Useful Gadgets

I sawed and sawed with a hand pole saw until I finally cut off a few branches. Then I bought the powered electric 8 amp pole saw. I cut many branches what would have took hours in only a few minutes. Money can buy the gadgets that can sure save time.

When buying a pole saw or any equipment go to the makers or company site before purchasing. Find out what is the most recent model. Don't go by last year's review or even the first of the year review. Buy the most recent model. The pole saw I bought had a a tilting blade replacing the stationary chain saw blade.

Look for deals. I bought a rain barrel for half the price of a new one. At the end of the year many stores want to get rid of their old stock.

This rain barrel drips underneath a cherry tree that would otherwise dry up and die. See the 25 foot hose coming from the barrel to the tree?

 I harvested one of my peppers. See how green it is. I grew it using a little potting soil. Sometimes great soil will give you a small harvest but green leaves and produce. This pepper pictured hurts my eyes being so green.

I received a birthday gift of a Yonana.

I bet there are more uses for it than bananas. I can't wait to explore. Thank you John, Lori, and Joey.

My Little Garden and Some Gardening Comments

I have two large Anaheim peppers. They look as green as their leaves. No moles yet. I simply planted a pepper plant in a bucket size hole and layered hay around another inner hole filled with the best soil possible. I used a post hole digger to make the bucket size hole. I also used a PVC pipe as a guide for my inner planting hole as I layered the hay and soil around the pipe. I then removed the pipe and planted in the inner hole.

I grew some tomato plants that way also. See my pear tomatoes?

My bucket pool garden is getting some growth.

Here is the top view.

This watermelon plant is growing in a holey bucket.  One inch hole on the bottom and around the bucket. Roots can extend though the holes but the core of the plant is protected in the bucket from moles.

Mulching with hay is easy especially if you use pieces of weed barrier material. By using large quantities of hay it kills weeds and grasses. I also use weed barrier due to my mulching is not too thick.

Tell this spot in my yard that hay promotes weed growth. Give us all a good laugh. The seeds become unviable due to heat and the spoilage factor. Seeds do not like decay.

I turned this crabgrass yard to  red clover. With a little scything I will be able to make some quality hay.

Hay Garden Dressing

First  Garden of Four Plants.

Pool Garden with Dressing of Hay

Newest Watermelon Plant

Are you a Garden Griper? Look at My Pool

People are always griping about not being able to grow a garden. I can't grow....Too many rocks....bad soil....bad climate....too many bugs...I wish they were "can do" gardeners but some are not. They always find reasons not to do something instead of solutions in how they can do it.

As you see from my photos, my pool garden is complete. Sure I will find better ways of doing things but for this year my two small gardens are complete. I'm too busy this year to grow a huge garden so this garden will have to suffice. Let's see I have three pepper plants and four tomato plants. OH YEAH! I am also planning on growing watermelons. I hope to think up a new and exciting method in growing a few melons. See you later...

Pool Technique (It is Done)

Get the best soil you have and add it to your bucket with layers of hay. I have only two layers of hay in my bucket. When you are done adding your transplant you will have two feet of soil depth. If you like you can make a fence around your pool with plastic netting or a fruit net by using four fence post.

I am going to stake down my buckets in case an animal decides to knock one over in order to eat my soil. For some reason wild animals like to eat rich potting soil.

Add a few more bucket crops to your pool and then sit back and watch them grow.

PS: The bucket I used was already cut. I plan to do things differently. I'll show you late....take care.

Bring Out the Pool

The combination of using a pool and buckets is a great one. The buckets should have no bottom. I use a table saw to cut the bottom out of my buckets. It basically becomes a tube.

I prepare the pool by using a hot pipe for a poker and making five holes at the bottom of pool for drainage. I try to stay away from the edges when making holes in my pool. I used a 1/2" pipe heated by a torch and applied to the bottom of the pool.

The next step is to cover the holes with landscaping fabric.  Why not leave the holes? Answer: BUGS I do not want bugs crawling into my pool and living near the roots of my plants. The bugs I have seen are sow bugs, ants and termites.

The next step is to layer the pool with spoiled hay and soil. I used two layers of hay. I have plenty after scything my yard.

For soil I used cheap bags of soil/manure. It is about three dollars a bag. I also add any old buckets of soil from last year plantings.

These are the buckets that I emptied in which I am going to cut the bottoms out. That is basically it for the pool. The next step is using the buckets and placing them on top of the pool. The transplants will grow in the bucket and extend their roots into the pool.

Why all the fuss. Where I live I cannot take the chance that some ground critter will destroy my small garden. By using the pool I insure the hope that I will have some produce.

So far my garden without a pool is doing well, but for how long?

Can you see my first pepper?

This year I used my Halloween candy containers for growing lettuce. Take a look:

This lettuce was a test. I first started the seeds in a zip lock bag on a paper towel. They sprouted in days. I used the sprouts about a month later. The sprouts were overgrown but still worked. I left the sprouts on the paper towel and then ripped the sheet in half and planted each half in these containers.

Lettuce is hard to grow in containers. They are hard to come up and dry out very easily. I solved the solution to all my problems. By leaving the sprouts on the paper towel the towel keeps the sprouts wetter than without it. You simply bury the paper towel with sprouts and watch them grow.

Continue to view my posts. My next post will continue with my pool garden with my transplants. Take care....Larry

Brainstorming: I thought of a better way to make a hole at the bottom of my buckets than by saw. I am going to use my heated pipe and make holes in a circular pattern at the bottom of the bucket. It will still give me a huge hole at the bottom of my bucket and yet the bucket will remain more solid. I'll show you later by picture.

Moles and Hay

One mole can wipe out a garden. Here in Missouri we do have them. Look at my little garden of two tomatoes and two pepper plants, they could be wiped out by one mole if he decides to dig near their roots.

Notice the net (fruit net) over my plants I use in order to protect them from vermin like possums, raccoons, and armadillos. But what about the moles? I'm tried of trapping and killing them. Is there a better way. In California there are gophers.  Talk about a nuisance.

This year I am going to try the swimming pool technique. Stay tuned. I am going to show pictures of my pool garden.   I am going to do it this week with my new transplants.

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I'm getting my place ready to sell. I don't need forty two acres. I'm not a farmer or a rancher. All I want is a small place where I can grow what I need to eat. Perhaps five acres is enough. The new place that I buy must have clover and grass. If it doesn't, I'll grow it. I don't need a yard to mow, I need clover and grass to scythe.

Look at all this hay from a small portion of ground.

It looks like I mowed the grass. People do cut their grass by scything alone. I plan on being one of them.

Hay is the backbone to all my gardening techniques. You can use it in buckets, swimming pools (gardens), in ditches, or grow in it. It is great for all your gardening needs. I like to store my hay in bales. Bales heat up and makes the weed seed unviable.

Stay tuned for my pool garden. I'm buying some soil today. I am going to have me some fun.

Walls That Bring Back The Kid In You.

Does your special room lack color and luster? Add a little color with toys and posters.

No one can call you an immature toddler if you don't open the packages. The toys are around you but never in your hands. Now where did I leave my hot wheels?  It's rolling around here somewhere.

A Lunch Box I Really Like

I'm tired of my soft, plastic lined lunch box. It looks grungy after a little use.  

I got a small ammo box for Christmas. It makes a real nice lunch box.

It was a special ZOMBIE design. I added some more stickers. 

I like the way the lid snaps shut and it is small enough to fit into a fridge at work. Thank you Susan for my special lunch box gift.

Stainless Sink Cleaner That Works

My sink looks horrendous. I can't believe how bad it looks. I'm not going to spend hours trying to clean it up with cleanser. I'm going to use toilet bowl cleaner. It really works on an old stainless steel sink. A little cleaner with a scotch pad is all it takes.