o/t... if you live in Pennsylvania....American Gardens t.v. series..
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4 years ago
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AquaEyes 7a NJ
4 years agoKarenPA_6b
4 years agoRelated Discussions
garden journals - do you or don't you?
Comments (26)Hello, All: I use the Neil Sperry gardening calendar and have done for 2 decades. Neil is an A&M-trained horticulturist who has had a radio program for 30+ years in the DFW Meteroplex and now has a monthly newsletter for all of Texas as well as the calendars and magazines. He's our Texas guru - the university research antithesis of the local, but also popular organic 'Dirt Doctor'. The calendars have a square for each day where I pencil in the temps and rain or whatever and the item(s) I'm focusing on that day. Of course, on busy gardening days I have to use a sort of shorthand, and for detailed analysis, I use a writing tablet of some sort and I save those. I like to go back years later and read one of my monthly reports from a garden walk-around. When I do that, I just jot down everything that occurs to me as I walk whether it's an observation of a plant or a note to myself to do better next time. What I really like about using the garden calender is that I can pick up a calendar for whatever year I want to refer to and turn to that month and see what was happening and compare it to what's happening in the current year. I can see when the ice storms hit and what damage was done and I can see how long a drought lasted and what I did about it. I can see when I sprayed for nutgrass and when it's time to spray again or when I started using Ornamec on the bermuda that crept into the liriope. I note when I took a tree out and what difference it made and how well the plants did with more sun or whether I had to rearrange the plants or replace them. I make a note of what kind of mulch I use and when I order bulk compost and how much. I can look back and remind myself what varieties I tried and when I lost them. : ( My calendars turn out to be kind of a table like Kay uses, but w/o as much detail and organized by month and day instead of location in the garden. I started getting the calendars because they came with my N.S. Texas Gardens magazine subscription, but as years went by, the calendars have come to mean much more to me than the magazine. I now want more detailed info than I can get in the magazine, and it's so easy to locate it online. I keep intending to punch holes in the calendars and put them in a binder and make a kind of book. (They're all the same size so this would be possible.) I've saved a couple of oversized binders for this, but I never can decide if I want to order the book by month or by year. As soon as I decide that I want to order my book by months (like having chapters of Januarys or Februarys, etc.) so I can flip through and see what happened in all years in the winter or summer or spring, I then realize that I really like being able to grab a calendar and see the progress of the garden from month to month for that particular year. Oh well. At the bottom of each month of calendar squares, Neil lists must-do garden tasks for particular areas of Texas as well as cautions and other reminders. This is not so valuable now that I've grown as a gardener and don't need the reminders. Now I'd rather have more space to write. But all in all, I'm really glad I have the calendars and have kept records. Here's the location of the calendars - I put the info in as a link, but haven't done that before and don't know if I'm doing it right. http://www.neilsperry.com/store/neil-sperrys-texas-gardening-calendar/neil-sperrys-2012-texas-gardening-calendar.html I've enjoyed learning what you all do or don't do. It probably reflects our various personalities and the business of our lives, and I feel I know you a little better. Lou Here is a link that might be useful: Neil Sperry's Texas Gardening Calendar...See MoreSo do you buy pots you don't need?
Comments (40)I was in Target and decided to take a look in housewares. The selection of really good looking bowls was impressive and most of them are cheaper than regular house plant pots. I think I'll be getting a few of them, and a diamond encrusted drill bit. I never thought to look at these bowls as potential pots. Thanks for the ideas!...See MoreSo--what do YOU do all day--when not in the garden?
Comments (24)What a wonderful, varied, group we are! It's been fun reading everyone else's post, but I've been dragging my feet with my own. Mostly because I'd like to write a lot but am too lazy to do so :-) I grew up on a farm in Nebraska, and like so many of the folks here, loved and owned horses for much (actually most) of my life. I literally grew up on horseback, taking my mom and dad's cattle back and forth to pasture, riding for fun, and training a couple horses of my own. By the time I got out of high school I had several horses of my own and continued owning, riding, and loving them until my move to Minnesota almost 13 years ago. At that time, we couldn't find a place we could afford that had room for horses, so I gave my last two to my sister in Missouri and that's where they have been ever since. They are old now, one is fully blind (has been since he was young) and the other is nearly blind (old age) but they are loved and well cared for. I loved drawing and painting and might have made a career in art, but got married right out of high school instead. I did a little of this and a little of that, a few years later had two children (a daughter and a son, now adults), then went to work as..... a meat wrapper at a locker plant, then a part time cook at a hospital, then into the hospital's business office, then started taking part time computer classes and got an associate degree in computer programming. I eventually ended up as MIS director at that same hospital where I started as a part time weekend cook. Management changed, I wasn't happy any more and I went job hunting. That's when I came to Minnesota. My ex-husband and kids followed once school was out for the year. I currently work for IBM on the iSeries Support line (techincal support) where I provide usage and defect support for the iSeries computer and (mostly) certain IBM products that connect to the iSeries to access data. I've been doing my current job for almost 13 years, and like it better then I've ever liked any of my past jobs. I spend a great part of my day talking with customers all across the US. Most of the people I work with are very nice, even when under a lot of pressure due to the very problem they called me about. I love my current work schedule, which is 4 10-hour days a week. Although I drive 42 miles each way to work, I get to work at home on Fridays and that is great too. MONDAY, is my very own personal day and when I spend a lot of time in the garden and doing whatever I like. I love gardening, photograph, backyard bird watching, doing things on my (personal not work related) computer. I love and have done many kinds of crafts and other creative things, but photography is the lifelong creative love. I had to restrain myself a little bit with that, for much of my life, but then along came digital and I went nuts! I own two good digital Canon SLR's and take photos literally by the thousands. I've photographed a few weddings, but don't really want to make a career of it. When I retire (in 12-15 years), I'd like to have a part time (at least in the spring and summer) at a garden center or nursery. I'd also love to spend part of my time traveling and taking photographs of beautiful and interesting places and people. My daughter is married and she and my son-in-law live in Tulsa, OK. My son is married (as of last December) and he and my daughter-in-law are here in Minnesota. I can hardly wait until one of them makes me a grandmother :-) My daughter is in no hurry to do that, if ever, but I think chances are pretty good with my son. Cross your fingers for me!...See MoreMNF September 'Won't You Be My Neighbor'
Comments (81)Good morning! Today is the deadline. Linda had to drop out and I received Camen's information so I only need box names for two participants. I sent them a reminder email. If I don't hear from them by 7:00pm EST, they will have to skip the guessing name and will be placed last and 2nd to last in the picking order based on when they joined the swap, so I hope they remember in time. It's more fun when everyone plays! A short time after 7:00 pm I will post a guessing game and everyone will have until 1:00 pm tomorrow to post their answer. You can guess anytime between those times. I will explain when I post the game how the winner(s) will be determined. Anyone who does not guess will be placed at the end based on the order they signed up for the swap in. If you have any questions, shoot me an email. I am at home today and will check back often. Have a good one! ALana Vina/flowergirl34 Shirley/sjc48 Rose/rosemctier Dan/dan_the_mailman Margo/smitties Shirley/brittneysgran Robin/Robin1962-2008 Wendy/Sassybutterfly_2008 Faye/nottougly need box name Beth/beth_b_kodiak Carmen/gardencraze Heidi/hdiperna Shelly/sred98 need box name Kelly/kellyk49 Alana/poisondartfrog...See MoreUser
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AquaEyes 7a NJ