Gardening For The Health of It

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Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
That's a hot tamale Jill! LOL!

Ron as long as you are bending and stretching as you plant, It qualifies as "gardening for the Health of it" LOL!
I grew cactus from seed once, they did pretty good, but I have a tendency to "love them to death" I always want to take too good of care of them if you know what I mean;)
Seems You have the time and great patients for cactus growing.
 

Wombat

Active Member
Ron oh yeah those little guys are great little hunters particularly when it come to green grubs, they love them! What I don't like is blundering into a nest of them when mowing etc. that's when I set an Olympic qualifying time, trying to get away from them! I was busy all day yesterday digging beds over, fertilizing and covering them sugarcane mulch in readiness for Spring sowing. I'm pleased to have gotten them all done in the cooler weather, feeling a bit stiff and sore today though, luckily all I have to do is mow the grass and put in a few more seedlings plus some ranuncula bulbs!
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
I'm always stretching and bending!!!
Have one more tray of cacti seedlings to pot up...not bad after doing the other 5 trays! It is not just the potting that needs doing it is the labeling of each seedling!
Hand writing the labels is time consumming since I need to look up each one online to figure out the price I will be charging.....in 2 years when they are ready for sale!

Need to do some mowing this afternoon and weed whacking! Didn't do any last week because of the heat!
The privets need shearing back now that we are into July.
They have finished blooming and are done with all the new growth, and are in a slow down. So I only need to do a major pruning now, and then a very light pruning in the early fall! I use an electric hedge trimmer for the job....so it wont be too much of an impact on me!
Still need to deadhead everything in the new flower garden under the pine trees on the west side of the property, (the east side is already done).....ah...at some point this week!
 

Wombat

Active Member
I was going to do a lot this weekend too but it's really wet and sloppy outside after a week of rain. Right now I'm just tidying up and trying to save seedlings that were almost drowned. Ron I've never grown cacti at all....to tell you the truth my much better half is scared of them lol....but some of them do get beautiful flowers and have weird and wonderful shapes. I also have to do stretches, I can get down to the beds ok but getting up can be a real pain (literally) sometimes. I'm thinking of going to pilates classes as it helped a colleague at work with his back problems....it all comes down to cost etc.
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Gotta get at the privet shrubs and get them back into shape soon! It has been too hot to get at them. It takers a couple of hours to do them all using hand shears and an electric hedge trimmer..... There are also some shrub willows down on the beach that need shearing back....
Gotta remember to stretch and get myself psyched up to get at them!
I just have to start with one, then the next....and not try to think about getting them all done in one day!
 

Wombat

Active Member
I also have to curtail my efforts in the yard now to smaller tasks and not try and do everything at once like I used to do. If it's a larger job then I just do what I can and leave the rest for next weekend. Jane is also telling me to slow down too but it's hard to get out of the habits acquired over the years.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
John,
I know what you mean about those habits. I have always been an early riser and on my feet and out the door to chores since I was a child. It's hard for me to just sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. I feel I must be out doing something. I was painting at 6:15 am Sat morning!
For the health of it we must ;
reduce working hours when it is the heat of the day during summer
work smart, not hard when doing heavy task
And as you said, break large task into smaller portions

Ron,
Lots of bending with those trays. I should be traying up tomatoes for fall planting. I just put them all up in the garage only to have to get them back out. :rolleyes:
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
With this heat I haven't been doing much except watering since we haven't had any measureable amount of rain for several weeks now!
It is just too hot to think about doing anything else!
I even had to stop taking Hedy for walks...it is just too hot for her too!
 

Wombat

Active Member
Nancie I've always been an early riser too and as you said it's hard to sit back and relax with a cuppa. Now I take the coffee with me outside and tend to do small tasks while I'm drinking it lol. I don't think I could do painting at 6:15am though...unless I really HAD to!:rolleyes: In Summer here I'm always up early as it's light at about 5am and I have to get things done before it gets too hot and humid. I do much prefer the Summer even though it's too warm on occasions as anything below 70F is cold to me lol.
Ron; that's exactly what I do. My chores are done before 9am and after 5pm at the height of Summer. I have to do most of it in the morning as we have no twilight at all so it's dark about 6:30 pm. Speaking of twilight I still recall when we stayed at a B&B in Whitehorse and it was light until about 3am in the morning, which was real novelty for us tourists lol.
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
I'll be pulling my water hose around today to get everything watered....that will be the extent of my physical activity for today! It's going to be another hot one, and with no rainfall, everything needs a soaking to keep them going!
Have to go to town a some point today to get groceries and other things!
 

lynpenny

Super Moderator
Staff member
I am at the point where I wander around and bend down to put a few weeds and wander some more. I need to put out new mulch and dump more leaves into the compost bin. I have to borrow leaves from my neighbor since we have lost all our big trees. I get some from my oak in back but not enough.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
With this heat I haven't been doing much except watering since we haven't had any measureable amount of rain for several weeks now!
It is just too hot to think about doing anything else!
I even had to stop taking Hedy for walks...it is just too hot for her too!

poor Hedy! I know she must be hot. My guys don't do much at all in this heat so I cut their food back. I am so glad I don't have a full time fur coat
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Nancie I've always been an early riser too and as you said it's hard to sit back and relax with a cuppa. Now I take the coffee with me outside and tend to do small tasks while I'm drinking it lol. I don't think I could do painting at 6:15am though...unless I really HAD to!:rolleyes: In Summer here I'm always up early as it's light at about 5am and I have to get things done before it gets too hot and humid. I do much prefer the Summer even though it's too warm on occasions as anything below 70F is cold to me lol.
Ron; that's exactly what I do. My chores are done before 9am and after 5pm at the height of Summer. I have to do most of it in the morning as we have no twilight at all so it's dark about 6:30 pm. Speaking of twilight I still recall when we stayed at a B&B in Whitehorse and it was light until about 3am in the morning, which was real novelty for us tourists lol.
LOL! I take my cup with me too, but I end up only getting a couple gulps, then I set it down somewhere and by the time I get back to it the bugs have found it. YUCK!
When you wake up at 5 or 6 am and it is already 80* outside , you almost have no choice but to get started 'cause you know it's only gonna get warmer:D with Tim being down , I have to use every available minute to get things done. Beleive me if I didn't have to sleep I would most likely have a head lamp on and be working round the clock. At least I could keep the dillo out of the yard.:rolleyes:
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
I am at the point where I wander around and bend down to put a few weeds and wander some more. I need to put out new mulch and dump more leaves into the compost bin. I have to borrow leaves from my neighbor since we have lost all our big trees. I get some from my oak in back but not enough.

Hit the road> No I mean do what I do and collect them from the road side. Tim got me 6 contractor bags of grass this week from our neighbors. ;)
 

Wombat

Active Member
Lyn I do that too, most of my trees are evergreen but I made sure I planted a couple of deciduous ones as well. I also run over then with the motor mower and it shreds them into mulch beautifully.
Nancie It's funny you should mention the lamp. Our neighbours of a few years ago once lived next door to a fella who did all his gardening by night with the aid of a miner's lamp. He swore by it as all the snails and bad bugs seem to come out at night and he was able to catch them in the act and squish them lol. I stay out as long as I can on summer nights but the mozzies are really annoying!
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yes, the mozzies are really bad right now especially after the storms left all this water.
I use "repel" the natural eucalyptus & Citronella and it works very well.
There has been one case of equine encephalitis in humans so far this year. We also have not far from us , sentinel chickens showing positive for it. This is not good. It can be deadly in humans.
Use protection against mosquito's either by wearing light colored light weight long sleeves and pants or use and all natural spray repellent. Mosquito's are attracted to dark colors and shady damp areas. Try to avoid being out at dusk and dawn as mosquito's try to avoid strong daylight. They dehydrate easily in the hot sun ;)
 
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Wombat

Active Member
Oh I have the best repellant too Nancie but the little buggers tend to find a spot I've missed! lol Good advice re; the mozzies too ty for that. We also have mosquito borne diseases too, Ross river fever is unfortunately quite common. It has symptoms similar to malaria.
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
We have West Nile virus present around here. Most people wont feel anything, others flu like symptoms, while older people are a risk of serious life threatening complications!
Now that it's in the mosquito population it will always be a present threat as it marches slowly to the west coast!
 

Jade

New Member
That reminds me to tell Bruce to dump the bird bath, they are ok now that we have had like 6 inches of rain this week. Don't need West Nile Virus, that is for sure.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jill
I keep fresh water daily in my bird baths. ;)

Water collecting barrels are another source of larva that we need to consider. While I hate contaminating any water source , those used for gardens can be treated with a couple things. I like to put several teaspoons of a thin cooking oil like sesame or walnut oil on top this helps prevent oxygen to the larva, which keeps the larva from maturing.
West Nile and Lyme's disease are 2 of the test they are waiting for results on for Tim.
 


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