How We Tarp the Greenhouse!

A recent email requested how we tarp the greenhouse so I hope these photos will help.
Our main greenhouse is 8 X 10 feet and we use a heavy duty tarp 19 foot X 29.4 feet to cover
it.

 Placement of the tarp so that it
covers all the greenhouse.  The
north end of the tarp to cover the
front door.

 Then working on the east side making
sure it's about to the board.  This side is
pretty protected but the west side isn't so
the west side is longer due to the winds.

The back (south) side is the longest and I
just flip it under so I can tuck it into the
space between the blocks and greenhouse.

 After it is flipped under I tie
the front and back together.

 Tuck the back in!

 Then work on the west side folding
the back forward and tying down to
the bracket.

 Next is to make sure the front is folded
right and this is the area where we will
untie to enter.

I place a trellis in front to the back fold and
wrap it in place then tie the front to the
trellis for easy access.  All wrapped tight!

We also try to keep this area clean of fir needles
as this is the path for our dog to go to her gravel
area to do her business.

Watch this Video!!

10/17/2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nny_OUEF7_U&t=35s


10/21/2019

Again this am I watched as this man drove down half way down the driveway and
waited until my husband was about to his driveway before he back down into the
street forcing my husband to stop or get hit.


10/22/2019

This morning I have my husband leave earlier to avoid the neighbor!   Traffic is bad
on our little roadway and not safe.  I will add that it's only been this past week that this has
been happening as the neighbor is starting later.   This morning his grand daughter went with
him.  We have had issues with this family since the day they moved in!  We have lost count the
number of times they have called the sheriff on us and we just laugh when the officers state they
will go talk to them.  We avoid them and really feel sorry for them as they attempt to get in our
face all the time, no life but to copy others. 

October 15th Deadline!!

This is our deadline to get all the tropicals and plants that we want to save in and protected.
We also start the cut back in this process, the tender plant material goes first and as we go we
access the hardiness of what plants are left.  By November 1 all should be done and put away for the winter months.   We find the 15th of October is when we fight neighboring leaves that blow or come
into our yard.  So this take a lot of our time in getting them either blow back of vac to be dumped into the yard where they came from.   It's their responsibility as it's their trees, but in our area the leaves are allowed to blow into others yards as property owners just don't care.  This is why we have to pay $35 a year stormwater fee.   I think it's time for the County to take a serious look at those that neglect their responsibility and not charge those of us that do take them time to clean up.  It boggles the mind, what happens if a car should slide and wreck due to their neglect to pick up their leaves?? 

I made a deal with the County's Public works director in the 1990s that I would clean our circle due
to a couple neighbors keep complaining about the street sweeper.    So since then I have had a blower vac and two 100 feet cords to keep them area clean.  But these days due to health issue I have slowed
down and can't keep it as clean as I did then.  It just blows the mind how folks allow grass clippings to blow out of their mower and don't clean up the mess.  Or they toss stuff in the streets.   Let alone the vehicles that drip whatever into the street and they do nothing to up keep their vehicles.  All you have to do is take a walk and see the oil leaks on the street.  Come on out County and you will see what I see.

So with that stated I have a couple weeks to finish the cut back!!  We have had a couple frosty days
and it's time.



12/3/2019

We are still doing daily cleanups and have yet to finish the yard.  Hoping that the good Lord or
Mother Nature sees fit to hold back the cold until we get done. 

Creating New Beds

This morning garden question I go was how to create a mulched area bed?   Beings that we have done
this many times it's really nice to have less grass!!

We have done the tilling, the card board, the newspaper and the landscaping material routes and find the best is the newspaper route.  We have learned the landscaping material works best for pathways and driveways with rocks.  If you aren't planting in the area, use the landscaping material to suppress the weeds.

First you want to take a look at the area, decided if you are going to plant in this area and then remove all plant material if you want to keep it.  Then Yes, spray round up or any plant material killer that you might have on hand.   Any homemade killer with vinegar shouldn't be used if you plan on planting in this area.   If you are just going to put down a path or gravel then yes, use vinegar.   We use vinegar in all the driveways and walkways that have gravel as we know we will not plant in them.   Next is to allow the area to die, when you see it yellowing, you know you have got it.  If you are in a hurry then just cover with newspaper. 

Fall is a great time to put in raised garden beds or to do landscaping, which gives you time to plant
in the spring!!

We just put in a new pathway and will share the photos:

 Here is the area where the new path was going in.  First I sprayed round up to kill the grass.

  We decided to remove the edgers by the pavers to use
in the yard to make the area look clearly divided.  But left the edgers to keep the gravel in the area. Once the grass was yellow we took a flat shovel and removed the yellowing grass.

As you can see we used landscape material on some of the area as we laid the pavers down.   I recommend sand next but in this area we chose not to do the sand as it was
really flat.  I really wanted to do a row of three pavers but this works for the other party helping whom decided to cut the pavers we needed.   So since we didn't do the whole area in pavers mulch was the choice to fill in the area.  We also topped the pavers with sand to fill in the cracks between the pavers.

Let's talk mulch now, when we do the whole yard it takes two
truck full to get the whole area mulched.  It can get pretty spendy if you use a lot of much.  For smaller areas I would do the Lowe's of Home Depo bags of mulch.  Make sure it's a wood product not the rubberized stuff.   You will understand when you start to plant the area.  If you have questions let me know and I'll help!

Brugmansia

Brugmansia and Datura 
Angel's Trumpets and Thorn Apples

By Ulrike and Hans Georg Preissel

Is the best reference book!!  There are groups out there to join if you think you want to.
There is information online at these groups and one should know the top growers if one
really wants to grow these.   I don't do the political things when it comes to plants.    Yes,
I have joined some of these groups but feel it's not for me.   Each gardener is different and
one needs to find what works for you.

Be forewarned these are toxic!!  Respect them and you will be safe.  They can cause death!! 

I have been asked this past week to do a step by step detail of growing Brugmansias
as some folks are needing some advice.   We have covered a lot of what we do here
in the past posts and hope folks will take some time to read old posts.  We do not have a degree in hort and do things that are frowned upon by some, but they work!!   So as time permits after
I get the plants put away I'll try to do a month by month what we do here to help new
growers.

Right now one shouldn't be fertilizing and allowing the plants to get ready for a restful winter!!
Sept 1 to Sept. 15 is cut off time for fertilizing.  Oct. 1 to 15th is time to bring them in.

More to come...........

Lawn Care!

There has been so many requests for what we do with our lawn this past month as
folks have been impressed with our lawn.  It's not perfect and yes you may walk on it!!

We have to use chemicals to get it the way it looks!  Shocked???   Just look around us and you
will see brown yards.  Yes, the birds bring in seeds so it's been a huge challenge.  It's about the
care you give your lawn and working on it to keep it green! 

We use JB Perennial Rye seeds, which you can find at Home Depo.  The key is to over seed the grass area, which I will hand seed the area.  Second is Fertilizing, Scotts is our choice.  If money is an issue
the best time to feed is in the fall, with then a spring feeding of golf course lime (Calpril which Wilco carries, but check feed stores in your area ) due to the acid soil we have here in the Pacific Northwest lime will sweeten the soil for the grass to grow.  We also put down the weed and feed fertilizer and keep on hand,  the anytime fertilizer, Watch your grass for signs that it needs some extra TLC, when the grass yellows is one sign you should note.  Another is the blueing of the grass, which is a signal of it's in need of water.

Also do not cut it short!!  Raise that mower up!!   Dandelions and clover are not a lawn!  I have heard folks that a natural lawn, okay you deal with the bugs it brings!!  Got ants??  They love a brown lawn and decaying plant material.  Also by watering you will keep your property cooler.  Depends on the area as to how much water it will take, some folks say 1/2 inch a week.  I watch the animals and the plants to know if one should water more.  Yes, green is in!!  With climate change one really has to pay attention!

I have also been asked how do I keep the gravel area so weed free.  Only in a gravel area should you use vinegar,  half vinegar and half water in a sprayer.  If the area is full of weeds, roundup should be used to kill them first, then apply the vinegar water as I found that this alone will not get them all.

Hope this helps, ask questions if you have a problem.


We plan on killing the yard mid July of 2020 so watch for that post.

Check Out These Tendrils!!

When she first opened we had a few storms roll
though so I had to move her to the garage.  Here is
a photo taken before she went inside.

While inside her tendrils spread out.  The fragrance was sweet but not over powering.


The tendrils are 4 and 1/2 inches long!!  The next day she went out and she is a nice shade of pink.

Here they are in the greenhouse in full bloom and a lovely shade of lite pink.  It smells heavenly in the brug house!!