Happy New Year everyone!!
I will be soon starting to plan for the Spring Roundup so be sure to stay tuned for updates.
Finches at the feeder by the window.
January 2009
Thanks, Pepper. Good picture. We use to feed dozens of finches but now only a few come to our feeders. Same with all other birds.
Is this winter or what? Warm for a few days, then cold for a few before it warms up again. I wonder if I'll be outside in shorts & tank top watering plants on the 6th of this month as I have at least twice in recent winters.
GOD bless & keep each of you. May your year be filled with blessings and joy.
I prefer the warm then cold to the cold all of the time lol.
wecome kathy
here we go with a new year
now the holday are over mabe we can get back to normal
what ever that is lol
elle
Happy New Year to each and everyone of you.
Pepper, love the picture of the Finch. I swear I have the same pair come back every year to the same bird house and have their babies. I love hearing their chirps and "talk" to each other The neatest part is when we have had the oppurtunity to see the babies fly away, a little sad but we know they will be back again.
Backspace
Thank you for the warm welcome. I think normal is getting over whatever happened yesterday lol. Maybe that is only during the winter months. I have ashes to shovel so I am off. I look forward to getting to know you all.
Welcome Kathy and backspace!!
I think some of our finches return too. And all the other birds. They all know to come to the window when they are out of feed. And if my dad is out there they will raise a ruckus and fly back and forth from the feeders to the big cedar tree. It's really funny to watch them then.
My birds always come tell me when their feeder is empty. I find it funny that they consider me a food source but not as a friend. They keep their distance. In the summer I have even had hummers dive bomb me for food. They have actually sat on the back of my chair and waited. They are a little more courageous than the song birds.
Oh I know about those hummers!! They dive bomb us too!! They have come close to taking off our ears before.
Our birds are the same way. A food source but not a friend. It probably doesn't help that we try to keep the Blue Jay population down and the starlings. lol
hi all
we are waiting for spring here
elle
Thanks to all for such a warm welcoming. I get lots of birds as I am located with woods all around. I get some unwelcome critters too. The deer who love to eat my Hydrangeas, and the moles and voles. It can be a constant battle in the summer. Didn't use to be that way when I had my dog a few years ago. Oh well the joys of gardening...... Keeps me on my toes
We have a major problem with moles but it seems we have killed this year's crop so my dad doesn't have to go outside every morning stalking the yard with a shotgun in his hand. lol.
Deer don't really bother us and until a few weeks ago we never even saw tracks in our yard.
Hi Elle, waiting for spring here too. I want to get outside and plant my lilies as soon as they arrive.
We do have a trap but they are smart. They might hit it but they won't get trapped in there. I have been told they like Juicy Fruit gum and that will make it where they can't use their mouths but we haven't had luck with that. I've also been told rice will work too but I don't think it does.
So really, we haven't found any other method that works. They are smarter than us I guess. You could always just run over them when you see them on the roads. That's another good way if you can get them.
Garlic & castor beans are about all that have worked well for us. They hate the smell of both of them. We LOVE garlic so lots of it gets planted in and around flower & veggie beds. Castor bean plants are so lovely so we try to raise them too. Ground or "blended" c.beans worked into the soil works fairly well too.
I was using a granular product containing castor and garlic. a little pricey but it seemed to work for awhile. Only problem was when it would rain you would have to re-apply. I believe the product was a "bonide" product. I have shade gardens in the backyard coupled with some sun ,so growing garlic would not work for me. I have heard and even tried the Juicy fruit gum but only on vole holes not moles. Moles have raised tunnels and for me I don't see any openings in the hole. I have a friend at work who had the same problem in her yard and very early one morning she went out to her yard and saw the underground movement and caught the thing by spearing it with a pitchfork while it was underground. I am a little squimish about doing that. I agree they are very smart and fast.
Out of curiousity what kind of gardens does everyone grow here? Would love to hear about them. Looks like everyone here has a much longer and warmer season than I do.
I am originally from Davenport, IA. I have been here in MO since '82 and love the milder winters but my actual growing season is not any longer than it was in Dav. I can get cool season crops in earlier, like peas. It is not unusual to put in peas in late February. As far as things like tomato, corn and pepper I have to wait til mid May just like I did in IA. I bring tender perennials inside for winter and most of them have to wait til May to take outside also. I try to jump start the season by planting seed indoors and rooting cuttings to have plants ready for May. I spend a lot of April carrying plants outside in morning and back inside in evening. Doing that creates the illusion of longer growing season and gets me early tomatoes and blooms on flowers sooner. By the beginning of May I feel like a slave to my plants. I wonder if it is worth the work and then I get that first bite of a fresh ripe juicy red tomato that is bursting with flavor and I forget the work the same way a new mother forgets what labor felt like when she holds that new baby in her arms. I am once again in awe of how a seed that is just put into the ground and left to its own devices can produce something so wonderful! Own devices my eye! It was WORK! It was also worth it.
I miss growing vegetables. I do get alot of tomatoes though from my neighbor and mother. There is nothing like a garden tomato . I like to make bruschetta when I have an overload of them. I also love the fresh basil and cilantro too that is right out of the garden.
I grow 1-1/2 acres (backed up by woods) in my back yard of flower gardens. Alot of work but it is so rewarding. I also have a Koi pond that is 24 by 12 ft. I put that in 8 years ago. Alot to maintain there, but also rewarding. I would be lost if I didn't have my backyard retreat to get lost in. Always evolving. Good for the soul and lots of therapy.
I also would be lost without my green space. The pharmaceutical companies cannot create a pill that will relax a person like working around the plants. It does not matter how stressful the day or how tired I am, a couple of hours working in the garden and I am relaxed and refreshed.
If I were you, I would replace one of those blooming beauties with a tomato plant.
I'd love to but as I get from other suppliers of tomatoes I quess I'll keep it that way for now. I work part time at a nursery and I am always getting new plants to try out or new ideas for where I would put this plant or that plant. It's challenging and fun.
I am so jealous! I wish that I worked part time for a nursery. Shoot I just wish we had a nursery within driving distance. I live in the Ozarks and am out in the middle of nowhere. It is lovely. I am surrounded by woods. I love it until I wish I could go shopping for something new. If Walmart doesn't have it, I can't have it lol. I do a little shopping online but the shipping costs are prohibitve.
Wish I lived in the Ozarks. My family comes from a little town in Arkansas. When my boys were little my parents would take them to Arkansas for a few weeks amd they would almost all the time go to the ozarks to fish. Does the White river sound right? They loved that place and I have alot of pictures from there. That's where the dam is right? They'd rent a cottage and spend a few days there. I think they even had a guide tour one or two times. It is beautiful country there. So serene. I shy away from on line shopping too. I like to see what I am buying.
I would not want to live any place else. The area is still fresh and real, not concrete and full of people. I have 20 acres and most of it is still wild. I had a pond dug and stocked it with fish. You have to walk thru the woods to get to it. I love it. It is a great place to just sit and read. Eventually, deer will come to get a drink and you will see some wild turkey and great blue heron. The sounds that I hear are frogs and birds, not traffic and people. The downside is there are no jobs and very little money. I guess with no money, I do not need places to shop LOL. It all works out.
hi all
we do veg
goat,rabbit,chickern
we are try to make a living on our 20 a.
i hoping to retrier
one of{ thess} ? day.
elle
Sounds like a beautiful retreat you have ...... although the heron and I would not get along so well. I do battle with them every Spring and fall over my pond. They love to go fishing.
Yes, the heron do love to go fishing. My pond is small and does not attract a lot of them but I do have one that has been coming around for years. He is beautiful.
Backspace, I used to work at a garden too til late last year. I made it a little over 2 yrs before I was let go due to buget cuts and some other reasons. The girls in the greenhouses were always shoving plants on me. LOL. I really miss getting all those free plants. I'm hoping to try for seasonal work at a nursery this year but not sure if I will get on at one or not.
Kathy, this spring when we have the RU you must come, You will walk away with more plants than you know to do with. Plus I have something else planned that you might like too. I will have a thread for that started tonight so keep your eyes open.
Backspace, I hope you will be able to come too. The more the merrier!
I would love to attend an RU. I will watch for it and hope that it is possible.
Thanks for the info Pepper, Leaflady and Backspace...I'll try the garlic and the castor beans..now that the pumpkins are old enough to understand and respect potentially poisonous plants. I do like the foliage of the castor bean plant.
For gardens..I love cottage gardens and vegetable gardens in containers. With the pumpkins being older and more helpful...I plan to build a raised bed vegetable garden in Spring. The melons and strawberries, I will probably continue in containers since we have had great success in the past. I've fallen in love with the scent of oriental lillies , and with fragrant gardening...really...I love all things gardens and garden related.
Containers are great, unless something comes up and you have to leave for a few days. They dry out so quickly in the summer. I am going to try the water garden thing this year. It sounds like a real answer to some of my problems.
You're right Kathy about the containers, for vacations and weekend getaways...I hire my neighbor's preteen daughter, she is so conscientous and thorough. She is worth 100 times more than what she charges, so I always give her a generous tip. However, in the past, the vegetable containers served me well and were nice for my gardening bug without the sometimes intensive labor and concentration needed while supervising the pumpkins playing outside.
Ok, started the first thread for the RU. www.davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/939799/
I envy those of you who get to go to a RU. I have never been to one before. Sounds like fun.
Pepper I have been at the nursery for 10 yrs' now. I love it. I work in the retail division which only consist of plants. I deal with retailers and landscapers. It's pretty cool. I always hope that my customers learn a little piece of info from me that helps and it also works the other way.
Garden6 I love to cottage garden too. In fact my gardens mainly consist of the cottage effect, although I do have some formality with the hedges of boxwood that I plant on the sides of my walkways.
Kathy, water gardening is alot of fun. I have done it for some years now. Lotus are way cool and so are the tropical lily's. they come in so many pretty colors.
I will try to post some pictures soon for you to see.
It will be fun experimenting with new ideas. I am so glad that my daughter gave me a subscription to DG for my B'day in October. I have been using the site for a long tim to get info from the plant files. Can't help it. I think most of the google searches end up at DG plant files lol.
There is so much good information from DG'ers and so many ideas that are new to me. I am very much enjoying this gift that keeps on giving.
Kathy, that is great. This is really a cool site. I love it too. I have learned alot myself. I always like to look at pictures of gardens.
I like the pics but my slow dial up connection does not get along with it very well.
Kathy, I just got off dialup about a year ago. Now I'm on a satillite system that is not without it's own problems.
I'll be looking at the RU site soon now.
I hope to get in some volunteer time at Ppwell Gardens again this spring and summer. I've been doing that since about '98.
GOD bless and keep each of you.