South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping

lettuce in brown plastic pots

lettuce

lettuce

lettuce

Kakdah had a few cut  for dinner. There is a hint of mild bitterness in them. I googled, and it says about lettuce is cool weather plants, therefore extra heat will make it bitter, and a signal for them ready to go for flowering… Some studies mentioned about too much nitrogen, thus bitter. I am figuring out the best approach to make it less bitter.

 lettuce in brown plastic pots, and some still in germination tray

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Author: greenfairy

Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:35 am (GMT 0)

The monsoon has set in at the right time. rains everyday, keeps on raining. work outside is not easy. plants need a lot of trimming and pruning once the rain slows down. but the heat of the summer has gone, it is very cool this time of the year.



i had been waiting for this plant to flower for a very long time. and this year, it has bloomed. i just love the fragrance it gives, heavenly.





mexican tuberose – polianthus tuberosa ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy’s Garden )





beautiful ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy’s Garden )



this is one more of my plants, once it blooms, it stays for along time, each opening to give blue, yellow clours











flaming torch – billbergia pyramidalis ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy’s Garden )





















( photo / image / picture from greenfairy’s Garden )

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There has been a lot said for the detrimental effects of fluorescent lighting on mood and sickness and the benefits of natural sunlight. In the home, we cover up windows for privacy and flood the inside with lamps, forgetting that natural sunlight is right outside the window.

The purpose of windows was to let sunlight into a home back when people didn’t have light bulbs. It saved the precious fuels they used for lighting until the nighttime, when it was truly needed. With the creation of cheap electrical light, windows became more decorative, and natural light was put to the wayside.

People forget that we need natural light. Sunlight actually provides important nutrients to the body, and without it, we can become sick. During the Industrial Revolution, when pollution clouds blocked out the sun, people developed a disease called rickets (a vitamin D deficiency that affects metabolism, among other things) because of the lack of sunlight. When babies get jaundice when born, the first treatment is a few hours a day in direct sunlight. I know I had to do that for all three of my children for a few days.

Natural lighting also helps create heat, and for anyone who has seen their electric or gas bill lately, you know how expensive it can be to provide artificially. Sunlight comes through the window and heats the inside of your home for free. It’s nice to know that Mother Nature isn’t charging us per kilowatt hour.

If you have a little do-it-yourself knowledge, then you can put in a skylight and let in more light. During the day, this can be a primary way to light and possibly heat the home on slightly cool days. You can replace small window pairs with a large bay window that can illuminate an entire room.

It’s springtime, so the temperatures are rising and the sun is coming out more and more. Why not open the windows, throw back the curtains and let Mother Nature flow into your home? The benefits are many, and there is no cost to you.

During this time of year, my windows are all open, the sun shines into my home and it just makes me feel better. It lightens my mood and gives me the energy to do what needs to be done. Why not let it do the same for you?

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/52477967@N00/365542069

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When you move into a house or even if you have been living there for a while, you may notice that the house can fill with strange sounds late at night. It could be a light popping when the heat kicks on or even something that sounds like moaning or little feet racing in the walls.

You may think that Casper is living in your home, but that’s not likely. There are plenty of natural sounds that a house can make in the night as the temperature and air pressure changes. You notice them most at night for two reasons: (1) The greatest temperature and air pressure changes happen at night, and (2) when you go to bed everything is turned off and it doesn’t have to compete with House M.D.

So here is a little breakdown of noises and what they mean both natural and supernatural.

Groaning: Most houses are made mostly out of wood, and the older the home, the more wood. Changes in moisture can lead to the wood to expand and contract, and when that happens, it can sound like a groaning.

Supernatural: The souls of the dead are coming up through your basement, but hit concrete and starting freaking out. Zombies don’t do well with concrete, and they get frustrated. When they get frustrated, they moan. Zombies can’t do much else… except eat brains.

Popping: This most likely happen when you heater turns on and off. There is a sudden change in temperature throughout the duct work, and this can create a popping sound. It happens in my house all the time and can be a bit unnerving, but is absolutely harmless.

Supernatural: You home is a gateway to hell… odds are that it’s somewhere in your basement. They always are. At least, they have been in my experience. As the gate opens and closes, a buildup of supernatural energy gets to the breaking point and creates a popping sound as the energy is released into the house. You may notice some items in your home becoming demonic and try to eat you. Tell tale sign.

Little feet: I once lived in a house that was directly across from a field, and when the farmer would come and harvest, hundreds of mice would scatter in all directions, and sometimes, they would go for the shelter of my house. I would be laying in bed and suddenly hear skittering little feet climbing in my walls. Freaky yes, annoying, double yes.

Supernatural: You have the ghosts of little children in your home and they want to play. It’s not that big of a deal. They like to run across the attic and play some ball, you know the things little kids do. Unless they start showing up at breakfast and drinking straight from the milk carton; teen ghosts have been known to do this. Just live with them.

I hope this has set your mind at east, or at least alerted you to the presence of evil in you home (i.e. your mother-in-law is visiting).

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/camshafter/2514992069/

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The other day I posted about the next evolution of my garden on its way to becoming a more formalized vegetable garden. Today I’ll show you the layout of what I hope the vegetable garden will eventually become. There are some distinct advantages to the layout changes that I am planning on making that I’ll share with you below the diagram of the vegetable garden layout.

First a Short Description of the Vegetable Garden:
I want to divide the garden into 4 main sections that curve around a center circle bed. Each bed will be lined with retaining wall blocks (most likely cast concrete) to define the beds and keep the soil inside. The central path and circle path in the middle will be approximately 4 feet wide. The pathways to the left and right will end with a couple of large pots filled with herbs as an edible exhibit. The corner beds will be 12 feet long on the outside edges and about 6 feet long along the straight edges of the pathway. Stepping stones will be placed inside each garden bed to allow easy access to the areas hard to reach from the pathway.

Vegetable Garden Layout in Parterre Style

The Advantages of this Layout:

• It divides the garden into four main beds which is ideal for organizational purposes when you are considering crop rotation. 
• The 4 ft. wide pathways give easy access to wheel barrows and equipment and make maneuvering around the garden a piece of cake. 
• The stone edged beds won’t rot like my wooden beds have. They can also be stacked higher to make deeper raised beds. My plan is to begin with one layer and add more height over time as needed.
• Stone borders will also heat up faster and retain heat over the night hours which may improve the length of the growing season some. In the summer the stones will be shielded by the foliage and won’t absorb as much heat.

The Implementation of My Scheme (Scheme sounds a bit more dramatic than “plan” doesn’t it?):
Rome wasn’t built in a day neither will this garden be. Over time I can add the stone borders for the raised beds. The first step will be to make the circle bed in the middle and mulch the remaining grass area.  That stone is already resting in the vegetable garden waiting for the gardener to get with it! Fortunately (for the garden but not our budget) we just had to replace our refrigerator and I saved the box for use as a weed blocker in the vegetable garden. I’ll lay the cardboard down and mulch over the top which should be all I need to get rid of the grass. The cardboard will last through this season and maybe some of 2012 before it completely disintegrates into the soil. I may sneak some newspapers underneath it for good measure and to recycle the newspaper – we sure have enough of it stored in the garage!

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I am beginning to have an intense hatred for my basement. My house seems to be older than the dirt that it sits on, and as such, the basement is a testament to caveman craftsmanship.

We had a bit of a heat wave hit the Midwest, and most of the snow melted in the scorching 45-degree weather. I went into the basement and discovered the water from the melted snow has seeped in through about a million cracks.

There are many reasons why cracks show up in the floor and walls of basements, from movement of the foundation over time to water erosion. As I sat looking at the trickle that led to the basement drain, I discovered that I didn’t care how they got here; I just wanted the cracks gone.

1. Waterproof paint: This is the most inexpensive do-it-yourself approach to fixing small cracks in the basement. These will cover the holes and keep the water from seeping through, but don’t expect it to last forever. Concrete is naturally porous, and the paint will begin to flake and peel as water seeps in underneath it. It’s cheap, but its doesn’t work great. Also, the wider the crack, the less likely it is going to help.

2. Dehumidifier and drainage systems: I know that many people have dehumidifiers to absorb the moisture that is getting into the basement. Every day or two, they go down and empty the machine. Some people also build a new drainage systems to help stave off the water, but this can cost thousands of dollars and require extensive excavation. Odds are that your basement is still going to be wet during heavy rainfalls or melting snow.

3. Sealant: The most popular method, and one that seems to work well, is the application of a foam or epoxy sealant directly into the cracks. Either you or a contractor can inject the sealant, and it will expand and keep the water out. This is perfect for small cracks, but if the cracks are very wide, then either you will need a lot of sealant or it simply won’t be able to expand enough to fill it. If this is the case, then you will likely need a contractor to come in and assess the situation.

Why bother with cracks? Why not just let them sit? Moisture in the basement can reek havoc on your home. Moisture can lead to dangerous mold growth and cause health problems. It can lead to rusting of your furnace and water heater and no one wants to deal with replacing those unless they really have to.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/akeg/3438433283/in/photostream

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If you haven’t noticed, I am generally pretty one-sided about most things. I either like it or hate it, and the same goes for the gas versus electric question that plagues people every time they build a new home.

People who purchase homes that are already built don’t usually have to worry about this, because the damage has already been done. They can take the extra time and money to convert to their preferred method, but that can be a real pain.

General Gas Dislike: I will come right out and say it: I hate using gas for anything. The idea of open flames and a substance that can blow my house up is not appealing. Yet, I have been stuck with it for the last six years.

Heating: I admit that between the two, gas, forced-air heat has been the better and less expensive alternative. The main difference between using gas and electric for forced-air heat is that electric uses the current to heat coils that heat the air, and gas actually uses an open flame. In my opinion, gas worked better for this — although there can be issues of the pilot light lighting in basements with high degrees of moisture.

Cooking: Electric oven beat gas ovens, hands down. I grew up with an electric oven, and my mom still uses one to this day. It looks sleek, always works and she doesn’t have to wait for the burner to finally spark. The stove we have now has a burner that is annoying, tricky to light and has gas buildup every time you try to light it.

Dryer: When it comes to a gas versus electric dryer for clothing, I admit that I am neutral. I haven’t found much difference between the two, and with so many different kinds of dryers out there, it’s hard to get a bead on what’s the best kind. I would be more than happy to hear any comments from readers regarding this or any of the above-mentioned opinions.

If I had my choice, then everything would be electric, just because of my apprehension with open flames and gas buildup. I have seen too many fires started because of the gas being left on or catching something on fire. I know there are people out there who are adamant about using gas, and I would love to hear their opinions on the matter, as well.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/34639903@N03/3405417053

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Tuesday find ourselves cold again – waking up to temperatures in the mid teens in our little frost pocket. Fortunately the garden shed stayed about 10 degrees warmer without any extra heat. I hope to eventually add something for heating purposes but for now the shed is overwintering many of the plants I made from cuttings. Yesterday’s look back post ended with photos from June today we’ll finish with a few photos from the other warm months!

July 2010 – July brought us a new addition to the family with the birth of my son. On the day he was born I was out with my two daughters in the garden on a warm and windy day. They picked flowers and played in the summer sun knowing that they would both be big sisters soon!

July 1, 2010

July also brought many flowers to the garden like this combination of Russian sage, rudbeckia, and Shasta daisy. The daisies are very easy to root from stem cuttings or through division.

August 2010 – The months beyond July found us extremely dry. Very little rain fell in August which meant that only the toughest plants did much – but there’s always something to see in the garden! The crape myrtles were covered in blooms near the arbor and one of the most delicious tomatoes was harvested from the vegetable garden: the Woodle Orange!

September 2010 – September brought many of the fall blooming flowers into the game. The caryopteris row was making progress and the Sweet Autumn clematis looked like mounds of snow in September.

October 2010 – October is probably the last of the reliable warm months here in Tennessee. The temperatures are cooler and nearly perfect for garden activities. November – not so much (although we did have several good days this yea in November). Mums and salvias were blooming all over and the fall colors were changing.

The Sheffield Pink mums were a new addition in the spring and proved to be an awesome addition to the garden.

October also found me cleaning up the vegetable garden (here’s the vegetable garden layout) from the summer crops. There’s still more to do but I’m not in a big rush to finish – not when it’s 25 degrees outside!

Thanks for joining me on this look back at the warmer months. The good news is that winter doesn’t last forever! Now it’s time to start thinking about seeds!

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When I was a Boy Scout, we had a Winter Jamboree every year, where the troop would pack up the camping equipment and spend a weekend roughing it in freezing temperatures. There was a lot of playing in the snow, sliding on ice and that whole camping thing. We even received badges for camping in below-freezing temperatures.

One thing I learned was that camping in the winter is nothing like camping in the spring, summer and fall. It’s a different animal entirely, and if not prepared for correctly, could be dangerous or even deadly. Here are some tips that I have learned over the years for winter camping.

1. Cabin versus a tent: Camping purists may find this offensive, but unless you’re on a mountain 10,000 feet above the ground, camp in a cabin. Winter winds can gust and pull out even the sturdiest of tent pegs, but unless you get a subzero monsoon, a cabin is going to be pretty safe. You can get cabins with only the bare minimums, like no electricity, no fireplace and even with no coverings on the windows. When camped in the winter, the cabins had nothing but four walls.

2. Choose a spot within easy reach of other people or a town: In winter, blowing wind can cause frostbite in seconds, snow can pile up quickly and if you need medical attention, then you want to be near something. You can’t count on your car working, so you want something within walking distance, not more than a couple miles away. Trying to carry someone with a broken leg through 15 inches of snow in whiteout conditions and 30-mile-per-hour winds isn’t easy.

3. Have some kind of portable heat source: If you are camping in a cabin, then a propane-fueled heater (or even electric in cabins that have electricity) is ideal for when cabin temperatures get too low. If you are in a tent, then your options are more limited. Any large heat source is a fire hazard, so pack some chemical heaters to help heat up extremities. These heat up via chemical reaction and are small. The hands and feet are the most susceptible to frost bite, and these small heat sources will stay hot for a few hours.

4. Prepare food ahead of time: Freezing temperatures and strong winds can keep that Coleman portable stove from creating much heat, and wet wood will keep that fire from starting. Make sure to take plenty of food like beef jerky that you can eat directly from the package and that provide some nutritional value. Also, keep in mind that freezing temperatures will turn any water you bring into ice. Keep the water supply in an insulated container and put it back in the container after drinking.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I hate camping in winter. It’s cold and more troublesome than it’s worth, unless you are in a heated cabin with a full stove and generator backup. If you do plan on camping in the winter, then follow these rules and be very careful. Old Man Winter can be cruel and has taken even the most experienced campers by surprise.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/peupleloup/3095316041

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How to seed and fill in bare and thin spots in your lawn

Spring and Fall are the best times to fill in bare and thin spots in your lawn with grass seed. Any area the size of a basketball will probably fill in on it’s own by the end of summer if you fertilize, water and mow properly, but for larger areas, fresh grass seed can help speed up the process. Keep in mind, if you are going to plant grass seed, you will use these tips for large or small areas. First, choose the right seed for your lawn by reading this article.

3 Keys to Growing Grass Seed

1. Moisture: it seems obvious, but no plant can grow without proper watering. This is especially true with grass seed, as the moisture triggers the actual germination process. The secret here is constant moisture. Allowing the seed to dry out in between waterings will kill it. Grass seed germinates at different rates. Ryegrass sprouts in about 7 days, whereas Bluegrass can take up to 2 weeks … BE PATIENT!
2. Seed-to-soil contact: The seed must be wrapped in soil. The soil beneath is used for rooting, and the soil above supports the young sprout as it reaches for the sky. Soil also retains moisture and heat.
3. Heat and sunlight: Temperatures must be above 40 degrees at night in order for most grass seed to germinate. Ideally, temps will be in the upper 50s and lower 60s during the day. Sunlight is important because the young seedling needs to create its own food through photosynthesis so it can keep growing. The energy stored in the seed is only enough to give it an initial push.

The pictures below illustrate the seeding process. In this example, I am using Scott’s Tall Fescue blend seed and Scott’s Lawn Soil as a seed covering. Normally, landscapers use a slurry mixture of peat moss and top soil in equal parts to cover the seeds, but Scott’s now sells their “lawn soil” as a seed covering which saves you the hassle of mixing.

Another very good quality grass seed is the Eco Lawn Fescue seed sold online. It is cold hardy and can be grown in sun or shade with outstanding results!

The lawn soil bags are $3.50 each at Menards. One bag is enough to cover an area 3 feet by 3 feet when seeding.

Here are 2 other articles that relate to this one if you care to learn more.

“Grass seed types for your lawn”

“Growing Grass in Heavy Shade”

Below are a couple updated pictures taken just 2 weeks after the above pictures. You will see the germination is very favorable.
Keep in mind that quality seed is very important!

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