Sprinkler Conversion

When we sheet mulched half of the back lawn last year, we did so with the intention that someday we would convert the sprinkler system (which hiss a couple gallons a minute per sprinkler all over the place) to a much more efficient drip system.

My advice for a project like this:

Take your time
Do it right
Plan it well
Buy the right parts the first time around

I made 7 trips to the hardware store last weekend. I even dared to enter Home Depot and Lowe's when my beloved Orchard Super Hardware (OSH) didn't have the part I needed. Talk about feeling completely overwhelmed! Now I remember why I don't like those places.

Like many of our projects, this one came to fruition kind of last minute. We decided last Friday that last weekend would be the weekend to convert the sprinklers. We also had a broken valve in the front that needed to be replaced, and given that our sprinklers were done when the house was built 10 years ago, the same replacement valve wasn't readily available.

First mistake
I went to cut the broken valve from the water supply and Chris came over and said, "That's not the broken valve." Strike one. Hey, at least I turned the water off! We ended up having such issues replacing the valves that we simply decided to cap them for now. We finally figured out on Sunday evening that they go to areas that are sheet mulched out front anyway, so we don't have any need for the sprinkler to be in working order (for now)! We fought with them all weekend, and the simple answer that could have saved us much time didn't occur until Sunday night? Tis life.

Second mistake
I did not plan this project well at all, and kept having to make trips to the hardware store to continue uninterrupted.

Third mistake
After digging up all of the sprinklers in the backyard, converting them to a drip system/capping them, I turned the water on to find that I had completely missed a sprinkler head in the corner! Drats. When I tried to dig the little booger up tonight, I realized there are tree roots wrapped around the entire thing. Sounds like a job for Chris!


Strike Four
The other mistake I made (duh! I can't believe this one folks) is that I didn't wrap the threads of the converted sprinklers in the back with teflon tape to prevent water leaks. Now I have to unscrew all of them and put on tape before screwing them back in. They leak! Arrgh.





Next time I will find and solicit the help of a local irrigation store in the planning and parts areas in which I so incredibly lacked this weekend. Once it's all finally completed and I'm happy with the results, I'll post pictures to make me feel better. Right now, I'm living in sprinkler purgatory!



Why am I telling you about my sprinkler struggles? It illustrates everything I'm doing wrong.

I've only recently realized that I need to take my time with projects. For some reason, I always put some artificial deadline on myself (we need to finish THIS weekend!) and then rush to get stuff done and at the end I'm not 100% happy with the finished job. I've been inspired after meeting Mark and Linda from Each Little World in Chicago a few weeks ago and reading their adventures since then. They take their time with projects and the finished products are absolute works of art. Their tea house, their fence, oh wow! It makes me want to be a better gardener/project-er.

Tale of the Sun & the Wind

The sun and wind were chatting one day when the wind spotted a man walking down the street wearing a coat.

"Watch this! I betcha I can blow his jacket off of him!" said the wind.

And blow the wind did. He blew harder and harder, but the man was undeterred and continued walking while grasping at the edges of his jacket, holding ever tighter so it wouldn't blow off of him.

The sun said, "No wind, watch this. I can make his jacket come off."

The sun shone brightly, and the clouds began to clear. The air warmed, and after a few moments, the man simply took off his coat to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his skin.

Moral of the story:
Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast

Speaking of direction

Le Crueset, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

I think food might be the focus in the next few months, just as gardening, environmental adventures, and projects have been for a few months in the past.

Direction

Ooh pretty, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

Chris and I are headed off to a friend's house for a mini garden tour, organic homegrown lemonade, and garden talk with like minded folks.

Sounds like my idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Restless

I've been pretty restless lately.



Folks who may have been following along for some time realize that we don't post here nearly as much as we used to. (I'm hoping that comes off as a quality vs. quantity thing. Ha!) Our adventures haven't waned, and unlike the Pioneer Woman, I am not nearly as good about making the ordinary seem interesting. Unless you want to hear about cat barf. God the stories I could tell you about cat barf as of late. (Will trade cats for houseplants.)

Warning: Rambling below

Weather
We have been having the craziest weather here this June. I cannot remember a June in which it has been so cool/overcast/showery. It's neat! But I guess we all know the inevitable is coming - the hot weather is right around the corner.

Victory Garden Workshop, aka. acronym soup
Today Chris and I went to a Victory Garden workshop at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center near us. We always enjoy ourselves when we visit this magical place. The FOHC is a cooperative project between the Sacramento University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District, and the Fair Oaks Water District. Master Gardeners are on hand during designated events like the one we attended today to answer questions gardeners may have, and put a personal touch on the interaction between local gardeners and the UCCE.

The sad news is that the entire UCCE slate of programs is on the chopping block due to budget issues in Sacramento County. Yesterday the programs under this umbrella pleaded their case to the County Board of Supervisors, with a decision to be made sometime in the near future that affects the fate of:

-Local 4-H
-Master Gardener training and other MG stuff (?)
-UCCE's participation in the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center
-Farmer Assistance (like asking a MG questions, but on steroids)

Apparently they felt like they made a pretty strong case about keeping the programs funded. I heard that all the money from Sac County ended up being approx. $225k/year. The University of California (not sure at what level) kicks in over $1M on top of this; this being the obvious benefit to keeping the programs going. Nevermind the tangible and non-tangible benefits of all of these wonderful programs. Let's just hope budget cuts aren't short-sited.
*I'm sure I botched the info above somehow. I apologize in advance.

I don't know if I announced it here yet, but I was (am) hoping to apply for the next round of Master Gardner training that becomes available. Word on the street says the application process will open this coming September for training January - April 2010, IF this budget mess doesn't affect the program entirely. Carri talked me into it. She also helped talk me into Facebook. I don't know if she's a good influence or just plain crazy :D

Lists
I recently posted a couple pictures of my to-do list(s) on Twitter, and got some great responses, including answers to some of the things on the list(s)! On a whim, I purchased a Moleskin notebook and plan to make this a semi-regular occurrence over on my Flickr page, to be linked here somehow, I hope. But I always have these weird, grandiose plans that seldom pan out. We'll see.










Beer in the Garden?
Chris has brewed quite a bit of beer in hopes that we could invite some folks over and have a showcase/party of sorts. I was thinking of a Beer in the Garden theme. He didn't say no, so perhaps sometime in July we will have a combined beer tasting/garden tour party. If things go well, maybe it could be an annual event (see info above regarding grandiose). Not that my garden is anything fancy, but I love seeing what other gardeners do, so why wouldn't they want to see my garden. God I sound like a narcissist sometimes. AND Chris has brewed some good beers, and we've been drinking almost exclusively out of the keezer lately. I am a proud wife!



That's it for now.

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

This is my new motto.

With June and the weather god smiling upon us, I have taken every opportunity possible to be outside in the garden. No TV and computer time at a minimum if the sun is up! The garden will not get away from me this year; I am more committed than ever.



This picture is for Layanee - this is what the raised beds look like right now. The picture I posted last time was from last August when the garden was in full bloom!


August 2008

Things are just starting to grow - but we did get our first sunflower bloom today.




Nothing says summertime like sunflowers.

After seeing all of the beautiful gardens while we were in Chicago last weekend, I was inspired to make a couple trips to the nursery to pick up some color for my yard. My red daylilies and selected Nasturtiums are blooming in the backyard, but I needed some other color - I planted zinnias (orange), cosmos (purple), daisies (white), sweet potato vine (black), moneywort (lime green), and verbena (pink). It's looking better already.

We planted pop corn when we got home where we just pulled out the garlic and greens that had bolted. Hopefully we can fend off the racoons! I know they sneak about the garden at night, without any damage right now.



The tomatoes and peppers are looking great this year! I am really looking forward to canning and preserving. The tomato cages are concrete reinforcing wire (huge thanks to my father-in-law for giving it to us), and typical tomato cages work very well for the peppers. I've been feeding them weekly with half-strength Peaceful Valley Farm Supply's OMEGA line of fertilizers - at first using the 6-6-6 and then moving to the 1-5-5 when flowers appeared. They seem to be liking the attention. I also bought some Sluggo Plus to take care of our roly poly problem (never mind the slugs that love to live in the mulch), only around plants I want to keep and not indiscriminately around the garden. Seems to have helped the peppers and tomatillos.

Tomatoes
Aunt Ruby's German Green
San Marzano
Abraham Lincoln
Amish Paste
Gardener's Delight
Old German
Garden Peach

Peppers
Habanero
Jalapeno
Serrano
Greek Golden Pepperoncini
Plain Golden Bell Pepper
Green Crimson Bell Pepper




After writing all this down, it doesn't feel like I do all that much in the garden. I know weeding, mulching, watering, fertilizing, and tending to plants takes much of the time I am outside, and I love every minute of it.

Waspinator - Update!

Waspinator, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

I recently posted a video review of the Waspinator product that keeps wasps out of your garden or BBQ naturally, without harm to them and mentioned that the one I used last year fell apart at the end of the season. It was one of the cons I listed actually.

I was contacted by Karen at Contech Enterprises, the maker of the Waspinator (and other products as the ScareCrow water sprinkler, amongst other animal training products), to let me know that they had a bad batch of Waspinators last year because typically they are UV-stabilized and shouldn't break down after a single season of use. She even offered a replacement!

I was happy to hear from Karen because I think reaching out to your audience to right situations is absolutely the hallmark of a good company. I was happy to hear from them, and if you read our policy on advertising in the Contact Us page of this website, we only post links to those companies we believe in (ie. we cannot be bought). I am happy to offer a link to their products and site because of their superior products and customer service.

If you're interested in the Waspinator or other well-designed products, please visit the Contech Enterprises website.

Thanks Karen!

Chicago Spring Fling 2009

I could be totally long winded about how wonderfully awesome our trip was, but I'll keep it short.

It was an experience of a lifetime to meet the folks I've known online, and the trip and people exceeded my wildest expectations. So much I could say...

Thank you.

And a special thanks to the Spring Fling committee that made the trip well worth the while. I am glad to have met you and consider you among my friends.