More About Composting.

I read a terrific list of things that can be added to the compost pile, from a blog I love called You Grow Girl. Included in the expanded mix, cotton balls, paper towels (depending on what was on them), all sorts of paper shredded, (but not glossy ads or inserts, wine corks,) and expired pantry staples such as pasta, rice, spices. Really anything organic, and plant-based, can be recycled into the garden. That also keeps the garbage down, of course.

e Bay

EBay is quite challenging, even though my friend Linda is very successful at it, and very supportive to me. She suggested a book to me the other day, Three Weeks to eBay Profit. Turned out I had a book by the author, Skip McGrath, already, and thought it was worthwhile .


 So I went to his website, and realized Skip McGrath, was known to me as Harry McGrath. He and Karen and their boys lived next door to me for years.


 



 
 

  

I ordered it today, stay tuned!

Sunny Sunday

Everything is fresh from yesterday's rain, but it's going to be a steamy one today. It is also my son's 30th birthday, unbelievable but true!

This picture shows Christopher giving Niles his first swimming lesson. It did not go swimmingly. The little guy actually did swim, but he paddled straight to me and asked (beseechingly, with his big brown eyes), to get the hell out of there. Still, no hard feelings!

Looks Like Rain!

Even though it's a Saturday in July, and the day of my son's 30th birthday party, I am thrilled to see gray skies. The plants can use a good soaking, hope they get it. Even groundcovers, like sweet woodruff, and some azalea bushes are brown and sickly looking. The hose can't fix that. Still, I've done my best, and many things survived. Especially the shade plants, caladium, Persian shield, oh here it comes. Beautiful rain.

I thought it was hot in June....

But July has been truly tropical. According to the Weather Channel, it hit 101 degrees in Poughkeepsie last Tuesday and Wednesday. My garden got positively crispy in spots. The grass is straw, which is fine with me.

But tonight felt much better, although it is still 80 at 9:40. I got a lot done this afternoon and evening, weeding, moving plants and containers, a little watering, etc. Things look much better. I can't wait to see it in the morning, and take pictures.

Break from the heat

It has been very, very hot lately, so to sit here this morning in the cool, with the windows open, is a treat. Not for long though, there are many things to do while the weather is so energizing. I didn't do any weeding, dead heading, etc for the last few days, watering was about all I could manage. And then then only when absolutely necessary.
Oh, I did plant some more pumpkin seedlings, as the squirrels through out most of the first batch. I started them in a new spot, in the back, where the yard was all dug up for our septic problem last month. Plenty of room there! The soil, as it used to be a lawn, is more or less just fill. So starting from scratch, I dug a hole for each peat pot I planted, adding some compost, a handfull of dead leaves, and after backfilling I topped each off with some peat moss.
That was how I turned the front into a good garden, bit by bit supplementing the soil with organic stuff. Works like a charm, over time. The leaves, and some vegetable peelings, break down into nice friable soil. Easy to plant, and the plants thrive.

Cleaning the Gutters/Compost Harvest

What a miserable task, so I procrastinated, as usual. But really, it didn't take long, and all that mess is actually perfect for the compost heap, as it is half rotted already. I love it when I get a reward for doing what I have to do anyway.

My composting is very simple. I don't use a bin, but keep a pile in a quiet corner of the yard. This is also available from a window, so I can easily add my vegetable peelings, eggshells, tea bags etc, all year long. I add the soil from flower pots at the end of the season, Starbucks is very obliging with free bags of coffee grounds, and all in all I can always get a few shovels full when I need them. It just needs to be turned occasionally.

I usually add some chopped up dead leaves to my containers, too. This has the advantage of filling up space, which conserves potting soil, as well as enriching and conditioning the soil. Try it, easy and effective.