Simple answer a Happy One!
While no one likes to think about cleaning and cleaning gardening tools after use. It is very important.
Tool Cleaning should be done after every use to make them last a lifetime
Shovels, Rakes, Trowels, Hoes, turning forks and the list goes on, should be cleaned after every use. The easiest way for me is to scrub then down with a wire brush to clean all the dirt and debris off before storing. After cleaning a small spray bottle of used or new motor oil will seal it and protect it from rust.
Another way is to use some sand and used motor oil. A 5 gallon bucket filled 2/3rds full with sand and some oil from an oil change makes easy work of cleaning tools. Just stab the tool in this oily sand mix for a quick clean up of tools. The sand acts like an abrasive to brush away dirt off the tool. The oil protects the tool from rusting.
A good coating of linseed oil will protect wood handles from drying out and cracking.
Cleaning and disinfecting tools for a healthier garden
Tools that should be cleaned as above and then disinfected prior to use include: Pruners, Shears, pots and poting benches Etc. This keeps the nastiest from transferring from one plant to the next.
A 10% bleach solution will kill many viruses and diseases. Pruners can be dipped in this solution in between pruning of plants. Pots can be dipped in this as well but I found that if you rinse them with some water to remove all debris then spray the pots with the bleach solution, it works just as well. These can be rinsed with water to remove the bleach if you are concerned that it may affect your plants.
General Cleanliness in the garden
Water wands and sprinklers should not be in contact with the ground to help prevent any chance of disease. I know this sounds extreme, but this can too spread germs to all your plants. Water wands should be stored with the end not touching the ground.
Cleaning up diseased debris around the plants keeps the disease from spreading to the plants that year or in years to come.
A little cleaning now can go a long way to a neater and healthier Garden!
May 16 2008 | garden help | No Comments »
In spite of the fact that I don’t have many blooms so to speak this month. I still want to highlight what I do have. The two front beds I planted this spring are doing great in fact the plants have doubled in size. I even have a pea flower as well but it didn’t turn out right for the photo shoot.
I absolutly love marigolds and they seem to pair up nice to Ageratums. I thought these Ageratum plants weren’t all that great looking when I purchased them but I wanted to try something new instead of the same old things I grew last year. In the same bed is I wish I knew what it was. Truth is I placed the tag by the plant, you think I would 
know better by now not to do that.The photo is not that good but I am hoping some of you may recall what this is.
Speaking of flowers, we are also growing Sunflowers this year for a Earth Day celebration my Daughter had at School. Hopefully I will have some big Sunflowers to show off come August. This is my GBBD for May, to learn more about Garden Bloggers Bloom Day head on over to May Dreams Gardens.
May 14 2008 | Garden and Other Garden Blogs and spring | 2 Comments »
All the hard work in the garden. Eh well one bed as of now. Is starting to pay off. I pulled a radish this afternoon to see the progress and have one big enough to eat.
All that is needed is a little ranch dressing and some spinach you see below the radish. Yumm! Maybe tomorrow I can plant things Ive been putting off for a couple of weeks.
Today is the day is the day to celebrate our Mothers and all they do for us.
Happy Mothers Day!
May 11 2008 | spring and updates and vegetables | 8 Comments »
Me and my dear wife went to Lowe’s Friday to buy new floor vents because the plastic ones we bought a year ago broke. Note to self: don’t buy plastic vents as they will break down overtime due to the heat and cold from the central air and heat.
Anyway back to gardening. Before even getting in the door. I had picked up 3 things gardening related. I know, I’m an Impulsive garden shopper. The first thing I spotted was a strawberry jar with Hens and Chickens.
My better half put the plant in the car seat. I guess I am a little over protective. This variety has a red tinge to them. I also managed to snag a couple of packages of Dahlias before I got in the door. I have never grown these so any help you all can throw my way concerning these is needed and thank you.
I planted them in the new bed I made that has my old bench with some Heuchera’s and Morning Glories.
I still have a few more plants to buy before the bed for this year is done. Of course It will never be done to me but its getting there.
Speaking of new. The theme is new and a bit simpler.
May 04 2008 | planting and spring and updates | 6 Comments »
It’s been about 20 days since updating about the garden. The last post from Bessie was a great view of how sky diving is related to gardening. I hoped everyone enjoyed reading her post as much as I did.
Here we have Heuchera Coral Bells. I can’t quite remember what variety this is. I planted two of these about a week ago. One on each side of this bench, the bench sits on the north west side of the front porch and gets a little sun but I placed the plants so they will be shielded from the sun via the bench. I am also relying on the Morning Glories to shade them as well.
I soaked the seeds in water overnight and planted them the next day. I know very little about morning glory so I am counting on a little advice from you kind folks. I planted 2 seeds by each of the bench legs. Is that too many plants? I hear they grow fast.
While I was planting the Heuchera I planted the two beds by the porch steps. Here’s what I planted last year in the beds. I planted Marigolds, Ageratum and Lobelia. The last two I have never grown but figured I would give them a try.
Thats it for the flower garden update. Next will be a veggie garden update, it has came along way since I posted about it last.
April 28 2008 | Garden and planting and spring and updates | 5 Comments »
I know this sounds like impossible combination of hobbies but it is actually quite logical in the context of growing up in my family.
From the moment I remember myself I have memories of my mother planting this or that plant in flowerpots.
We lived in the city and I guess she kind of felt the need for nature so we had a flourishing garden of flowerpots in the kitchen, in the living room and just everywhere. On weekends we used to drive to see some nature.
I got the need for spaces and connecting with nature from her but had hard time as I had not so green thumbs. Gradually I find my own path of breaking free from the crowdeness of the city and took my first sky diving course when I was 20.
It has been a wonderful experience, up there in the sky I had all the space I needed and I could be really free.
My parents found a nice place in the suburbs shortly after and my mother finally felt less suffocated by the density of the city. Of course she created a really amazing garden and used to sit there for hours. She and my father became a team and they spend a lot of time taking care of the garden. The communication between them was really inspiring.
And me, I was drawn to watch them whenever I came to visit, and found the plants in the open garden much more appealing them the forest of flowerpots we had in the old apartment.
I evolved in the field of skydiving and eventually bought a house in the mountains not far from an active school so I could sky dive when ever I had some free time.
Recently I’ve opened a site called my sky diving club and enjoy talking about my passion.
By Bessie
April 20 2008 | Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would see Apple blossoms. Once you see the leaves, the flowers aren’t far behind. This year my Apple Tree is really putting on a show and hopefully later. Fruit!
Here is one of the flowers. Apples should be enjoyed not only for their fruit but their flowers and flower buds. Isn’t this flower a nice shade of pink. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the bees to stay still in order to take their picture.
Note: A little change to the way I reply to comments is changing. Instead of making a comment to reply to comments, like I have in the past. I am going to reply to comments from now on, underneath your comment. After seeing this done on Kate’s Blog and Gardening Gone WIld, I really like the way this looks and works.
April 08 2008 | blogging and spring | 7 Comments »
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