Creating Swales

Saturday found us melting in 101 degree heat in my neck of the woods.  However, my "stacked function" beds were holding their own and keeping the plants alive and well.

Two of my young men sons were home Saturday, so I took the opportunity to...bribe them.  Chicken Fried Steak breakfast at the local truck stop for unloading a pick up load of pea gravel and hauling it to my trenches.  In an unbelievably short amount of time, pea gravel was in its rightful place!

Next, I added some straw, saw dust and bark to the trenches.  Finally, some topsoil and mulch that they also helped me haul in.

Ironically, we had a rare downpour that night.  In the wee morning hours, I am staring out the windows and doors trying to catch a glimpse of the water pattern in the lightening bursts.  Thankful for the precious water and the extra motivation to create new swales from the down spouts.

Some fun resources for Building Swales:

University of Nebraska Extension

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1547

Sharing Gardening with Kids

Our youth committee hosted a gardening activity for the kids today.  Younger kids came to engage in activities around gardening while the Moms and Dads learned just as much I think!

My activities was on compost, vermicompost and starting a seed in a necklace greenhouse.  

When kids came to my table, I showed them baggies filled with different compost types.  I had a printed out process of decomposition and the layers in a compost bin laying around for their information.

One bag of browns with pine-cones, leaves, bark and even a few small sticks.  A bag of greens that contained cabbage, celery and cucumbers nicely beginning the fermentation process!  What is compost without manure and horse apples were in a baggie for inspection.  Crushed eggs, water beads and nicely composted soil were the final bags. 

The baggies offered a great way to show the layering of compost-and I didn't even mean to!

 I had some worms in an aquarium for them to see.  Some of the last kids through made their own compost bin out of a brown bag, worms and all of the layers.  Many little ones had never really watched a worm move and wonder about their make up.  They touched, played with and even ticked the worms! 

Whoever we are and whatever we do, I see it as all of our responsibility to pass on a passion for all things living.  To teach old skills to young minds and to stir up a curiosity within everyone!

Pruning Grasses

Spring might be here to stay.  One never knows in Nebraska!  However, baby Kale plants are growing in beds.

Karl forester grass got its spring hair cut this morning!!!  This grass needs to be left alone through the fall and winter to protect the roots from the winter and provide housing for bugs, birds and critters.  I added some decomposed leaves and will add some manure and watch this beautiful grass grow!




My favorite grass is little and big bluestem that used to fill the plains!  Spring, when new growth is beginning to show is the time to prune and transplant.

Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash

Little bluestem

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonyms: Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium, Andropogon scoparius

 Native to U.S. 

 http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SCSC

 

Prayer Garden

My friend just lost her twenty year old daughter in a car wreck.  Our hearts are collectively broken in our community.  I've babysat her gardens before and she loves her flowers, wildflowers and gardens.  I have put out the word and am collecting money for a gift certificate at a local nursery and just ordered a butterfly bush.

I'm so thankful that she has this activity and her "therapy" in place.

A reminder to me that our gardens provide food, shelter for the birds, beauty as well as a place to meditate, pray and to heal.

May your garden be a living and powerful object lesson to the growing and the beauty in our own lives.

Signs of Life

Friday and Saturday we were blessed with 14 inches of high moisture snow!!!!!  Today, Thursday, it is almost completely gone.  What a blessing to our very dried out thirsty sandy soil.   

Today is 70 degrees and full of sunshine!  As I walked the edges of my yard, I noticed stems of yarrow, lillies, iris and sedum plants and feel new energy begin to move through my veins.

The sparrows, doves sand robins are loudly and actively creating homes and families.

Soon I will begin a few seeds.  Good Friday brings potato planting.  And this year will be the planting of carrots and lettuces in a raised bed with a cover.

This is why I garden! 

How about you?

All About Peas... Pisum sativum

Last year, my family loved grabbing a sweet snap pea off the vine in the containers with the flowers on the front porch or growing with the butterfly bush in the back.  

In fact, they never did get brought in the house in any real quantity even though I planted two small crops.    This year, I want to learn more about the snap pea and to try more varieties.

This year's selection are coming from Territorial Seed.

Sugar Sprint

Sugar Ann

Super Sugar Snap

Dakota Shelling Peas

Last year I allowed the peas to grow up structures within my flowers and garden.  My goal is to find more creative ways to integrate the peas on the edges of my garden!   

In doing so, I'm thinking about where I can put them where we can grab and enjoy.  

Where will they find lots of support and yet be easy to reach.  

Will the peas begin my journey to expanding my garden?  What did I learn last year that worked and did not work?

For example, they loved growing with the different squash plants but were not so thrilled with the tomatoes.  They enjoyed having shade and lots of mulch!

For example, can I let the peas run up the grape vines on my back fence?  Where can I grow them along the back of my shed?  Would they work along my garage?

Territorial magazine includes great detail on the culture, disease and seed specs for every variety.  "A cool-season crop, peas will grow in a variety of soils provided the soil is well drained, in full sun, and contains a sufficient amount of organic matter to all for good moisture retention."

Making Beds (For my Worms)

Excitement for my day was two new books in my mailbox.  Books to read and beds to create!   

The cardboard shipping material and a pair of scissors gives me strips of cardboard to add to the bedding supply for worm bins!  Newspaper and cardboard strips will make the perfect mattress for these working wigglers.   

Plain cardboard and plain old newspaper (without the shiny pages) cut into four inch cubes and shredded strips.

 Egg cartons ready to line the bottom of an old aquarium for my children church's worm bin tomorrow as part of the "Fruit of the Spirit," theme.   Waiting for worms to come with the mail and save them from the frigid temperatures.

My goal?  To begin a new industrial revolution!  

Small worm bins sent home with families to create piles of good worm poo and gardens galore.