Friday, July 21, 2017

Mulch to Control Weeds and Save Water

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In this video, learn how to use mulch to kill weeds and keep plants moist.

Use Mulch to Reduce Weeds, Save Water & Feed Your Plants

Crops need three things to grow strongly: weeding, watering, and feeding. An organic mulch will help you to do all of the above, with the following advantages:

Reduced weeding. Mulches prevent light from reaching the soil, reducing weed growth and saving you lots of work!
Protected soil. Severe weather can result in compaction and erosion of bare soil.
Moisture retention. Mulching moist soil helps prevent evaporation and keeps soil moist for longer.
Improved soil. Organic mulches improve soil structure, and they contain nutrients which feed the soil as they rot down.
Natural pest control. Mulches provide habitat for beneficial pest predators such as ground beetles.

Mulching is a great way to use up grass clippings and shredded prunings. They can be used on the vegetable garden or around fruit trees and bushes. Shredded prunings and shredded bark also make excellent path surfaces between beds.
Straw or hay can be used to help keep fruits such strawberries, zucchinis and bush tomatoes dry and up off the ground. This protects the developing fruits from rotting.

Mulching Techniques

Don’t lay mulches in spring when it’s cool and damp, as this can attract slugs. Remove any perennial weeds before laying a mulch. In dry weather give the ground a really thorough watering before mulching.
Most mulches need to be spread a minimum of one to two inches deep. Some, like straw, can be laid much thicker than this, while grass clippings should be applied in thin layers at regular intervals to prevent them becoming smelly and slimy.
It’s a great idea to mulch bare soil to protect it from harsh weather and to keep weeds in check. Lay sheets of thick cardboard so that the sheets overlap by at least a foot, and weigh them down using bricks or stones. This is a good way to protect soil over winter. In fall or early winter, spread out a layer of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure to improve the soil before laying the cardboard on top.
Paper mulches suppress weeds and also help to retain moisture. Cut a cross shape in the paper, dig a hole and simply plant through the paper. Water through the slot.

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St.Lukes Indian Summer~Tidbit Of The Month

http://www.almanac.com/fact/st-lukes-little-summer-lovely-summerlike-days-saint
Lovely, summer like days that occur around October 18 are called Saint Luke’s Little Summer in honor of the saint’s feast day. Around this time, Saint Luke’s feast day, there is a period brief period of calm, dry weather. Of course, it’s difficult to generalize today across the vast continent of North America, but the temperature is usually mild and the leaf colors are turning a gorgeous color. It’s a good time for a brief vacation or visit to a park. In Venice, Italy, they say: “San Luca, El ton va te la zuca” (Pumpkins go stale on St Luke’s Day), but here in North America, pumpkins are enjoying their finest hour. Saint Luke is the patron saint of physicians and surgeons so it seems only fitting that the good doctor give us these calm days. In olden days, St. Luke’s Day did not receive as much attention in the secular world as St. John’s Day (June 24) and Michaelmas (September 29), so it was to keep from being forgotten that St. Luke presented us with some golden days to cherish before the coming of winter, or so the story goes. Some folks call this Indian Summer, but that officially occurs between November 11 and November 20.

Painted Garden Rocks

Learn to make these adorable ladybug painted rocks. use special outdoor paint for this adorable garden craft so you can keep garden ladybugs…

Ingredients

Patio Paint in colors of your choice (I used Larkspur Blue, Petunia Purple, Fiesta Yellow, Fuchsia, Citrus Green and Salmon)
Smooth rocks, preferably oval or round in shape
Paintbrush
Toothpick
Outdoor sealer or Patio Paint Clear Coat

LadyBug Directions

Ladybugs are the one crawly creature most kids find fun, cute and friendly. Any child will feel the same wearing this simple, comfortable costume.

Materials Needed:

2 pieces (12 x 18 inches) stiff red felt
1 piece (12 x 18 inches) black felt
2 hook-and-loop stick-on buttons
2 large black chenille pipe cleaners
1 regular black pipe cleaner
1 square (12 inches) stick-on black felt
1 black headband
1 black turtleneck top
1 pair black leggings

Step 1

To make the ladybug's wings, draw a semicircle on each piece of stiff red felt. You can attach a 12-inch piece of string to a pencil and, holding the string end midway on the 18-inch side of the felt, draw a semicircle by swinging the pencil in an arc. Curve the top of each wing as shown at right.

Step 2

To make the yoke, fold the black felt piece in half lengthwise. At the center of the folded edge, cut a 5-inch, curved neck opening. Curve the outer edges of the yoke and cut the center open as shown in the photo.

Step 3

Attach the top of the wings to the back of the yoke with glue or needle and thread. Add hook-and-loop buttons to either side of the yoke opening. Sew or glue the large chenille pipe cleaners to the outside joints between the yoke and the wings: these are the bug's extra legs.

Step 4

Use a glass to trace 7 black dots on the stick-on black felt. Cut out the dots and stick them to the ladybug wings as shown in the photo.

Step 5

Glue the center of the regular black pipe cleaner to the center of the headband. Reinforce it with a strip of black stick-on felt. Curl ends of pipe cleaner to complete the antennae.

Step 6

Dress the child in the black turtleneck, leggings, wings with yoke and headband.

The Land Of LadyBug Heaven

Hello

Friday, July 21, 2017