A Gardener's Notebook » gardener

Re-use: Futon frame as garden gate

Douglas E. Welch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:54:03 +0000

I LOVE creative reuse of materials in the garden (and anywhere, in fact) and I was blown away by this project I first saw on Pinterest.com. (BTW, you can follow me and my garden finds on PInterest, too)

This gardener used an old futon frame, hung on end, as an interesting garden gate. I have on older futon I am about to give away, but now I am thinking of doing something similar with it. The sleek modern lines of most futon frames work well for this type of arrangement. It might be a bit too modern for some gardens, but I am sure there are ways to paint and theme to fit in almost anywhere.

It is great to see such creative thinking and reuse of materials that might otherwise simply be thrown out.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Douglas on Pinterest

Re-use: Futon frame as garden gate is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Five garden-related Twitter Chats to check out

Douglas E. Welch — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:18:52 +0000

Ever see hash tag like #gardenchat and #treechat go spinning by in your Twitter stream and wonder what they were? These hash tags are used to facilitate Twitter chats. Much like the chat rooms of old, these scheduled chats bring together like-minded people to chat, using Twitter, about their favorite topic. Running a chat in Twitter, like this, also allows everyone to simultaneously share their chat comments with all their Twitter followers.

One of the easiest ways to engage in a Twitter chat is by using the TweetChat web site. This site allows you to log in via your Twitter account, select which hashtag you want to follow, and also automatically includes the hashtag in every tweet, so everyone else sees your messages.

My usual hangout is GardenChat, held each Monday night at 9pm EST/6pm PST. Join us some evening. I think you will enjoy it. Transcripts of past GardenChats are available in the transcript library of the GardenChat site.

Here are 5 garden-related chats that I know occur on a regular basis. Click each link for schedule, information and transcripts of previous chats.

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Project: Altoids Tin Mini Garden from Instructables

Douglas E. Welch — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000

For those of you who simply can’t be without a little green space, no matter where you may be, here is a neat method of growing sprouts, or any small seeds, in an altoid tin. This could turn out to be a great kids project, too.

Altoids Tin Mini Garden

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by mischka

You dont have an own garden, but like to live in a green environment? Why dont you make an Altoids Tin Mini Garden for your desktop? Use an empty Altoids tin. Put in a piece of tissue, add garden cress seeds and water and wait 3 days. Dont forget to keep your seeds wet.

Project: Altoids Tin Mini Garden from Instructables is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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The garden is going to the birds!

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:42:44 +0000

Over the last several years there has been a large resurgence in gardening for food in the suburban backyard. Websites, magazines and televisions seem filled with advice on getting the largest harvest from your garden, square foot gardening, converting lawns to gardens and more. Hot on the heels of this growing interest comes a new trend — one that takes the idea of gardening up to the level of farming, even in the middle of a large metropolis like New York City or Los Angeles. Leading the charge in this new trend is the idea of raising your own backyard chickens.

Here in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, I have often seen various types of backyard livestock. Despite the fact that we are a heavily urban area, there are pockets of ranch and equestrian neighborhoods scattered throughout our city. In these areas it wasn’t that unusual to see an occasional chicken, rabbit or even a goat. That said, when our close friends divulged they were building a hen house in urban Woodland Hills, we were a bit taken aback. Then, a few years later, another friend did the same thing. Now it seems to be a national, if not international trend. Surely you couldn’t be allowed to raise chickens just down the street from the latest Chipotle or Jerry’s Famous Deli. Like most metro areas, though, this is exactly the case. Regulations vary from city to city, but most allow you to keep a few hens (no roosters, please) on your property for your own use.

As you might imagine, fresh eggs — the freshest you have ever eaten — are one big draw of backyard chickens, but there are also the benefits of reconnecting your family (especially kids) to nature.

Keri Dearborn says of her backyard chickens, “Beside providing eggs, chickens naturally recycle kitchen scraps into fertilizer. They also do something that I never expected. When they are out foraging in the yard, they create a sense of peacefulness. Just watching them explore and go about their lives had a zen feeling to it.”

Backyard chickens take time and money, though. Feed and bedding, while not overly expensive, do have a cost, but time is probably more critical.

“Chickens are early risers and go to sleep with the sun. If your days are long, you might have trouble feeding them. They prefer to see the food put down, without that visual stimulation they tend to eat less and be less healthy. They need a sturdy coop to keep out predators and just the right amount of sunlight and shade.” says Dearborn.

You won’t save money raising chickens, as feed and maintenance costs mount, but that seems beside the point.

Susie O’Connell, another Valley chicken farmer says, “It’s been a great experience for me and my kids. The jury’s still out on my husband, but even he appreciates the fresh eggs and ample chicken poop fertilizer for our garden.”

You can find extensive information about raising your own chickens on line, including the blog, Back Yard Chickens at http://www.backyardchickens.com/.

The garden is going to the birds! is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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A buzzing in the garden