the little wild kingdom

[flowerbug]

@Mini Horses, thanks for the comments (replies below pics)...

i just put some new pics up yesterday on the website of that new project i'm into for clearing up what i can get done before full time gardening season gets here:


the long views and closer up pics of the current project, more words at:

NE_Garden | Anthive

Learning by doing...

www.anthive.com

you wrote:

"Huge difference!! That took a lot of work.

Is the area behind the smiley face fence yours? I like the smileys.

While I like the background and the beans, possibly together it distracts from the lovely beans? But the colors are all showing beautifully. Very clear. Nice."

yes, it has been a lot of work but it is coming along and looking better each time i can get back there to work at it more. feels so nice just to have that huge mess out of the way that was there before and becoming such a hazard (all those rotting pallets) and additionally it was a big critter hiding place and habitat. with that removed we have much less trouble with groundhogs and also rabbits and chipmunks. it is very hard to get Mom to think of things in the longer term and how easy or hard they are to keep up, but as she gets older she's finally coming around to understanding my suggestions better. *whew!* i'm getting older too! haha...

the smileys were my adaptation of the fabric strips i first put up and Mom commented that they were just not that good looking so i went back out and put up a single smiley face and she liked it enough that i went back and did more. the overall problem is that without those up the deer didn't see the fence and tried to run through it and made quite a mess. the land goes a little ways past the large irrigation ditch (there are a lot of details about drainage, layout, etc. on the website www.anthive.com), but we really don't have a huge lot here only 200x400ft (1.84acres). i've always wanted more but just could never afford land enough to have a small farm.

the bean pictures are put on hold for the season, i just don't have the patience for doing the entire project now, but as i get bad weather days and inclination/inspiration i'm still trying out some programs for working with the picture files i am taking and i have to set up the proper work-flow for adjusting some exposure differences and white balance so i can get the consistency i want with these pictures. since it is all new stuff to me it is taking some time just to learn the terminology let alone the camera and then the software.

it really helped that i could finally get my monitor properly calibrated (even if it isn't a top of the line monitor it is doing ok for now) so i could see actual differences between some colors here at my end of things. i wasn't sure the camera was even getting decent pictures until i could finally see them better on my own monitor. longer term i do want a better and bigger monitor (age coming on where bigger will be better ) that does colors and contrasts with more accuracy. it's kinda amazing that i can get what i have with the cheapo $200 monitor i have, but to do better at the wider range it's a step up quite a bit and technology changes quickly too.

the fact that i can finally get a picture without so much bright shiny reflections was the step i needed to see done before i could get on to the next steps. i'm a very task oriented person (i worked with computers for many years so i have that sort of persistence and nit-pickyness built into every project if it can keep me busy enough to engage my mind long enough to stick with it). i like the color background but i do have to find something different. the white background doesn't work for me at all something tan and perhaps burlap may be hokeyish but it might be ok. next time i get out with Mom to the store i should just see if there are some quilting squares i can tolerate... we'll see... i have time to think more about this...

 

[flowerbug]

made it back to the flower patch, but won't be out there today or probably until Thursday to make more progress. the weather is getting colder and the wind is up today along with a bit of rain, so i'm taking a break. Tues, rain/snow/cruddy/cold, ok no problem. Wed, probably will need to mow the grass...

good day for a nap.

 

[flowerbug]

some rains have come through at last, planted some peas a few days ago. still chances of frost yet, but less and less so we're finally getting closer to warm weather crops at last.

trying to get one project finished before full on planting season gets here.

 

[flowerbug]

hopefully the last frosts are done.

peas sprouted and are growing, planted another row this morning and then put in some beans as the first planting. we'll see how they turn out or if they even grow, the seeds weren't that great of condition. i may have to rummage around and find some more of those. i'm pretty sure i have some.

project work is coming along. cold weather and windy and too many chances of rain but not much actual rain happened. just to be able to dig i had to get out and water the area and it is still rather dry underneath the ground. not completely dry, but very dry for this time of the year. maybe i can finish it up by the end of this week of the rains and weather will cooperate enough. no promises there to anyone for sure...

not too much else going on here. which is just fine with me. been able to catch up on some reading.

 

[flowerbug]

[pictures from last week. have been weeding this entire garden this week before all the weeds can drop seeds.]

in the North Garden the sandwort is starting to bloom. i like to try different things and to see what plants might work together in combination. while i was walking by this morning the light wasn't too bad so i tried to get a few pictures of how it looks. this corner has always been a difficult spot.

the thyme is almost filling it in (at last). the sandwort gets weeds around and underneath it when it grows alone so with the thyme filling in around it there is much less weeds showing up (not there aren't any at all but fewer is better).

the other plant in there that is just about to bloom is a small dianthus called Flashing Lights. which is what the entire garden was planted with a long time ago (link below to that), once it flowers it provides a nice contrast to the white flowers of the sandwort.

North Garden | Anthive

If I only had a fence...

www.anthive.com

Red Patch | Anthive

My first major garden here for a while...

www.anthive.com

 

[flowerbug]

the large drainage ditch out back normally flows fairly well through the spring and then gets to lower flow rates during the hotter parts of the summer, but i've never seen it actually go completely dry.

this year with so little spring rains the flow rate has fallen below 1 cfs, but now some rains have finally returned (just in time to give the farmers some well needed moisture to get their seeds started).

if there were two of me this would have been a great time to get back there in that ditch and do some erosion repair work, but i can't be in three places at once.

 

[flowerbug]

gardens inside the fence are all planted, i have two large gardens outside the fence that need to be planted with beans. not much rains and a back injury are putting me on a slower speed setting than usual, plus strawberries are coming in and need picking and the strawberry patch also needs weeding. so doing some of that yesterday and then running errands. this morning also taking a break and perhaps won't be back to planting until tomorrow or Friday. would be very nice to have it all done but also need to do some watering and yes, weeding too. just the crazy time of the year.

a lot of beanie babies coming up so that's always good to see, melons and squash starting to sprout, tomatoes and onions starting to grow after being transplanted, etc.

hard to believe that in 11 days it's the longest day of summer already. i would like this time of the year to last a good six months more at least. just without the heat and regularly spaced rains.

it's been so dry here that the grass is already turning brown. normally that can happen later in the summer. the few rains we've had didn't get the flow of the big ditch out back up at all. i wish i could get back there and get some work done while it's this low. no chance. none at all...

 

[flowerbug]

finished planting beans in the last of the major gardens the other day:

i didn't quite get it all done in time so the back part is still needing some work. i can finish that up this summer or fall... no rush now for sure.

all that is left now to plant are some annual flowers and then we're on to regular season mowing, weeding, watering, and whatever projects i can squeeze in. there's always plenty to do.

strawberries are about 3/4 done already. chipmunks and birdies are getting their fare share. i'm leaving some extra for the chipmunks hoping to decoy them from eating the edamame soybean sprouts and hoping the groundhogs don't get in there for a few more weeks. sometimes never really know what is going to happen out there and most of the time i'm ok with that. i do understand that gardening is never 100% guaranteed - that is why diversity in plantings is so important.

we had been going through a rather long hot and dry spell, but the past four days we've had rains and that is great as it means i get a break from having to water. still even with all these rains if i dig down a foot the ground is still dry. if it's clay it's rock hard. the best news of all is that the temperatures have moderated so it's not so beastly hot out there for a few days.

i have more pics but haven't gotten around to uploading them yet. i took most of yesterday off for napping (or trying to nap as it turned out) and giving my back a rest. today is mowing and weeding day.

 

[JanetMarie]

I like all of the rocks and gravel. Looks clean. I put gravel on a small area a few years ago, but didn't do it right and things are growing up. I knew it wasn't done right at the time, but I just wanted to cover up all of the mint. Still looks better than it did.

 

[flowerbug]

I like all of the rocks and gravel. Looks clean. I put gravel on a small area a few years ago, but didn't do it right and things are growing up. I knew it wasn't done right at the time, but I just wanted to cover up all of the mint. Still looks better than it did.

yes, it needs to have a good edge to keep the weeds and dirt coming in from the sides if it is below grade. water (and with it dirt and weed seeds) flows downhill. i've got a design in my head for a weed free pathway but it would cost so much that it wouldn't be something most people would ever do.

based upon what i've done with the rinsed crushed limestone you can get nearly weed free if you have a very good barrier down below, control of the edges and put the limestone deeply enough that any weed seeds blow in won't germinate because they fall down in the gravel and then can't get enough light.

the only plants that have been able to drop seeds that will grow in the pathways are large seeds like morning glories (don't ever plant those on a fence next to a gravel pathway - i've been picking them out of the pathway as they sprout for the past 6 years and counting...).

it does look clean, i actually do not like it much at all because i would much prefer green things growing, but that's what was done from the start and when i came along to help i just have to cope with it.

after over 20yrs some areas of gravel now have so much dirt and other detritus in the gravel that weeds are easily growing in them. some areas i'll have to lift and screen the gravel out again if i really want to control the weeds easier. it's often been the case that i would rather just remove the small pathways and make bigger gardens because they are much easier to take care of and take less time than trying to keep a pathway up.