Watering - It's That Time of Year Again

The temperatures are going over 80 everyday and the rains are long gone. It is that time of year again. I've got to water everyday. There is only about 1/2 a barrel of rainwater left. That needs to be saved for the fish and the pitcher plants. I have to use city water now, which I hate to use on plants. Necessary evil though. To use the least amount of water I have to pay for possible, I do the following.

1. Water deep.

2. Water in the late afternoon

3. Use watering pots

4. Mulch Mulch Mulch

Water deep is pretty self explanatory. An inch at least. Deep roots in cooler soil better for plants.

The "experts" will tell you to water in the morning to avoid fungal problems. Here in Texas during the summer that is pretty much retarded advice. The plants will dry out during the day stay dry all night and pretty much quit growing. Water in the late afternoon, just keep the water off of the foliage. Water the soil not the leaves. Using the watering pot helps with this.

Watering pots are 6" plant containers buried about two inches in the soil. You can see one in the picture of the yellow pear tomato. There is about 2 inches of compost in the bottom of the pot. Fill the pots with water, which then slowly seeps into the ground without running off. I also put liquid fertilizer in them once a week while foliar feeding. Works great.

Mulch, again, is self explanatory. I use half composted hay. Cheap and effective.

Do you have any watering tips?

No, OFB, dragging milk cartoons full of water all over the place is not a tip:)

Gardening With Toddlers - The Advanced Class

My sister, raised bed gardener sister, has installed two raised beds made from Austin stone. Last year she had just one raised bed and actually grew more food than I did. Sad. So I changed my garden over to raised beds this winter and I am reaping the rewards.

Raised bed gardener sister has four children. The oldest is 16 and the youngest is 2. I know, I know, but she really likes babies. They were all cute babies looking like purebred puppies. Seriously, they had the same baby four times.

She came up with the most excellent idea for toddler wrangling while gardening. Check out the toddler containment facility between the two raised beds. Smart sister. Very smart.

That Wasn't Funny

A Bag, Nicknames, Cheap Wine, Nice Glass, Seeds

I figured naming one more blog post random was getting a little redundant thus the crazy title.

Here is the bag that I won over at Anna's blog Flower Garden Girl. That I actually won something is so stunning to me that I might take it as a sign my luck is changing.

I would like to call Anna - Anna Banana as a term of endearment, but she may have had bad childhood experiences with that and might not appreciate it. I will now share - as a painfully tiny, thin child I was dubbed Debbi Spaghetti and I never have gotten over it. Seriously, be nice. I trust you with my inner secrets.

The point of the wine? Linda asked if my poison ivy remedy was putting the alcohol on the rash or drinking it. The answer is - Yes. Really, all I am after is that blue bottle. Can't you just see my lovely blue bottle tree. Hope Manly doesn't read this. He hates bottle trees.

Why does cheap wine taste so much better in an expensive glass?

Now I have to make something right. Remember that post where I promised seeds. They are still on the way. I have a really good reason why I have not mailed them yet. Well, really, two good reasons. I wanted to send some lettuce and blanket flower seeds, and they are not quite ready yet. I have added a surprise to try to make up for the delay. Soon, my patient gardening friends, very soon.

Missed a Spot

So Technu Soap is from heaven, but it only works if you get it exactly where the poison ivy touches you. Well, I missed a spot. On the inside of my left elbow is a red, raised, itchy rash. Now what? My home remedy is 1/2 cup alcohol, 2 aspirin, and 2 table spoons Vick's Vapor Rub. Mix them together and apply to rashy spot every you have the urge to scratch. Over a period of time it dries out the poison ivy and it cools down the itch quite nicely.

Do you have a poison ivy remedy?

Noodle War

 
 
Here they are trying to beat each other unconscious with noodles. Thankfully, noodles do little bodily damage. One of the monkeys put muddy shoes in my dryer. Somebody help me. Please help me.

Melancholy Day

 

I've been feeling a little sad and tearful. These are just symptoms of some mild loneliness, which is crazy in my crowd of siblings and our progeny. Still, I just can't seem to shake it. This too shall pass. I just need to hang on a couple of days.

I went outside and visited my roses to try to lift my spirits. Maggie, Abraham Darby, and Paul Neyron all looked very healthy and happy. The amaryllis is still going strong. This must be it's third set of blooms, awesome. The Shasta daisies are putting on a show. Isn't that curly elephant garlic scape a trip?

Sorry to be such a bummer.