tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post4239227785636912670..comments2024-02-23T02:03:23.020-07:00Comments on The Eco Cat Lady Speaks: The Endless Quest for AutoPilotEcoCatLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-40646735822620729672016-10-02T21:48:21.130-06:002016-10-02T21:48:21.130-06:00I just have an old fashioned weed digger - basical...I just have an old fashioned weed digger - basically a metal stick with a handle. The dandelions seem to come out quite easily. Maybe it has something to do with our clay soil? Or perhaps I'm just assuming they don't come back when they really do! :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-85705052831436127682016-10-01T20:33:01.991-06:002016-10-01T20:33:01.991-06:00Yikes! Those bugs sound really unpleasant!
I have...Yikes! Those bugs sound really unpleasant!<br /><br />I have no sprinkler system, so I generally boomerang between ignoring the lawn altogether, and drowning it because I forgot and left the sprinkler on! I keep thinking I should invest in some sort of a system, but I always want to wait until I "finish" (wink wink, nudge nudge) the xeriscape! We'll see what I come up with for next year, but I believe I'm on the right track!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-14113649448849842232016-10-01T15:15:13.137-06:002016-10-01T15:15:13.137-06:00Gardens are a lot of work and I have been lagging ...Gardens are a lot of work and I have been lagging this year. Partly because of the exploding bug population. Here in the middle of the country we are infested with a thing called Oak mites. I worked in my flower beds for maybe 45 minutes and even though I was heavily sprayed with a repellent, I still managed to be covered in bites. Itch is way more than chiggers or mosquitoes. Now I am not being the conscientious gardener that I usually am. <br /><br />I love drip irrigation systems. I have the standard Hunter rotor type of system that keeps the turf looking beautiful but over-waters parts of the flower beds. I typically run just the turf zones and hand water the gardens....which adds to the amount of work my gardens require. Cperzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09062444081488414888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-38516469754951651092016-10-01T12:19:19.196-06:002016-10-01T12:19:19.196-06:00Here's hoping I have something useful to say! ...Here's hoping I have something useful to say! :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-28217549726583726882016-10-01T11:25:29.170-06:002016-10-01T11:25:29.170-06:00Very interesting! Hmmm... the mystery deepens...Very interesting! Hmmm... the mystery deepens...EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-5175452783448936392016-10-01T05:48:47.587-06:002016-10-01T05:48:47.587-06:00I find that dandelions usually have a deep bifurca...I find that dandelions usually have a deep bifurcating root that makes it hard to get the whole thing. And if you leave any of the root, they come back. Do you have trick for pulling them?Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-39925833965167570812016-10-01T05:45:37.180-06:002016-10-01T05:45:37.180-06:00Peppers do quite well here in the ground, so I don...Peppers do quite well here in the ground, so I don't think they need to be rootbound. Also, I've had problems with bindweed and I read once that they can have roots 30' deep--almost to China!Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-33487239171599423082016-10-01T04:23:21.927-06:002016-10-01T04:23:21.927-06:00I will follow your progression toward chaos manage...I will follow your progression toward chaos management. We are kindred souls! JanLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05941212679721417444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-51292389416337855152016-10-01T04:23:11.740-06:002016-10-01T04:23:11.740-06:00I will follow your progression toward chaos manage...I will follow your progression toward chaos management. We are kindred souls! JanLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05941212679721417444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-18420202696539186732016-10-01T01:33:21.235-06:002016-10-01T01:33:21.235-06:00I think native is something I should explore, rath...I think native is something I should explore, rather than just "low water." I'm wondering if I could find someplace to buy native wildflower seeds or something. Hmmm...<br /><br />The weeds I struggle with most are: <br /><br />Bindweed - hopefully the mites will help, but honestly, it's not looking promising. <br /><br />Dandelions - these are the easiest to deal with, you just pull them up once and they don't come back. <br /><br />Thistles - UG! Thankfully, they only have a 2 year lifespan, but NO amount of pulling will kill them in that first year, your only hope is to wait until year two and then pull them once they shoot up really tall but before they go to seed and spread their evil spawn. <br /><br />Recently we've also seen something called "spurge" that's been taking over. It's also easier to deal with because once you pull it, it doesn't come back. <br /><br />Honestly though, I think the main thing my yard could use is water! EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-87612607496602906352016-10-01T00:01:48.252-06:002016-10-01T00:01:48.252-06:00Oh, my garden sucks (mostly). But I do have some ...Oh, my garden sucks (mostly). But I do have some strategies for making it easier to manage.<br /><br />1) Plant native and other well-adapted plants. They like this kind of weather. And it helps to actually get them in the ground the same day you buy them and then actually water them a few times until they get established.<br /><br />2) There are certain weeds that will take over the universe in my yard, especially this one really sticky thing and a thing with pretty white flowers that turns out to be called "beggar's lice." If I pull them up whenever I notice them, say once a day on my way back from a hike, that helps not only for the current year but also future years.<br /><br />3) After mowing, move the excess grass from the sidewalk to act as a mulch around my bigger (than grass) plants.<br /><br />Where I live, chile pequin are native and grow just fine in the ground. Even my boyfriend doesn't really eat them, and he likes really spicy food, but they are super pretty (bright green leaves, nice white flowers, berries that turn from green to red), plus birds manage to like them.<br /><br />But it was good to read your hint about more edible peppers.Debbie Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-90960737432963021742016-09-30T22:02:41.744-06:002016-09-30T22:02:41.744-06:00Oh, BTW - I've never had much luck with pepper...Oh, BTW - I've never had much luck with peppers either until a friend told me the trick. They don't do well in the ground - in fact, they don't do well in anything much bigger than a 4 gallon pot. I don't know if they need to be root bound, or if the pot helps the roots to heat up or what, but it made all the difference for me. Not sure if that would work in your climate or not, but thought I'd toss it out there. :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-42981234181587551732016-09-30T22:00:19.217-06:002016-09-30T22:00:19.217-06:00I fear I was sorta pushing the limits on the xeris...I fear I was sorta pushing the limits on the xeriscape this year... treating it more like a "zero-scape" - meaning it got zero water! I think it's only rained once or twice since June. Even some of the succulents that are supposed to survive anything have died back. Sigh. <br /><br />I keep meaning to bring some envelopes or something with me on the bike path to gather seeds. There are a lot of native flowers that grow wild along the path and they seem to do quite well without any irrigation. Since many of them are going to seed about now, it would be the perfect time to collect some to plant next spring. Alas, I keep forgetting! Perhaps I'll go put an envelope in my bike helmet right now so I don't forget!<br /><br />Anyhow, your yard sounds lovely. I can't imagine not having to weed the garden! Somehow the weeds always seem to choke out even the hardiest of low water plants if I don't keep ahead of them. I'm sure it doesn't help that I've got bindweed that's been running amok for a good 20 years or so - the roots probably go to China by now! We'll see if my bindweed mite experiment pays dividends in that department!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-91779048395681060582016-09-30T20:32:01.413-06:002016-09-30T20:32:01.413-06:00I love your hail house! (I have hail-house envy, n...I love your hail house! (I have hail-house envy, now!) And what a healthy looking crop of vegetables. I would love to be able to grow red peppers because we (I think they need the right temperature and humiditity for pollination?)<br /><br />I had to look up 'xeriscape' but now I've realised that we are xeriscape gardeners! At our old house, we pulled up half the lawn at the front and planted it fully with native grasses, shrubs etc. so there was no lawn. We've hardly ever had to water that in 15 years, or weed it. But it does have to be pruned heavily once a year.<br /><br />Around the back, we have one big slab of lawn which just needs mowing. Around the edges we planted native plants again (mostly bird and insect attracting.) <br /><br />It's really popular here to make 'dry-river beds' lined with weed mat (i.e. a stone river-bed, that often doubles as storm-water overflow when we do get a heavy downpour.) It is far easier to maintain than an ornamental garden as we have water restrictions and semi-drought a lot of the time where we live.<br /><br />Fionahttp://www.declutterer.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-56282553933579369012016-09-30T18:30:48.119-06:002016-09-30T18:30:48.119-06:00Now that's a plan... if only I could train the...Now that's a plan... if only I could train the cats to take care of the garden and yard! :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-72150421683543012012016-09-30T18:20:08.557-06:002016-09-30T18:20:08.557-06:00Um, I let my husband and kids plant and tend to it...Um, I let my husband and kids plant and tend to it???<br /><br />You had great results with your garden and yard!Krisnoreply@blogger.com