I don’t know why you’re laughing.
All dogs lay like this.
All dogs lay like this.Category: Uncategorized
Soaker Hose Greatness
Installing a soaker hose in my garden this year has proven to be one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
It started out with just one run, then we added another and another, totalling 75 feet of soaker hose. This completely covers both beds along the house and the crescent bed. So unlike last year, if I am too hot or tired to stand out in the yard when I get home from work, the plants don’t miss a watering. I can just pop outside when I untangle Oli’s rope (inevitable) and turn the faucet on low. Leave the soaker on for a few hours, then turn it off.
And when we were away for several days in a row, I’m sure my plants would have wilted completely, except that I was able to leave the soaker on a very slow trickle. Plus I think it is probably a better use of water, wasting less due to evaporation and overspraying. Whenever Oliver sees the hose, he thinks it means play time. I’m sure we waste tons of water just playing. Never during a drought, thought- we are very responsible that way.
We finally had a long day of drizzle and rain showers yesterday, but for about 3 weeks before that it has been pretty dry. Aside from the occasional violent storm, of course, but they are not good for watering.
So, here is my advice. If you have a garden, lay a soaker hose. You won’t regret it. But try to do it when you are planting, or just after. We found it a bit more challenging to lay the second two sections because the garden had really taken off by then. It is much easier to weave the hose around small plants.
Now, maybe next year we will finally get a rain barrel, then I can hook the soaker hose up to the rain barrel and all my watering will be taken care of by mother nature, as it is supposed to be. Rainwater is better for plants anyway, they don’t care for all the chlorine and other things used to treat our water.
Tara
Oli has a new cousin.
she does have a tail- it is that blur behind her- couldn’t get a picture with out her tail wagging!
Meet Tara. She is a 3 year old golden retriever and just as sweet as can be. My brother’s wife works with someone who was moving and needed to find a good home for Tara. I think she’ll be happy. They have just moved into their first house, and they have plenty of yard for her to run around. She’s very obedient and stays without being on a rope or having a fence. If only Oli could do that.
Tara and Oliver are so great together. I can hardly wait for us to have a fence up so Oli and Tara can run and play in the yard.
Awaiting the Tomatoes
I’ve got plenty of gorgeous green tomatoes, but nothing ready to pick just yet.
I have a sneaking suspicion that they will all turn at the same time and I’ll be overrun with tomatoes!
Mmm, I can’t wait for blt sandwiches and fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella salad.
Pepper Plants
Three of the four pepper plants have peppers so far.
I think this is my Golden Summer pepper, the first one to appear. It got to this size and has just been hanging out there. I couldn’t tell when it would be ready, so I looked it up. It has been this color for a while, but I guess it still has some color changing to do.
Golden Summer Bell Pepper- lime green to light yellow to golden orange-yellow
This one is a good size and has also looked like this for a while.
Purple Bell Pepper- green to chocolate brown or purple
These appear to be an ornamental pepper, albeit edible.
Sweet Pickle Pepper- mature at 2″ and fully ripened when deep red or purple
The White Bell pepper has yet to make an appearance.
White Bell Pepper- white to yellow to red
Green Bungalow Craftworks 