Gardening and green living update

[ladyjanelly]

On the green front, Kendra put up a clothes line and I've been helping her use it. Clothes come out a little stiffer and sometimes lintier, but it's not so bad. I think we'll have to still dry Sam's work shirts or iron them but otherwise it's all good. I'm hoping to see a change in the power bill too.

I started looking at what trash we do throw away and can't recycle. The largest things in there are the cartons from the soy milk. Waxy paper doesn't recycle. It does however make a good pot for starting plant seeds. We're having a problem that we throw away so little trash that what we do gets stinky (we do eat meat so that's an issue) before the bag is full.

We had to have an exterminator out to poison the mice in the ceiling, but i'm looking at getting some diatomaceous earth to do our bug killing. There's also an organic mosquito block thing to put in the bird baths.

Started using reusable shopping bags when we remember. We're up to about 50% of the time actually bringing them when we shop. :) 

So I think I've made it my goal to see how much work it is to have an entirely organic garden (no gas either).

So far? Lots of pulling weeds.  Like 3 gallons a day most days.  The crap just grows over the grass and then if I don't get it the grass dies and more weeds grow.  Pain in the ass.  

Also, the neighbor's dandilions are going crazy.  And blowing seeds into my yard.

Composting in trash cans is awesome. I figured that the most important thing is to keep the cans full. My first batches I kept moving one can to the next, but when the plant matter had compressed until it was about 1/3 of the can full, it stopped working.  It wasn't enough mass to get warm and stay warm overnight.  Now I just roll--up to keep all the cans full--taking the most-done part of my second can and using that to keep the first one filled. Most-done of the third can to top off the second.  If that makes sense.  So far I've used about 20 gallons of finished compost.

Still love the rotary mower.  Not recommended for yards with trees though because a very small stick stops the job for about 20 seconds or more to flip it and pick it out and go again.  I learned to just mow until I'm tired and then take a break.  The slower it goes the harder it is to push.

Lots of stuff came up, but just one of the marigolds and 2-3 of the zinnias.  Must start them in pots earlier next year.

 

Comments

[tabaqui]

Your posts make me wish i was greener but honestly, i am absolutely awful at gardening of any kind, and in a post-apocalypse world would basically starve to death. Heh.

Don't worry about the dandelions! The leaves make a tasty addition to salad and you can pick the flowers and make dandelion wine!
:)

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I do have a bit of time on my hands. More than if i was working 40 hrs/week.

I think my chances of post-apocalypse survival are pretty high. I lived on a farm many years, and can garden and build a lot of stuff. Need to learn to shoot a gun though. Haven't actually butchered or cleaned an animal either.

The dandelions wouldn't upset me so much if they didn't leave the dead stalks behind on a daily basis.

[tabaqui]

Dead stalks already? Wow. That's fast. We're just barely getting anything greening up for spring, here.

I would have to live on canned stuff and vitamins. I'd be very nutritionally challenged! Heh.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

This is Texas. :)

I've mowed my lawn three times already, and i pull about 15 gallons of weeds out of my yard every week.

[tabaqui]

*reels*
Insanity.

:)

[spar30.livejournal.com]

That's right baby! when the zombies attack, it's me and you FTW.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I think it's funny that the Justicars have the personel to survive zombie attack or run a business.

[embroiderama]

Wow, go you! I'm at abotu the same rate as you on grocery bags, though I never remember bags for non-grocery trips. I need to start keeping a few plastic bags in my car.

I do have a suggestion for the trash that would also use up more milk cartons and possibly some other types of containers you can't recycle (like non-bottle plastic containers, which can't be recycled here). My grandmother on my mom's side always did and still does have two different types of trash. There's the trash can, which is referred to as the paper can, and only things that will not ever go bad can go in there (packaging, etc.). All food waste goes in an empty carton/other container/produce bag that's kept next to the sink. At the end of the day, the container goes out to the trash.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I try to put the bags back in the car when I'm done, but inevitably there's a cat sleeping on them when I'm on the way out. :)

hmm. We'll have to try the "stinky can" method. Maybe with the plastic shopping bags that are filling the storage under the kitchen counter...

[lexstar29.livejournal.com]

I have no garden so no worries there, though I am storing your experiences away for the future, but I do have a string bag that I always keep with me for groceries purchased on the fly, and I make sure that I have extras for a planned shop. I'm in the UK, and in May most places will start charging 5p for plastic carriers.

I make sure I turn electric stuff off at the wall, don't use a tumble dryer, only do full washing loads, turn taps off when brushing my teeth and that sort of stuff.

You inspire me to do more!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I need to at least put some of the cheap plastic bags in the car to have all the time.

That's awesome that they charge for bags. Makes you think about what you're throwing away.

We're trying to be better about our water use but that's hard so far. My husband likes a steamy bathroom.

[annawick.livejournal.com]

On line drying your clothes... Throw the clothes in the dryer for 5 minutes then put them on the line. They won't be stiff. ...just a little something that I learned when Lex was still in cloth diapers.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh. Awesome. I was thinking about drying them for the last 5 minutes, but the first 5 works too, huh. Easier that way. less back and forth to the laundry room.

[annawick.livejournal.com]

doing it before works better, fluffs them up before they dry at all. I didn't believe it until I tried it.

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I told Kendra. We'll start doing it that way. :)

[faunaana.livejournal.com]

Oh, I used to do all that when I was a kid. My parents were so into all of that. I hated it 'cause my chores including hanging/taking down the laundry; tending to the compost; weeding the gardens, etc. I was all like, "Gawd, none of my friends have to do this!" Anyway, gave me a great appreciation for it. Living in an apartment, the best I can do is recycle and reuse items. And now I'm all nostalgic! and jealous that you get to do all this - I totally miss it

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I feel so much more in touch with the weather and the world. If that's not too cheezy to say. It feels good. Peaceful. I like the quiet. I write fic in my head while i work.

[cetpar.livejournal.com]

What are you growing in your garden? Is it just flowers, or are you going to grow veggies as well?

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I'm growing a few veggies. They didn't come up so well and i need to buy more in pots next year.

The problem with Dallas is the air's so dirty I feel funny eating stuff that grew outside that has the skin on. So I'm working on root crops, corn, melons, stuff like that.

More veggies next year, fewer flowers. We started a little late this year.

[kgoodbuddy.livejournal.com]

We got most of our garden put in yesterday, along with a 4 foot wide planter of herbs in the kitchen window. This year I've tried to use plants and seeds that aren't hybridized or genetically modified, and I'm going to try saving seeds for next year----just a small "up yours" to the GMO folks at Monsanto ;)

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

That's awesome. I'm hoping for more veggies next year. This year i'm sort of putting cheap flowers in and finding where there's sun or shade or what works where.

[fannishliss.livejournal.com]

Hi! I missed this post the first time around!
re clothesline. Yay! The 5 minute dryer solution that someone else proposed is a really great idea--especially for delinting. Lint is my biggest problem with the line-- but we trashed our dryer so we don't have the option! I hope you see a big improvement in electricity consumption -- it should help to not add that heat in the summer too.

re Bugs. Last year we had a terrible ant problem. Finally I bought those little poison baits and it solved the problem right away. I am very anti-poison but at least this was not sprayed. You have to put them where your kitties can't find them (you can tape them on the wall like where the ants march....) Boric acid also kills ants. For roaches once I used an electric zapper. It did kill some of them but it was not the answer. Also, try spraying bugs with orange oil based cleaner. Kills ants dead, anyway.

Congrats on the bags! I am not so good with my cloth bags, but I do recycle the ones I get.

Dandelions are an important food source for me and for my rabbit. Here are two ways to prepare them:

--raw, mix them into a salad with hard boiled eggs and dress with a mustard vinaigrette. Our tradition in WV is to mix sugar, vinegar, mustard and onion powder with a dab of Miracle whip!

--wilted, fry up some bacon and throw them into some of the hot drippings -- the PA Dutch way, like Dutch potato salad. Add a little sugar and vinegar at the end.

Bunny Lopez just eats them straight from the lawn. :)

In Maryland, I am just cleaning off my planting plots. We have had a cool spring. My herbs overwintered very well tho so I am excited and I am planning to pick dandelion greens tomorrow!

Oh -- I also have a quick hint re meat and smell -- you might wash the meat tray, then also, wrap the discards in the plastic wrap the meat came in. Also, I use a very small trash can for the kitchen -- it is only grocery bag sized and I use grocery bags as liners.

Cheers to you!

[ladyjanelly.livejournal.com]

I don't think we'll be able to get rid of the dryer. There are too many days where the humidity is too high in the house and outside to dry stuff quick enough. But it is nice to not use it much.

Even changing out the light bulbs for compact flourescents really made a big difference in heat production. They're not lasting as long as I'd hoped though. maybe about a year?

last summer the AC broke and you could walk around the house an tell which rooms had regular lights in them (the people before us put in multi-bulb fixtures in just about every room. The light is nice but the power bill/heat output isn't).

I'm using amdro ant granules for the fire ants. Seems to work and it doesnt take much.

The dandelions here don't seem to have much of a leaf and they try to hide under the grass. It's hard to even spot them until they bloom. And alas, no bunny. We've been warned off of getting a couple hens for the back yard because of coyotes (even though we live in a fairly dense suburb).

I'll try that for the garbage can smell. Also, when the box of baking soda isn't working for the fridge any more we put it in the garbage can under the bag. Seems to help for a while.

Thanks for the awesome tips. :)

[trexr1.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the garden. Sounds like you're having fun with it. Out here, we've got snow peas and onions coming in. Green garlic and chard. Fava beans .... mmmm Clarice... We've got baby carrots (don't think they're going to get much bigger than my finger.) and herbs out the wazoo. We're trying for zucchini this year but for some reason, it doesn't like to grow out here. We can grow the hardest to grow stuff from seed, but a zuccchini starter just sits there and never produces. Tried it 2 years in a row now and nothing to show. Frustrating to say the least. Ug. Keep at it. Gardening for several years has shown me that the longer you're at it in one place, the richer the soil becomes and the higher the yeild on your crops, the bigger/greener the plants, and the healthier your garden is in general.

You rock Chica! Totally forgot about the fire ants by the way. We don't have them out here. We do however have escargo snails that eat everything. Stupid slimy buggers.