May 27, 2013 by Born To Organize

Mr. Mischievous: Mighty Mouse Mayhem

Secret Garden: Under Construction

Though gardening can be a solitary activity it’s rare that I’m alone in the dirt. Mr. Mischievous, aka the neighbor’s cat is always along on the journey.

Mouse finds it irresistible when I’m down on all fours in the garden. Apparently it’s equally irresistible causing trouble.

Kitty rolls at my feet, nibbles on the swaying grass and chases clods of dirt at the end of a weed. Unfortunately, he’s also a bit of a ‘bull in a china shop.’ Last week, while I had my back turned, he made himself comfortable on top of the City Picker. I’ve done plenty of reading on mulching tomatoes and cat mulch wasn’t on the list.

Mouse keeping the tomato seedlings warm

My fairy garden is under (re) construction after he sent the entire pot, heal over castors on to the deck. It gave us both quite the start, and sadly snapped off the tiny leg of my treasured Boomdeeadda deer. My husband worked his magic with a few drops of super glue, but that deer now looks askance when he sees Mouse headed his way.

Fairy Garden Kerfuffle

This week I started a second miniature garden, tucked between a few plants at the base of our Magnolia tree. The garden is at ground level so nothing can fall and break. That’s not to say that a curious cat can’t wedge himself into the same tiny space, confident that the new little clearing is just for him.

Mighty Mouse in the Secret Garden

Help me!!!

Once he tires of making mischief, he’ll demand I pick him up. On several occasions, he simply climbs on my stooped back and curls himself in to a ball. It’s hard not to admire that level of confidence.

It’s all about me!

If you’re in the neighborhood and you see me down on all fours with a white kitty napping on my back, be sure to wave hello. More likely than not, Mr. Mischievous will trot out to the curb to say hello.

I’m trying to get some shut-eye here.

Be sure to check back for the Secret Garden debut later this week.

January 24, 2013 by Born To Organize

Gravel Mulch Muchas Gracias

Pansies

Last fall I planted purple pansies along the deck, then interspersed bulbs in between. What beautiful planters we would have come spring.

Then the squirrels dug them up. One by one, over a couple of days, they unearthed the hidden gems. Normally I add a layer of organic mulch, but in my never-ending quest to discourage snacking squirrels, I covered at least half of the pots with rough pea-gravel. I used what I had on hand, left over from a summer project.

It was a good, though unintended experiment.Those rascally squirrels dug up all the bulbs in the soft mulch pots, but left the ones under gravel untouched.

I bought more bulbs, a lot more gravel, and replanted with help from the eager day-care kiddos next door. It worked!

Emerging bulbs

At least half a dozen bulbs broke ground this week. I see tiny shoots pushing up between the pansies. Muchas gracias, gravel mulch

Gardening Nirvana and gravel mulch, 1. Squirrels, 7,364. It’s amazing what you can get away with when you’re so darn cute.

November 14, 2012 by Born To Organize

Gardening Nirvana’s Creed: Patience, Optimism and Determination

Sweet-faced Pansy

To garden is to fail. It’s not a bad thing. You learn to flex your patience, optimism, and determination.

So it goes this week with bulbs.

This is my new gardening creed:

P – Patience
O – Optimism
D – Determination

Patience

Planting bulbs requires patience, not because they are difficult, but because you wait so long to see the results. It’s worth it. You can forget they’re there after a long, cold winter. Then spring rolls around and you see magic everywhere. Shiny green growth pushes up the soil, with a spectacular show of color to follow. It’s like a surprise party throughout the garden.

Optimism

Last month I planted a dozen pansies, interspersed with snowdrops bulbs. I liked the idea of companion planting. We would enjoy these sweet flowers now, and the stunning white flowers in the spring. With luck, I might even have a bit of crossover. Pretty exciting, right?

I added a rough-textured mulch to some of the plants. I used what I had, left over from another project, but didn’t have enough to cover them all The squirrels moved in. They dug up the bulbs, and either ate them or moved them to a secret spot.

Determination

Determined squirrels go after what they want. I needed to match that determination, and raise it a notch. So, back to the garden center for another bag of mulch, more bulbs and a positive attitude. I doubled down, too, buying 30 bulbs this time around, instead of the 10 or so I started with. All the snow drops sold out, so instead I bought a bag of crocus mix. I’ve had good luck with them in the past, which is to say, the squirrels don’t like them or can’t find them. I’m hedging my bets, too, planting them in a variety of undisclosed spots. If you run into a squirrel, mum’s the word.

Garden Helpers
Jazzy’s Day Care Children Lend a Hand

Busy Hands

May 2, 2012 by Born To Organize

City Picker: Grow Tomatoes on your Porch, Patio or Deck

City Picker

A few years back, a friend raved about an Earth Box, a self-contained planting system for vegetables. I’m not sure if they were hard to come by at the time, but I never stumbled across one in any of the garden centers I frequent, or I simply didn’t take the time to look.

Our raised beads spread out across the back of our house in past years, but they were too close together making it challenging to get around them without getting your foot caught between them. When we refurbished our back yard this winter, we widened the path in front of the beds, to make room for our summer pumpkin vines. We added gravel, since part of that area isn’t easily plant-able due to pipes, irrigation shut off valves, the electric box, etc. It was a great place for a chair in the cooler months, with the sun reflecting heat off the side of the house. Hoping to capture that trapped heat for our tomatoes this summer, I went looking for an Earth Box. What I found instead was a City Picker, virtually identical in every way, but almost double in width.

City Picker’s are perfect for urban gardeners, since they are a fully contained system in a portable box. The planting box comes with casters, a ventilation tray, a watering tube and plastic mulch. You can roll it around your patio or deck to maximize sun, while at the same time containing the mess. No need to worry about watering your downstairs neighbor!

Here is our setup:

1.5 CU FT. Organic Potting Mix

Dolomite Lime and Fertilizer

Fully assembled City Picker

Fill with potting mix to about two inches below the top
Add a thin layer of Dolomite

Organic Fertilizer:
Make a two-inch trough in the center of the box
Add three cups of organic fertilizer

Mound Potting Mix:
Cover fertilizer with mix, about one inch above the box

Plastic Mulch:
Cover with the elasticized plastic mulch
Clip in place with the enclosed binder clips

Cut Holes in Plastic Mulch:
Cut a hole for the irrigation pipe
Cut additional holes and plant seeds/seedlings

Ready to Grow

I’ve provided links for the Earth Box and the City Picker for feature comparisons. Please let me know if you’ve tried one in the past, or if you plan to set one up this season.