6/1/15

My Easy New Technique

My star pine was not doing so well in the house. It is about ten years old or older. I decided to give it some fresh air and get it out of the house for the summer. I used a post hole digger and made a circular hole and put a piece of flue pipe to guide the soil in the middle. I filled the hole around the pipe with hay and packed it in.  When I filled the pipe with soil I gradually removed it.

This is the easiest technique for growing in hay. You'll see me using it more and more. I plan on using it on my three melons. You'll be amazed how much hay is used in a bucket sized hole.

This is suppose to look like a melon plant. Do you get the idea? The hay or mulch encircles your growing medium. It is like a jelly filled doughnut with the good stuff in the middle. 

What our garden needs more of is mulch. We need to mulch and then mulch some more. Mulch around the plants and mulch on top of your mulch. 

This simple concept of growing in a bucket size hole will not replace growing in hay bales or straw bale. They have their place and their own special technique in using them. However, try using it and see fantastic results. 

Why did I temporarily plant my star pine in the ground the way I did? At the end of the summer, I am going to plant it in a bucket. I'll scoop it out with my bare hands. I'll reach down into the hay, and grab hold of all the roots and soil and transplant it in a bucket. The hay will act like a barrier so it doesn't anchor my tree to the ground. It will also help control moisture, especially when it gets hot.

Salad Pea

In one of my books I mentioned the salad pea vine. Cooks grow it in pots. The leaves and pods are edible. I grow it in my salad mound. I'm going to try to save the seed in order to share them. It is one great garden plant.

Here is a sample from my book, "Hay Bale Garden Habitat."

#82910 Seedling Pea

I added seedling pea plants to my salad mound and I’m glad I did. I got the seeds two years ago and finally tried growing them. It is called seedling pea and sold by Pinetree Garden Seeds. I put a sprig of the pea vine in my mouth and it tasted better than lettuce.

The description says that many restaurants have begun using these tasty pea leaves in salads. Not only are they very easy to grow but you can plant them in a container using regular potting soil. In about a month you can begin cutting the succulent leaves, 10 days later you will begin getting a few with blossoms, and 20 days after that some of the cuttings will include small snow pea pods. This is a branching variety so you can keep on cutting them for their delicious taste. They are useful in salads and in cooking.

My vines are beginning to grow pods. This is one plant I'll save the seeds. Save the seed from your favorite plants and you'll save yourself the trouble of trying to find it again at the stores.

Swallow Attack

The swallows made a mess on my windows. I had to get up on a ladder and clean the trim with soap and water. I finally used tree tanglefoot and place it in two places on the trim where they made the mess. I wonder if crisco (shortening) would work as well?

http://www.amazon.com/Tanglefoot-300000684-Tree-15-Tub/dp/B000BWY3AA

Goodnight! 

I mowed grass till 9 pm. It was a nice evening. The mosquitoes were not biting. If they were out, I would be inside. I don't like to be a toxic dump loaded with insect repellent so I do most of my work during day time hours.