This is the 4th time to plant Cress (creasy greens) and the first time it has even germinated. Onions from seed were planted for the first time and they seem to have all sprouted. The onions from sets planted at the same time are much larger; but size is not important at this stage of the game.
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, November 16, 2009
Revenge is Sweet. Pain is Bitter
My weekend compost turning activities turned sour when I realized I was covered with fire ants. It seems the second compost bin is one huge fire ant nest. There was a bite or two going from bin three to bin four. When I got half way through going from bin three to bin two, the pain began. My clothes were scattered all over the back yard, I was wearing my birthday suit by the time I got to the back door. The shower washed the ants off; but the pain remained.
All the clothes were sprayed with ant & roach spray and left in the garage. Even lotion did not stop the burning and itching. Fortunately the shed contains some Spectracide Fire Ant Mound Destroyer. Every bin was treated and two other mounds that were in the backyard. The fire ants died (I hope). The pain remained all day.
The good news is that I have so much compostable material that I had to set up a temporary bin. If the fire ants are dead, the bins will be turned and the material in the temporary bin will go into the accumulation bin. Do you suppose the poison will hurt the plants in the garden? Most of the compost in process now will be put into raised beds that will not be planted until spring.
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/
All the clothes were sprayed with ant & roach spray and left in the garage. Even lotion did not stop the burning and itching. Fortunately the shed contains some Spectracide Fire Ant Mound Destroyer. Every bin was treated and two other mounds that were in the backyard. The fire ants died (I hope). The pain remained all day.
The good news is that I have so much compostable material that I had to set up a temporary bin. If the fire ants are dead, the bins will be turned and the material in the temporary bin will go into the accumulation bin. Do you suppose the poison will hurt the plants in the garden? Most of the compost in process now will be put into raised beds that will not be planted until spring.
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 13, 2009
Greenhouse Weather
The garden is my pressure valve. We are into the 3rd day of really cold rain. The greenhouse has been my salvation. Potting soil is getting mixed. Cups are getting labeled and filled. The tomatoes have been planted in the indoor raised bed, the lights are set up. The lights were not cutting off automatically. I was ready to take the time back. I realized this morning when I went out to cut the lights off, that they were not plugged into the timer. It should work better now.
Why can’t the rain come while stuff is growing in the garden? The empty rain barrels are full now and overflowing. All summer city water had to be used. The rain is knocking the leaves off of the trees. That will help the leaf blowing process move along as soon as they get dry. The pin oaks are still about ½ green; so they will dump after everything else is cleaned up.
The rain is helping the greens and salad greens in the garden. The ground is too wet to pick them. They just get pulled up. When the soil dries a little there will be plenty to do there. The greens will need picking. The raised beds are full of compost. They need dirt now. More lumber has been scrounged. There is enough to build 3 or maybe 4 more beds. It is better than Prozac.
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/
Why can’t the rain come while stuff is growing in the garden? The empty rain barrels are full now and overflowing. All summer city water had to be used. The rain is knocking the leaves off of the trees. That will help the leaf blowing process move along as soon as they get dry. The pin oaks are still about ½ green; so they will dump after everything else is cleaned up.
The rain is helping the greens and salad greens in the garden. The ground is too wet to pick them. They just get pulled up. When the soil dries a little there will be plenty to do there. The greens will need picking. The raised beds are full of compost. They need dirt now. More lumber has been scrounged. There is enough to build 3 or maybe 4 more beds. It is better than Prozac.
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 11, 2009
Praise to Arugula
This blog cannot say enough wonderful things about arugula as a salad green. It has other uses as well. My wife got a super deal on turkey meat balls the other night so she made spaghetti and meat balls. We lined the bowls with arugula. The arugula adds a really nice taste to the spaghetti sauce and the arugula tastes great with spaghetti sauce. Sunday morning one of the cooking show hosts was making arugula ravioli. Ana wrote down the recipe. If it is good, I will find it and link to it for you. I will also give you instructions for Ana’s version.
The building of raised beds in the garden is progressing well. 12 beds are completed and either planted or mulched. 4 more have been built and filled with compost. It is raining today so the soil will probably be too wet for the rest of the week to put the dirt in the beds. I did scrounge enough wood to make 3 more beds.
In the greenhouse, the tomatoes have been planted in the indoor raised bed. Two of them died immediately; so I was glad to have a couple of extras. Spaghetti squash has been planted just to test the viability of the seeds. A lot of seeds have been saved from this years spaghetti squash and the excess will be given away if they sprout well. If they don’t sprout well they will be toasted.
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 building of raised beds in the garden is progressing well. 12 beds are completed and either planted or mulched. 4 more have been built and filled with compost. It is raining today so the soil will probably be too wet for the rest of the week to put the dirt in the beds. I did scrounge enough wood to make 3 more beds.
In the greenhouse, the tomatoes have been planted in the indoor raised bed. Two of them died immediately; so I was glad to have a couple of extras. Spaghetti squash has been planted just to test the viability of the seeds. A lot of seeds have been saved from this years spaghetti squash and the excess will be given away if they sprout well. If they don’t sprout well they will be toasted.
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 10, 2009
Next Years Perfect Garden
It is planning time again and the garden will finally attain the same perfection it had this time last year. There have been a few lessons to make it even more perfect. No potatoes this year. They are too cheap and my garden just doesn’t seem to produce them well. They require a loose high acid soil. A deer fence will be a necessity even though I hate it for two reasons. 1st I think the deer need to eat too. They just ate too much this year. 2nd it will be ugly.
Over ½ of the garden will be in raised beds this year. That simplifies the planning in some ways. No measuring and calculating in that part of the garden. Just plan for so many row feet of each thing; and figure out how to maximize the daylight. The soil throughout the garden will be much more uniform now. It will still need testing. In some ways it will be more complicated. In order to really take advantage of the space a lot more companion planting will be needed.
A lot of the items will be vertical this year as they were last year. That will be easier with the raised beds; but planning for available sunlight will be harder. Planning the garden needs to be finished before planting in the greenhouse begins. Last year was terrible for the greenhouse. This year will have to be better. An earlier start date will be used and twice the needed plants will be started. The excess can be given away or used to infill if something happens to the plant in 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/
Over ½ of the garden will be in raised beds this year. That simplifies the planning in some ways. No measuring and calculating in that part of the garden. Just plan for so many row feet of each thing; and figure out how to maximize the daylight. The soil throughout the garden will be much more uniform now. It will still need testing. In some ways it will be more complicated. In order to really take advantage of the space a lot more companion planting will be needed.
A lot of the items will be vertical this year as they were last year. That will be easier with the raised beds; but planning for available sunlight will be harder. Planning the garden needs to be finished before planting in the greenhouse begins. Last year was terrible for the greenhouse. This year will have to be better. An earlier start date will be used and twice the needed plants will be started. The excess can be given away or used to infill if something happens to the plant in 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/
Monday, November 2, 2009
Falling Leaves
There are bags of leaves all along the street waiting for city pickup. The oak trees are still covered with green leaves. The other trees are still covered with yellow, brown and red leaves. How can so many have fallen? When the grass was cut last week about half of the material from the bagger was leaves. That went into the compost; but I don’t really care a lot for composting leaves.
They do make great mulch. They hold the moisture and the warmth in the ground. They prevent muddy shoes when walking through the garden. They look good. Earthworms love them. The down side is that they remind one that soon there will be no grass clippings. This is the major ingredient for my compost bin. Green stuff makes nitrogen. Leaves make carbon. Carbon is a necessary building block for healthy plants; but most of them make this for themselves. The leaves do provide a lot of organic matter. They can just be tilled into the garden in the spring before planting.
The leaves in the garden come from the bags on the side of the road. The leaves in the yard get blown around trees and into beds for mulch. I am too lazy to bag them or drag them to 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/
They do make great mulch. They hold the moisture and the warmth in the ground. They prevent muddy shoes when walking through the garden. They look good. Earthworms love them. The down side is that they remind one that soon there will be no grass clippings. This is the major ingredient for my compost bin. Green stuff makes nitrogen. Leaves make carbon. Carbon is a necessary building block for healthy plants; but most of them make this for themselves. The leaves do provide a lot of organic matter. They can just be tilled into the garden in the spring before planting.
The leaves in the garden come from the bags on the side of the road. The leaves in the yard get blown around trees and into beds for mulch. I am too lazy to bag them or drag them to 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/
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