dirtdobber's Blog
dirtdobber's days
Last Post 18 days Ago
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
May 1, 2008 | 5:56 AM PST
Well, it looks like the veggies are ok. Now I just need to thin them out. I have so enjoyed fooling around with this vegetable garden. I have really been missing out on a lot all these years that I had no room. My next job is to thin out the little plants. I have so much to learn. I have already started a list of things that I would do differently next year...but I guess that is what it is all about.
Yesterday, after I sprinkled down the garden like Bill told me to do, I had a bit of a work day. I can't imagine how some of this stuff has jumped to the forefront over the winter, but honeysuckle is everywhere in our beds. There is another heart shaped vine with thorns that is also having a good time. I pulled and clipped and hauled off tons of this stuff. I put some mulch on my little herb garden. At the end of the day I cut grass. I love to do that...maybe because I can ride? Anyway it got dark on me, so I need to finish that up today.
I did take a break though to take a picture of the baby birds in their nest. I couldn't wait to share it with you all. When I got out here the mama was sitting on the nest. She flew off and there they were! Just as I had my camera set, they flew out too! I had no idea they were big enough for that. I managed to get a shot of one baby on the ground, but it's not very good.
Today I have a few more fun things planned. I'm headed out to the garden center. Just to browse and maybe pick up a few things. I planted a clematis a few days ago and I need some sort of trellis. A friend gave me some volunteer coreopsis plants that I want to get in the ground today. I've added several things to my perennial bed and it has been fun checking them out everyday. The foxglove is particularly happy. It is beautiful. My morning glories are coming up, but they need to be thinned out today.
What I am the most excited about is what my husband brought me. Remember I am making the memory bed of my mother and mother in law's plants. Well, when I was growing up, there was the biggest oak tree on the property you have ever seen. A bad storm brought down some of the large limbs. Some as big as a tree themselves. They have been cut up and hauled off months ago. I made the remark one day to my husband that I would love to have had one of those "chunks of tree" to put in my garden. Do you know that sweet man went over to my mom's place and found one that didn't get hauled off. He came home from work with that, a stepping stone from my mom's yard and a little rabbit and frog that she had practically buried in some daylilies. I was so excited. I still don't know how he lifted that log! I guess after 35 yrs of marriage a man gets to know you pretty well. I was absolutely thrilled! The bed is coming along. I have a lot more work to do, but it is so pleasurable for me. I love working on this project.
I have rambled enough. I need to get on with my day and so do ya'll. Have a good one. And, get in that dirt! Trish
Apr 29, 2008 | 4:04 PM PST
Oh my little babies are all coming up in the garden. The squash are all bunched together. The purple hulls are coming up like little soldiers. My butterbeans are being a little sluggish though, but they are gradually peeking out. I even have a few blooms on the tomatoes. I got the corn planted today...don't know a thing about corn, so it really is an experiment. I have a few strawberry plants in, and one watermelon plant to go. AND I JUST HEARD ON THE NEWS THAT WE MAY HAVE FROST TONIGHT!!!!!!! PLEEEEASE!!!
Well, I'm going to eat a little dinner and think about what I should do. I could never be a farmer for a living. The stress would kill me!
Let me go ponder this while I chew on my ham and biscuits. Trish
Apr 27, 2008 | 3:57 PM PST
Saturday my husband and I decided on the spur of the moment to go take a day trip to see my son and his family 3 hours away. We didn't let them know we were coming b/c we didn't want them to cancel any plans. When we arrived , we called and got no answer. Since they live in this great sleepy island community on the coast, we knew we could find something to do if this happened. On this island is a nursery that I always want to visit. We had a couple of little gifts for them , but I wanted to get my daughter in law a flower. So we stopped at this place to pick up something. Guess what! They have completely rebuilt the place. It is huge, with so much more than before!!! All kinds of organic compost, more plants than you can shake a stick at, and tons of garden art. It was fabulous! We picked out a plant for Jess and rode by their house. They, in fact, were not there, so we went on with our day. We did want to check out the beach and the little local shops and we were hungry. It looked like rain was coming in, so we went on to eat at our favorite restaurant where you can sit on the front porch to eat. We then rambled through the shops, but all I could think about was getting back to that nursery so I could really look. Finally it was time to head out. I could not wait to spend a little income tax refund money at this place. We drove up....it was CLOSED!!!!!! I wanted to cry! Closed at 4PM. We just missed it.
I will definetly know next time how to time my visit.
BUT......., I got up this morning and hubby says "you have sprouts in your garden". Did ya'll here me squeal from way over here in Ga.??! My purple hulls are peaking through. So are most of the butterbeans. The squash is beginning to show up. And maybe it was the overnight rain, but my peppers and tomato plants have perked up tremendously. I was a little worried about a few of those...they just seemed a little depressed. But they are happy today as is their mother. It turned out to be a drizzly day, so after church I took a nap. I woke up 4 hours later. Man! I must ahve been tired. All that driving maybe? I've been around the garden to check everything out and now I'm about to eat some pizza.
Guess I'll try to garden a little tomorrow after work. I potted up some cuttings the other day from my mom's garden and I have a bunch more to do.
Well folks, that was my weekend, and that is my upcoming agenda. Ya'll have a great rest of the weekend and Get in that dirt!!! Trish
