Favorite Fabrics

It's rather like greeting old friends, isn't it? Ones that you haven't seen in a long time.

I always get off to a good start in May, but by the time July comes, the initial enthusiasm wears off, and the weeds start to take charge.

I'm trying to figure out a good garden use for all the empty cardboards. We discard several big boxes full every week. One year I thought I'd overlap them and tie them all together in a long long row... to make a raised bed using boards (free) not lumber (costly). Ummm... but that was fairly silly because I didn't have enough extra soil to fill them up.

Then last year, I thought I could use them to pave paths... but it was so wet here, and we had so many slugs, and they just LOVE hiding under anything and everything, that I scrapped the cardboard path concept.

Should I be getting a couple of pet ducks to eat the slugs?

I appreciate that slugs are nature's recycling team, but when they get onto the good leaves too, that means there are WAY too many of them.

Olivia's Grammy

I hate the slugs.They used to eat our strawberries. Now we plant them under black plastic and they don't seem to be to much of a problem. I have read/heard that you can used newspapers in a garden area to keep weeds under control. Wonder if the cardboard would work?

ozarkgal

My husband helps me out in both,it's makes all the difference.

krazy4quilts

well the 1st tilling is done. Now we have to move some dirt (been under trees for many many many years) DH took down a few of the trees so we can get in there with the tractor. This dirt is better than black gold. Then I gottta hand rake out the chicken coop as soon as it can dry out a little bit. ANd then till again and again. SOOOOOOOOOOO maybe by the 1st of april we can get everything planted.

We will be using newspaper and mulch to help control the seeds. DH also agreed to let me get a Mantis or same size tiller that I can handle. I can not handle the big monster, heck he bearly can. Like another poster said, I got excited about the garden and then come july when its so hot I get less excited. And when its time to snap green beans or shell peas or cut up okra. I need a buddy to help me. My daughters could care less if they got fresh veggies or not let alone help me. I wonder if I posted an ad on freecycle for a garden helper.

Olivia's Grammy

Are you using newspapers to control the weeds or seeds?
I love the food in the winter that we perserve, but in the summer when DH brings in the baskets of peas, green beans, orka, more peas I hate to see it. Tonight for dinner we had field peas and rice. I was very thankful for the time we spent last summer shelling those peas.

craftiladi

I am thinking this is going to have to be my only solution too. Please don't make me choose.

zz-pd

very pretty garden. thank you for sharing. Penny

fireworkslover

I used to garden during the spring, summer and into Sept. Then I'd sew/quilt during the cold months. Last year I discovered OBW and I started quilting all 12 mos. Quilting even took over most of the evenings during the summer. Hey it's too buggy to be out in MN during dusk hours. My gardens are the right size right now that they are large enough to hold most every plant I want and there's less grass to mow, but not so large I can't get thru to weed, feed and water them. I mow all the lawn, so that takes a chunk of my outside time too. I work 2 part time jobs from April - Sept. So basically 46 hours /week I'm away from home. Come mid Sept. I'm back to one job but work about 36 hrs./week. It's for sure, a balancing act, to get all the things done I want to do.

yourstrulyquilts

It sounds like you have it worked out pretty well! Go, girl!!

mom-6

Just got home from working on our land in SE TX. My son, DGS (age 12), and I got rid of almost all my burn piles this weekend. Only a couple more fairly small ones to go.

Some of them had accumulated since summer before last due to there having been several months long burn bans, and I don't go every weekend.

The one we finished today took us a day and a half to do...it was probably 50 or more feet long, about 6 feet wide and had compacted to only about 4-1/2 feet tall...oh and the vines had grown up through it, over it, around it...my new cuss word is vines!vines!vines!

You can see all the way to my creek from the trailer now!