bsmitch's Blog

Make the photo large before clicking on properties. Here is your picture.

You have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

This year in Kentucky, brood XIV cicadas will emerge from the ground where they have lived for seventeen years. I t is one of the largest emergences that will occur in 80 percent of the state. I have a cold frame in which I grew seedlings this spring. The 3 x 5 foot area was warmed to the critical ground temperature required for the emergence of these cicada. Today I witnessed ten of these coming from my cold frame. When they come out in force and climb to the top of the trees to breed in a couple more weeks, their sound will be deafening. 

I
killed this one before I read that they will do no major damage to the garden,  just your ear drums.

Y'all have a great day and happy gardening. The Hillbilly, Bill Mitchell

I posted this for everyone.

Your friend, The Hillbilly

I just brightened it up a bit.

Do you see the difference?

Have a great day and happy gardening, your good friend, Bill Mitchell

A few new openings for today. I bought this bush in a pot four years ago, it was about twelve inches tall and had a few blooms on it. It's about five to six feet tall now and is filled with buds. They started blooming yesterday. It's called a mock orange and the fragrance is out standing.

 p>

A great day for this white dutch iris to also bloom.

A new color bloom on the bearded iris is also worth a picture.

Thi
s next picture of wandering jew is for Indianshadow46. The jew is doing great in the rock garden.

Y'al
l have a great day and happy gardening. Bill and Sandy Mitchell

It happened in Detroit Michigan. I had been asking this Detroit girl ,Sandy, to marry me for eight months. I was a young hillbilly man of 20 years old from Louisville, Kentucky. Here we were, standing at the alter, young and dumb but didn't know it. That was the best decision Sandy ever made, for both of us. Now here we are, still in love. She is my best friend and I am hers. To celebrate our 51st, I bought her a cordless weed eater to make it easier on her when she cuts the grass. Now that is true love down here in the country in Kentucky.  

Y'all have a great day and happy gardening. With love from Sandy and Bill Mitchell

Thought you might enjoy a picture of this old Hillbilly coonass in action in the swamp.

I fry the tail in Zatarain seasoned fish fry after soaking in milk and garlic over night in the fridge.

You have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

I photographed a honeysuckle bush given to me from Alan and Helen ( Starr ) Jones. Both have been directors of the Louisville Ballet. I had the pleasure of maintaining their personal computer and became good friends. Here is a synopsis from the internet about Helen.

Helen Starr is associate artistic director of the Louisville Ballet, where she was principal dancer for 20 years, and continues to perform with the company in character roles. She was born in Kent, England and trained at the Royal Academy of Dancing and the Royal Ballet School. Helen toured the world with the Royal Ballet as a soloist and assistant ballet mistress. Over the course of her career, she has danced and taught in 36 countries on five continents. Her partners have included many world-renowned dancers, including Mikhail Baryshnikov.

And here is  the photograph.

You all have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

is not as expensive as a trip to the florist. Every spring I ride to the fringe of the pasture and clip a limb from a wild dogwood tree. It puts a smile on my wife's face and that in turn puts a smile in my heart.

You all have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

There were several interesting events in the past couple of days. I spotted a couple of Indigo Bunting and the first male Red Breasted Grosbeak. I didn't get any pictures, but hopefully I will soon. There are some wild Irises and wild Spider Wort blooming. Someone asked me about the wild Irises so here is a picture.

Also in the wild garden, the Fire Pink (catchfly) are blooming.

Also blooming in the wild garden is the wild Columbine.

L
ast year, after the spring freeze, I bought this Azalea, half dead for half price. $7.00.

How about a close up.

Also in one of my previous blogs, someone wanted to see the Kerria blooming again.

The first Clematis was blooming this morning. Here is a couple of pictures.

p>

I planted four containers with Impatiens for the back patio area which is always in the shade once the leaves develop on the tall Oak trees.

And now for my last project for this morning. The up-side-down tomato garden.

I hope this is entertaining for all of you who view it.

Y'all have a great day and happy gardening. The Hillbilly, Bill Mitchell

By Julie Williams Platinum Quality Author - Using Human Urine As A Liquid Fertilizer


OK, so are you over the shock now??? In the not so distant past, we didn’t have the luxury of having a small room in the house where we could flush away our number ones and twos. But did you ever wonder how we managed before the water closet? Not that I want to get into the history of it, but let’s just say that before the times of our current throw-away society, people thought of multiple uses for just about everything.

Well maybe you didn’t know that human urine is the fastest acting, most excellent source of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and some trace elements. Not only that, but we all have a constant, year round supply of it – and it’s free! There’s not a lot of effort involved in creating this wonderful organic liquid fertilizer.

Some men I know are more than happy to oblige a tree, bush or lawn (out of view, of course).

Did you know that many toilets use between 50 and 100 litres of water a day to flush around 1.5 litres of pee? And the high levels of nutrients in our effluent systems leads to the growth of algae, which ultimately causes the death of plants and animals throughout our waterways.

What are the advantages of using urine as an organic liquid fertilizer?

# If you’re not flushing this valuable liquid down the loo, you are reducing your water consumption – good for the environment and your pocket

# You’ll be reducing the amount of sewerage runoff

# There’ll be less nutrients in our waterways

# Urine as a liquid fertilizer is available in an ideal chemical form for plants to use

# Gardening costs are less as your liquid fertilizer is free

# It is readily available all year round and there are no transportation costs

Just so that you know, fresh human urine is sterile (unless there is a urinary tract infection – this urine should not be used) and so free from bacteria.

I recommend that you dilute urine to 10-15 parts water to 1 part urine for application on plants in the growth stage. Dilute to 30-50 parts water to 1 part urine for use on pot plants as they are much more sensitive to fertilizers of any kind.

Trees, shrubs and lawn should cope well without dilution. Withhold the use of urine liquid fertilizer on all food plants at least two weeks before harvesting. Apply under fruiting plants, not directly on foliage.

Don’t use urine older than 24hours on your plants as the urea turns into ammonia and will burn your plants. If it’s not fresh, add it to your compost heap. Adding undiluted human urine to your compost heap will help heat it up quickly as it is an excellent activator and will add to the final nutrient value.

As far as antibiotics, vitamin supplements and other medications go, yes they will end up in your urine, but in such minute quantities that I believe to be negligible – especially when it is diluted.

So put this excellent source of free liquid fertilizer to good use in your garden, rather than add to the burden that we as humans cause to our environment.

Pictures say more then words. This hanging pot of wild flowers survives every winter.

I can't miss a blog without the rock garden picture.

And
a close up of the tulips.

The kerria are blooming.

So
me gerber daisies.

Som
e irises

And what is spring without violets.

Enj
oy my spring with me.

You all have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

When we go to the nursery or Lowes, we see pots of blooming bulbs for sale usually $6.95 or $7.95. I made my own this year. In the fall, I planted a pot with six tulip bulbs and then I buried it in the garden with about 1 inch of the pot lip above the soil line. This spring, when the tulips were up about 4 inches, I dug the pot and cleaned it and brought it to my porch. I planted it with bulbs I had saved from last spring, so it didn't cost anything. Here are three pictures for your enjoyment.

 <
/p>

Y'all have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

Just had to put a before and after. More to come later.

Spring is just great.

You all have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

This is something I've been waiting to entertain all you great gardeners. My neighbor, up the highway, has been adding to this display each year. This is spring 2008. There isn't any more to say except, look at it.

I do hope these pictures helped to make your day great. The Hillbilly