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Another rain barrel installed at the Akdeniz Garden

I purchased another rain barrel for the Akdeniz (Thayer) Garden, this one being an upgrade from the 50 gallon capacity model I purchased last year.

With the dry conditions we've had over the last month, I've already gone through 50 gallons of rain barrel water this growing season in preventing my vegetable beds from getting too thirsty.

So adding to the *arsenal* if you will, I installed a more decorative 75 gallon model purchased from Sam's Club.  It didn't take long, about two hours, clearing the desired area; tamping the dirt down; putting in some sand and dry setting a few layers of brick for a foundation (this elevates the rain barrel up high enough to fit a bucket under the tap); cutting the gutter to fit.  I then installed the tap per the directions and that's it - a rain barrel to aid in watering the yard and garden. 

The total cost was $80, so this thing will pay for itself before the summer is done - provided we get enough rain of course.  My gut (and it's substantial) is telling me we're in for a dry summer.

The benefits of adding a rain barrel to your landscape are many.

• You get to water your garden using a free source (once you're recovered the cost of the barrel), you'll greatly reduce your water bill.
• You get to water your garden using a natural source, it's much, much better for your plants than tap water - they don't need chlorine or fluoride.
• You're not unnecessarily using conditioned water that's made uniquely for your family 
• You decrease wear and tear on the household water infrastructure as well as public works

Did you know that during the summer months, nearly 40 percent of the monthly water bill for some families can be attributed to watering the lawn, the garden, washing the car?....  Yes, you can even use rain barrel water to wash the car.

Next up on the list of things to do, installing a pump to the spicket!  

Here's a picture of last year's installation, it's a 50 gallon barrel, this one paid for itself last year.  This was purchased at Menard's for around $55, the cost for concrete block and some bricks was around $20.  We didn't have to water our vegetable garden or flower beds last year using the household outdoor faucet.  In between rains, this baby did the trick.

A fantastic day to garden

By Mike Thayer

What a  beautiful day!  With a cup of hazelnut flavored coffee in hand, I've already done some light weeding and surveyed my vegetable beds in the Akdeniz Garden. 

Last night's rain gave everything a good drink and the moisture makes weed pulling so easy.  Later today, my family will be enjoying a wonderful tossed salad using a variety of lettuces I harvested.

I planted quite a few cold tolerant crops earlier this spring along with the lettuces.  Onions, radishes, spinach, peas, chives, dill, shallots and garlic are all coming up nicely.   The green onions are tasty, they'll go nicely with today's salad.  With the warmer weather we enjoyed in March, I even pushed it a bit putting in parsely and cilantro which is all really starting to take off in growth.

Last weekend I was busy planting seeds.  With germination times of about 7-10 days, the possibility of one more late frost before my Mother's Day rule was no longer a concern.  I put in pole beans, bush beans, black-eyed peas, okra, squash and a variety of cucumbers.

I also had time this morning to check out our grapevines, cherry tree and pear.  The frosts took the fruit flowers to task and it doesn't look like we'll be enjoying very many cherries this year.  We won't be enjoying any pears either.  The grapevines though look promising.  Clusters are forming, but they're too small at this point to determine how robust they'll be.

The weekend weather will be great, now it's time to go out and put in some starter plants.  Cherry, roma and beefsteak tomatoes as well as eggplant and a variety of peppers.

That's what I call going green.

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The Akdeniz Garden off to a great start

By Mike Thayer

I took full advantage of the great weather we had over the weekend and got a lot done in the Thayer garden (a.k.a. the Akdeniz Garden).  I put in some cold tolerant veggies, 300 onion sets, some Lincoln peas and I'm trying a new one this year, Blue Pod peas.   

I purchased a number of heirloom seeds over the winter, the Blue Pod peas being one of them.  I went with heirlooms this year for three primary reasons:  Superior storage, superior nutrition, superior taste!  Yes, they're more expensive per package, but when you consider the quality and quantity of the harvest - which from all the research I've seen indicates that will be the case - then the increased price per package of seed is well worth it. 

In addition to the onion sets and peas planted, I also put in some shallots, garlic, parsley and chervil. 

The spinach, lettuces, arugula and radishes I put in about two weeks ago are looking great!    Another three weeks or so and my family will be enjoying garden fresh salads!

Lettuce bed tip:  Sprinkle some crushed eggs shells on your lettuce bed right after sowing your seed.  This keeps the slugs off your produce!  The shells also gives the soil some nutrition when they break down.  

 

Brown Recluse Spider Slowly Spreading On The United States?

The brown recluse spider is slowly spreading to “a town near you,” a study by graduate student Erin Saupe of University of Kansas predicted, according to a Daily Mail article on Monday, March 12, 2012.

According to the report, Saupe predicts a possible migration of the spider by 2020, in which it could move further north towards portions of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New York. Saupe reportedly used computer modeling to predict how the spider’s habitat might move.

Read On.....  http://www.batangastoday.com/brown-recluse-spider-slowly-spreading-on-the-united-states/21184/

Spring is near, it's almost time to play in the dirt

The weather here in Eastern Iowa is starting to warm up and the ground is starting to thaw.  Soon it will be time to get my hands dirty as I get busy with gardening, my favorite spring time hobby.

The long winters in Iowa forbid garden hobbyists from playing outside in the dirt, from November through February the ground can freeze solid to a depth of two feet......

Read the rest of Mike Thayer's Yahoo! Contributor Network article at:  http://voices.yahoo.com/spring-near-its-almost-time-play-dirt-11022262.html

Start planning your 2012 garden by using non-hybrid seeds

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