I received this in an email just yesterday. There is a lot of great information of planting. Just follow the link below and click on your area.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/What-To-Plant-Now.aspx?utm_content=3.27.09+FG&utm_campaign=Food+%26+Gardening&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

I hope you find this helpful. I found it to be quite thorough.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I am always looking for interesting ideas. This is a unique story on building an inexpensive greenhouse. It is an economical approach for those who are up to the building challenge. One of these days I will have a greenhouse. The possibilities a greenhouse gives its owner are endless.

The variety of plants that can be grown because of a greenhouse are endless. Many items that are not available from local sources can be grown yourself from seed.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/How-To-Build-A-Greenhouse.aspx?utm_campaign=DIY&utm_medium=email&utm_source=iPost&utm_content=3.25.09+DIY

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I found this at www.cooksrecipes.com. I thought I would share it.

6 bacon slices, chopped
6 cups thinly sliced cabbage (1 small head)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat, stirring, until crisp and transfer with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings.
2. In skillet cook cabbage, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook cabbage until crisp-tender.
3. Remove from heat and sprinkle bacon over cabbage. Toss to combine and transfer to a serving dish.

Serves 4 to 6.

I hope you enjoy it.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Happy spring to everyone. I hope you’re enjoying the thought of nice weather approaching. I know I am.

I had to fix a link in a recent post. Here it is with the updates:
http://www.blogsmonroe.com/backyard/?p=1164

I’ll see you in the backyard!

It is nearly official. Spring arrives on Friday. I have already been seeing people getting started with outdoor projects.

I have been able to get a few things done in my yard. The first thing I did was check and see how everything survived the flooding from the recent heavy rains.
http://www.blogsmonroe.com/backyard/?p=1159
I was fortunate that the waters receded quickly and left no problems behind.

I was getting quite a few things accomplished until yesterday’s rain added to the already wet soil. I will be back at it soon though. I hope to be back out there this weekend. I was able to rake out the bed of Tiger Lillies. I cleaned up what was left of the old growth from last fall. I may transplant most of them before much longer. I have other plans for that bed area. I cleaned up a bunch of sticks that were scattered about the yard. They are in a pile waiting to be chipped. I had a large quantity of evergreen boughs left over from holiday crafts. I ran them all through the chipper/shredder and added them to the mulch pile.

I nearly kicked myself as I finished shredding all that greenery. I had a full utility trailer filled with greens. These were not large boughs, but greens that were cut to workable sizes for crafting. The whole trailer of greenery chipped down to just over two bags of chips. I should have taken before and after photos. I always have extra greens cut because I never want to run short in the cold weather. I would rather not have to harvest more in deep snow in December. All the extras become great mulch or additions to the compost pile.

My next project is to do some pruning on the large trees in the yard, some general spring cleanup and preparing the beds for my expanding garden and berry patch.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I received some interesting “how to grow it” tips from Mother Earth News. I just thought I would pass them along. I hope you find them interesting.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Growing-Potatoes.aspx?utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-10-01/How-To-Grow-Spinach.aspx?utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Growing-Peas.aspx?utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-08-01/How-To-Grow-Carrots.aspx?utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

I’ll see you in the backyard!

At first thought, you would think that rabbits and gardening would not be compatible. Although I like to keep rabbits out of the garden, I do enjoy raising them in cages. They are fun animals to have around, especially when you consider they are quiet and will not disturb surrounding neighbors. Their droppings make for wonderful additions to the compost pile.

Rabbits can be kept as pets, raised as meat rabbits or the bunnies can be sold as pets. There are many breeds of rabbits that will serve whatever purpose you choose.

We currently have one pet rabbit. When I was younger I had as many as 100 rabbits at one time. They are a wonderful starter animal for anyone. I am sure there will be more rabbits in my future.

I will be adding more information on rabbits soon. They can be a wonderful addition to your backyard. In this case my garden is better because of a rabbit.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

The recent heavy rains have caused major flooding problems in our area. The rains have also kept me from getting any early season work done. As my yard begins to dry out I will report any problems the water has caused, if any. I will also let let you know how I will try to remedy any possible problems I may find.

The one plus, if there is such a thing, to these type of events is gaining knowledge. Substantial flooding shows where the potential problems are in your lawn and landscape. The obvious first concern during flooding is your home. But this is also a good time to note where the standing water is at, and how far it reaches. This will be useful information later if you plan on any landscaping in those areas. Those areas would not be good places to put a shed, greenhouse or any other structure.

You do not need to live on the banks of a river, stream or small creek to be flood prone. Any areas that are low lying or receive a lot of runoff water have a flooding potential. I will see standing water after heavy rains this time of year. This year is has been much worse than usual. Fortunately the water does not hang around my yard for very long. I should be able to get out and check on everything in a day or two. I do not expect many problems, but I will know for certain very soon. I suspect the biggest chore will be to rake the mulch back off a few plants to allow the soil to dry out faster.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I was looking for a local woodworker to create a bench and arbor for a project I’m planning this spring. I have someone interested in a small sitting area with a bench, arbor and a plant bed around it. While I was visiting the woodworker, I took a few photos of some completed projects. They all appear to be of a very high quality.

He told me he can custom build any outdoor item you desire, just by providing photos or plans. He also does some furniture restoration.

It appears to me that he absolutely enjoys building projects for outdoor use. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.

Trellis Photos

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I’ll see you in the backyard!

I have this year’s garden plans just about finalized. This has taken me longer this year because I was debating an expansion. It looks like the expansion will happen.

I had my garden divided into two sections with a path through the middle. One section was mainly vegetables, and the other section was pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn. Beyond the pumpkins were a row of pots with various plants growing in them. These act as a border to end the garden. This year the pumpkins and gourds will be growing on the other side of those containers. This will give me quite a bit more room. I have already started building the soil in the area of the expanded garden, as I knew it would grow eventually to include that area. I also grow a few gourds within the corn. The gourds climb the stalks and grow upward rather than out.

The layout should be set. There will still be a row or two of sunflowers in the back of the garden against the fence. The left side of the main path will still be tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, cantaloupe and bush beans. The area where the pumpkins used to be will still have the Indian corn, but will also include potatoes, onions, climbing beans, cabbage and a few other plants I’ll decide on later. The pots I used to use as a garden end marker may hold gourds or mini pumpkins. Pumpkins will be grown in the newly expanded area. I really want to grow some bushel basket gourds this year.

I may also grow lettuce and other salad greens in the garden in addition to the other areas I grow it in. I will try to keep you updated as I decide what other items will be going in the garden area. There will also be information coming on installing trellising for the garden plants and any other preparations I make. You will also find more information on getting the new pumpkin patch area ready for the season. Seed starting will be coming soon also. I only have enough room to start seeds as entertainment right now. Most of my plants are purchased until a greenhouse can be afforded.

I’ll see you in the backyard!