6/2/2014
Yes, I have to admit it; I am a Facebook junkie. Not a stalker. Let me be very clear on that part. I am an equal opportunity Liker/Sharer of fun, interesting and possibly never able to be accomplished, cool gardening and landscaping ideas. It is just so easy to “like” something and then post it to my own FB page with a “for later” or “cool idea” or more than likely “need this.” Heaven help me if I ever really get going on Pinterest.
However, I have come to the conclusion to get any of these cool ideas initiated, built or otherwise established in my yard, I am going to have to lay off Facebook and get going with the actual starting of the projects. To that end, here are my top three “too cool” projects I want to accomplish before fall.
Potato Box
The caption reads “How to grow 100 lbs of potatoes in four square feet.” Love it; sign me up. Oh wait. I have to build it from instructions? Oh boy. But I really want it. Colleague at work suggested using old pallets for this project as the dimensions would work. We also have leftover wood from the parents’ house project. The premise is to keep building the box around your potato plants and add soil as the plants get taller. With each addition of soil, the plants will grow more potatoes on that level. You harvest from the bottom.
Get your potato slips together and plot out where your 4-foot-square box will be in the garden. Potatoes like sun but can tolerate afternoon shade, so keep that in mind as you scout out your location. Once you decide where to put the box, assemble your supplies of untreated wood either from existing stock, old pallets or purchased wood for the project. The online instructions gives you all the details including size of wood needed, nails, screws and exactly how to construct the box.
Make Your Own Plant Fertilizer
When I clicked on this link, I was hoping it was all about compost tea (which I do pretty frequently) and I could say “Yay, I am already doing this!” Well, it was compost tea and many more fertilizer recipes including manure tea, Epsom salt fertilizer and even fish tank water as fertilizer. Great ideas; not too much work. Sounds like a plan.
Once again, I would like to mention the website www.gardeningknowhow.com as a great reference tool. They post gardening info on Facebook and send out a good newsletter not too frequently, so it doesn’t bog down your mailbox.
And last, but not least:
The Garden Journal
When I first started writing these articles, I did keep a journal. I recorded what worked where in the garden; if seeds germinated and when; when it rained and how much rain water I managed to use before the next rain, etc. This last year, I haven’t kept up a journal and sometimes I struggle for things to write about as the memory is not what it used to be. Keeping a garden journal will aid the gardener (including me) in plotting next year’s plantings and harvest; what grew best where; what did not grow anywhere and what was attacked and which attacks were successfully thwarted with what. (Yes, that last sentence may only make sense to a few of you, but I am sticking by it.)
Next time you are at Brace Books or office supply store, grab a cute notebook and attach a pen to it and start writing. Take a few minutes once or twice a week to jot some notes on your garden, be it flower or vegetable, and start recording your successes as well as your failures. You will find you learn more from the failures, but the successes make you willing to try something new next year. Like sowing wildflower seeds where the cannas were supposed to be because, sniff, they are not coming up this year. But the wildflowers and buckwheat are coming up all over the place and the bees are buzzing.
Here’s to trying something new and Happy Gardening.
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Online:
Potato box Instructions: http://bit.ly/1kgTpxq
Garden fertilizer recipes: http://bit.ly/1nW47cD
www.gardeningknowhow.com
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