Our Garden Currently: Before and After (My Plants)

I have taken on quite the green thumb over the last week.  I have been a bit MIA due to the weather here in Oregon and have enjoyed just spending time outside doing some gardening, replanting, packing for our trip on Friday (by the way we are leaving for Arkansas next Friday 8/24/12 and won't be back for 10 days), spending time with Skylar before he starts the 3rd grade, and my tan has come together quite well over this summer break.  Oregon sun does actually tan you, believe it or not, ha!  

While getting bits of gardening done, I wanted to share a few pictures of how my efforts have been, and still are,  paying off.

Miniature apple tree.  At the beginning of summer (on the left) it lacked little to be desired, but over the course of the season it has really blossomed out.  I am looking forward to how well it will do next season.  

Herbs.  These were all planted by seed and have really taken off this year.  The Rosemary in the photo above this one has done quite well and I've have already been using snips from it here and there for cooking.  

Skylar's little garden of pumpkins.  Due to the rain we got back in May, his seeds didn't take off as soon as they should, but he does have a few plants showing their faces here and there.  We will see how well they come together when the end of October is here.  I have my fingers crossed for him that he at least gets one pumpkin from his little garden.  :-)

Succulents of Hens and Chicks.

Vines and Potato Vine climbing the fence.

Lilly seed pods.  

Various other flowers and bushes that were grown from seeds.  The flower on the left is called Campanula Get Me and I am hoping it will look similar to THIS when it gets established later.

My very small, but eager Spirea.  

It's been a lot of fun taking the time and tending to plants that I can take with me when I move to Arkansas.  I hope they all get established and are able to take the travelling well from Oregon next summer.  I am eager to get settled in next year and see what all of these plants and flowers can really do once they are in the ground and able to spread.

Let's not forget my sunflowers progress.  Even though these will die at the end of their cycle, they are loving the sun that hits the side of the house.  They have grown a lot in the last few days and have really taken off!  I can't wait to see the flower heads on them once they start blooming.

Hope your garden and flowers are looking just as great as mine this year!

Eco-Tip:  To save even more water while in the shower, consider installing a water-control valve on your shower head or purchase a shower head with the control valve already installed.  The purpose of the valve is to shut the water off at the head so that it doesn't continue to flow as you lather up, shave, etc.  The valve is also nice because it keeps the water at the save temperature before you shut it off.  For more tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Turn a Soda Bottle into a Water Sprinkler

I love the thought of re purposing one thing into something else, especially if that something is bound for the trash.  Making something come to life with just a few simple additions and giving it new life is really a lot of fun.  

Here in Oregon, soda and anything else that holds a carbonated liquid has a 5¢ deposit on the bottle that holds the carbonated liquid.  So it's a bit hard to part with a container that can give you back 5¢ in the beginning, but using it for another purpose instead of wasting it is well worth the 5¢.  

With just a simple hole punched into the 2-liter bottle you can create a really cool water sprinkler for your flower beds.  By controlling the flow of the water you can use it to water about anything really.  I even was filling the dog's water bowl with it because I liked it so well.  Here's what you need to do in order to create the water sprinkler shown above.

Step 1:  Remove the label and wash the 2-liter out with soap and water.  This will prevent any soda from dripping on you when you go to drill the holes.

Step 2:  With a small drill bit on an electric drill begin drilling small holes about 2-inches apart.  If you want more of a spray then make less holes, if you want just a small flow like the one pictured here, make several holes.  

Step 3:  Rinse the plastic shavings out of the 2-liter and attach it to your water hose with electrical tape.  You can also go with a two-way valve like this. 

But I found that a few turns around both ends with electrical tape works just fine for a temporary fix, but for long term you might want to look into the two-way coupling.  

Step 4:  Set your 2-liter water sprinkler where you want it and turn on the water.  This craft can work with any bottle rather than a 2-liter.  We have tried it with smaller soda bottles and it doesn't work as well as the bigger ones.

My Elephant Ears enjoy the water bath and this year they are finally making an appearance.  

If a water sprinkler isn't quite what you are looking for, then how about a sprinkler the kids can play in?  My son loves it, and it works awesome on the side of his pool for a unique water feature while he swims.  

Or use it as a sprinkler in the yard.

And if your grass looks anything like ours, the water will help! 

We've had a lot of fun with the repurpose of these 2-liter plastic soda bottles and it has been used so much this summer.  Hope you have just as much fun!

Eco-Tip:  When it comes time to replace your eye glasses, why not donate them instead of throwing them away?  OneSight is a nonprofit organization that donates used eye glasses to those around the globe that suffer from poor eye sight.  You can even donate money to help with the cause as well.  To learn more visit there site here.  For more tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Our Garden Currently: Lots in Bloom

I have been so pleased with the raised bed-type of gardening we went with this year. We have had such great fun with them and even more fun watching everything start to bloom. The honeybees have been partying all over the flowers and I have enjoyed watching them hum about as I do weed control in some of the beds. I randomly sprinkled herb seeds throughout the beds this year too, just to see what I would get and even the herbs like, dill, cilantro, and chives have thrived in the beds too.

Dill growing between the carrot rows.

 

Yellow Squash and Zucchini Blooms

Cucumber Blooms

Mini Pumpkins

Carrots

Irregular Gourds

Yellow Squash

Yellow Squash

Broccoli

Snap Peas

Beans

Full view of the garden and raised beds

Birdhouse Gourds

Spinach

Radishes

FYI:  We don't eat radishes, we only plant this to attract pollinators and to keep the snails off our other plants.  IT WORKS!

Lettuce

Watermelon and Large Pumpkins



I am looking forward to harvesting a lot of good stuff here real soon and canning a few of them for over the winter.  We have already been able to pick a few peas here and there, but I can't wait till I get to steam some yellow squash and beans for dinner and pickle some cucumbers.

Eco-Tip:  Consider unplugging certain appliances when you leave for an extended trip or vacation.  Large appliances and even some smaller ones, like your television, draw unneeded electricity if when they are turned off.  For more tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.