New life in the ponds

The Koi are Spawning, we've noticed baby turtles and baby frogs in the ponds

Gardens ready for spring

EYE - Kinetic Sculpture

Sculpture stands 8 feet high. 8-13-2009

Each circle is able to move on it's own

Archway in Fall

First Pond ready

First pond cleaned and ready for summer

Create Festive Trees for Less

Create Festive Trees for Less
NewsUSA) – Hosts and hostesses celebrating Christmas often find that Christmas trees are the focal point of a well-decorated home. And it’s easy to create a beautiful and fun Christmas tree, while saving enough money for presents.
First, you’ll need a Christmas tree. To get more tree for your money, consider an artificial tree. They are available in all shapes, sizes and materials, and they can easily be stored after the holidays for use year after year. Once you have your tree up, make it sparkle with lights. Choose between a variety of colors or white lights. Check discount stores such as Dollar General for inexpensive lights that will make your tree beautiful and bright.

For a sophisticated look, decorate your tree according to a theme, such as a food or candy motif. Hang candy canes, popcorn and candy garlands, which can be made by stringing hard candies like Life Savers on fishing wire. Or focus on special interests such as sports, traveling or gardening. Decorate a tree with your favorite sports team’s memorabilia and colors. Keep your tree simple by choosing one or two colors for the tree’s décor.

For kids, decorate with their favorite color. Make tissue-paper flowers to place on your tree. All you need is tissue paper and pipe cleaners. Instructions can be found online at www.craftjr.com.

For a tree that will help you remember the good times, hang mementos that you’ve collected throughout the year instead of traditional, often expensive ornaments. Choose knick-knacks from family vacations, party pictures, favors from weddings or showers, or kids’ arts and crafts projects. Hang holiday greeting cards from family and friends on your tree. To turn these trinkets into ornaments, glue or attach ornament hangers to each item. Your tree will be a reminder of the fun shared throughout the year.

For a more international feel, use inexpensive wrapping paper to make origami cranes — symbols of peace. Paper birds of all sizes will look beautiful on your tree and can be a fun project for the whole family.

For directions on making numerous origami shapes, visit www.origami-instructions.com.
Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home crafts

Kinetic Piece (new)

New Garden Steps

A project last week was to replace some garden steps. It seems like just yesterday I put these steps in. Some of them needed replacing, I have been reminded they have been there for 23 years. Oh well, it was time I guess, designing a yard is fun but one must remember, all things have a life span and maintenance is always there. I had to go buy a chainsaw to cut the bridge beams that I was going to use to make the new steps. I bought a Poulan Pro Chainsaw with a 16 inch bar. I am happy with it, I love a new saw, that cuts wood like butter. The bridge beams are recycled for the second time in their life. First as railroad bridge beam, second as posts, creating a driving barrier for remodeling of a parking area, I retrieved them and now they are steps. Recycling is good.

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden garden steps

Watering the Garden

We decided to try have more efficient use of our water usage in the garden this year. This spring the rains were few and far in between. I had read some where that regular watering with sprinklers was about 60 % efficient . I read about using various drip techniques, that are supposed to be about 90% efficient. We had tried a drip hose years ago and were not happy with it. I kept getting twisted around we just did not like it.
What we came up with is a pvc grid system.
First adaptability was important to us so none of the fittings or pipes are glued together. As it is not a pressurized system the fittings do not want to blow apart. This allows the system to be reconfigured as needed. I drilled 1/16" holes every 6 ".

The hose connection was created by buying plastic hose adapters, cutting off the ridges I found it fits inside the 1/2" pvc pipe very nicely. I didn't take much experimenting to find out the most even distribution is when the hose connection is in the middle of the grid. I will be posting more on this..

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden vegetable Garden watering Garden

New Strawberry Patch

My wife decided to enlarge our strawberry patch. It was pretty small, I had already started taking down the rocks and was not about to put them back for the picture.
We decided to create a raised bed for them along side the edge of the garden.
Using my trusty trailer I filled up up the area with good composted dirt. Then went through it with my trusty BCS tiller, to break it down.
coming to the front are a few rhubarb plants of several varieties. Then the asparagus.
At the entrance are wedding onions. More about them later.

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden wedding onions strawberries

BCS 205 Garden Tiller Review

Here is my story on my 20 year old BCS 205 tiller. (a sweet machine) I had a front tine tiller that bounced me around for years. About 20 years ago I did some research on tillers and the name BCS kept coming up as the top of the line tiller. All gears no pulleys or belts to wear out.It has proven itself to be well worth the price. Also it was touted as a very fast spinning tines compared to other tillers. It has a PTO [power take off],one can use to add other tools. I had gotten the snow blower attachment, I wouldn't recommend the snow blower for Minnesota winters, it is single stage and can't deal with the volume of snow that we get. Down south it would be fine.
After 20 years of course they have of course changed models, my local dealer no longer exists. I finally have a issue with my carburetor. The tiller still works well but a drain on the bottom of the bowl began leaking a little., in trying to fix it, I screwed up the bowl gasket. I have tried creating my own new one several times, I soldered the drain plug. A temporary fix.
This spring I went to take it out from the shed it started then died. I realized the nut holding the carburetor bowl on was gone, gas leaking all over the place. Finding parts for a 20 year old tiller is a challenge, one can find places to find new BCS tillers, but until I came across earthtoolsbcs.com they had the parts, gasket set, bowl,jet & nut for it. I'm back in business.

Oh,full disclosure, a purely personal review , got no connection with anyone. Paid full price for the parts from Earthtools. :)
Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden BCS Tiller

Grapes in Minnesota

We decided to go with the St Croix grape, I told the nursery I wanted a table grape, so I took his suggestion of the St. Croix. After I got home and we planted it I got around to reading thre label. It said the this was the one red wine variety that Elmer Swenson has released. It is Vinifera like wine quality with low tannins and good hardiness -32F to -40 depending on who you read. Ripens midseason and has a semi-trailing growth pattern. Good resistance to black rot and powdery mildew. Also makes a suitable seeded table grape. I got the impression seeds are going to be in any table grapes I plant here. It's in the ground, planted next to the garden arch. We'll see how it goes.
Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden Planting Grapes

Which Grape ?

I want to plant some grapes this year. There seems to be a variety of grapes one can plant in central Minnesota. I figure I want to stick with a real hardy variety to use as a table grape. I don't drink so have no interest in wine grapes. Not that that matters but it's another story. I have been thinking of King of the North or Swensen Red. Not sure, what I can get my hands on I suppose. I'm looking for ideas on this.
Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden grapes

Last Winter Picture

OK , this is the last winter picture ! We are done with snow for the season, right ? :)
Well at least I hope so. ON to spring and fixing tools that should have been repaired during the winter.

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden

Arches
Winter Photo

March 2009 Snow Storm

In march we had a little snow. It was a perfect snowstorm for kids. The snow was wet and lots of it. In the summer the arch looks nicer, I think

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden Arches

The Bean Catcher

I haven't been posting much at all, to say the least this has been a unusual summer. I just finished this project over the last couple of weekends. I think it came out pretty cool.
We were kicking around some ideas to do different din the garden next year,I got this idea for "The Bean Catcher". The plan is to plant the beans around it next year and let them climb. I think it will work pretty good.

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden garden sculpture rocks rock sculpture

Community Pond

This pond/fountain is a community project that is getting real close to being finished. As you can see the fountain & pond are operational it has some plants in the pond and goldfish. Now it's adding plants around the outside and planting of grass. Last winter it was just a dream but thanks to some local companies, Polar Tank Repair and Two River Enterprises for welding up the 12'x14' stainless tank. Herman Ebnet for providing the machinery and helping move the donated rock from local land developer Tim Berschied. We got it built.

First Pond Cleaning

It's spring time when I have to take the dust filter off the wet & dry shop vac to suck out the rest of the gunk & water. This old shop vac seems to have a lower power rating but much more suction power than my other new one. My wife has the vision that our first patio is a extension of the house. Therefore it is important for it to be cleaned constantly , just like the inside.


The small pond is the first one cleaned this year. Some people have the philosophy of cleaning under the rocks. The preformed pond seen here works well, I have had to apply black silicone twice to cracks the year after installation as the ground settled. I has worked well since.

Cleaning under the waterfall for some people is like cleaning under the rug, where I usually store stuff. As long as she she sees this as her job it's ok with me. The larger ponds are a different matter, I am still working on finishing modifying them, to my satisfaction. Now we need to get about 8-12 dozen feeder gold fish, for my wifes watwr barrels and ponds as they are vicious mosquito larva eaters, they will aquire brilliant colors that they don't get being feed " fish food". The prettier ones we bring in to aquariums in the winter.

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden ponds rocks
water falls

Shady Vegetables

Having a lot of shade doesn't preclude no vegetable plants in the garden for the rabbits to eat. Here is a list of plants that can deal with shady areas. Remember though they still need a few hours of sunlight. A green rule of thumb is if you are growing a plant for it's leaves,buds, or stems, it can deal with the sun glasses. We have planted different kinds of lettuce in with flowers successfully for interesting effects.
Salad Greens, such as leaf lettuce, arugula, endive, cress, and radicchio
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Beets
Brussels Sprouts
Radishes
Swiss Chard
Leafy Greens, such as collards, mustard greens, spinach, and kale
Beans
Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden vegetable garden

Spring Thoughts

Oh my goodness spring is finally here in Minnesota and time to clean the yard and think of........ oh wait I'm not young any more so my fancy turns to..... ? Sometimes I forget, ya ponds and things that keep me out of trouble. There are so many pond things to think about fish, what kinds, how many. Filters, bacteria food, fountains. What is leaking , what isn't. It is almost to much to think about. Ah, I'll just wander around the yard, after cutting a bunch of hedges this morning.

Tags: Minnesota Gardens Home Garden ponds