dirtdobber's Blog
dirtdobber's days
Last Post 7 days, 17 hours Ago
Aug 30, 2008 | 10:41 AM PST
Hi everyone! I've haven't written in a while. Just for one reason or another, I haven't gotten around to it. I guess by now everyone's garden looks like mine. My veggies are about tuckered out. It was fun planting this garden and watching it grow. I have learned that I love the planning, tilling, planting,and observing much more than I like the harvesting. I know that sounds crazy after all that work, but it just wasn't always in me to go pick beans etc. after a long day at work. And I had so many!!! We had a lot of tomatoes too, but they weren't as large as I had hoped for. I just couldn't keep up with the okra...it grew so fast and if you don't pick young ones, they are too tough to eat. The bugs and worms got most of my peas and corn. The watermelons never got bigger than a large cantalope...also not as sweet as I had hoped for. Well that sound like a bit of a "downer" report and I didn't mean for it to be. It was fun and a learning experience. I learned that I will do a few things differently next year.
The really great news is that everything here is soooo green! The rain from"Faye" has been a Godsend. There is new growth in everything just like springtime. Now we have Gustav coming in. I'm just praying for all of you on the gulf coast. Keep safe!
Ya'll have a great Labor Day weekend...and get in that dirt!!!! Trisha
Aug 3, 2008 | 6:48 AM PST
Last night after supper and after doing some leisurely knitting, I realized it there was a good bit of lightening going on. I invited hubby to sit on the front porch with me. We both had a bowl of strawberry shortcake and settled in for the show. It was spectacular! I don't know when I have seen so much lightening! The thunder, though, was a rumble in the distance. The anticipation of that glorious rain coming was almost more than I could stand. But it was not to be. After about 45 minutes, I gave up and started getting ready for bed. Hubby stayed a while longer. The end result...no rain! Zero. Nada. None!
It's a good thing I watered yesterday. The new bed that I put in a few weeks ago is starting to look decent. The plumeria is starting to green back up. I think that I lost one iris though. The knockout roses are perking back up. I just wish the agapanthus would green up a little more. It's still a little yellowy.
I am desperately trying to keep the grass alive in this heat. Doesn't take long for it to get crunchy.
And the bad news...I do believe the deer have been using my rose of sharon as snack food! It looks like some of the tops have been whacked off. I think I will wait until the weather cools a little and move them a little closer to the house. (If they make it until then.) Those deer seem to hang out at the edge of the woods on our property and you might know, that is where I chose to plant those 2 bushes. What was I thinking?!
Well, the church bells are ringing and I must go. But you all have a wonderful day...and get in that dirt!!!! Trish
Jul 24, 2008 | 6:47 AM PST
Well, I'm enjoying my day off from work. As I sat on y back porch this morning drinking my coffee, I was straining to see my 2 rose of sharon plants at the edge of the yard. I bought them both several weeks ago at Lowes. They are both white(figured they would show up from a distance). I really wanted a pinkish one but they didn't have any. I thought my eyes were deceiving me this morning...it looked like a pink bloom on my plant! I ran and slid on my flip flops, and in my pajamas and bathrobe, I trooped down to the site of my hallucination. But it was no hallucination. The biggest pink bloom you ever saw just smiling up at me! Right next to the white one on another branch. How cool! I love it when God gives us these little gifts in nature. Do you think it was grafted on at some time or what? There is definitely only one plant there. Just wanted to share my little gift with you all. Sometimes it just takes being still and watching, to see what God has in store for us! Hope you are having a great day...and get in that dirt! Trish
Jul 6, 2008 | 5:38 AM PST
Just a few little things going on in the garden lately. Mid summer always seems to bring things to a bit of a halt...maybe more like a pause. Two weeks ago, hubby and I made a new bed. It's so pretty, bordered in rocks. As of yet I have nothing in it, but I'm getting there. I went to Lowes last weekend and found a fabulous sale! Knockout roses-$3.47, Agapanthus-$1.27, daylilies- .99, althea (white blooms)- 3.47,iris- .99, and more! What a find! Of course it is all still waiting on me to plant. I just haven't had it in me for some reason. I did snip back my herb plants. My zinnia seeds have turned into little plants that I watch everyday. I have a small climbing rose that I rooted from my mom's plant that I think I need to move. I planted it next to the garage, but it is under the eaves. When it rains(and that is not nearly often enough!) the poor thing is not getting any water. How I didn't realize that, I don't know.
My veggie garden is just beautiful. It is so lush looking! The little rain that we have had has done wonders! My biggest probleem is aphids. I have sprayed my purple hulls with fertilome(organic). We will see if it works. I have lots of tomatoes, but none have turned red. What's up with that? Squash, peppers, okra and butterbeans are coming out the wazoo. There are about 4-5 watermelons out there and the corn is gorgeous! I guess this is the season maybe to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labors. I know I have enjoyed the sitting back part this past week! Ya'll have a great day!....and get in that dirt! Trish
Jun 24, 2008 | 12:36 PM PST
Well, I just can't believe it. I feel like a real farmer or something. I have harvested exactly one squash, but there are others surfacing. It looks like I'm going to have enough purple hull peas and butterbeans to send you all some! Oh! And I have a watermelon! pyoung, It finally did happen. I went digging around my vine and found a little baby melon about the size of a large marble. So cute! My corn has the beginnings of some silks coming through. I just cannot believe that I grew these things! I have some hot peppers that I have grown and eaten also. But I'm giving most of those away. Too hot!! This has been a lot of fun. And would you believe, I still can't get my pics on my blog. I did everything that Bill told me, and it just won't do. I'm not giving up though. It's probably something very stupid that I'm missing. Guess I'd better get out there and check "the farm". We have had a couple of wonderful rain showers lately, and it is unbelievable what that can do for your plants overnight. Much better than Miracle Grow!
Ya'll have a great day....and get in that dirt! Trisha
Jun 21, 2008 | 7:37 AM PST
Looking out the window, I see the drizzle dance going on. So I got my coffee and came in here to visit with GG. Frankly I'm waiting on the waterfall waltz! I had hoped to work on my memory bed for a while today before attending a wedding this afternoon. Two days ago I transplanted 3 pieces of antique rose from my old house. It orginated from my hubby's grandmother's garden. It is a gorgeous pink that deepens to a purplish color. The scent is heavenly! It looks a little droopy, but I'm praying over it. I also added some of my MIL's flowering almond. She always had variegated vinca in her beds, so I brought some of that too. Just glad it's not as invasive as the solid green vinca vine! UGH! Can't believe I did this, but my FIL gave me some wisteria years ago that never did much due to the shade, but I put that in also. I remember the day he and I went to his woods to get it. He gave me 4 o'clocks also that bred like rabbits at the old house, and I brought that too. I have daylilies from my mom's garden that I never saw bloom, and they have buds about to burst open. Can't wait! The gaura from her yard is blooming pink all over. And speaking of pink... I had put in some pinks that my mom and I got from a little elderly lady more than 15 years ago. It is now planted on the border of the bed. So pretty! You can see the silver color from across the yard. And it has bloomed. The iris are standing tall and erect as if to say "Yes maam, We will like our new home. Yes maam!" There is little piece of azalea that has lost all it's leaves but his insides still seem to be green, so I'm holding out hope. I have put a semi-circle low wall around the back side of the bed with the rocks hubby gave me for mothers day. My mom gave me a stone years ago that has written on it " To plant a garden is to walk with God". That's going in the bed also.
Well thanks for visiting my memory bed. Ya'll have a good day....And get in that dirt!! Trisha
Jun 19, 2008 | 5:08 AM PST
Yesterday I dug all day. My brother had mentioned to me that he wanted a mimosa tree. Around here they are rather invasive, but he said he wanted one. I agree that they are really pretty. I went to this old home site and found 2 little ones to dig up for him. As I was walking around, I came up under a big ole mimosa. I walked up under it looking for babies. All of a sudden my childhood came rushing back to me. I had totally forgotten that they have a scent to them! Oh! What a sweet scent to give me such sweet memories. A neighbor had a huge mimosa tree that all of the kids in the neighborhood climbed on and played in. I was there! It was a great trip back in time. Is there any other hobby that can do that?! Ya'll have a good day....and get in that dirt! Trisha
Jun 18, 2008 | 7:37 AM PST
Well, I haven't done a whole lot of digging lately but I need to. The last few days I have just enjoyed the fruits of my labor. My knockout roses bloomed in a flurry and they seem to be resting now. The poor pitiful shasta daisy that I planted looks like he just wants the hot weather to be over with. I put in a handful of zinnia seeds that are probably 2 inches tall now. I love checking on their progress everyday. Maybe I shouldn't check so often. You know what they say about a "watched pot"! I also planted an asian lilly that had already bloomed. Guess I'll have to see it's majesty next Spring.
The mama bluebird is about to work herself to death feeding her babies. Isn't that just like a mama? Sadly, my little nest of eggs in my old dead fern didn't turn out as well. I'm not sure what kind of bird that was, but one egg hatched, he died, and the other egg never hatched. I guess that also is "such is life" huh? We stay busy trying to keep the squirrells out of the bird feeders. In the afternoons on the front porch there is quite a show watching the birds at the feeders. There is a cardinal that just adds all the color and pzzazz you could ever want! I just love turning on the sprinklers and listening to them whirr. I can do that b/c they are using well water. I couldn't do that otherwise b/c of the water restrictions.
I have also found a beautiful wildflower on one of my little jaunts in the yard. It's on the edge of the woods. It grows like a vine, almost like a clematis vine. It has a purplish bloom. I took a picture that I'm going to post in the ID forum. I still can't get my computer to post a picture on my blog. Hubby and I are still working on that!
I've been feeling very contemplative(is that a word?) lately. I always seemed to be worried about something with at least one of my 4 children. None of it being any really big deal. It's either their health, their marriage, something they said , or something I said. Just never seem to be at peace with it all. What's up with that? Probably the devil. Guess that is why I love the garden so much. It's soothing to my soul. All of my veggies and flowers are thankful for every drop of water and every mouthful of food I give them, and then they reward me with spectacular results. Come to think of it, I guess our kids do the same thing. Ya'll have good day and...get in that dirt!! Trisha
Jun 11, 2008 | 5:09 PM PST
Well, the heavens opened up and gave us a glorious rainstorm this evening! It lasted about 30-45 minutes. I mean we had the thunder, lightening, the works. Hubby and I sat on the back screened porch and watched the whole show. Best entertainment I've had for free in a long time. After the rain, I walked out in the yard to check things out. My neighbor ( the landscape/gardening neighbor) was also out checking out her garden. I took a wonderful stroll through her yard with her. As I have mentioned before, her yard is gorgeous and slap full of every kind of plant you can think of. Anyway, what fun! Her daylilies are something else...yellow, peach. purplish. She has glads blooming, even an iris is still blooming. There were roses everywhere. A japanese magnolia had such pretty purple blooms. I thought it was a little late for that to be blooming, but I sure enjoyed getting to see it.
I walked back over to my garden. The veggies needed a little repair. All of my corn was laying flat on the ground. I had to help them stand back up. They may have come back up on their own, but I couldn't just leave them there all night! I staked up my maters and propped my pepper plants back up. I think they will all be fine now.
There is just something about a good rain that does a person good! Hope the rest of you southerners got some water too! Have a good night....and tomorrow...ya'll get in that dirt! Trish
Jun 10, 2008 | 12:31 PM PST
It is so hot here that you can hear the grass crunch under your feet. Yesterday I cut he grass (all 3 acres). I was absolutely spent when I finished. And I was on a riding lawnmower! It's just the heat. Really, I think I'm just getting old and can't take the heat as well as I once could. I watered the lawn for a little while b/c it just felt like a desert. Thank goodness we have a well, so the watering restrictions don't apply. And we would go broke trying to water with the county water that we have running to the house.
My new little flower bed looks pretty good except for my shasta daisy. It is really pitiful looking. I thought they liked sun, but I think this heat was too much for them to be planted in. I don't know, I'm not giving up on him yet.
I have 6 tomatoes growing on the vine! So much fun to watch their progress! My squash is blooming away, but I'm not so sure that I don't have one of thos male/female plant problems. The blooms don't seem to be doing anything after they bloom. I heard on the radio that sometimes if they are not getting pollinated that's what will happen. I couldn't really tell which plant is female or male. They told on the radio program how to determine that, but I'm stumped.
Oh well, at least it is a little cooler to day. It is bearable when you go outside. 95 degrees today and a slight chance of rain. You people pray and do a rain dance for all of us thirsty folks down here in Ga! And ...get in that dirt! Trish
Jun 6, 2008 | 6:43 AM PST
Today is my day off from work. I got up, got my coffee,and sat on the back porch reading the paper. I had turned the sprinkler on my azaleas. As I sat there, I could hear the chirping birds, the swish, swish of the sprinkler and the buzzing of the hummingbirds. The life, huh? The hot summer weather hasn't turned the grass yet to a parched brown. It's all nice and green. I have a second family of bluebirds in my bluebird house. My ferns are also housing second families of birds, but I'm not sure what kind.
A walk through the yard gets me going. I planted a new bed a week ago. I put in 2 different kinds of daylilies, knockout roses, verbena, purple salvia, sedum, coneflower, some zinnia seeds, shasta daisies, and a plant that I was unfamiliar with and have now forgotten the name. It is all coming along nicely. My hosta bed looks ok but the hostas are just kind of sitting there. I found about 5 clematis vines on sale at Lowe's and planted them here , there and yon around the yard, and they are all putting out new growth. One hydrangea has blooms, but the one that I bought last year has no signs of blooming. It is supposed to be a better and longer bloomer than Endless Summer. I so want that one to make it! The gardenia by the garage is blooming...smells great. My litttle pieces of Rose of Sharon are doing great as are the cuttings that I rooted in water. Had no idea that it was so easy to root. And my memory garden is looking great! Most of the plants that I brought pieces of from my mom's old house have made it and some are even blooming. I feel like my mom is saying good job!
Well, hope you all have a good day in the garden. There is no better therapy...is there? Ya'll get in that dirt! Trish
Jun 3, 2008 | 5:12 PM PST
I posted some new pics of my veggie garden in the photo section. It looks really good as a whole. I haven't gotten any vegetables yet, but there are lots of blooms ,so I know they are coming. SOMETHING ate my strawberries though! I didn't have but one plant...just to experiment. I had a little strawberry to appear and then it was gone as fast as it arrived. I think a rabbit got it. I'm going to try to put some chicken wire or something over it to see if I can save the next few little berries. The butterbeans are going crazy, and I have some little bitty okra even though the plants have been a little sluggish growing. My peppers are puny and yellow. Don't have a clue what ails them. Only one of those looks really healthy. I don't see any bugs though. The purple hulls are coming along too. Plenty of blooms on the tomatoes too. Maybe soon I'll be able to scrape together enough out of the garden to have at least one sit down dinner!
P.S. Is anybody missing any hummingbirds? I think they are all at my house....bunches of them. When I am so tired at the end of the day, I just sit there watching them, marveling at their energy! Ya'll have a good day...and get in that dirt!! Trish
May 20, 2008 | 1:21 PM PST
I think I saw babies in the garden! Really! I saw some little, itty ,bitty, bitty, bitty peppers! And I also saw some teeny, weeny, tee tiny squash!! I had to stop jumping up and down long enough to come inside and let ya'll know! This is huge, really huge. I'm thinking, I may get totally addicted to this gardening thing. This is fun!!!!! Ya"ll have a good day and ......get in that dirt!! Trish
May 18, 2008 | 8:10 AM PST
I've done a bit of piddling in the yard lately. I have planted 5 hostas in a front flower bed. They are varieties that are a bluish color. I planted a white clematis near the birdbath under a tree in the same bed. The zinnia seeds have come up in my little seed starter kit. I also planted some directly in the ground in a new bed up by the street. For many years I couldn't stand Zinnias...don't know why. Now I have come to like them for some reason. I planted near the street so my neighbors could see the colorful blooms. They seem to say "Have a nice day...and don't take life so seriously!".
My morning glories are coming on up and attaching to the fence. My memory garden is perking up considerably after all the rain we have had. We dug up a small magnolia tree several months ago from a site they are developing around here. I can't figure out if it is putting out a bloom or new growth, but something is coming out and I'm excited about it. I've moved a few cannas to a sunnier site but they still look pathetic to me. And I didn't think you could kill the things!
My impatiens are mounding up so nicely! They are such "happy" flowers! My veggies are coming along I guess, but I am such a novice at vegetable gardening that I don't trust myself. I had to spray insecticidal soap on my peas due to aphids...darn bugs! My daylilies are an explosion of sun kisses. Tons of them. The foxglove is blooming...and the iris foliage is always there to show off its swordlike fans.
The birds are having the time of their lives! We have added a bird feeder and they are excited about it. The sunflower seeds are still the biggest hit.
Well, today hubby and I are going to create a new bed near the curb ...for everyone's driving pleasure. We will use some of the rock he gave me for mother'sday. I just have to decide what to plant. I want to leave room for annuals to change out with the seasons. That's what has the color for the neighbors to enjoy.
Well, better get going. I STILL have not mastered the art of posting pics on my blog or else I would let you have a tour of everything. I'm still working on it though.
Ya'll have a great day...and get in that dirt!! Trish
May 13, 2008 | 12:19 PM PST
Oh my gosh! What a weekend! We had family here for Mother's Day. Son #3 had everyone over for dinner Friday night. I babysat #1 son's baby girl all day Saturday while he and his wife went to a race. They told us they would be very late getting in, so when we put the baby to bed, we took her up to our room. At 5am, my husband woke me up to tell me "the sirens" were going off. We jumped into action, and carried the little baby bed downstairs. We were ready to go to the central room of the house, which is the bathroom. The rain was unbelievable! And the lightening! I have another son that works night shift on the police dpt. I called to see that he was ok. He was, but he said the entire city was black. He said the only light he could see was the lightening. (I wanted him to tell his boss that his mama said he had to come home, but he didn't think that would go over too well). By the time the sun came up the devastation was obvious. I have never seen anything like it except on tv. Places that have "always been" just simply are not there anymore. Entire communities basically destroyed! But in our city, thank God ,there was no loss of life ,and that is the most important blessing in all of this.
Our home didn't have any damage...only no electricity. And that is back on now. And my garden took a hit. Not terribly bad, but it gullied out some places. I tried to go out and repair the damage. Some of the mounds and hills were eroded away so I tried to put the dirt back in place around their little "bottoms". It is amazing what wind and water can do. But again I am just so thankful we were all safe.
With no electricity yesterday, I had no way to wash or vacuum(oh darn), so I puttered in the yard. I transplanted some cannas to a sunnier spot. I planted a Japanese Maple tree. I also added some rosemary to my herb garden. And guess what Hubby got me for Mother's Day!?! Two tons of rock!!!!!! I can't tell you how thrilled I was. I have been going to the woods looking for rocks...one rock at a time. These are so pretty. I want to make a rock wall and border a few places with them. I just can't wait to get started, but half the fun is in the planning? right?
Well, I hope you guys had a nice weekend and also a safe one. Hope to get back on track with my blogs and pictures! Ya'll have a great day, and get in that dirt!!! Trish
