Birdfeeding: Friends of a Feather Flock Together

Today we visited the Charleston Food Forest.  I took pictures and rescued some plants that were growing in the paths so they don't get trampled. These pictures are mostly from the right side. See Part 2 Left Side.

( Walk with me ... )

These pictures are from Sunday, but it's after midnight so the timestamp will say Monday. See the savanna and house yard.

( Walk with me ... )

May wildlife gardening tasks typically involve middle to late phases of spring planting, depending on your locale. Keep birdfeeders out at least until spring migration ends. Birdwatching is excellent throughout the spring migration season. If you have birdhouses for particular species (like bluebirds) then keep a sharp eye for invasive species (like European house sparrows) so you can jettison unwanted nests as soon as possible.

( Read more... )

Today I finished the hugelkultur pot. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) I still have the second one to fill, but this one is done for now. \o/

( Read more... )

Today I started on my hugelkultur pot project. The pot is about 21" at the outside top, 18" at the inside top, 16" tall, and 10 1/2" at the base.

I've been thinking about how I wanted to fill it. I didn't want to use all potting soil because sometimes it's too heavy and other times too light. I didn't want to use gravel or ceramic shards for drainage because eventually I'll want to dump it and refill it. So I hit on the idea of using sticks as the bottom layer, because they'll make good drainage but can also break down over time. Also, I love the idea of using things from my yard. A key rule of permaculture is "Obtain A Yield," and that can be anything you find useful. In this case, I'm using cut brush to improve drainage, so it's productive rather than just a pile of branches in the way of the lawnmower. I'll be adding leaves, compost, and potting soil later.

Hugelkultur is a type of no-turn compost similar to lasagna gardening where you make a pile of stuff, only this version can include anything from sticks to whole trees on the bottom. Eventually the wood decomposes.

( Read more... )

Today we drove down to Toledo and Greenup to view the eclipse where totality would last a couple of minutes. We had a nice drive down.

( Read more... )

I took a few pictures of the flowers today to catch the new ones blooming since the last photo shoot.

( Read more... )

I took pictures around the yard today (Sunday 24). These are from the savanna and prairie garden.

( Walk with me ... )

March garden tasks typically involve cleaning up winter debris and setting up for spring planting later on. If you're putting up birdhouses, you want to get them out before the birds arrive.

( Read more... )