A Time to Pluck and A Time To Plant

“Don't die, I'll get you water. Stay there. Don't move, I'll get you water.”  Tuco from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 I wanted to show you a picture of my garden and partial yard and share some research I did on what I can do now  to improve it for next summer.

 I am truly such a “wanna be” when it comes to gardening!  I have visions dancing in my head of English and cottage gardens, statues, fountains and gazebos.  But the bottom line is, I live in Texas, not the best climate for such, visions such as this are very expensive and, I am on a budget!  So, my goal is to make my yard look beautiful WITHOUT getting a second job!  You can stay tuned for any successful ways I have discovered to make this happen.  And please, comment with suggestions you may have.  I feel that I do an “average” job, in my opinion, but I am determined to be a Garden Diva before I take my last breath!  God willing and my back holds out…

Some research on things I can do now to improve my yard for next year:

Remove tree stumps – This can be done in various ways:

You can dig it out by hand.  This works best for small, shallow-rooted trees.

• Use a stump grinder.  This machine literally chews up stumps 6 to 12 inches below ground level.
• Use a backhoe or skidsteer to pull it out.
• Use chemicals.  There are several chemicals available at garden centers that will hasten the rotting of a tree stump.
• Burn it out.

Kill Weeds

• The best way is to pull them out by hand.
• Weed and Feed fertilizes and kills weeds at the same time, but the weeding and feeding needs for your lawn doesn’t always coincide.
• You can use chemical sprays, but they are bad for the environment, people, and pets and should be used as a last resort.

 Aerate

• You can use a power aerator or a manual (foot-pressed) aerator. Aerators can be rented from many lawn companies and services in your area.
• You can even use lawn aerating shoes.  (Now that should be fun!)
• Aeration can be done by by spiking the lawn with a garden fork driven into the surface to a depth of 3-4 inches.  (Really?  Whoever suggested this must have a VERY small yard)

Overseed with Rye Grass for the Winter

• Rye grass overseeded onto warm season grasses that go dormant in the fall/winter can provide a winter green lawn.  It acts an an erosion barrier while your permanent law develops and provides a nice green coverage.  Clippings mown and left on the lawn as it grows adds extra nutrients as the ryegrass decomposes.
• Apply a top dressing and cover the rye grass seed with a VERY thin (1/4 an inch or less) layer of compost, and water according to recommendations.

I am exhausted already.  If I didn’t love gardening so much I’d just get a barrel of Round Up, throw some rocks out there and be done with it.  But…I just can’t.  There is just something about a bare spot that tugs at my heart.  It needs life, it needs love, and it needs some attention, just like me.

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; - Ecclesiastes 3:2