Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm
It seems that summer is upon us, at least in my part of the world. Summer in Texas means H-O-T, and for our family it also means helping out with Vacation Bible School. I found out last night that instead of helping, I’m teaching beginning this evening at 6 p.m.! The gardener is in a bit of panic mode, as I am having to prepare the Bible study, and get a room decorated in short order. One final funny- it is a sports theme, and I am quite possibly the least sports minded mama on earth! So, I’m scrounging around looking for sports gear of which this houseful of females has next to none, and trying to psyche myself up to play the coach this week. Due to my mild panic attack, and little time for writing this week, I’m pasting two articles from last summer that some of you may find useful.
Enjoy your week and if you think about it say a little prayer for me and our VBS!
Blessings,
Catherine
03:08 PM, Jun. 19, 2006 Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm
With the rising temperatures these days, we need to think about watering our gardens. A good rule of thumb to remember is that gardens need about 1 inch of water per week. In really hot weather, some plants may need more than that.
It's best to water early in the morning or late in the evening, when possible. If you must rescue a thirsty plant mid-day, try not to spray the leaves or your plant may get a "sunburn".
Another good thing to remember when watering is to only give your plants a drink. Let those weeds shrivel up and die! If you have a small garden, you can water by hand. Drip irrigation works well for the larger plot. Even if you water with the hose, just concentrate the water on the plants you actually want to grow, this will cut down on the weeds in a big way.
Last but not least, remember your own water when working out in the heat. Can't have the gardener getting dehydrated, either!
Garden Blessings,
Catherine
www.homesteadblogger.com/CatherineAnn
Homestead Garden: Mulching
07:17 AM, Jun. 26, 2006 Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm
Good Monday Morning from the garden
Last week we talked a bit about being "water wise" in the garden. This week let's discuss mulching.
What is mulch anyway? Well, basically it's a layer of "something" to cover the bare soil.
What do we use as mulch? When it comes to what to use for mulch, there are many choices: cypress mulch, pine bark, cedar mulch, cocoa hull mulch, hay, straw, grass clippings, leaves, compost, newspapers, etc. When I worked in a veterinary clinic, there were 2 sweet ladies who used to bring us veggies from their garden
My favorite mulch is Cypress Mulch. I like it because it looks nice and lasts quite a long time, too. It is rather "stringy", so it kind of meshes together and stays where you put it. Some of the other types tend to float away if you have a lot of rain.
If you have access to hay, leaves, grass clippings, etc. these can make good mulches and will be less expensive than buying bags of mulch from the garden center.
Why should we mulch? The first reason is it helps us to be "water wise". Mulching will help keep that moisture in the soil where your plants can use it. It will also help moderate soil temperature. This is especially important in southern areas like mine, where bare soil gets just amazingly hot. A layer of mulch will help keep things a little cooler. One caution, in cooler climates, with some plants you should probably wait until the soil warms up to mulch. If you mulch too early, it may slow down the growth of warm weather loving plants.
Mulching will help keep the garden weed free, too. A thick layer of mulch will do wonders in this area. If you put down a layer of newspaper and then a layer of mulch, you shouldn't have many weeds popping up. Those that do manage do sprout will be easy to spot and pull out.
One more reason to mulch is that it helps keep the plants and their fruits or flowers cleaner; which makes the garden look nicer, too!
How do we mulch? Well, as I've said previously, there are many different types of mulch, and there are also just as many methods. These will also depend on where you live, what you're growing, etc. Here's how I mulch my gardens: I use Cypress mulch most of the time and when I plant herbs or veggies, I put down a layer of mulch just right around the plants. I've found here in Texas, that if I just mulch around the individual plants, the heat and lack of moisture in the bare soil will discourage weed growth in the garden. If the plants are small when I plant them, I use a thin layer of mulch and add to it as the plants grow. I don't want to smother the little seedlings or drown them, either.
For mulching large areas or pathways, I first put down a layer of wet newspaper or cardboard and then a 6 to 8 inch layer of mulch material. We mulched our walkways in the garden with a layer of cardboard topped with hay last year, which worked well.
If any of you have tips on mulching, be sure to leave a comment and share it with us! Also, if you have a garden question or topic you'd like to see discussed here in the Front Porch garden, let me know.
Garden Blessings to you!
