Saturday, June 4, 2011

Chores For Me

When the lush gets going I can always turn to the roadside vegetable garden for solace. Its neat rows and severe editing are a sharp contrast to all that surrounds it. The secret ingredient is the wood chips.

It's not just the greenery that goes all lush over night. All of a sudden all the bugs arrive. Now I don't mind most of them and really pay them no mind for the most part. But it is aggravating to watch my tiny sprouting seeds die the death of a thousand nibbles in my vegetable garden of solace.

I was most happy to find a leftover bag of diatomaceous earth in the basement tool room this morning.



Take that you nibbling bugs. Suck some glass like shards into your spiracles.



It's not like there are not a million other sprouting seeds to choose from just outside the boundaries of the roadside vegetable garden. But no, the bugs have to have my beets, carrots, beans and squashes, at least until they get big enough and harden off. They just love those fresh sprouts. Damn bugs.



Inside the cozy cabin, a leveling and binding coat of mortar was spread on the new backer board.



While waiting for mortar to dry, steel wool was taped into the mouse entry points inside the plumbing box and the thermostat controlled electric heat tape was taped to the water lines. Heat rises and I am counting on this extra heat to rise up through the wall behind the shower and prevent future freezing incidents. Of course the cabin itself will be warmer this winter too.

You can see the plug dangling out beside the column. I'll have to make a new hole in the plumbing box for that and line it with steel wool too. Then I can just plug it in during severe cold spells.



Then I put the shower tiles back. After the mortar dries there is one more process. There is always one more process. Next comes the grout, but first I'll need to scrape away the excess mortar around the 1 x 1 glass tiles. Looks good as new don't you think?



There are areas in the garden to be of slightly controlled lush. There is only so much you can do to fight it and it seems more wise for the garden to be to blend in with what is. Self seeded Campanula 'Canterbury Bells' were left where they came up. Should they decide to become abundant then some editing may be called for.



The front roadside bed is beginning its show for the summer. The first chicory bloomed this morning and the ox-eye daisy are gathering in number. You can tell I took my design cues from what is.



Now if this kind of editing could be accomplished on close to three acres, well then everything would be just fine and I wouldn't have to find solace in the roadside vegetable garden.

3 comments:

Lola said...

Hate those nasty bugs. Their chewing on my bush beans. Will have to take care of that in the morning.
Yippeeeee, got my first zucchini squash growing. Sibling right next to it. Got more 'mater plants to find a place for.
Our gardens are solace for us. A couple plants jumped in my cart & came home with me.
Oh, the tile work is gorgeous. When it is over you can't tell that it's ever been removed.
I do like the neatness in one's garden or the lawn for that matter. Mine sure looks good now. Yesterday was a good day for making things look good.

Christopher C. NC said...

Lola sounds like you have a bountiful vegetable garden going this year. Other than seedling predators I don't really have much bug troubles.

I'm hoping in another month or two when all the cabins parts are working and the new routine is set and things more settled that I'll have more chore time for me. Now I'm working five days a week and trying to get everything done that needs doing and it is a bit tough.

Anonymous said...

Uh, where is your shower head?

It has been so hot on our side of the mountains that it is hard to get things done. My veggie garden is going great, the blueberries are wonderful and need to be picked more and more. My flowers are blooming, but don't have nearly enough. Then there is the hay crop that is taking all our time right now.

Your blog has turned me on to the wildflowers and this past week, I found several Goats Beard that I had never noticed and Spiderwort. Oxeye daisies are everywhere and I have difficulty mowing them now.

Dianne of Del Rio