sb158's Valley Garden » design/build

Melting, Paul James, and One-Straw-Revolutions

sb158 — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:19:30 +0000

Yea, I’m going to whine about the weather again. We’ve been under a heat advisory all weekend. It’s been miserable. Except for going out early morning and in the evening to water, the garden is on it’s own. I ain’t even going out there if I can avoid it. I even changed my desktop to rotating winter pictures for a psychological attempt at cooling off. Not working, but worth a try, right?

So far, nothing has died of heat stroke; I hope this mess ends SOON!

Okay, done whining; on to the important stuff. Have you ever watched Paul James, the Gardener Guy, on HGTV? He had the best garden show for real gardeners, but they dropped him and put on all those landscaping guys. All well and good to landscape your yard, but how do you grow all that stuff after the landscapers have gone? I found his website and went to check it out.

He mentions a book called “The One-Straw Revolution” by Masanobu Fukuoka that inspired his gardening and changed his life. In the course of looking for that book, I discovered a concept called Permaculture. The basic idea is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem of your own, similar to the way nature would do it, only quicker. It’s all tied up with Peak Oil, climate change, and ecological disaster. I can’t say as I believe all the dire predictions; after all, who even wants to think about the kind of world it will be if all that stuff actually happens? Just in case it is even remotely possible, I’m going to plan my garden at my new house, whenever we actually buy one, to mitigate the ugliness as much as possible. Self-sustaining homesteads can’t be a bad thing, right? If you want to find out more, you can download The One-Straw Revolution here in pdf format.

So, once I’d discovered the concept, I needed to find out how one creates such an ecosystem. The book “Gaia’s Garden – A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture” was recommended as being especially helpful. It has been an absolutely fascinating read! Download the pdf yourself and see. Gotta warn you, though, it is a big (34M) file. It tells you pretty much everything you’d need to know, in a very easily understood, entertaining style. You can buy both books, and countless more, all over the web. Gonna do that soon as I can!

If you’ve got the time and interest, a wander around all the permaculture links on the net can be very educational. Inspiring, too, when you see all the things these design principles can accomplish, like turning several acres of desert in the Dead Sea Valley into green, producing farms. Totally amazing!

Lovely, you say, but why post about it? Why not? It’s my blog, right? LOL. The point of all this is that, when we do finally find the right house, in the right place, I’m going to give this a try. I guess I’ll make a separate page for permaculture-related stuff, and try to document the process as we go along. Wish me luck!

Plan B, update

sb158 — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:12:56 +0000

Went to lunch with my BIL, SIL, and Hubby’s nephew and his wife for Mother’s Day. We went to Outback, and it was good.

When I got home, I got started on my shade arbor, but it was miserable hot out there, as usual. I did decide where I want to put it permanently, got landscape fabric down, moved it, and fastened all the SWCs to the legs with tie wraps. It seems pretty sturdy, so maybe it’ll work.

Still have to get some wire fence over the top, to serve as the lattice support for the pole beans and whatever else I decide to grow. Hubby said he’d help me with that tomorrow. Could’ve done it tonight, but I suddenly realized I was very hungry and tired, so just called it quits about a half hour or so before I had to. I guess enough is enough.

I also got the squares in the garden bed amended, watered, and turned the soil over. Had to really soak the dirt, as it was dry as a bone. I don’t water unplanted dirt, naturally, so had to do a thorough soak. Was going to plant the peppers tonight, but the dirt was still too wet, so I guess I’ll transplant them tomorrow night. If I do it during the day, the poor things will fry.

Tomorrow I plan to fill the SWC’s and plant them, as well as sow the pole bean seeds. Hopefully they’ll survive and start climbing with Hubby’s help. Pics tomorrow, too, I hope.

Plan B, Part I

sb158 — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:25:35 +0000

It’s working! Cool!
I’ve mentioned that I had an idea for a shade arbor for my tomato SWC’s in previous posts. I got started on it today, and to my great surprise, it’s actually coming together just like I see it in my head.

This post is pretty image-heavy, as I’m posting pics of the W-I-P:

My Materials:

First, I cut 6 pieces of conduit into 6 ft. lengths.

Then I stuck the 4 corner legs into the SWC water fill tubes, which, being empty, promptly fell over. After I filled the reservoirs with water, they stayed standing. I put 4 “T” connectors on top, and added the other 2 6 ft. pieces.

To make a horizontal support, I cut 4 2″ pieces of conduit, put them in the top of the “T” connectors, and added more “T” connectors. Much sturdier now.

However, I was concerned that the 6′ sides wouldn’t be sturdy enough, so I cut the 4 vertical supports at 4′ and added more “T’s”. Then I cut 4 3′ pieces and 2 4′ pieces to make a center support leg, which will be fastened to a couple more containers. I cut the 6′ sides at 3′ to connect the center leg, but only did one of them so far. I underestimated the number of connectors I’d need, so have to wait for Hubby to get home from his errands so I can go get more. I guess I’ll need one more SWC, too, as I already have a container for one of the middle legs.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten so far. I’ll post again, probably tomorrow, after it’s finished.

This Is Why, Jen…

sb158 — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:52:47 +0000

My daughter called today while I was painting the new SWC’s. Naturally, her first question was “Why are you painting ugly orange Home Depot buckets?” Told her to check here for the answer…

So, Jen, I’m making Self-Watering Containers into which to plant 2 watermelon, a zucchini, and a cantaloupe. Should have taken a “Before” pic, but here’s the “After.”

These containers are also an important part of my plan for the shade arbor for the tomato SWC’s I planted some time ago. I intend to start on “Part B” tomorrow; I can only hope it comes out like I see it in my head.

I did manage to accomplish part of my To-Do List today. I planted 5 baby basil, a baby dill, and a baby sesame into the garden, as well as painting the ugly orange buckets. Doesn’t sound like much, until you consider the 97-feels-like-102 temperatures today. Considering I had to dig 7 holes and amend the dirt in the midst of that heat, it was a major exercise in self-discipline to get it done. Oh, I also potted up the hummingbird shrub into a pot that should hold it for a while, until I can get the beer cooler pot done.

Sure wish some of the rain flooding the rest of the country would come our way; we sure need it.

So Much To Do, Not Much Time

sb158 — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:27:52 +0000

I’m leaving for Colorado Springs on Thursday, so by a week from now, I’ll be there, instead of here. Got lots of stuff to get done before I leave, for sure. Got to get the peppers in the ground, ready or not, as well as the basil. The basil seems ready, but the peppers are taking their sweet time getting hardened to the sun.
I also have to try to get the shade arbor thingy done for the tomato SWCs. I finished the 4 5-gal SWCs for the watermelon, cantaloupe, and zucchini that I need for the legs, but I still have to paint them. I’ll do that tomorrow, no matter how hot it is, as I don’t have any more time to putz around.
I’m still a bit put out at Home Depot for not carrying the stuff I need for my container mix any more, but what can you do? I had to buy potting mix today, just hoping it works okay. I also had to buy a bigger pot for my Ruttya shrub, as I’m not going to have time to make the beer cooler planter before I leave, and it really needs potting up.
So that’s my plan for the next few days; one very important thing I can’t forget is the instructions for plant care to leave for hubby…
Think I’m gonna be a bit busy…

Well, PHOOEY…I just realized I’m gonna miss the Bones season finale…now THAT totally sucks! Thank goodness for Tivo. Oh well, guess seeing the grandsons will make up for having to wait all that time to watch it!

Monster Mud, Rosemary, and Jasmine

sb158 — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:40:38 +0000

Much better day today, since the guy fixed the AC first thing this morning. Good thing, too, cuz hubby bought this gadget that collects weather information. The gadget said the high today was 101. Felt that hot, for sure.

So I finished my two Monster Pots, as I mentioned. Here’s a pic of the jasmine pot:

Yes, I know, the poor thing looks sad. It was so root-bound I had to prune the roots, then prune the foliage to balance the root reduction. I planted a Moonlight nasturtium, one of my clearance creeping sedums, a dichondra, and two teeny baby verbena in the container with it. Hope it does okay.

The other Monster Pot is for my rosemary. Here’s a pic of the finished pot and the rosemary for which I made it:

Big pot for a not-so-big rosemary, I know. Just like kids, it will grow, though. Until it grows into the pot, I put some broken styrofoam pieces that were in the new coffeepot box into the bottom. I filled it to about an inch or so below the plant level, then covered it with landscape fabric to keep the dirt from sifting down into the styrofoam. That way, the plant will have some room to stretch it’s roots and grow, but not too much. If all goes well, I’ll probably have to repot again in fall or spring, but all I have to do is remove some Styrofoam and we’ll be good to go. It was getting dark by the time I finished transplanting the rosemary, or I would have added a pic of that, too.

Here’s a pic of the baby peppers and basils sitting in their eventual garden homes, getting used to the sun. It took about an hour and a half, again, before they started looking wilty and I moved them back.

Didn’t get the SWC’s made, as I had other stuff to do today. And I seem to have an infestation of leaf miners, so I guess it’s Google time to get rid of them. Couple minor holes in the bush bean leaves, too, could be slugs or snails, or any number of other unsavory critters. At least the rabbits and birds haven’t managed to get through the bean cage yet…knock on wood.

Planting Time, Finally!

sb158 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:17:06 +0000

I finished my bed Friday, then fertilized and watered it really well today, despite the ugly hot humid nasty weather. There’s a Pacific front coming in, and it’s been “thunderstorm weather” all day today. You know how it gets still and muggy, and you can feel the sky just waiting to explode? Yukky. I did not even want to go out there today, but I did. Self-discipline, right?
Anyway, my tomatoes and the other stuff that’s big enough is going in tomorrow. Got some more babies almost ready, and more behind them still too small.
Before I got all stinky and sweaty, I went to the local feed & seed to see what they had. The guy who runs the place is evidently quite a gardener, and has a bunch of all kinds of plants in his store. Had a nice visit with him, and bought a night-blooming jasmine and another shrub. It’s supposed to be new, starts with an “R” and is supposed to attract hummingbirds. Can’t remember the name of it, gonna have to go back to the store (oh, darn!) and ask the guy. I want to see if he has a tri-color sage, anyway; it’d be the perfect finish to a container I’m working on.

Before I close for now, here’s a pic of my garden bed all done, but not planted yet.

And here’s a pic of my two new shrubs. The shrub whose name I forgot is the one with the funny-looking reddish flowers. Anybody recognize it?

Rats! Too Windy

sb158 — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:13:55 +0000

The wind was (is) blowing like crazy today, so I can’t finish the last 5 sq ft or so of my garden. Bummer. And I still need lime. It ain’t easy trying to find garden lime in a place where the water and soil are so alkaline that most people want stuff to acidify the soil, not sweeten it. I better find some soon.

Almost Done

sb158 — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:48:21 +0000

I finished most of my garden bed today, despite the higher temps and humidity. Surprisingly, I didn’t hurt quite as much as I thought I would. The bath in Icy Hot must have helped. LOL.
I have only about 10 sq ft to finish, but I don’t think I have enough “mixers” to finish. Gotta run over to Lowe’s and grab a couple more bags, and some lime, since I forgot it the last time I was there. Would’ve been much easier to mix the lime as I was mixing the dirt, but…
So I guess I’ll run to the store when hubby gets home, so I can finish the garden later tonight or tomorrow.
On another note, the lantana and Blackie sweet potato vine I planted with the lavender are both blooming. Here’s a pic.

Oh, My Aching Bones

sb158 — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:07:44 +0000

This old lady hasn’t done this much digging in years, and the body is letting me know it doesn’t appreciate the effort at all. Yesterday I finished filling the front 8″ portion of the bed, and made it my goal to finish the back 12″ portion today. I got out there and started digging, and my old body just wanted to curl up and die. I hurt so bad, between muscle aches and arthritis, but I kept telling myself I could do just a bit more. Finally my “bit more” turned into the part I wanted to finish. I was never so glad to see the last bucket of dirt go in!
Tomorrow, I’m going to try to finish it all, or at least part of it. Depends on how badly I’m hurting vs. how determined I am to finish it!
Here’s a pic of what I did the first day. Was too tired to take a pic today. I noticed in this pic that the dirt did not look at all level in that front portion, so before I started the back I fixed the front. Much better now.

.; .
Here’s a pic I took after I finished Round 1 of my dig-a-thon. You can see I finished filling the front portion of the bed.: .