Gardening at Dawn

Now that the rainy season has finally come to an end the days have gotten hot and muggy which makes gardening uncomfortable so I have been getting up at dawn to work in my yard and gardens.

Cleaning up garden paths and doing hand pulling of weeds in flower gardens

I find I can get a lot of things accomplished as long as I do not violate the noise ordnance I am in good shape.  So today I started working on my checklist. The first thing was to remove the maple tree seedlings.  This is my biggest project; pulling out the maple tree seedlings when there must be thousands growing in my lawn and gardens.

Maple tree seed.  these fall from the trees in the spring and the seed grows FAST

This year I set 30 seedlings aside because I thought I would transplant them into pots and grow them in a sunny location. Then when they get to be approximately 16 to 18 inches I would like to donate them to families in my community that are in need.  

Many residents lost their homes due to a tornado that touched down in our city.  Families have moved into their new homes but all of the trees are gone.  I bet they would be thrilled to get a maple tree for their yard.

So I am up at dawn gardening but also transplanting the maple seedlings into pots.

Know that I am hydrating the seedlings in a shallow pan of tepid water before transplanting them into 1/2 gallon milk containers that have been recycled to be planters. 

The maple trees will be grown in organic soil and will be fertilized with my homemade compost.  Then water until it drains out of the bottom.  I intend to grow the maple trees in a sunny location and will continue to watch them for hydration.

So gardening at dawn was good, I worked on removing the seedlings and also set up the soaker hose and timer that I bought at Walmart.com.  Now I do not have to worry about watering my gardens in the morning.

Learn more about planting maple trees by reading my post here

Summer Season Gardening Checklist

Now that spring has come to an end, I find that I need to get my garden ready for summer. Today I went into the garden with a clipboard so I could make a checklist.   

Before I knew it my list was two pages long and I knew by looking at the lists of tasks that I would need my husband's help to get the gardens manicured and ready for the summer season.

My yard and garden checklist:

1. Cut back spent flower blooms
2. Remove all weeds and grasses from flower gardens by doing a hand pull
3. Prune spring-blooming shrubs
4. Cut back overgrowth on trees
5. Plant zinnia flower seeds 
6. Update Moroccan tile planter gardens with heat-seeking petunia wave flowers or sun-loving herbs
7. Add a thick layer of organic mulch to all gardens, around shrubs and trees
8. Use a vinegar solution to kill weeds growing in garden paths and flagstone patio
9. Remove spring tree droppings from gutters
10. Control yard and garden pests; mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and chiggers with organic pest control; garlic or Diatomaceous  Earth food grade.
11. Add outdoor accessories and patio lights to make the yard and garden more appealing

Note: A good way to get garden jobs done is to divide the yard into sections, then complete one section before moving on to the next one.

Yard and Garden Cleanup After Ice Storm

I am looking over my yard and garden to do list and I need to cleanup the lawn and the spring bulb gardens. Last month’s ice storm caused us to have many down branches.  We removed the large branches but there many smaller branches they need to be picked up. Hopefully I will accumulate enough sticks to  ask my hubby to add them to the wood chipper because they will make nice mulch for the garden.

When I finish the removal of down branches from the lawn, I will then concentrate on the gardens.  

Our one maple tree holds onto its leaves until late winter however many of the leaves did come down after the ice storm and fell onto my spring bulb garden. I think it is a good idea to remove the leaves and any mulch from the early spring gardens as it will make it easier for delicate crocus to come up. 

Hopefully the day will stay warm as I also have on my list to replace some parts of my mulch garden path .  Winter was hard and did pull much away from the path.  All In need to do is fill in because it is spotty. 

I hope I can get everything on my list completed, as it late January and before you know it spring garden beds will be blooming. 

Daffodil spring bulb garden

Hiring Tips for Gardener - Private Residence

Many people like the idea of having a beautiful garden but find that the weekly maintenance is too much work especially if they are working out of the home.  Deadheading the plants, checking for pests, weeding and watering is time that must be spent in the garden weekly.  If you are short on time then it is wise to hire a gardener. 

Choosing the right service provider for your garden will take some time as you will need to determine which candidate meets your garden's needs.  You will want a gardener that has reports to work on time, has a good work appearance, manages time well, and is self-motivated. 

Hire a gardener that is dedicated and knowledgeable in their profession.

Determine your garden's needs. Make up a checklist and then you will know if you will need a gardener once or twice a week or an estate gardener that works five days a week.

Basic Gardener's Checklist

1. Weeding; pull weeds from all of the gardens.
2. Deadhead all spent blooms. 
3. Put the seed in an envelope, and mark the outside of the envelope the type of seed.  File seed in the garden shed.
4. Check all gardens for pests.  
5. Remove garden pests by treating the area with Diatomaceous earth food-grade dusting.
6. Fertilize flowers monthly during the blooming season
7. Prune dead branches from shrubs and plants.
8. Apply mulch to the gardens, around the shrubs, and the trees.
9. Water the lawn and gardens once a week with 1 inch of water.
10. Water all flowers, coleus and hosta, and container gardens so that soil is evenly moist.

Network Your Community for Reliable Gardeners.

Ask your neighbors and friends about their gardeners.  It is always best to hire a gardener that comes highly recommended.  Another way to find a reliable gardener is to contact the master gardeners in your area.  If you have a lawn service provider you could ask them if they know of a skilled gardener.  They may work with a gardener or know of one.

Tips:

• Meet with the gardener face to face and walk through your yard.  Ask them for their work background and for three references.  Call all references to discuss the gardener’s performance.  
• Decide if you want to hire the gardener with a contract.  Hire them for a specific job and agree on the costs or pay them hourly.