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DIY Bog Filter for Garden Pond
As we prepare for a third summer managing our 300 gallon stock tank garden pond, we have a new upgrade to share. During the last two summers, we conducted pond water changes by taking buckets of water out of the pond and pouring them out on the garden beds. This was a fairly labor-intensive process, which I didn’t mind, but I knew there was probably a smarter solution to make use of the fish waste and keep the pond water nutrient levels down. Back in the fall, I ran into a customer at Logan’s who was also shopping some water plants, and she mentioned that she had a “bog filter”…
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My Biggest Mistake Saving Seeds
I was about to host a #supersowsunday discussion session on Clubhouse, and as thumbed through my seed binder, it became glaringly evident that I made a major mistake saving garden seeds. I need to backtrack and share what started me off on the wrong foot. Back when I first started vegetable gardening at this house, I remember buying a pack of tomato seeds from Burpee that was labeled “Rainbow Mix.” I believe it was in 2010 because my oldest son was old enough to be blasting his face with the water hose. This pack of seeds produced some of the most delicious tomatoes I’d ever tasted. Inside the packet were…
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Curious George Teaches Kids to Garden
I’m now into my second decade of watching Curious George on PBS Kids. My kids (10 & 13) are definitely out of the target age bracket, but we still have it going on the tv now and then. We have memorized most the episodes. We sometimes laugh as we try repeating “George speak”, and I secretly wish I were the voice actor for Curious George. I would be so good at it. This probably isn’t normal, maybe even a little strange, but we are in a global pandemic, and Curious George is like comfort food to us. As I reflect on this decade of watching George bumble through lessons about…
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Ordering Garden Seeds Online
In my last post I shared what seeds I had recently purchased for the upcoming growing season. Here in Raleigh, we are lucky to have an abundance of wonderful garden centers that offer fun varieties to try. This week I’ve been spending time on Clubhouse hearing from other gardeners about seed companies they like to order from. I’m going to compile a list of the ones that have unique offerings here and add to it as I learn of more. Tips to ordering online: Make a list in accordance with your garden size and budget. Before loading up your cart, make sure they ship to you! Several seed stores I’ve…
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Garden Dreaming
The weather in Raleigh, NC has been incredibly wet and cold, which has forced my garden dreaming indoors. When I talk about garden dreaming around this time of year, it’s in reference to the spring and summer vegetable garden. We have a 30′ by 30′ fenced vegetable garden, which also contains rose bushes, flowering perennials and a 300 gallon pond. The pond hosts fish, bullfrogs and a few aquatic and wetland plant species. The space dedicated to the annual vegetables seems to decline every year. My son has claimed one corner for his lamb’s ear, beebalm, tulips, irises, daffodils and a hellebore. He once had a bamboo teepee for pole…
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When God Doesn’t Burn it All Down
Remember how God sent Jonah to call the people of Nineveh out of their evil ways and back to Him? Jonah was so offended by the people of Nineveh that he didn’t want to offer them God’s message of reconciliation, and he actually first ran the opposite direction. He ran so hard that he endangered the lives of sailors and ended up as fish bait before he relented to God’s big ask. When the people of Nineveh did listen and repent, Jonah was livid that God forgave them. He was so ready for God to burn it all down, that he missed that God’s heart was to be reconciled to…
