I was sitting at my desk the other day when I saw something flap and flail out the window. I went outside and found Mr. Coopers Hawk in the front yard. I think he flew in for a snack of little birds at the bird feeders. I’m pretty sure he nailed something as he flew in because he was not very intimidated by me and seemed very focused on a certain area in the garden which I assumed was providing cover for an injured bird.
He was very bold and hopped all over the garden and onto the neighbor’s lawn. He eventually flew away, but I have figured out when he’s around the neighborhood because the bird feeders empty out, and the garden gets quiet. He’s out there, and the little birds know when it’s time to clear out for a while.
Thanks for stopping by…..
Tagged as:
cooper's hawk,
Raptor birds
I’ve been harvesting seeds from my garden to use for next year. Seeds collected so far are: Black Cherry, Yellow Cherry and Momotaro seed.. These three pictures show the harvesting where I squished the seeds out of the tomatoes, removed the skins and poured the seeds onto multiple layers of paper towels, placed on top of a layer of newspaper and labeled.
I also harvested a lot of poppy seeds, collecting the pods in small paper bags, letting them dry out and pop open on their own. I shake the bags periodically to knock the seeds out of the pods and pick out the empty pods to throw away.
A few important details to know about collecting. Seeds are at their prime germination potential when they reach maturity on the plant, then they start declining. When storing seeds, it important to eliminate moisture and heat. Plastic bags aren’t good for storage because condensation forms from any moisture remaining in the seeds. The life of a seed is doubled for every 1 percent decrease of moisture.
Also, try to remember to label your seed collections because you will forget what you’ve collected. I speak from experience. 
Tagged as:
seed collecting,
seed harvesting,
Seeds
On Labor Day, what better way to spend the day but laboring in the garden.
I have been gardening in galvanized tubs for 20 years. I collected them when I lived in Germany. People used to throw them away, and I’d pluck them off the street whenever I’d see them. They add a fun touch to the garden, but I have decided that it’s time to close that chapter in my life, so I’ve been cleaning out the tubs in preparation of selling them.
A few of the tubs I will be selling off
I’ve also been cleaning up my gardening space, getting ruthless and pitching stuff that I don’t need or can’t visualize a use for. It’s a little painful, but it’s the right thing to do, and the garden is looking tidier for it.
Mi Esposo volunteered for work duty today and we got a lot of things accomplished out there. He built me a new raised bed box to go in the middle of the yard, that filled in an empty spot in the garden nicely. He moved dirt and laid brick borders. He moved heavy plants and spread gravel for me.
Mi Esposo rocks the garden
Now the garden is tidy and I love the gravel path.
Tagged as:
garden cleanup,
garden prep,
gravel paths,
raised beds
September’s garden chores are posted for your perusal. It’s not gotten so hot yet, and maybe we will miss the heatwaves we’ve had in the previous two years, but pay attention to your watering if the Santa Anas blow into town.
Tagged as:
garden chores,
garden tasks,
September in the garden
I’m getting closer to my goal of having a few chickens in the yard, but I want to know what the risks are, especially in light of the recent salmonella scare. Good article on raising chickens safely. And to keep it interesting, here are some other chicken facts: The Latin name for chicken is Gallus [...]
Tagged as:
chickens,
chickens in the garden,
salmonella
County, state and federal agriculture officials will hold a public meeting Wednesday to tell people living near where light brown apple moths were discovered earlier this month about how the pest’s infestation will be fought. The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the North Park Recreation Center, located at 4044 [...]
Tagged as:
Light brown apple moth,
quarantine
I bought a box of Triscuits a few months ago and when I got home from the store, thought the box had been tampered with because there was a square cut out of it but, on closer inspection, realized that it was actually part of a promotion to get people interested in gardening. The cardboard [...]
Tagged as:
basil,
triscuits
Seattle has the right idea. Okay, Powers-That-Be, are you paying attention?!!! An interesting article about a woman’s hybrid tomato discovery. Using technology in the gardening world could revolutionize how we shop for plants. I can’t wait! Keep an eye out for these bad bugs and know that the nymphs (the baby stage) look like little [...]
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Miscellaneous Monday
Technically, cucumbers are a fruit because they contain seeds for reproduction, but typically cucumbers are grouped with veggies due to their use. Cucumbers belong to the same family as watermelon, zucchini, pumpkin, and other types of squash. Varieties of cucumber grown to be eaten fresh are more commonly known as slicing cucumbers. Cucumbers used to [...]
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cucumbers
I sat down to leaf through my gardening magazines and came across an article in the June/July 2010 issue of ‘Organic Gardening’ magazine about fruit thinning that shed more light on my rather vague post of a few days ago. The article talks about apple tree thinning in particular. The natural fruit drops that occurs [...]
Tagged as:
apples,
fruit thinning,
Fruit trees
