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Hi, Yep, we can buy lady bugs. Mind you it wasn't my idea. :iconbiggrin: I think our neighbor is an active aviary so I'm certain the bugs didn't make it. However, the bugs in the greenhouse cleared up the aphid problem in a few days. So, a handful of ladybird bugs in a greenhouse is a good idea. *Up...

Hi, Let's just call it "beginner's luck". Grace is out setting about 10 more traps around various locations in the garden. We'll take a look tomorrow to examine the results. Of course she's using a different brand of beer (Icehouse). :iconbiggrin: Here are a couple of pictures. The first s...

Hi, Our tiny strawberry patch has yielded several quarts of strawberries over the past couple of weeks. With the exception of a few the rest have had a length and width less than 1". The berries have been sweet and very tasty. Do you have any suggestions on growing larger strawberries? Regards,...

Hi, We've know about this organic remedy for some time. However it wasn't until last night that Grace place a small container with about 4 oz of beer into a small hole by the sunflowers. This morning we looked. We counted nearly 30 slugs, each between 1/2" to 3/4", sitting at the bottom. W...

Millymollymandy, Well I definitely learned something today. I assumed all windows raised up and down....not in and out. Never heard the term 'sash' window. So much for my 'great' idea. :( I guess as one poster commented earlier in this thread, just open you window and toss out the water. :iconbiggri...

Hi, Last year, our harvest was somewhat meager....with nothing to share with friends and neighbors. This year is different. So far we're eating Red Romaine, Romain, Black Simpson lettuce, spinach, green onions, and radishes. We've been eating a lot over the past 2 weeks from our garden. It's amazing...

*Update* I reorganized our garage. I had to move our tank with 1200 pounds of water about 6 feet and rotate 90°. Thank goodness for a nice pump. The two tanks are now in their final locations. Goldfish are doing very,very well. I built a larger filter out of fiberfill and ladies stockings. This has ...

Hi, I put together a quick 'concept' design using PVC. Hopefully these pics will make our idea easier to understand. I used PVC in lieu of a funnel. I had to work in the garden and on the fish tanks...so I'll rework the design this week. Idea improvements. 1) Use smaller diameter PVC than 1 1/2"...

Millymollymandy, You cut a board into a length that fits into the window frame. The window will not not close all the way (the board is in the way). The holes go into the board. I'll try to get a sketch online. I might just build it soon to show a photo). I feel really bad now watching good water go...

This evening we released 1500 Ladybird bugs (lady bugs) into the garden. I wanted to attach a 2 foot long thread with a bead to each bug to keep them from flying away. Grace didn't by that. :iconbiggrin: Tomorrow we'll release 5 million 'beneficial nematodes' into our garden soil. I guess there is t...

Chuck and Grace's Idea Problem: We waste a lot of fairly clean water in the kitchen: e.g. rinsing veggies, dumping a pan of water used for boiling eggs, getting a drink of water at the sink...drinking some... and dumping out what we don't use, etc. Solution (idea): 1. Most kitchens have a window fa...

Hi, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. We're very excited about the results. I kinda kick myself for not staring this over 20 years ago...but we were busy raising 5 kids. Organized? We did spend a few hours talking about our plans over the past year. Finding time to sit? It's amazing how much time one...

frozenthunderbolt,
That's what were thinking. We regularly have a couple of extra cups leftover each day. I would like to collect it and use it somehow. Our left side of the front garden is our 'acidic' bed so this just might work. I'll start tomorrow.

Thanks,
Chuck

Hi, Grace and I have done a lot of work in our front and back yards over the past 12 months. I wanted to share some photos. Two IBC water tanks (530 gallon capacity) in foreground and greenhouse in background. You can see the gutter spout feeding right tank. http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee405...

Hi, On Feb. 17th, we moved our leggy broccoli plants (48) to the garden bed. SS recommended I plant them deeper than normal. We looked today, and several of the plants are now showing the flower heads. Wow!! The look like real broccoli one might eat, but much smaller. :icon_smile: This is our first ...