tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152573302024-03-13T13:37:44.500-04:00The Compost BinGardening Tales from a New Jersey Compost BinAnthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03554979349774391422noreply@blogger.comBlogger382125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-50465169474796801202011-09-05T14:26:00.004-04:002011-09-05T14:44:38.185-04:00New Blog<div><div><div><br />
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</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-45665966325611664472009-08-19T20:00:00.010-04:002009-08-19T21:51:04.739-04:00Compost TumblersHere is a list of the most popular compost tumblers on the market:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(according to Amazon - 08/19/09)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ZN7T7E?ie=UTF8&tag=3eu-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000ZN7T7E"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SoyTDu6jRnI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/sOkj-nEO60w/s320/Achla-CMP-05-Spinning-Horizontal-Composter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371830147888662130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />#1 - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ZN7T7E?ie=UTF8&tag=3eu-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000ZN7T7E">Achla CMP-05 Spinning Horizontal Composter</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=3eu-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000ZN7T7E" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br />I find this hard to believe actually. It's not the cheapest tumbler out there (see #2) and it's not the most well known brand either. But I guess it's the fact that it looks easy to use and it's decent price make it very popular among people shopping to compost tumblers. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCNH7G?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FCNH7G"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SoyUHudjvYI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/DwUnW8Ex91M/s320/Envirocycle-Composter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371831315998162306" border="0" /></a><br /><br />#2 - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCNH7G?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FCNH7G">Envirocycle Composter</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=compostbin-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000FCNH7G" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br />The Envirocycle Composter being on this list makes more sense to me. It's nice looking, doesn't take up a lot of space, easy to spin and has the lowest price on this list. And I think that's why this model is a very popular choice with school gardening programs. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001LEMRK?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0001LEMRK"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SoyVktBLgXI/AAAAAAAAB1g/dL09CnTiLDA/s320/Tumbleweed-Composter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371832913338532210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />#3 - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001LEMRK?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0001LEMRK">Tumbleweed Composter</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=compostbin-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0001LEMRK" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /><br /><br />I don't know why it's called the tumbleweed composter since it doesn't really look like a tumbleweed. It's more of a garbage can that was skewed through the middle by an axle. Well, regardless of the name this thing mixes compost ingredients well. A slow spin will cause the contents to move from the top to the bottom and back again. The legs look a little flimsy though.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H2X2EW?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000H2X2EW"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 280px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SoyXfgutNtI/AAAAAAAAB1o/5pCj3kgjCpM/s320/Back-Porch-Compost-Tumbler.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371835023163733714" /></a><br /><br />#4 - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H2X2EW?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000H2X2EW">Back Porch Compost Tumbler</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=compostbin-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000H2X2EW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /><br />I can see why The Back Porch Compost Tumbler belongs on the back porch. It's ugly. It looks more like something you'd see at bingo night instead of in the garden. But regardless, it has a great reputation for making fast compost.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-3514369-10443717"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SoybWMgRgWI/AAAAAAAAB1w/MEX3Bq1w_vs/s320/Mantis-Compost-Twin" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371839261162176866" /></a><br />#5 - <a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-3514369-10443717" target="_top">MANTIS® ComposT-Twin </a> <br /><img src="http://www.tqlkg.com/image-3514369-10443717" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><br />At $499, I'm surprised that this one even made the list. It's the Cadillac of compost tumblers. If you want a big tumbler, that spins easily and you want it from a brand name that you can trust then this is it. I still can't get over the price but at least they offer free shipping, a money back guarantee, free activator and a Guide to Composting. It's not in my budget but it is on my wish list.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-10010591494871753632009-08-11T19:44:00.008-04:002010-04-13T15:49:17.628-04:00Musa Basjoo Banana<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SoICbS-GkhI/AAAAAAAAB0w/AHd1R_8fDvA/s1600-h/musa-basjoo-banana.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SoICbS-GkhI/AAAAAAAAB0w/AHd1R_8fDvA/s320/musa-basjoo-banana.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368856373751091730" /></a>Now here's something that you don't see every day. A banana tree with little bananas on it in New Jersey. <br /><br />I'm a big fan of the hardy banana plant, the <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/search/label/Musa%20Basjoo">musa basjoo</a> and I have been growing them for years now. Every fall I dig them up, wrap them in newspapers, bubble wrap or burlap and overwinter them in my garage. <br /><br />But this is the first time that I've ever gotten the plant to flower and actually make tiny little bananas. How cool is that? <br /><br />What's even more interesting is that because of the <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-hailstorm.html">Crazy June Hailstorm</a> that we had here in my area, the plants lost all of their leaves and looked really beaten down most of the summer. They really are the smallest and have the fewest leaves since I bought the original plant years ago. <br /><br />But maybe that stress forced the musa basjoo survival instincts to kick in and they tried to create some seeds. Well whatever the reason, it's pretty neat to have a banana tree with bananas. We don't have a long enough summer for them to become fully grown and I don't think the musa basjoo fruit is edible but I'll be watching these plants with great interest for the rest of the summer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-36829530570178405962009-08-02T18:49:00.003-04:002009-08-02T19:07:55.682-04:00Rotating Composter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UHOWTW?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001UHOWTW"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SnYY6lpf-GI/AAAAAAAAB0o/s5ATq5bFQKU/s320/rotating-composter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365503400876177506" /></a>Have you been searching for a rotating composter that looks like a lunar lander? Well if you are then I've found exactly what you're looking for. <br /><br />How cool looking is this thing? I'm sure you've seen typical compost tumblers that look like a big cylinder on it's side. Stuff goes in the top and you spin it around. Sounds boring right? Well if you want to make your composting much more exciting then you should try out this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UHOWTW?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001UHOWTW">STC Green Ecomposter</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=compostbin-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001UHOWTW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />. I think that aliens might come down to your garden and rotate this bin for you. <br /><br />It's made from recycled plastic which is nice and it's a pretty big composter. The dimensions are 32"x32"x31". I guess it's not quite a perfect sphere but it looks like it. <br /><br />It's on the expensive side, coming in at over $200 but that's still less than the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I518K8?ie=UTF8&tag=compostbin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000I518K8">Urban Compost Tumbler</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=compostbin-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000I518K8" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> which in my opinion is one of the best tumblers on the market. <br /><br />And if you're into modding your compost bin then may I suggest getting some black and white plastic spray paint and turning this thing into a big soccer ball. My son would get a kick out of that (oooh, that one was bad). Either that or the lunar lander that I mentioned earlier. Even when you're not composting, this rotating composter will be fun for the whole family.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-90995366590795390572009-07-06T06:27:00.002-04:002010-04-13T15:54:51.934-04:00Garden Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SlC9tinMlMI/AAAAAAAAB0I/8pQXK7HCGSU/s1600-h/banana-tree-hail-damage.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SlC9tinMlMI/AAAAAAAAB0I/8pQXK7HCGSU/s320/banana-tree-hail-damage.jpg" border="0" alt="banana-tree-hail-damage" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354988547026490562" /></a>Here’s a great gardening tidbit that you don’t often see in gardening books. Frozen ice balls falling from the sky for almost an hour are really not a good thing to happen to plants. So you should try to avoid that if you’d like to have a great garden. Unfortunately I was not able to take my own advice and as I’ve mentioned before, a freak <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-hailstorm.html">June hailstorm in New Jersey</a> left my <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/06/garden-damage.html">vegetable garden shredded</a>. <br /><br />But here it is several weeks later and some plants have started to bounce back. Now don’t get me wrong, I still totally consider this year’s summer garden to be a disaster but all is not lost. <br /><br />Usually around the 4th of July all my tomato and pepper plants are rocking. They would be full of flowers and really starting to reach for the top of the tomato cages or stakes or whatever I decide to use to keep them upright. This year, I’m just happy to have a few leaves on the plants. I figure the storm set me back about a month. <br /><br />I knew that my perennial berry plants would be fine for next year but this years blueberries and blackberries are actually looking pretty good. The June bearing strawberries were cut short by a week or two but the plants have recovered nicely. I’m also lucky that the smaller ever bearing strawberry plants that I have on my patio were spared from the ice storm. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SlC-s9biXwI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/nNv-mLjZ0qM/s1600-h/zucchini-plants.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SlC-s9biXwI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/nNv-mLjZ0qM/s320/zucchini-plants.jpg" border="0" alt="zucchini plants" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354989636557102850" /></a>And I’m really surprised that my zucchini and squash are growing nicely again and even flowering. I think I may have to grab some blossoms and make a nice omelet sometime soon. After the hailstorm these guys looked like they went through the garbage disposal. They’re really wasn’t much left. But I guess that having healthy roots planted with lots of compost was enough to keep them alive even though there were no leaves left. Good for you zucchini. I vote you as the comeback vegetable of the year. <br /><br />The new rhubarb plants that I put in this spring are questionable. I was planning on letting them grow some deep healthy roots and not harvest any this season but the hailstorm decided it wanted some rhubarb and broke a bunch of stalks off for me. <br /><br />Other than that, I’ve got tons of hostas that look like an army of slugs had their way with them. But hostas really are bulletproof. By the end of the month most of the ripped leaves should be replaced with new ones, so no worries there. <br /><br />And the same goes with all of my hardy banana plants. Oh they look awful right now but given some time and perhaps a few doses of compost tea, new shoots should start outnumbering the tattered confetti like leaves that now have the majority. <br /><br />So that’s where I am right now in the garden. I also bought a few seedlings to fill in some of the vast expanses of emptiness in the garden that I’m not used to having in July. Things could have been a lot worse so I’m thankful that I’ll still get a chance to enjoy a garden fresh tomato sometime this summer. Hey it might not be until August but I’m not better late than never.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-3594677832886856562009-07-04T10:56:00.003-04:002009-07-04T11:00:33.974-04:00Growing Kohlrabi<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 310px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:KohlrabiinMarket.jpg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/KohlrabiinMarket.jpg/300px-KohlrabiinMarket.jpg" alt="Kohl rabi" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="300" height="184"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:KohlrabiinMarket.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></p>Since I’ve got a lot of free space in the vegetable garden lately, I’ve been on the look out for something interesting to try growing. Sometimes I’ll go to the store to buy tiki torch fuel and I wind up coming home with a new plant. That’s exactly what happened this week and now I’m going to try growing kohlrabi. <br /><br />Kohlrabi definitely seems like an interesting vegetable to try growing. So what exactly is Kohlrabi? Kohlrabi is also known as a German turnip. It doesn’t taste like a turnip though. People say it has a taste that sort of is a cross between a broccoli stem and an apple. I think technically the vegetable is related to cabbage but it must be a third cousin or something because I just don’t see the family resemblance. <br /><br />I planted them a few feet apart but only because of all that space in the vegetable garden that I’ve mentioned before. You can put them a lot closer together if you’re short on space. The rest of the planting instructions are pretty typical, well drained soil, amended with a lot of compost, heavy feeder. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sk9tycMiAaI/AAAAAAAAB0A/Qk8y_oB0kvk/s1600-h/growing-kohlrabi.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sk9tycMiAaI/AAAAAAAAB0A/Qk8y_oB0kvk/s320/growing-kohlrabi.jpg" border="0" alt="growing kohlrabi" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354619195296448930" /></a>So what can I do with this Kohlrabi? That’s a good question. I’ve looked up some recipes to try and they seem pretty simple. You can eat it cooked or raw. You can fry or grill kohlrabi with garlic and oil but that’s not very exciting. You can cook and old shoe with garlic and oil and it’ll still taste good. I also found some coleslaw recipes that use kohlrabi instead of cabbage. That sounds good. I’ll definitely give that one a shot. <br /><br />Well I hope to be able to try these recipes, but that depends if the plants don’t get eaten by a woodchuck or get bombed with several inches of hail. It’s been a weird gardening season so far but hopefully I’ll be able to remember it as the first season that I grew kohlrabi. <br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/7e963772-14eb-433e-b0ff-5638bfbafcc4/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7e963772-14eb-433e-b0ff-5638bfbafcc4" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-57172238462935388402009-06-17T08:05:00.012-04:002010-04-13T16:01:49.101-04:00Garden DamageWell here it is, the middle of June and I don't have a vegetable garden anymore. The day before the <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-hailstorm.html">hail storm in New Jersey</a>, I had tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, rhubarb, corn and more but now I have nothing but shredded wheat. <br /><br />It's really amazing how a bad hail storm can destroy a garden. I was so worried about the woodchucks eating my plants that I never considered that I should worry about ice falling from the sky. <br /><br />Its definitely too late to start over using seeds. I may pick up a few tomato plants at the nursery just so that I can get something from the summer garden. But mostly I'm just going to move on and focus on planning the late summer/fall garden. There's lots of great cool season crops and root veggies that I've been meaning to try.<br /><br />Well I'll start planning it once I clean up this mess. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd_DpimgI/AAAAAAAABzM/VJvmtPzbf24/s1600-h/hail4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd_DpimgI/AAAAAAAABzM/VJvmtPzbf24/s320/hail4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348268632883501570" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjjeHdQ_IaI/AAAAAAAABzk/B0NVG1Oe-jE/s1600-h/hail7.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjjeHdQ_IaI/AAAAAAAABzk/B0NVG1Oe-jE/s320/hail7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348268777198789026" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjjeBi5txmI/AAAAAAAABzU/aoN4FVEof0g/s1600-h/hail5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjjeBi5txmI/AAAAAAAABzU/aoN4FVEof0g/s320/hail5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348268675632580194" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd8t3RkaI/AAAAAAAABzE/0q5zeRUrguA/s1600-h/hail3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd8t3RkaI/AAAAAAAABzE/0q5zeRUrguA/s320/hail3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348268592675787170" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd58GtWSI/AAAAAAAABy8/TWtmXp4XNIs/s1600-h/hail2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd58GtWSI/AAAAAAAABy8/TWtmXp4XNIs/s320/hail2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348268544959011106" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd280YB4I/AAAAAAAABy0/gtN5KJaq9j8/s1600-h/hail1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sjjd280YB4I/AAAAAAAABy0/gtN5KJaq9j8/s320/hail1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348268493610944386" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjjeNrD-DrI/AAAAAAAABzs/G1ONvzoPEh0/s1600-h/hail8.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjjeNrD-DrI/AAAAAAAABzs/G1ONvzoPEh0/s320/hail8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348268883981504178" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-88177517584479086542009-06-16T07:46:00.008-04:002009-06-16T08:10:40.242-04:00June HailstormJust when I think I've got the yard word under control mother nature decides that there's a lot more to do. Northern New Jersey was pummeled by a freak hailstorm yesterday that not only left several inches of ice on the ground but also shredded all of my plants and trees. <br /><br />I took these pictures 4 hours after the storm when I got home from work and you can still see the ice in my yard. It was really weird to be outside in June and be able to see your frozen breath and we usually don't have ice on the pool toys. <br /><br />Looks like I'm going to be pretty busy with the clean up for the next few days. Check out this <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=6866775">local news video</a> for more on this crazy weather.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJnUwrZgI/AAAAAAAABys/yjxaQaQsRK0/s1600-h/IMG_0539.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJnUwrZgI/AAAAAAAABys/yjxaQaQsRK0/s320/IMG_0539.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347894391206536706" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJkIfBe7I/AAAAAAAAByk/17baLbOQgs0/s1600-h/IMG_0540.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJkIfBe7I/AAAAAAAAByk/17baLbOQgs0/s320/IMG_0540.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347894336371653554" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJfx7kVgI/AAAAAAAAByc/is2sbWnlNPM/s1600-h/IMG_0541.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJfx7kVgI/AAAAAAAAByc/is2sbWnlNPM/s320/IMG_0541.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347894261597885954" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJbevcwRI/AAAAAAAAByU/aIZsQfdUhX4/s1600-h/IMG_0542.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJbevcwRI/AAAAAAAAByU/aIZsQfdUhX4/s320/IMG_0542.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347894187727307026" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJXS7Y0RI/AAAAAAAAByM/iDONW3-PJdQ/s1600-h/IMG_0543.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJXS7Y0RI/AAAAAAAAByM/iDONW3-PJdQ/s320/IMG_0543.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347894115836678418" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJNYPMkhI/AAAAAAAABx8/WJvWnesSwKg/s1600-h/IMG_0545.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJNYPMkhI/AAAAAAAABx8/WJvWnesSwKg/s320/IMG_0545.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347893945463247378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJK0ZyoSI/AAAAAAAABx0/u_jFDRUT1g8/s1600-h/IMG_0546.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJK0ZyoSI/AAAAAAAABx0/u_jFDRUT1g8/s320/IMG_0546.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347893901484269858" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJHJaO_jI/AAAAAAAABxs/NfHCTJxdDos/s1600-h/IMG_0549.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SjeJHJaO_jI/AAAAAAAABxs/NfHCTJxdDos/s320/IMG_0549.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347893838403796530" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-1672153991976670302009-06-14T11:51:00.002-04:002009-06-14T11:54:28.997-04:00Mandatory Composting<p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51125929@N00/432038338"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/432038338_1ec4bed95a_m.jpg" alt="San Francisco's Recyclables" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="240" height="180"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51125929@N00/432038338">Walter Parenteau</a> via Flickr</span></p>San Francisco recently approved the most aggressive recycling law in the United States. Residents will now be required to separate their garbage into three color-coded bins, blue for recycling, black for trash and green for composting. You read that right. <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/09/MN09183NV8.DTL">San Francisco now has mandatory composting</a>. <br /><br />I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. Keeping this waste out of the landfill will cut down on <a href="http://www.thecompostbin.com/2009/03/landfill-methane_16.html">landfill methane</a>.<br /><br />They’ve found that around 30 percent trash that goes to the landfill is compostable. But in landfill conditions, that waste is composting the same way it would in a home compost bin. In the landfill the piles don’t get to breath as much and the decomposition is Anaerobic. And the number one by-product of anaerobic decomposition is methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. If the production of methane can be reduced it would definitely help reduce our carbon footprint. <br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/857e86b1-35d0-49db-b445-7d93b507dad9/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=857e86b1-35d0-49db-b445-7d93b507dad9" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-36233789942430454592009-06-11T08:06:00.003-04:002009-06-11T08:09:38.915-04:00Solar Moler<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGIpCeK9j8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="525" height="312" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-79763186640719589132009-06-10T06:15:00.000-04:002009-06-10T06:15:01.008-04:00Baby Ducks in the Pool<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si776Q4NGsI/AAAAAAAABxc/nbUAofR00sM/s1600-h/mamma-and-baby-ducks.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si776Q4NGsI/AAAAAAAABxc/nbUAofR00sM/s400/mamma-and-baby-ducks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345486786117049026" /></a><br />Okay, now this is getting ridiculous. Somehow my yard has become a hotel for ducks. <br /><br />As long as they stay out of my garden, I'm okay with my new tenants. It's the woodchuck that has to go.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-70994826351324313302009-06-09T22:01:00.004-04:002009-06-09T23:54:57.438-04:00Plants vs. ZombiesHave you ever wanted to kill zombies by strategically placing pea shooting plants all over your yard? Nope, me neither. Well that is until I started playing this addictive little game called <a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-3514369-10571038">Plants vs. Zombies</a>. Now all I can think about is killing zombies. <br /><br />You may be wondering what gardening has to do with the undead. To tell you the truth, I don't really know. But the makers of this game had a cool idea and then ran with it. You place pea shooting plants, mushrooms, cherry bombs and lots more stuff all over your yard and collect as much sunshine as you can while you wait for the zombie horde to start marching towards your house. <br /><br />And the cartoon zombies will amuse you with their crazy ideas on how to protect themselves. Some wear a traffic cone on their head, some hold screen doors and like to pole vault. In the later levels, they even wade through your pool with inflatable floaties. <br /><br />Plants vs. Zombies is an easy to learn Flash game that will have you hooked in no time. This is one of those games that you'll start playing and then the next thing you know it's two in the morning and you didn't get anything done all night. <br /><br />Check out the game demo video.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CHAbHz8iYHc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CHAbHz8iYHc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />It even has a free demo version that you can <a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-3514369-10571038">download</a> to try before you buy. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-3514369-10571038" target="_top"><br /><img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-3514369-10571038" width="300" height="250" alt="Plants vs Zombies" border="0"/></a><br /><br />I was just going to play the free version myself but I wound up buying the full version after playing it for a while. <br /><br />So load up on peas, frozen peas, flaming peas and all the mushroom spores that you can because "<span style="font-weight:bold;">a huge wave a zombies is approaching.</span>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-65396074949662549172009-06-09T07:40:00.005-04:002009-06-09T07:49:15.552-04:00Growing BerriesMy pest control motto for berries has always been to stop worrying about the birds, chipmunks and squirrels that are eating some of the berries and just keep planting more of them. Eventually there will be enough for everyone. <br /><br />This year that might actually be true. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si5LI0DoBCI/AAAAAAAABxM/Di9UDwQrhuo/s1600-h/growing-blackberries.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si5LI0DoBCI/AAAAAAAABxM/Di9UDwQrhuo/s400/growing-blackberries.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345292422520243234" /></a><br /><b>Blackberries</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si5LGLODVoI/AAAAAAAABxE/NjTYmiVUX2M/s1600-h/growing-strawberries.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si5LGLODVoI/AAAAAAAABxE/NjTYmiVUX2M/s400/growing-strawberries.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345292377198384770" /></a><br /><b>Strawberries</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si5LCXZBqHI/AAAAAAAABw8/pmucAyddp5Y/s1600-h/growing-blueberries.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Si5LCXZBqHI/AAAAAAAABw8/pmucAyddp5Y/s400/growing-blueberries.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345292311746160754" /></a><br /><b>Blueberries</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-87431216048213623582009-06-08T07:43:00.005-04:002009-06-08T07:56:09.742-04:00Strawberry Thief<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Siz5cpsxPcI/AAAAAAAABw0/6874sWi0JwQ/s1600-h/chipmonk-strawberry.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Siz5cpsxPcI/AAAAAAAABw0/6874sWi0JwQ/s320/chipmonk-strawberry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344921128407219650" /></a>I think that over the winter all of the wildlife in my yard got together, had a few meetings, and they have declared war on my garden. Here's one of their agents of evil stealing a strawberry. <br /><br />Well listen here wildlife, you know how I had the yard certified as a <a href="http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/certify.cfm?campaignid=">Natural Wildlife Habitat</a> all those years ago? Well if you keep eating all of my food, I'm going to have it un-certified. No more food, water and shelter for you greedy little critters. <br /><br />Seriously, I think this year's vegetable garden is going to consist of nothing but peppers and tomatoes. The latest victim was a bed full of kohlrabi. Thankfully, none of the little creatures have messed with the peppers and tomatoes. But I had better keep a close eye on them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-8796667868060331632009-06-07T10:24:00.003-04:002009-06-07T10:29:58.428-04:00Duck in the Pool<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SivNs_UktpI/AAAAAAAABws/iUmNy45E_zM/s1600-h/duck-in-the-pool.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SivNs_UktpI/AAAAAAAABws/iUmNy45E_zM/s400/duck-in-the-pool.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344591555600889490" /></a><br />It can't officially be summertime until after the dogwoods flower, the rhododendrons bloom and my pool gets visited by one or more of these wacky New Jersey ducks. <br /><br />Go home duck!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-42538605258800974602009-05-26T20:19:00.005-04:002010-04-13T16:04:44.174-04:00Whole Foods Compost<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShyIbYHMKkI/AAAAAAAABvk/6JNgiOcPWX8/s1600-h/whole-foods-premium-compost.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShyIbYHMKkI/AAAAAAAABvk/6JNgiOcPWX8/s320/whole-foods-premium-compost.jpg" border="0" alt="Whole Foods Compost" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340293262065019458" /></a>Let's take a break from all the <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/05/woodchuck-pest-control.html">Woodchuck madness</a> and talk about one of my favorite subjects, compost. <br /><br />Just because I do a blog called The Compost Bin, doesn't mean that I never run out of compost. Even though I sometimes have three compost bins going at once, I always wind up buying a few bags of the stuff at the garden center. It's takes planning and some effort to have finished compost at a specific time of the gardening season. Now if I was a totally organized gardener with all the time in the world, I'd use my <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/02/garden-compost-tumbler.html">homemade compost tumbler</a> to cook up batches of compost that were ready every month. But that would mean that I'd have to turn the tumbler everyday and constantly check the moisture and get the green/brown ratio perfect. When it comes to compost, I'm more laid back and willing to wait longer if it means less work. <br /><br />On one of my recent lunchtime walkabouts I found myself in Whole Foods. I'm a brown bagger when it comes to lunch but I'm always searching for a free snack. I head over to Costco a lot. They have free samples of food, plus a book section and patio furniture. I can't think of a better way to spend lunch than reading a cooking book on a chaise lounge eating food on a toothpick. But anyway, sometimes Whole Foods has some free samples out as well, so I hit them up occasionally. <br /><br />My last Whole Foods trip wasn't very successful in the free food department but it wasn't a total waste. I noticed that they were selling a few varieties of compost. So on a whim, I bought few bags to check it out. <br /><br />Now if you've bought bags of compost at a big box store then you know that the quality can be hit or miss. A lot of times the bags get soaked in the rain and the compost gets an ammonia smell to it. Yuck! Or you cut open the bag and the compost is just a big brick of soil that you have to chop up with a shovel. No fun! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShyIiv-9lSI/AAAAAAAABvs/h0dXcDroScc/s1600-h/whole-foods-manure-compost.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShyIiv-9lSI/AAAAAAAABvs/h0dXcDroScc/s320/whole-foods-manure-compost.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340293388732044578" /></a>Whole Foods compost is like the Cadillac of bagged compost. The bags are filled with slightly moist, dark brown, perfectly finished, crumbly compost. And I even saw some tiny worms in there. The only bad thing about Whole Foods compost is the price. Like everything else in that store, their compost is expensive. Because of the high price, I definitely wouldn't use it to fill a <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2007/06/raised-bed-pictures.html">raised garden bed</a>. But I had no problem tossing a few handfuls into the planting holes of some new perennials that I bought. <br /><br />Despite the price, I'm going to have no problem recommending Whole Foods compost to friends and family.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-13573463632304441752009-05-24T11:12:00.004-04:002010-04-13T16:18:03.000-04:00Woodchuck Pest ControlTo stop (or at least slow down) my <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/05/woodchuck-pest.html">woodchuck invasion</a> the first thing I did was retrace his steps. There was an obvious hole in the vegetable garden fence (buried bird netting on 2x2 posts) that he must have bit his way through. So I knew how he got into the garden area. But where did he get into the yard? <br /><br />Ah-ha! Here's the hole. Now if this was where he lived, all I would need is some dynamite and the woodchuck problem would be over. But this is just a short tunnel that goes from my neighbor's yard, under our fence and into my yard. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShlkB7O2VWI/AAAAAAAABvc/AEDzyrIGKVc/s1600-h/woodchuck-hole.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShlkB7O2VWI/AAAAAAAABvc/AEDzyrIGKVc/s320/woodchuck-hole.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339408817467053410" /></a><br /><br />Now over the past two weeks, I've filled this hole in at least 4 times. And if you look closely, you can even see the chicken wire that I buried in there too. It's right next to the buried hose that I use to get water up to the garden. Every time I fill in the hose or block it with chicken wire, a big heavy bag of dirt or anything else I can get my hands on, the woodchuck just keeps digging until he gets around my obstacle. Sure is a persistent little varmit. <br /><br />It seems like I'm going to lose the battle to keep the woodchuck out of my yard so I'm going to fall back and concentrate on protecting the vegetable garden instead. This war is not over yet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-66345358968774124012009-05-20T18:56:00.004-04:002010-04-13T16:18:34.156-04:00Woodchuck Pest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShSLoWml-OI/AAAAAAAABvU/Q2jGTlMfkP4/s1600-h/bok-choy-eaten.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/ShSLoWml-OI/AAAAAAAABvU/Q2jGTlMfkP4/s320/bok-choy-eaten.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338044983719360738" /></a>There's nothing worse than losing a loved one. In this case that loved one was a bumper crop of bok choy. <br /><br />I started the seeds under lights in my basement at the end of winter. Then I went to the effort to build a makeshift <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/03/hoop-house-sort-of.html">hoop house</a> to keep the bok choy warm when I transplanted them outside. They even survived a couple of frosts under the hoop house and now that it's bok choy eating time I will have to go to the produce store. I have nothing to show for all of that effort because of a woodchuck.<br /><br />Whether you call them woodchucks or groundhogs they are the mortal enemy of the vegetable gardener. And this woodchuck must be opening up his fortune cookie by now because he ate an entire raised bed full of Chinese take-out.<br /><br />Putting up a stronger fence around my vegetable garden has been moved up to the number one priority on my To Do List. The current fence (that the woodchuck bit through) worked fine for the past two years. I just took a roll of bird netting and attached it to 2x2s around the garden. I also buried it under the ground so that nothing could tunnel underneath it. <br /><br />But I guess after two years out in the elements, it got weak enough that it became the appetizer for this fat woodchuck. And by the way, this happened a few weeks ago but I'm a bit behind with my blogging lately. In my next few posts I'll describe what I've done to keep this pest out of my garden.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-33980944172625857732009-05-07T06:44:00.002-04:002010-04-13T16:19:27.945-04:00Ornamental Cherry Tree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf277-yI8GI/AAAAAAAABvM/bRnVpI1GwTw/s1600-h/ornamental-cherry.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf277-yI8GI/AAAAAAAABvM/bRnVpI1GwTw/s320/ornamental-cherry.jpg" border="0" alt="Ornamental Cherry Tree" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331624173016510562" /></a>This Ornamental Cherry Tree was a one year wedding anniversary present from my Aunt. It's now eight years old and has come a long way from that little one gallon pot that it came in. <br /><br />Originally went I planted it, I did a terrible job. I guess I didn't pack the soil down well enough because it started leaning and looked pretty crooked. But it still grew nicely for about five years. Then a few years back we did a <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2006/04/nasty-is-new-neat.html">major pool renovation</a> and it had to be moved. The landscaping crew wrapped it up nicely and put it in a nice safe corner of the yard away from all the heavy machinery. <br /><br />And months later, when the landscapers were done robbing us of all of our money, they used one of those heavy machines to replant the Ornamental Cherry Tree properly where it sits today.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-63823762281041046652009-05-05T07:22:00.001-04:002009-05-05T07:22:01.550-04:00Growing Garden GreensLooking good garden greens! I think there's going to be some delicious salads in my future. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf25BeaQHEI/AAAAAAAABu8/ZCdBJstuigQ/s1600-h/simpsonlettuce.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf25BeaQHEI/AAAAAAAABu8/ZCdBJstuigQ/s400/simpsonlettuce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331620968870714434" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf25Ej2I7lI/AAAAAAAABvE/WYFIz-MfOMs/s1600-h/mesclun-greens.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf25Ej2I7lI/AAAAAAAABvE/WYFIz-MfOMs/s400/mesclun-greens.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331621021869469266" /></a><br /><br />By the way, all the white flowers pedals all over my raised beds are from my apple tree. They blow all over the garden every spring. It's really a shame that I have this great old 30 foot apple tree that produces apples that are so pest ridden that I just put them right in the compost bin. I just don't have the free time to organically care for this tree and I definitely will not spray anything on it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-55845316854793030672009-05-03T10:58:00.004-04:002010-04-13T16:20:04.418-04:00Garden Greens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf2x9mB0XSI/AAAAAAAABu0/bsxVC17smb8/s1600-h/garden-greens.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sf2x9mB0XSI/AAAAAAAABu0/bsxVC17smb8/s320/garden-greens.jpg" border="0" alt="Garden Greens" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331613205614845218" /></a>For the first time this year, yesterday's lunch came from the garden. Most of the garden greens that I planted in early spring under the <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/03/hoop-house-sort-of.html">hoop house</a> are doing great. So great in fact that I grabbed some scissors and did some harvesting yesterday. <br /><br />I'm always feel a tinge of pride whenever I pick those first vegetables from my garden. It's pretty much in vogue now a days to grow your own food but how many of those people who decided to grow their first Victory Garden after watching Oprah or the morning shows actually had a nice bowl of garden greens for lunch yesterday? In your face newbies! <br /><br />So this salad consisted of some simpson lettuce, mesclun greens, arugula and some red leaf that I don't remember planting. It must be from the mesclun seed packet. Along with the salad my wife made a zucchini and onion quiche. The zukes and the onions didn't come from the garden but check back in about two months and I'm sure my garden will have some veggies for the quiche too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-23428202588583359762009-04-30T23:39:00.003-04:002009-04-30T23:47:47.453-04:00Strawberry Flowers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sfpv5ZX6nXI/AAAAAAAABus/aDzQ3RpHMg0/s1600-h/strawberry-flowers.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/Sfpv5ZX6nXI/AAAAAAAABus/aDzQ3RpHMg0/s320/strawberry-flowers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330696140800826738" /></a>Spring is finally in full bloom and I've got flowers or at least buds all over my yard. These flowers in the picture are going to grow up to become strawberries one day soon. Go ahead and ask them what they want to be when they grow up. I'm sure they'll tell you that they want to be strawberries. <br /><br />You've got to love how our gardens come through for us every spring. I recently asked my six year old son what he wanted to be when he grew up and he asked me if it was okay if he did nothing. <br /><br />Now my son may not have all the answers yet but he's a lot funnier than a strawberry plant.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-61466177122425103022009-04-16T01:19:00.000-04:002009-04-16T01:19:01.307-04:00Simpson Lettuce<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SeZrs4drG8I/AAAAAAAABuk/rSqryNgUkLI/s1600-h/simpson-lettuce.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SeZrs4drG8I/AAAAAAAABuk/rSqryNgUkLI/s400/simpson-lettuce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325062028227451842" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-23221109138391777362009-04-15T08:38:00.004-04:002010-04-13T16:21:26.906-04:002009 Peppers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SeEdAgN8XmI/AAAAAAAABuc/kllrioiZlDQ/s1600-h/thai_dragon_peppers.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SeEdAgN8XmI/AAAAAAAABuc/kllrioiZlDQ/s320/thai_dragon_peppers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323568129014259298" /></a>I had a really productive seed starting week. Not only did I get all of my <a href="http://compostbin.blogspot.com/2009/04/2009-tomatoes.html">tomatoes</a> started, but I also got my peppers started too:<br /><ul><li>Poblano</li><li>Thai Dragon</li><li>California Wonder</li><li>Jalapeno M</li><li>Jalapeno False Alarm</li><li>Giant Marconi Hybrid</li><li>Corno di Toro</li><li>Hot Lemon</li><li>Habanero</li><li>Caribbean Red</li></ul>And this year I plan on getting a real smoker for when I try to make chipotle and ancho peppers. Last year was a disaster when I turned perfectly good peppers into dust by drying them out in my dehydrator and then trying to smoke them on my chimenea. The flames were shooting out of the top of the chimenea like a jet engine and within a minute there was nothing left of my poblano and jalapeno peppers but black powder. Definitely not one of my finer moments.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15257330.post-24921910545093450642009-04-13T06:53:00.000-04:002009-04-13T06:53:00.783-04:002009 Tomatoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SeDaZoYt2II/AAAAAAAABuU/w5Xwi8oIS2M/s1600-h/100_2395.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HrY1jFHQTyU/SeDaZoYt2II/AAAAAAAABuU/w5Xwi8oIS2M/s320/100_2395.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323494893424597122" /></a>As usual I plan on growing lots of tomato plants in my vegetable garden this year. And also as usual, I’m late to start my tomato seeds. So since I haven’t even placed a seed order yet this season, I’m only going to grow tomatoes from the seed that I already have. <br /><br />After going through my seed stash, this is the list of tomatoes that I decided that I’m growing this year:<br /><ul><li>Mortgage Lifter</li><li>Black Krim</li><li>Brandywine</li><li>San Marzano</li><li>Bush Early Girl</li><li>Super Steak Hybrid</li><li>Big Mama</li><li>Little Mama</li><li>Sun Gold</li><li>Tomande Hybrid</li><li>Brandy Boy Hybrid</li></ul>If I have time, I also want to try out two tomato related projects. Number one is a self watering container made from a Rubbermaid storage container and the other is a homemade upside down tomato container. I’ve seen those Earthboxes and those Topsy Turvy upside down tomato things available in stores but I think I can get the same results by using some of the junk that I have in my garage. More on this later in the season.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4