Quote of the Day: Rachel Carson
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”
~ Rachel Carson
We truly do live in a beautiful world. You can find beauty in nature everywhere you look. We often think of flowers when we think about the beauty of nature, but what about the little things we often don’t even notice, like moss.
What kinds of things do you find most beautiful about the earth?
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The Balance of Nature: Companion Planting
One way to keep you garden healthy and reduce insect problems is to use companion planting. There are plants that grow well together, plants that repel insects, plants that repel other plants, and plants that improve the soil. Probably the most well-known companion planting is the Three Sisters Garden. The best way to learn about all of these is to read a few books on it, my favorite is: Carrots Love Tomatoes.
Marigolds are one of those beneficial plants it seems everyone knows about. Marigolds also deter nematodes that attack potatoes & strawberries. They do this by producing a chemical in the roots, this chemical kills the nematodes when it goes into the soil. It is produced slowly so the marigolds must be grown all season long. Marigolds also help tomatoes produce better, they help deter the Mexican bean beetle, and they help deter weeds such as bindweed, ground elder, and ground ivy. The older heirloom varieties are considered the best.
Some plants attract beneficial insects to your gardens and some deter bad insects. For example: carrots suffer from the carrot fly and onions suffer from the onion fly. However, if you plant carrots and onions together the smell of each plant makes it so that neither insect attempts to lay their eggs on the other plant.
Another way that beneficial plants work in the garden is by improving the soil. It is well known that legumes add nitrogen to the soil, that’s why they can be used as a cover crop in your garden beds. Many of these plants accumulate minerals from the soil and these minerals are put back into the soil when you compost the plants. I keep 6 comfrey plants in my garden for this purpose. The leaves are cut several times each summer and used in the compost bins.
A few more examples of companion planting:
Plant garlic with roses to protect them from aphids & other pests.
Nasturtiums keep broccoli free of aphids.
Bush beans do well when planted with celery.
Pole beans do not do well with beets.
Carrots help peas grow better.
Castor beans and foxglove repel deer.
Geraniums repel cabbage worms.
One thing to remember about this and all organic methods is that they are not instant like chemical methods often are. They are however better for your garden in the long run. I’ve had great luck with marigolds in my garden beds and by growing basil and other herbs among my vegetables.
So what kinds of companion planting work for you?
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Quote of the Day
There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.”
–Author Unknown
I had to laugh when I read this. I do have people tell me I’m weird because I like to grow some of my own food, keep bees and want to have pet chickens. I have to wonder though, with some of the hobbies people have, am I the weird one?
What do you think, hobby or mental illness?
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Betsy Ross at Chiot’s Run
It’s that time of the year again to put up Old Glory at Chiot’s Run. I always love to have a flag in the garden, it is a constant remind of what a wonderful country we live in.
My flag was a quite tattered from spending the summer outside last year so it was time for a new one. I have a special flag pole that doesn’t allow the flag to wrap itself around it, but in order to attach a new flag I had to cut the loop off of the old flag and attach it to the new one.
Not a difficult task for someone who started making Barbie clothes at the age of 10. So I pulled out my sewing machine and stiched up the new flag to fit the current flag pole.
Obviously Dexter does not know proper flag etiquette since he draped himself in the flag, I suppose he’s seen it on TV too many times to know it’s not proper.
STANDARDS of RESPECT
The Flag Code, which formalizes and unifies the traditional ways in which we give respect to the flag, also contains specific instructions on how the flag is not to be used. They are:
* The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
* The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speakers desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
* The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
* The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
* The flag should never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind.
* The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.
I wasn’t really up for burning my tattered flag, so I decided to take it to my local local American Legion. Ours has this handy flag disposal box out front so that’s where our flag went. Most American Legion’s have a special ceremony to properly dispose of the flags on June 14, which is flag day.
My new flag should last a year or two, proclaiming my love for this wonderful country and decorating my gardens.
Is you garden patriotic? Do you have a flag flying?
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The Democratic Front Lawn
“Deeply ingrained within the American phyche is the stereotype I call “The Democratic Front Lawn.” This type of lawn is a perfectly manicured swath of open turf that starts at the street and sweeps back, carpetlike, up to the traditional foundation plantings that skirt the house. It’s democratic because everyone can see it all –There’s no place to hide –yet somehow there is no display of unfettered free expression–everyone conforms to the standard lawn and foundation-planting solution. Thus, many front yards give passersby little information about the people who live there. With the size of the lots shrinking, it may be time to rethink what we do with this important zone of our house. (It’s not unlike the unused space inside many over sized houses – the formal dining room that rarely sees diners or the massive great room that is shunned in favor of a cozier den). Leaving the front yard as a bland useless space is a waste of resources and ingenuity and certainly doesn’t foster a sense of neighborliness.”
–Julie Moir Messervy (Home Outside)
I’m trying to liberate my lawn to make more flowerbeds for beneficial and edible plants. I also don’t use chemicals on my lawn so the dandelions and wild violets thrive (besides, why would you spray out those lovely wild violets pictured above). I’m hoping to eventually create a landscape around my home that is both beautiful and functional with a minimal space for lawn. Check out these photos, how incredible are these undemocratic landscapes!
What do you think, a big beautiful green carpet leading up to your home, a small patch of grass for playing but surrounded by flowers or no lawn? (New Poll)
