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Thanks for joining me on the porch today. It’s a hot one and we’re really going to need some iced cold tea and I’ll need to turn on the fan.
Since July means hot weather, that means our gardens are in full production. Some friends have asked what I’m using in my garden, so here are my basics.
For fertilizer, I use Epsoma products. It is really important for me to have organic products and I’ve been using Epsoma products for years. We also use our animal’s composted droppings as well as leaf mulch and grass cuttings. We just layer whatever ingredients we have and it seems to work well.
For deterring critters, we use three different things.
- We built deer fencing around the entire perimeter of our veggie garden to keep out deer, gophers, and rabbits.
- For about 8 years we have used these mole chasers which are battery operated. They make an annoying beep every so often that seems to chases moles and voles away. They also make solar-powered ones which I might get when ours bite the dust.
- For bugs and slugs we use Diatomaceous Earth. We sprinkle it around the plants, being careful to not breathe it in. It must be food-grade DE and should be applied after rains or overhead watering which washes it away. It’s been very effective and I feel good not putting chemicals on our plants.
Photo Books:
When I’m not in the garden, I’m chilling in the house and working on our online photo albums this summer. I’ve been using Mixbooks and have been very happy with them. I’m doing one book for every year. If you are interested in trying them out, here’s a coupon for you.
The program is really easy to use – even for someone like me who is not very computer literate. I’ve been using the Modern White Year in Review template in a 8.5×11 size and it is perfect for a year’s worth of favorite photos and documenting our family.
While going through our photos, I have been weeding out duplicates, blurry photos, and excess ones. I’m choosing to keep only the best of the best. I have to admit I was a bit of a photo hoarder but I think I’ve recovered now.
Porch Sign:
I’ve had a problem with delivery drivers putting my packages everywhere but on my front porch. We have a screened front porch and I think they are afraid to open the screen door because they are afraid they are coming into my house. So, to solve the problem, I made a little sign on a piece of slate to hang on the screened door. I am still having some problems with a certain driver, but most have gotten the idea.
What are you working on? Anything fun? Tell us about it in the comment section!
