101 Centavos

  Moving into May - and my isn't this 2013 slipping by fast - the danger of frost is gone for most gardeners, but it's been a wacky enough spring. Last average frost date for our zone 6 area is about April 15th.  As usual, we were a little ambitious and set out tomato and pepper seedlings a week before, and got whacked for it.  We've had three days of near freezing overnight temps since then.  Besides shuttling young plants in and out of the house and covering young plants with black trash bags, there's a couple of low-maintenance ways to protect them from the killing overnight cold. First up, just simple rocks.   Stones provide good thermal mass. If you've got the time and inclination, it's a very good idea … [Read more...]

Say you'd like to get a few pepper plants in the ground, but don't feel like digging up that part of the back lawn, nor laying down a tarp and waiting for the grass to die off. Plus, you're busy, and don't really have time to build a proper raised bed. No problem, here's a work-around. A few bags of good topsoil or potting soil is about all we need to get started. Lay them out in a 2 x 4 or a 3 x 3 grid, and cut some openings in the tops, like so: Make sure that you don't cut too close to the corners, otherwise the sides will slump and the soil will want to spill out. Next, take a nice long screwdriver and poke some holes in the bottom of the bag. We want to have good drainage. Now, plant what you like: … [Read more...]