Bike Wheels for Garden Deals

Just another product of the love affair between a green thumb and bike wrench...

Scott has lots of extra ruined bike wheels at work and it turns out they are fairly useful as garden "frames".

Behold the newly designed bean tent frame! I ran big wood screw through the axle hole in this wheel and drilled it into the top of a closet rod. Beans are just about to grab on to the twine that is strung through the spokes now.


Also, dig on the tomato cages a la cycle parts. These lovelies are now fully supported and ready to climb.

These wheels were landfill-bound, but we sprayed the black ones green (so they wouldn't absorb too much heat and burn the plants), and with some inexpensive wood and leftover chicken wire, we put them back to work.


And we can't forget the bike wheel turned Frank Lloyd Wright-style plant hanger that Scott came up with for our front porch. These are drilled into a vertical beam (on the left) through the spoke holes.



More junk turned funk in the garden!

Happy Garden

Sure sign of a healthy, happy garden is Lady Love. This plant was filled with them, presumably because there was an aphid population blossoming there.

We've had lots of rain lately- good news for newly planted seeds and young plants. Unfortunately, the rain has been interspersed with hail, not such good news for the above said.

Luckily for this Amish Pie Pumpkin, the hail must have missed the small leaves and done little damage.

Enough chatter. I'm off to read the newest edition of Organic Gardening...

Microgarden Math

There are some spaces in between that are fine left plain, but my poor-woman's quest for green this year has brought my attention formulas that can be applied in innovative, unpredictable ways.

For instance, the use of this equation this spring has become a theme:

J + P= :)

, where J= Junk and p= plants.

The opportunities for serendipitous encounters increase exponentially when you randomize your experiences. For instance, instead of driving to work, riding alleys, taking a new route every day exposes me to the amazing things that people throw away. I get inspired, bring them home, and plug them into the evolving green mass of my garden.

Fortunately, I live with another "crap" aficionado that appreciates well made old things and jives with my probability theories. Histalented sister provided the idea for this bike basket garden, and we put it to use this year.

Another useful equation:

M/(N + C)=( -W) + P

, where M=mulch
N=Newspaper
W= Weeds

Newspaper and cardboard layered under mulch created a path we can stroll through the garden on and is doing wonders as a weed barrier. We'll leave it in all winter and plow it in next spring to provide organic material for the soil.

Who says I'm not using my $25,000 college degree?

Gardening #5: Planning, Documentation, and My Clever Sister

For how much I dig gardening (ha), I've never been very scientific about it. Since I'm a "trained scientist", this is a little surprising. However, my clever sister Karrie has provided the inspiration to get me kick started (check out that block wood print beet on the cover by Karrie!).

This gardening journal has been great- next year I'll be able to sit back and not make the same mistakes I've made year after year.

Like trying to grow Brandywine tomatoes in Durango's short growing season. Yup, I did it again this year, and I'm gonna end up with a hoarded stash of green tomatoes again come late August.

This journal has already helped the organization and planning process. My niece Kate helped me illustrate the garden plan this year.

I also discovered my ultimate dream social networking site: MyFolia. Check out the two gardens I've uploaded so far: http://myfolia.com/gardener/TSteely

Spring Seeps in the Mountains

This is on the North Side of Wolf Creek Pass at one of my favorite camp sites: