Talk with Martin

Just sending out a congrats to my cousin Keith who is graduating from MSU.

I hope that you enjoyed every moment of it because now the real world starts.

Welcome to misery :)

LOL.

Just kidding.

Or am I???

Here’s to the memories of being kids, fishing trips, and spying on girls. Here’s to you deciding to go back to school, even after being out for several years, you deserved this second chance. Your life is beginning, make the best of it!

I wish that I had realized it was going to rain so much last week. I am mad at myself for wasting all that rain water that fell out of the sky over the past few days. I keep my rain barrels stored in my basement during the winter, so that the water won’t freeze in them and crack or warp them.

With the way the economy has been, my wife and I really want our vegetable garden to do well this coming year. Particularly, since I read an article that stated the USA’s food prices might skyrocket this coming summer and fall.

I worry about a drought affecting how well our garden does. A couple years ago I invested in 2 rain barrels and let me tell you what, they came in really handy last year. Another thing that some people do, I know my wife and I practice this if a drought season starts creeping up on us, is to save your bath and shower water and use it to water your garden. Then the water gets used twice and you help the environment by not dragging out the water hose when the water levels are already getting dangerously low.

I have also found that good mulch and/or compost can really help a garden retain its moisture. Which is handy during droughts or if you go on vacation and are not there to water your garden for a week or so. With mulch and compost your plants won’t die of thirst as quickly with a good moist compost on them. Not to mention that compost provides food for your plants and makes them grow so much better. I must brag on myself a little because my garden was definitely the envy of some of my neighbors last year. They could not figure out how my plants thrived so well during the dry season. If you want to know how to make compost I found a great Beginner’s Composting Blog Post.

So you can see how rain barrels really can help your garden, also being smart with bath, washing machine, shower, and dish water can go a long way in keeping your garden thoroughly nourished with H2O. Just don’t use the water if there are heavy chemicals in it. Like if you dyed your hair and rinsed it out in the shower, I wouldn’t recommend using that water on your plants. I haven’t tried it so it might not hurt, it just doesn’t seem to be a smart thing to do.

My wife and I were dejunking our basement this past weekend. Amazing how much junk and stuff has piled up down there. Although I can blame a lot of it on our parents. When we first moved in together, they decided to give us things that would help us in our new life together. AKA they were dejunking and wanted a place to put all that stuff. LOL.

A lot of the things that they gave to us really did help us out, however, the majority of it ended up in a dark and dreary corner of our basement and as my wife and I have continued to add to said pile it has become an unseemly monstrosity that needed to be taken care of.

Oddly enough, way back in the corner, we found these great old galvanized buckets and tubs. I think my father-in-law used these when he had a dairy farm (he now only raises beef cattle) as these buckets were pretty mucked up but in otherwise decent condition.

My wife has been reading a lot about container gardening, and she wants to try it with some of the flowers that she’s had trouble getting to thrive in the yard. So, naturally, I agreed to help her turn these tubs and buckets into containers that she can use for her flowers. I took them all out on the carport (we have a drain it, so it works for stuff like this) drug out my pump sprayer and blasted them all down with water to get most of the dirt, grime, and manure off of them. Then I turned the buckets over and drilled holes into the bottoms of them so that the water can drain out.

My wife ran to the local nursery to buy some soil while I worked on this project for her. She also bought some seedlings to add to the buckets. When she got back she had more than I had expected. Apparently she decided there were enough tubs to put on the back deck for a little herb garden. Which is fine with me as my wife is a wizard in the kitchen and herbs will only help in that category. Can’t wait to see what she cooks up this summer as the herbs get ready for use.

I really enjoy using my garden sprayer; it is extremely useful and it definitely comes in handy quite a bit of the time. But since using a garden sprayer can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you’ve never used one before, I figured that I would post a little info for new sprayer owners here.

1. Test the sprayer every time you use it by first filling it with water. Pump up the pressure and test to see that the nozzle is not plugged. Release the pressure by unscrewing the lid slightly. Remove the lid.
2. Leave the testing water in the tank.
3. Measure the amount of chemicals exactly. More is not better in the case of garden chemicals. You can do serious injury to plants by over-fertilizing or adding too much herbicide. (In fact, I tend to err on the side of less is more, I’d rather have to fertilize an extra time rather than risk burning or killing my plants.)
4. Add the chemicals to the water in the sprayer. Rinse the measuring device by adding more water to the tank to make up the balance.
5. Screw the top on, being careful not to cross the threads. Tighten so that the pressure will not escape from the tank.
6. Pump the handle to increase the pressure inside the tank.
7. Spray the plants, making sure to cover both upper and lower sides of the leaves. There needs to be visible moisture on the leaves for the applied material to work.
8. Spray out all of the material in the tank. Don’t leave any unused chemical in it.
9. Clean the empty tank over a dirt area, never over concrete or in a sink. Rinse the tank three separate times, spraying clean water through the nozzle each time.
10. Store with the cap off in a protected area away from light and heat.

If you use the above tips it can really help you to keep your garden sprayer in good working order. And that is always a bonus!

For those of you who are curious as to which garden sprayer I prefer using, it is the Solo Portable Sprayer, 1 gallon.

For years dogs have been considered to be man’s best friend. However, I feel that a good quality garden sprayer should be considered the small gardener’s best friend. With the way the economy is (and seems to be continuing to head) and the recent resurgence into self-sufficiency, I feel that this year there will be an increase of people becoming small gardeners. Some of these people may have never gardened before. And this is where I hope to come into play and help. For those of you who want more information on gardening and lawn care be sure to check out the rest of my blog. But for now back to the garden sprayer.

Garden sprayers make treating vegetation for plant diseases and controlling pests in your garden and lawn a much easier task. This is why I decided to invest in two sprayers last summer. (I use one just for spraying weed killer, the residue of the weed killer can stay in the tank sometimes, so I don’t want to accidentally kill my wife’s prized roses). If you don’t want to spend the money for two, go in with a neighbor or friend and one of ya’ll’s sprayers can be used just for killing weeds, and the other for fertilizer, etc.

I own a 1 gallon Solo sprayer. It is handy for spot spraying jobs. It is great for spraying over and under leaf and the pump handle doubles as a carrying handle. Which is always handy (pun intended).

I have looked at some of the commercial backpack sprayers and I think that I might get one this year as my wife’s flower garden keeps getting bigger and we are also planting a large vegetable garden this year. I won’t have to make as many trips from the garden to the house to get more water since the commercial sprayers have bigger reservoirs.

My neighbor loves borrowing my sprayer, he was pulling all his weeds by hand, and the sprayer allows him to kill more of them at the root of the problem vs. breaking his back. I keep trying to talk him into getting his own. Especially since on nice days this year I’ll be using mine more so he won’t have as many opportunities to borrow it.

Well I had better turn the computer over to my wife, she is just dying to start ordering us some seeds for this year’s growing season.  I’m looking forward to the fall when we get to start eating and canning all that we are going to be working so hard to grow this spring and summer. While I’m thinking about my garden sprayer, I think I am going to go ahead and clean mine out so it is ready to go once my wife and I have all our things together for planting.

Spring is just around the corner, as evidenced by this warmer weather we are all enjoying so much. I love spring, because I get the chance to get my hands dirty again. There really is no better mental therapy than getting down in the dirt and digging up some earth.  However, getting on my hands and knees is proving to be more difficult as I get older.  Thankfully I have found some amazing gardening tools from Earthway.

The Earthway Precision Garden Seeder allows you to plant a variety of vegetable seeds with one continuous operation of opening the soil, planting the seed, covering, and marking the next row. Easily, quickly & precisely plants beans, beets, carrots, peas, radishes, corn & more. Seed plates swap with just a turn so you can continue planting. The row marker spaces and marks your next row accurately

The Earthway Precision Garden Seeder requires some assembly and features:

• Heavy-duty aluminum construction
• 30 inch row marker for planting equally spaced rows
• Precision depth gauge that eliminates planting too deep causing seed rot
• Large seed hopper for long continuous operation of seed planting
• Includes 6 standard, easy to change seed plates allowing for up to 28 varieties of vegetable seeds
• Plates included are 18100 - Sweet Corn, 18101 - Radish, 18102 - Carrot, 18103 - Bean, 18104 - Peas & 18105 – Beets

The Earthway 6500 High Wheel Cultivator is ideal for a multitude of garden jobs. From light plowing and hilling to furrowing and cultivating this is a very versatile tool. The frame is constructed of heavy duty one inch plated tubular steel that is powder coated for long life. The 24 inch steel wheel helps move the cultivator through the soil more quickly than comparable models. Both the 3 Position handle height and tool depth can easily be adjusted to individual needs.

The Earthway 6500 High Wheel Cultivator requires some assembly and features:

• 3 Position handle for comfortable use
• Heavy-duty powder coated tubular steel frame
• Large 24” steel wheel
• Easy handling on rough terrain
• Easy change tool bar for quick tool installation
• Includes these tools - Five Tine Cultivator, Moldboard Plow & Twin End Furrow Plow

The Earthway 6500W High Wheel Cultivator is ideal for a multitude of garden jobs. From light plowing and hilling to furrowing and cultivating this is a very versatile tool. The frame is constructed of heavy duty one inch plated tubular steel that is powder coated for long life. Solid oak handles add classic appeal and durability. The 24 inch steel wheel helps move the cultivator through the soil more quickly than comparable models. Both the 3 Position handle height and tool depth can easily be adjusted to individual needs.

The Earthway 6500W High Wheel Cultivator requires some assembly and features:

• 3 Position handle for comfortable use
• Heavy-duty powder coated tubular steel frame
• 49” long solid oak handles
• Large 24” steel wheel
• Easy handling on rough terrain
• Easy change tool bar for quick tool installation
• Includes these tools - Five Tine Cultivator, Moldboard Plow & Twin End Furrow Plow

Please note: This Cultivator is intended for use in soil already plowed or tilled. It is not designed as a ground breaking tool

The Earthway Spritzer Garden Duster Sprayer is simple, effortless, light, and compact the Spritzer sprays an extra fine mist up, under and right where the bugs live - on the back of the leaves. Use The Spritzer for liquid or powder to effectively manage pests in your garden, orchard, or yard.  This Spritzer is also great for use with water-based fly spray in the barn. Simple pumping action evenly distributes material with little chance of over spray.

The Earthway Spritzer Garden Duster Sprayer features:

• 29 inch barrel helps prevent spray inhalation and drift
• Never clogs and is constructed from corrosion proof materials
• Easy to clean. When you are through spraying, flush the Spritzer thoroughly with clean water and allow to dry completely
• Density of spray is controlled by frequency with which the valve is opened - no need to hit the bottom with each stroke.
• Force of spray is controlled by the length and vigor of pumping - the longer the stroke the bigger the spray.

In addition to all the equipment and tools that Earthway sells, they also offer the parts and accessories for everything.  This way you can be sure you’ll have everything you need to really enjoy gardening this spring.  Earthway also has Broadcast Spreaders if that is something that you will need to invest in for the coming spring.

Urn planters are my one of favorite things to adorn my yard with during the spring and summer months. I have a pair on either side of my front door on the porch. It is beautiful when butterflies and hummingbirds visit the flowers that we have potted in them.

Urn planters are incredibly easy to take care of, clean out, and replant the next year. Just be sure to use fresh soil each year, as the nutrients will get depleted fairly quickly (depending on the plants you use in them.  I’ve even heard of some people growing peppers and other such plants in these types of planters.

Need some extra punch for your salad? Just walk out your door.

I prefer using planters for my plants as it is easier to weed them etc.  I keep my yard mostly trees and grass so that I can just mow everything without having to worry about going around this flower or that one.  If the planters are in my way I can just move them temporarily and then replace them once I am done.  My wife loves flowers so she insists upon growing them and these urn planters are our compromise.  You will see these along with many more in our home and yard.