Vegetable Gardening in Northern Nevada & How to make a Raised Garden

After just about killing ourselves over those bloody junipers and planting the lilac and weeping cherry, I’ve turned my sights to the back yard and making my raised vegetable beds!

In the very back of Sunset’s WESTERN LANDSCAPING BOOK, pages 404-405, in the Materials and Techniques chapter, there is a section on Building A Raised Bed.

Raising your garden above the ground can solve some of the most frustrating problems gardeners face. An easy-to-build bed makes it possible for plants to thrive where soil is poor, wildlife is hungry, or the growing season is short. And if you need easy access to your plants - due to a disability or simply to eliminate back-bending labor - you can sit on the edge of the bed and garden in comfort.
Fill the bed with the best soil you can. Good soil means that plants can be placed closer together, making a small area more productive. Line the bottom of the bed with wire screening to keep out pests, or fit it with a PVC framework for bird netting.
A raised bed can be any size, but if its more than 4 feet wide it will be difficult to reach the middle from either side. If the sides will double as benches, build the frame 18-24 inches high.

We have a small backyard ~ with a huge front and side yard. So much rearranging of the landscaping to do! OY! Here’s what I have to work with out back ~ The soil that has been turned was going to be sod…but I’ve decided to put pavers there instead. The compacted ground area behind will be where the raised garden bed will go. Behind those rocks is a an area of about two feet wide to the fence…that will be where I plant the corn.

A couple of weeks ago The State of Nevada Employees Council had an Open House at The Joe here on campus and I signed up for a lot of information from the University of Nevada’s Washoe County Cooperation Extension office. I used to be in 4-H out in Washoe Valley…so I knew they were loaded with great information. I highly recommend them for all us in Northern Nevada and the Eastern California area! I posted a link to all of their free publications below.

Here are some of the pamplets I asked for:
Vegetable Varieties For Northern Nevada
A Quick Guide to Composting
Nevada Soils - Worth the Toil
Urban Forestry Tree Planting Practices for Nevada
The All Seeing, All Knowing, Lawn Care Manuel for Northern Nevada
Roses for Reno and the Northern Nevada/Eastern Sierra Area
Spring Planted Bulbs Boast Beautiful Blooms
Hardy, Drought-Tolerant and Moderately Salt-tolerant Shurbs and Vines for Northern Nevada
Seven Ways to Make Your Trees and Shurbs Drought Resistant

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS FOR FREE

The Vegetable Varieties for Northern Nevada is four pages long and gives a list of all veggie varieties that are great for planting here with the planting dates. Great comments on which are better for canning, yields, rust resistance, maturing, indoor growing, storage values, disease resistant, most popluar, etc.

ps: For all of you in the Reno/Sparks area…or those of you who will be in town on May 17th ~ at the Washoe County Extension Office on Mill Street there will be a plant sale that morning.

Never Fear….JERRY’S HERE! Garden Tonics ~

LOL! That was in my mail last night when I picked it up from the post office ~

Moles Driving ya’ Nuts? Weeds Gone Wild? Sick of Slugs? Never Fear…Jerry’s Here! Inside: 28 of the BEST ard and garden troubleshooting tips, tricks and tonics - and 2,168 amazing backyard problem solvers in all - and they’re all yours to try, FREE!

Ok…So ole Jerry peaked my interest and I opened up the flyer.

Jerry Baker, America’s Master Gardener. Special 40th Anniversary Issue ~ It’s amazing! It’s awesome! And best of all - it’s yours to preview - FREE!

TERRIFIC GARDEN TONICS (Free Look) and GARDEN MAGIC (FREE BOOK!).

You know what??!! I think I’m going to order it! LOL! If even 1/4 of the stuff that is in it works…it’d be well worth the price, me thinks.

Terrific Garden Tonics! In this Special Preview Issue, you’ll discover how my latest and greates all-natural mixers and fixers can give you…

Lovely Lawns - all it takes is a little beer, dish soap, and cola…
Fabulous Flowers - yours will bloom their fool heads off if you use wine, ammonia, and steel wool…
Towering Trees - you’ll have it made in the shade with these bourbon, coffee, and Epsom Salts tonics…
Incredible Edibles - enjoy mouth-watering cukes, tomatoes, and melons with baking soda, chive tea, and jello…

I’m either going to have one helluva great looking yard…or one in rehab! Did you see all the alcohol in the tonics?! ROFL!

The Suspects ~ Billbugs, Mole Crickets, Moles, Bark Beetles, Gypsy moths, Squirrels, Aphids, Cats, Scale, Lilac borers, Rust mites, Cabbageworms, skunks, bean beetles, squash vine borers….

The Solutions ~ Awesome Aeration Tonic, Hot Bug Brew, Mole Chaser Tonic, Peppermint Soap Spray, Orange Aid Elixir, Spicy Squirrel Stopper, Amazing Aphid Antidote, Hit-the-Trail Mix, Crazy Daisy Spray, Double-Punch Garlic Tea, Knock-’Em-Dead Insect Tonic….

Key Indgredients ~ Beer, dishwashing liquid, peppers, garlic, onion, hot sauce, chili powder, orange peels, peppermint oil, baby shampoo, cloves, mustard, Murphy Oil Soap, alcohol, vegetable oil, bleach, vinegar, flour, milk, instant tea

A Whiskey A G0-G0 Elixir!

My Seed and Soil Energizer will give your veggie seeds as much pep as go-go dancers - they’ll just keep on going and growing!

1 tsp of whiskey
1 tsp of ammonia
1 tsp of dishwashing liquid
1 qt of weak tea water

Mix these ingredients in a bucket, then pour the solution into a hand-held sprayer. Shake it gently, then apply a good misting to the surface of all newly-planted seed beds or plant containters.

I’ll let you all know how it works at the end of the growing season!

If you have already tried some of his tonics ~ let me know if they work!!!

Lots of New Books! Metalcrafts, Quilting & Jewelry

Oooohhh!  A VERY HAPPY DAY is  getting books in the mail!  And I received a lot yesterday!  Five books for $25 ~ that included the shipping.

THE BORDER WORKBOOK by Janet Kime.  Easy Speed-Pieced and Foundation-Pieced Borders ~ 10ty Anniversary Edition.  2006.

I normally just add sashing type or flying geese borders to my quilts ~ so I picked this one hoping it would inspire me to add prettier borders to my future quilts! The borders included are ~ Easy Braid, Log Cabin Spiral, Flying Geese, Tilted X, Kitty Faces, Eeek! Mice!, Spinning Stars, Sawtooth, Double Sawtooth, Stacked Strips, Checkerboard, Paw Prints, Stacked Bricks, Squares on Point, Beads on a String, Small Dogtooth, Large Dogtooth, Folded Ribbon, Shaded Squares, Arrows, Zigzag, Side-by-Side Hearts, Vertical Hearts, Speed-Pieced Braid, Diamonds and Accordion Pleats.

From what I’ve seen by just flipping through the book ~ Nice layout and easy to read instructions.

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL BEADED JEWELRY by Heidi Boyd. 50 Quick and Easy Projects. 2006.

This is a nice book ~ easy to read layout with good introduction on findings, materials, tools and techniques. But it probably isn’t a book I would have bought if I was able to thumb through it at a bookstore. Very good book for a beginner ~ I’m not a beginner. I may pass this one onto my my sister and my soon-to-be 8 year old niece to use.

ELEGANT WIRE JEWELRY by Kathy Frey. Contemporary Designs & Creative Techniques. 2007.

THIS one I like! Definitely a keeper. I’m not big on most of the designs, but excellent in step by step techniques!

The Basics ~ tools, beyond-the-basics tool kit, fully-committed-tool-junkie kit, wire, manipulating wire, cutting wire, finishing cut ends, filing and sanding, straightening wire, hardening wire, bending wire, making sharp & soft bends, forming simple loops, wrapped loops, coiling and wrapping, opening and closing loops, making basic hook and eye clasp, making a headpin, purchasing commercial findings, hammering wire, oxidizing wire and finishes. Lots of tips.

SIMPLE SOLDERED JEWELRY & ACCESSORIES by Lisa Bluhm. A Crafter’s guide to fashioning necklaces, earrings, bracelets & more. 2007.

I already had all the materials and equipment to give this art craft a try ~ thought I’d get a book to help me along with the techniques. And it looks like I picked the right one as this book is loaded with good ideas and tips. Lots of pictures and very good directions and explanations. This book is mainly for lead-free low temp soldering ~ if you are jumping right into silversmithing you may want to skip this, but then maybe you wouldn’t. As I said…great foundation of learning this art. It would make the transition into using silver easier, me thinks…

Introduction has Project Tools and Materials ~ tool setup, glass cutting area, soldering tools, tools for beading, finishing tools, soldering materials, bead materials, art materials. A few words about safety. Lots of projects.

METAL CLAY THE COMPLETE GUIDE by Jackie Truty. Innovative Techniques to Inspire Any Artist. 2007.

Not really sure why I picked this book up other than the fact that it fascinates me that metal clay can look like traditional silver and gold jewelry! I may play with this later on down the road.

With metal clay there is no initial preparation with wax, no sprues, no investment, no burn-out, no melting of metals, no vacuum or centrifugal casting. If you prefer, there’s no soldering of any kind. Molding, carving, drying, sanding, firing and polishing metal clay are the only steps involved. Best of all, everything in metal clay prior to firing is recyclable into more clay and paste, ready for reuse. That’s not to say that mastering metal clay techniques is easy, but the time, money and product investments are far less than those associated with traditional metalworking.

HOME & GARDEN METALCRAFTS by Jana Ewy. Included 15 easy-to-make Projects. 2002.

This is one of the books that Sue of Perpetualplum sent me with a bunch of others in trade for soaps.

I’ll be using this book ~ lots of great ideas for outdoor artwork, lamps and other stuffus made of copper.

I Played Hooky Yesterday!

Didn’t even tell my husband…got up at the regular 4:30 am, got dressed…but then said I was going to eat breakfast at home instead of at work.  Then he left for work and I got back into my sweats and dug out my butters and oils to make a batch of soap!  Hee!    He had no clue…I hate when he knows I have a day off as I always end up running HIS errands and never get anything done that I took the day off for in the first place.

So!  I made cold processed Raspberry Lemonade Salt bars and I had an order for Oatmeal Milk and Honey solid lotions and two regular lotions ~ finished all by 8:30 am. 

Here is the Raspberry Lemonade salt soap bars (the box that my friend Sue mailed books in made an EXCELLENT soap mold!) before cutting them.  These have to be cut sooner than my regular soap as coconut oil and salt make for a harder bar.  I used coarse Dead Sea Salts and fine Pacific Sea Salt in this batch ~ along with colloidal oatmeal.  The oils used were Sunflower, Castor, Jojoba, Palm & Coconut.  Butters used were Shea, Cocoa and Mango.  Then I swirled with ultramarine pink.  Berry Berry Pretty if I say so myself!  Smells great too.   This will be ready in about 3 weeks…they cure faster then the regular soap.

Raspberry Lemonade Sea Salt Soap Bar

I made my first salt bar last year and used Pineapple fragrance oil…came out pretty good. Just couldn’t sell any of it ~ which is ok as I make all my soaps as if I’m the only one going to use it. That way if it doesn’t sell, I’m happy as can be using it. I love the salt bar in the shower…makes my skin nice and soft. Doing wonders on my face too…those “monthly” pimples are gone gone gone! I hate being 41 with pimples! Patooey!

After 1/2 hour on the elliptical I headed to the Sparks Library to check some silvermithing books that Sue of PERPETUALPLUM recommended for me to read…found those, plus another that looked really interesting.

Speaking of Sue…she sent me four books in trade for some of my soaps, lip balms and room sprays. Received those in Monday’s mail. I really like the metal crafts book…will probably pass on the Tinwork books.

Anyone still do puzzles?! They are so freakin’ addicting ~ like eating a whole bowl of popcorn. Started one Monday night and worked on it yesterday too. This one is a Charles Wysocki puzzle ~ Hellraisers on Halloween Night…my favorite time of the year! It was a .50 cent puzzle from Thrift Depot in Sparks.

Spent the rest of the afternoon out front in the lounge chair soaking up the sun reading JEWELLERY AND SILVERSMITHING TECHNIQUES by Carles Codina.

Walk When the Moon is Full ~ Frances Hamerstrom

I picked up a wonderful book at our local Goodwill bargain book bin last night for fifty cents! 

Walk When the Moon is Full  by Frances Hamerstrom and illustrated by Robert Katona, 1975.

Each chapter was written on the appropriate night of the full moon ~ (from the Introduction):

This story is about two real children, Alan and Elva, who called their father Hammy and their mother Fran. They lived on a 240 acre farm in Wisconsin and longed to go exploring at night.
Elva, the younger, like to climb trees. Animals trusted her to come very close and her keen ears heard the faintest sounds.
Alan had a small but sensitive nose that found and remembered smells, just as his mind remembered facts. He liked to find things out.
Fran promised the children that she would explore with them twelve times - every month when the moon is full - for a whole year. Then Alan laughed, “The moon is full thirteen times a year.”
Each time they walked in the moonlight they found something new.
This book has thirteen surprises.

How it Began ~

Both children where in their pajamas for it was supposed to be the quiet time before they went to bed. Alan was looking at a book, but Elva had been standing at the window for a long time peering into the night.

Alan put down his book and went to the window too…At last he turned to his mother and sighed, “Do we have to go to bed early every single night until we are old?”

Fran set her mending aside and looked out the window…at last she repeated Alan’s words softly, “…every single night until we are old?”

Then she said, “No,” in a faraway tone. Both children looked up at the sound of their mother’s voice. “Why should children go to bed early every single night until they are old? I say, ‘No!’” “The moon is full. Put on your sweaters and snow pants and overshoes. You can pull them right over your pajamas. Find your mittens. I think they are drying by the stove with mine. Just a moment, I’ll tell your father we are going for a walk.”

“A walk! A walk in the moonlight!” the children shouted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I read most of the book last night before bed…following all of their adventures during the full moon. Deer, owls, sledding, sweet maple sap in icicles, woodcocks, white cockle flowers ~ and flowers that go to sleep at night, fireflies, foxes and weasels.

Then I smiled and thought back to all the times my sister and I did things at night! Some times by the full moon other times it was much scarier WITHOUT the moon!

CARPINTERIA STATE BEACH ~ near Santa Barbara, Ca.
This beach is a treasure trove for kids of all ages ~ we camped there every June for years! Tide-pools, great beaches, lots of swimming, hiking, exploring, tar to get stuck to the bottoms of your feet…we kids had a great time night and day there. I still remember getting up at night with our flashlights heading down to the beach for the grunion runs! What a sight to behold for a kid!

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK in July ~
Still remember to this day the time all of us kids were bubbling with excitement ~ fireworks in Yosemite! The ranger leading us all at night to a meadow…we all laid on our backs to watch…Nature’s fireworks! WHAT?! LOL! We all received a lesson on the stars ~ beautiful and we all stayed excited, even at the first disappointment of no kaboomie fireworks.

CALICO GHOST TOWN~ Barstow, CA.
Another favorite place to camp when a kid ~ and when we went camping there were always no fewer than 4 kids ~ mostly up to 12 of us from the different families that came along. Calico was a great place for us to run around. Nighttime was a favorite…cemetery, campfires, scaring the bejesus out of each other in the adits, pretending we were cowboys.

Guess I should stop here…otherwise this post will get too long.  :) 

Here is to all of you parents letting your children stay up and explore by the moon!