Groundhog vs Gardener

 Honestly, I'm not sure if it was the groundhog (or groundhogs) or a chipmunk. But something got in my garden soon after I transplanted many of my seedlings in and mowed them down! 

BEFORE

AFTER

I would water them twice a day and they'd grow back and just when they were going again, mowed down again. Finally, this worked to keep whatever critter was doing it out even though I didn't even enclose them completely. 

I used this mesh hoop and bed curtain. It used to go over Rylie's crib. Yes, I keep meaning to buy some mesh and do it right but it worked and I haven't had time yet. You can lose a lot of time in Joann Fabrics!

NEXT year I will do what I used to do and forgot. Plant garlic around all the beds along the edges. Turns out it repels these rodents. But last year when I planted didn't even have two of the beds yet and just planted in one area. This year we really enjoyed the scapes! If you plant hardneck garlic it grows these scapes you need to cut off and can eat. I made a pesto one night and a soup another night and both Rylie and Pat loved it. I enjoyed the tasted but the soup sure was fibrous! Food processor perhaps instead of stick blender next time. 

Winter Sowing

 I used to start seeds under lights but very few made it successfully into my garden. One year I tried hardening them off in a "mini greenhouse" and fried all of them. VERY UPSETTING. Then my husband took all my "grow lights" and used them for lighting in his workshop area of the garage. 

A tree fell on my garden in 2015 or 2016 and then I got distracted by the Cubs and hadn't gardened until last year. After the Cubs, I was distracted by my mom's failing health. She died July 2020 from old age basically. 

Then in 2021 wood was so expensive we only built two raised beds for the garden. Here's one of them. 

This year my husband has built two more big beds, two smaller beds for blueberries and a strawberry tower. He also finished the fence (sorta) but has taken it apart at garden entrance again because it wasn't to his liking. However, he's about done with that and then just needs to put up the trellis trim on top. 

3rd bed in progress

Soil so expensive too. So first filled beds with cut up tree that was the destroyer of previous garden. This technique called HUGULKULTUR. 

4 BEDS AND A STRAWBERRY TOWER

But this year I tried a new technique call winter sowing and it was awesome. Starting in January I sowed seeds in milk jugs and set them outside. 

Here they are in a moat around the NW corner of our building. Then I moved them to the back entrance. 

I set them down on that black plastic otherwise I'm sure someone would have taken great joy in knocking them off that ledge. In April most had sprouted. 

You don't have to harden them off because they've already been living outside. So later in April I began transplanting them into the garden and the seedlings looked great but then this happened....

to be continued....

Thistles, some evil, some tasty and some beneficial

I did some serious work in my yard yesterday and have more to go because two years ago I very stupidly ignored a thistle growing in the parkway of the lot next to us. I should have taken care of it even though it was on Proctor Endowment's Homes property because of course guess who's over run with thistles now!!!

In case you don't know the thistle intimately, here it is:

Scottish Thistle

Beautiful isn't it. I find it so anyway. But that's the flower. The rest of it. Well not so much. Because it's covered in spikes.

It's like a dandelion that's gone to the dark side.

And like Dandelions, you're in big trouble if the flowers get to this point.

Because then you'll have this...

My yard isn't that bad yet but seriously I have to go after them now or next year it could be and then my neighbors will really come for me. The guy's yard this came from died or I'd be pissed at him. So when they're about 3 feet high and spiky how am I to clear them. I have a system.

First I use my loppers and I cut them back to the ground and use the loppers to grab a hold of them and not cut again but fling them out of the way. If that doesn't work I have a pitchfork I pick the peices up with and put directly into trash can. Then I go after the root with a Mattock. What's a Mattock? It's like a pick-axe with a flat blade. I chop at it with both ends. I also use the Mattock to smash them down into the garbage can so I can put 20 or so of these monsters in there.



Chances are still good they will come back but I'll be watching and keep removing them which is called exhausting the perennial roots. You have to go back every 21 days or less and remove any top growth and it'll starve any roots left.

Yes. So let this be a lesson to all of you. Don't be fooled by this pretty flower. It's evil. Remove and destroy it as soon as possible.

And don't mistake your artichoke or milk thistle plants for a Scottish thistle either.

Here's an artichoke allowed to bloom instead of being harvested to eat.

Yum yum.

And this thistle will heal your liver. Milk Thistle.

LONG time no post! Sorry but we went to new EMR and then bought a building!

So I thought I'd do a little collage tonight of what I would love to do at the building. This would only be seen from the billing offices and employee lounge or from windows on main and upper floor if people looked down.

I wonder how much that would cost! About 150 Japanese Gold Forest Grass plants or Hakonechloa macra aureola. 50 Obsidian heucheras. 10 Hostas. And a whole lot of pine bark mulch. Problem is would that slope fill in enough and not get washed into the moat? I just don't like mowing it. 

What is looks like now:

Panoramic view. 

View from what will be employee lounge/break room. 

Another collage without the fancy letters. 

Bought the Wrong Mulch But I Was Distracted

Today I finally resolved to get outside and start working on my yard. It’s a disaster. A disaster of biblical proportions. It used to be nice. Church service this morning was all the choir program and I enjoyed it. Probably because the cantata contained many old hymns that I miss. After the service, I slipped out to where I parked in this little lot on the other side that I usually don’t park in but being close to Easter the lot is more crowded. I got in my car and posted a picture of the choir to Instagram in their pastels and thought what a beautiful day. I will go get mulch and get to the yard! I looked in my rear-view mirror and stopped. Something is wrong. Took me a second, why it’s a dog in a car that appears to be all closed. Crap! It’s a boxer mix. But he’s not panting. My car was warm when I got in but not terrible but what if the person that owns the car is staying for Sunday School? Then some people came out the side door and I thought whew here they are so I backed out and left but I realized when I was going down the road and looked back over they were getting into the car next to the one with the dog. Didn’t they see the dog too? Ok I’m getting my mulch and I’m coming back.

Obviously, I was in a hurry because I didn’t want the dog to die and I was not too happy with the owner either. I had planned on shopping slowly and perusing but I bought 4 bags of what I thought was pine bark mulch and headed out. I wouldn’t even let them load for it me as I knew I could do it faster. I drove back to church and pulled in right next to the car with the windows still closed and didn’t see the dog. I was so scared to look and see the dog lying in the car probably near dead. But no dog. Then I looked up and here comes the dog with his owner. Very happy to have been walking the trails. This older man, clearly is wondering why I was looking in his car. I said “Oh there you are!” to the dog. Who ran to me and I petted him or her. He slobbered me good. I said to the owner that I had to come back to make sure the dog wasn’t left in the car without any air since the windows were closed. The owner told me she loves to come with us and I walk her between services back on the trails. He says, “are you ready for your water?” and lets the dog back in gives it water but still doesn’t lower any windows.

I just got in my car and left. I looked at another person getting in her car with the license plate Lasse 1 or some number and thought you’re seeing this, too right? How can I sit in church now with that dog stuck out in a car without the windows even cracked? If this happens again next week somebody will be getting smashed windows for Easter. This person clearly loves his dog but if he doesn’t start cracking his windows I’m going to lose it. Could he honestly not know how hot it gets? His dog is a boxer mix to top it off so already disadvantaged in the breathing department. I wonder if I emailed the church office if someone would say something to this person?

When I got home I had lost some of my interest in working outside and felt compelled to work on my backlog of notes that haunt me. But I finally decided I had done quite a few and could take some time outside. I weeded my bed around the mailbox. Cleared the leaves I always pile around. Discovered the irises are probably in serious need of dividing and I have no clue but I know people that do! Went got a bag of mulch out of my car and opened it and oh phooey. Not the right mulch. I still had a bag of the mulch I like so I spread that first. But it didn’t cover the whole bed so I went ahead and used the wrong mulch. So now my bed has two mulches. I will probably take the rest of the mulch back and buy the right mulch. I’m also open to suggestions about the situation with the dog. How do you break the window if you need to?

Supermarket Park

Enjoyed some digging this morning in someone else's dirt! I'm trying to finish up this year's master gardener intern hours. I have about 10 hours left. So I went down for the clean up day and I was the only one there. Perfect. I really actually like the alone time. It was the perfect day for it too!!!

Before in background, and after in foreground. 

Whole long bed on side done!

New Idea for Backyard...Matrix Planting!

Get Year-Round Good Looks With Matrix Planting in Your Garden

The one with the allium globemasters or similar would be awesome. Wonder how this scheme works with dog poop!

Bill S. 1503 Illinois - Lyme and Tickborne Disease Act Approval: Voter's Voice!

Bill S. 1503 Illinois - Lyme and Tickborne Disease Act Approval: Voter's Voice!: If you or a loved one suffers from Lyme or  another Tick-borne Disease, We need your VOICE! From Lymedisease.org : Senators Kell...

Front side yard really filling in. Maybe too much!

Got a feeling I need to divide the perennials this coming fall or spring. It would be nice if the other side of the house was ready for planting then I'd have a place to put all the extras.