home again

today while prepping dinner, i heard a familiar call. when i looked outside, i could see that the wren who called our birdhhouse home last summer had returned.  he was busy filling it with sticks from the garden and every now and then, he would sit on top and call out to a perspective mate.  this year, i hope he has better luck, the nest was unused last year. the funny thing is, we never cleaned out the house, but it was empty.  we did see other birds scoping it out so maybe they cleaned it for the wren.  in the background, you can see the beginnings of all of our cooking and salad greens.  there are 14 different kinds, i can't wait to pick some!

oh so fruity

elberta peach with a bumper crop

last years late frost caused our little tree to drop all of it's fruit.  we were so disappointed, we had visions of eating them, even if there weren't very many we had plans!  the year before, the little tree had a single peach that a squirrel stole before we could enjoy it.  this year's crop will be well guarded, the squirrels are hereby put on notice, watch out!  a lack of fruit last summer gave the little tree time to nearly double in size and as a result, the crop is larger and we hope it will be successful.  

arkansas black apple with blossoms

this is the first year that the apple trees had blossoms, and only the granny smith and the arkansas black bloomed.  hopefully, they were able to cross pollinate each other and we will see some apples this fall.  we are having a problem with catapillars munching on the leaves but we are treating them with neem oil and hoping for some relief, otherwise, we may be seeking help.  keep your fingers crossed, we hope to be picking fruit this year!

rain dance

on april 17, i attended a rain barrel workshop sponsored by cool moms care and the cumberland river compact.  it was $25 which seems like a lot for a 45 minute mini class but the price of the class included a rain barrel.  now if you have ever tried to buy one, you will understand completely why i couldn't sign up fast enough for that class!!!  i have seen them priced for $100 and up.  the added bonus here, these are used soda barrels from coca cola so not only did i get a cheap rain barrel, i also helped keep a large amount of plastic from going to a land fill or a recycling center.  the woman who gave the class explained to us that it is really harmful to streams and rivers if they get run off from our yards.  many people use chemicals in their landscapes that are poisonous.  then there all of the harmful chemicals that autos require such as oil, gasoline and anti-freeze that can also end up in the waterways.  to make a long story short, it is best for rain to stay close to where it falls, it allows the local water tables to refill and it eliminates some pollution from entering the waterways.  after the class, i managed to cram the barrel in the car and bring it home, then once again i had to be patient and wait for rain.  it was amazing how fast it filled up, literally in minutes during the first real down pour.  so now, we have it attached to a soaker hose and one flower bed is set.  we need more barrels!!!

check out the website, all of you nashvillians, the readymade barrels are available for delivery.

cumberlandrivercompact.org

blink and you'll miss it

it's amazing how all of a sudden, spring has sprung.  it's all over the garden.  the daffodils and tulips are a memory and all that is left is the greenery.  right now, the peonies and iris are in bloom.  this year, we have our first iris blooms, beautiful white flowers with a hint of purple. we planted them two years ago and this is the first season they bloomed, they have also spread so next year, we should have many blooms!  i generally do not think of myself of patient, but is amazing how a garden can teach you to wait.  last year, we lost a lot to a late spring freeze and then it was the drought so we have been waiting a long time to see our garden in spring.

lasagna garden, first attempt...

lasagna gardening gets it's name from all of the layers that you make as you build the bed.  the number of layers depends on how deep you want the bed to be and the general rule of thumb is to use 4 parts "brown" material to 1 part "green".  the layers can be almost anything; leaves, grass clippings, straw, compost, pine needles, the list goes on.  remember that if you use manure, it should be composted or if it is not, place it under the paper layer to prevent wed growth and as always, manure is considered a "green" product.  Patricia Lanza gave this information to all who attended the first annual lunch and lecture series of the Davidson County Master Gardeners Association on April 19, 2008 in Nashville but it is available in her books on the subject

first step

soak sections of newspaper in a bucket of wayer and lay them down over the entire area that will become the bed.  this will kill any turf/weeds and prevent weed growth.

step 2

completely cover the paper with your first layer,  at least 1 inch thick when compacted.  to do this, we used fresh cut grass.  water with a mister or a spray nozzle and make sure that it is about as wet as a squeezed out sponge.

step 3

add the next layer, we used dead leaves that were aging in our leaf mold pile.  again, spread them out to a 1 inch thickness (when compacted) and be sure to completely cover the previous layer and then wet it as you did in the last layer.

step 4

for our next layer, we raked up some old grass clippings (using the term "grass" loosely here)

from our so called lawn and added them on top of the leaf layer.  repeat the process of covering and watering completely.

step 5

for our final layer, we used compost from one of our piles in the back yard.  since we were a little limited in what we could use, we made our layers a little thicker to compensate.  be sure to follow the pattern and to water.  make as many layers as you need, the height of the plants will determine the depth of the bed and if you are going to put in seeds, be sure to make it deep enough to accomodate the roots that will form.

step 6

dig a hole by using your hands or a trowel to gently move enough material that is about 1 inch deeper than the plants root ball.

final step

place plant in the hole and cover with the materials that you moved when making the hole.

top it all off with a layer of mulch, any kind and water it.

just the facts...

darry and I purchased our first home in 2003.  when we moved in, the yard looked awful.  the previous owner, also the original owner, landscaped the yard so that he would not have to work in it.  in otherwords, lots of gravel beds and plastic flowers as well as bushes that threatened to take over.  very little was done to make it look nice and we had our work cut out for us.  we quickly decided to add flower beds, an herb bed and a large vegetable garden.  unfortunately, i do not have any "before" photos to share, only things in progress now.  this past winter, we enrolled in the davidson county master gardeners program.  it is 16 classes that prepare you for gardening and landscaping on a better than amatuer level.  the program also requires volunteering as well as continuing education.  we attend any lectures we can, mostly done at association meetings and they are short and to the point.  last week end we attended a lecture on lasagna gardening and it was entertaining as well as informative.  fresh from the memories of the lecture, we decided to give it a go in a small bed just to see if it will really work.