BayBranch

backyard urban farming ~ lakewood, oh

wall-o-water April 26, 2009

Filed under: in the dirt — jojobickle @ 11:27 am

we have invested in a new tool called the wall-o-water which comes in a handy 3-pack, but i have read you can make your own out of 2 L soda bottles (check here).  the wall-o-water is 2 sheets of plastic that are sealed together and can be filled with water. the water in the plastic absorbs heat from the sun during the day keeping your plants warm at night, allowing you to put your tomatoes and peppers out up to 1 month earlier…the wall-o-water is supposed to protect your plants to 16 degrees F….we put this out last weekend and the plants are looking great (and enjoying the sun today!)

wall o water

wall o water

 

dumpster diving April 12, 2009

Filed under: at the homestead — jojobickle @ 8:42 am

it is somewhat troubling to see all the items that are put out on the curb lawn on trash day….where does it all go?….given the current economy (okay, maybe i’ve always been a scavenger…now i just have an acceptable excuse!), i have taken to looking at my neighbor’s castoffs in a different way. i have found a useful table for my seedlings, grass clippings for my compost, and my favorite find of all is pictured below…it’s an old wooden ladder that someone probably found in the back of their garage. i took it home cleaned it off, gave it a once over with a sander and now use it as a towel rack in my bathroom…what treasures have you found?

old ladder - new tricks

old ladder - new tricks

 

too big for our britches April 5, 2009

Filed under: in the dirt — jojobickle @ 8:07 pm

dear reader, remember how we said we got an early start on the planting season? well, we now have 36 tomatoes and 27 peppers growing beyond our rudimentary seed sprouting set up in the basement! what to do? please help…it’s too cold to put them outside!

10 Peppers all in a Row

Too many plants!