Ok, that part was written this morning while I was eating breakfast. I admit I hadn't been outside, only looked out my window. What I got was not frost, but instead was frozen hail. It was in sheets on our cars. Still not good for plants, but not precisely a frost.
While I was at work I had a little blog panic. I got an email from wordpress saying my password and login had been changed. Funny since I NEVER access my blog from work. I may talk gardening to the interested parties there, but never give them a chance to say I'm mis-using company property.
Needless to say after talking to my wife and finding out I was no longer logged in at home and she couldn't log me back in, I was stressed. But it wasn't ALL I could think of on the bus ride home. I was thinking how beautiful the day was. It was partially sunny and in the mid 40s... balmy really hehe. I was also thinking that only half my front yard was mowed. Part of having a garden is keeping up the rest of your yard work. Something my allergies and I do not agree on.
So knowing that my wife had a class tonight, I raced home changed clothes and ran out to mow. I got 20 feet and ran out of gas. Filled up, got going and found that the grass wasn't any easier to mow than before the snow. Every 15-20 feet I had to stop and unload the bag because it jammed. I got less than half of it done when my wife informed me she was late so I had to come in and watch/feed the kids. Eek, the yard looked even worse with an island of tall grass on half my yard. So while I was making dinner I called my brother. YAY! He's just down the street watching my niece at Tae Kwon Do. He'll come right over to watch the kids eat. Back out I go. It takes another half hour and it starts sprinkling but I finished! WHEW.
Two completely full yard waste containers, one for each half of my yard. I'm not supposed to have two out but maybe they'll make a first spring exception. Now you can see just how much grass I go through. At least one of these gets filled every other week during the season. If I had a compost bin for all my grass, I'd have to have it be half the size of my back yard! I'm still wondering about that.
A co-worker's father told me to do cold composting with my grass clippings. Just put them in a bin and mix them up every week or two and in a year I'd have great compost. hehe That's where he suggested I plant my potatoes, in the bottom of the compost bin. I didn't have the heart to tell him I've already got the perfect system set up.
Oh, and my manic from this afternoon was for not. Judy was just updating my blog at my request. I kinda figured it was her, but I wasn't sure. Can't wait to try out all the new functionality. Hope you benefit from it as well.
Lastly, when my brother was leaving, I gave him the quick tour. He was impressed by my hoop covers and how well my garden was fairing. He has been reading on companion planting so I'll send him my two links... Country Brook Farms companion planting site and Wikipedia's Companion Planting entry He's still trying to figure out how to get more out of his 80 SF when 32 SF is used up for garlic and 32 is still covered by an overwinter crop (the last 16 SF is herbs). He's hoping to interplant onions between the garlic. I should think that's ok since their both Alliums. /shrug. I keep telling him to expand and build more boxes. He's got an entire side yard that would be perfect. My guess is he doesn't want to have it out in the open. I can't blame him, it is a concern of mine too. Though I must say, it looks amazing in everyone else's yard (including Toasty's and my neighbor down the street).
Happy gardening all!
Why not leave your grass clippings on the lawn (using a mulching mower)? Its much better for the health of the yard.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think you should look into composting, there's nothing better than free fertilizer and dirt and it's a lot better than being sent off to being turned into "city compost" ugh. ;-p
ReplyDeleteHAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!