No Gardening Yet this Weekend

I'm going to head out and try to get a few gardening things done before dark. Then it's a couple days of rain and wind. Spent saturday raising money for the Fire Department and the community we support. I spent today chasing Ole Tommy Three Toes with a friend.

One down two to go.

2 Projects Finally Done

After receiving a call thursday at 10 p.m. that my brother would be stopping by to visit atleast overnight from friday to saturday and possibly longer I had all but gave up on finishing these projects this weekend. Well we had a good visit and he left by 9:30 a.m. saturday so they were back on. First up was picking up 2 yards of planting mix to fill my friends and my potato planter boxes. The dirt was picked up, we filled his boxes at his house and I hurried home to fill mine before returning for a best hot wings contest and a few Pliny The Elders at his place. After awaking this morning at 8 a.m. and shaking the late night cobwebs off I went out and cut the grass to the dirt and cleaned out the loose dirt from the trenches on my front walk redo. I fired up my son's Ford truck and headed to pick up a yard of bark. I used the sheet mulching technique of "Garden Punks" but used packing paper instead of landscape burlap. Many of my neighbors came over to look at it and said how great it was that I was repurposeing the packing paper. Little do they know I'm just, as my wife says, a cheap bastard. Free is always better. We now have no turf there just some artichokes and 2 Asian Pear trees. My next door neighbor has now been tasked by his wife to plant two Asian Pear trees and bark there walk to match. She's not sure if the artichokes are a good sidewalk type plant. She's going to wait and see how mine look later. The metamorphisis of my landscape from visual to edible continues.

Fence planters full and waiting for the potatoes to get good eyes.


The new edible "Walk Garden"

Truly Ugly Gardens

After reading the blog concerning people that do not use certain garden layouts or certain "approved" tomato cages I thought I'd share a few pictures of truly ugly gardens in my neighborhood. These are complete lots that could have a beautiful "ugly" garden but chose not to. Myself I'm stuck with a 800 square foot home on the back part of what was once a single parcel. I wish I had the complete through lot. I would have one giant garden.

No Gardening Saturday. A Little Fire Instead.

Got the chance to attend a structure fire training at a donated house in Auburn. After most teams have made 2-3 entries and put out fires in various rooms the structures are allowed to burn to the ground so the donator gets the benefit of hauling off less dunnage.

Can't Finish One Project? Start Another!

Today was the day to get the last three fence planters filled and ready for potatoes that are getting some good looking eyes. My friend had secured a very good deal per yard on some planting mix via his uncle's friend. He tried calling and could not get an answer so I decided to take my truck to the place since it said they were open on their web site. I arrived to a locked gate and a sign that says under new ownership. I guess my friend will have to pick it up tomorrow. After finding the place closed I headed to my friends anyway to steal some sand from him for my root vegetable bed. After a little BSing I was heading home when I decided to stop at a couple nurseries. The first one was not a big deal as their fruit trees were $24.00 each. I stopped at the second on in Penryn just to look and asked the gentleman about his Asian Pear stock. He had 2 varieties 20th Century amd Sheinko. He said it was the last of his bare root stock and I could have them for $12 each. I couldn't resist. A couple gas station ATM visits and I had cash in hand (the first one was broken). Returned and picked up the trees, got a little advice and was on my way to the Home Depot for Kellogg Tree Planting Mix. Once home I dug out the edge of the grass between curb and sidewalk. I then dug the holes for the two pear trees plus the three artichokes I'll buy tomorrow. The trees were put in the ground and the project was called until tomorrow. I'll pick up the artichokes tomorrow and plant them. Then I'm going tp sheet mulch (learned from Gardenpunks blog)the grass and bark next weekend. Thank God for the extra hour of sunlight to start getting all my other things done. After the tree planting I went and picked up a Pliny the Elder to celebrate Katie's progress, getting my pears planted and numb the pain that will exist in my legs and back after the digging.

Before Starting


Ready for artichokes, sheet mulching, and 2 yards of bark.


The lazy cat enjoys the sunlight.

A Forgotten Camera Found: Some more Greybeard and Duckin' Pics

I bought this camera to replace the Sony DSC I've had for years. Only took it on one hunt then forgot it in a drawer. I obviously need alot more shutter button time on it.
Miscellaneous shots of the Grey Beard










My oldest and soon to be Sac State draw on my wallet


A friends son Zach.







A beautiful Greenwing Teal drake that makes wonderful jalapeno cheese tealkabobs


The amazing garden pup Kikko getting some rest

WooooFreakinHooooo

Wow after only 2 days I have seedlings. Grey Zuchini and tomato seedlings already. These heat mats are the bomb. I'll put a grow light over them tomorrow and see how they do. This is the first time I've ever used a heat mat.

A Beautiful Day, Some Grass, and A Discovery

Today was a beautiful day to get out and get my carrots and radishes replanted. Unfortunately where I was going to get the sand to add to my root vegetable bed was locked up. Now I'll have to stop tomorrow after work . I got the steer manure picked up for the project though so tomorrow looks good for finishing. My plan of pruning back my Sycamore tree to allow more hours of sunlight to my fenceline has hit a big snag as I cannot find anywhere to rent a gas extendable pole pruner. All the rental stores are concerned with getting sued. I guess I'll be paying a tree trimmer to do it for me. I finally got the wheatgrass, my wife loves, back up to 8 trays so it's good to go.

I've had a hummingbird that returns to the pine tree in my front yard every year right after winter. I located it's nest earlier this week and got around to snapping a picture today.

This right here is the reason you don't feed stray animals. I felt sorry for this cat 6 years ago as she had been abandoned across the street. She roamed the neighborhood grabbing a bite to eat here or there. She did not have any hair from behind the front legs back due to fleas. I started feeding her and put some flea medicine on her and she hung around but atleast kept her rounds of the neighborhood up. Now that she is older she hardly leaves the porch and has accumulated quite the belly. Every morning the most gawd awful meows resonate from our porch until "Baldy" gets fed.


I've still got lemons if you want some Bill.

A Nice Weekend

This weekend I finally got around to getting my tomato seeds started. I guess better late than never. They should be fine as I'll be putting my tomatoes where my brocolli and cauliflower currently reside and they are taking their sweet time growing. Probably won't be coming out until mid-May so my late starts should be okay if they germinate. If not I guess I'll be visiting Capitol Nursery. This is the first time I have used a heat pad. Hopefully it greatly increases the successful seedlings. I have Grey Zucchini, and the following tomatoes in the tray; Black Krim, Abe Lincoln, Sudduth's Strain Brandywines, Cherokee Purple, Beefmaster, Giant Belgium, Sioux, Early Wonder, bar Willie, and Believe it or not.
I finally got the last two cheap planter boxes along the fence done and will fill them this week so they're ready for potatoes. These should last 5 years or so. At that time I'll replace them with 36 foot of the plastic manufactured decking type wood.