Night Creature Deterrant No. 549

In my ongoing battle with my "night creature", I have tried a lot of deterrents. This little bugger continues to prove he is smarter than me. Here is what I have tried so far (pity me):

live trap with peanut butter on apples
live trap with cookies
live trap with shrimp shells
live trap with cat food (fish kind)
live trap with broccoli (which he loves)
live trap with carrots
live trap with cheese
live trap with cheese crackers
Repels-all pellets sprinkled generously around the garden (it has been entertaining to watch the squirrels avoid the pellets sprinkled on the cross bars of the fence by walking on the very top of the fence pickets)
Garlic fire spray
Cayenne pepper
Praying for wisdom (which obviously hasn't come yet)
Rain dance
Crying
Turning on the back patio light at night really, really fast to see if I can see him
Getting up really early and turning on the back patio light really, really fast to see if I can see him

I am now awaiting the delivery of yet another deterrent, the Contech Scarecrow, a motion and heat activated water sprinkler. I've taken my fight high tech! I swallowed hard and ordered it. It's kinda pricey for a plastic water sprinkler but by golly I am determined to taste my broccoli this year!

I also got a kick out of this video. Heck, this might work on those pesky solicitors.

"Forest Floor" Maintenance Free Landscaping

Here is a little followup to our maintenance free FREE backyard. We have decided to call this landscaping style "Forest Floor". How ya like that?

We landscaped the other side of our house and used up the remainder of the chipped up tree pile. This is the side of the house that our guest room and boys room look out onto. Right now, it looks kinda plain. Better than weeds and standing water! In a few years, we are considering planting blueberry bushes on this side of the house. My husband cheered when he came home because it means no more mowing on that side of the house. We have had difficulty with drainage on this side of the yard. There seems to be standing water after a storm. The very cool thing about Forest Floor Landscaping is that the chipped up trees soak in an amazing amount of water. It also doesn't float away like bark would. We had a nice rain storm this week, and the other side of the house that had previously been landscaped with Forest Floor held up beautifully. It was so neat to walk on it after it rained. It wasn't mushy, muddy or wet after the storm. Bonus - it smelled amazing! I always take a deep breath when I walk outside.

 

There is something beautiful about returning land to the way God intended it to be. It has attracted some beautiful house finches to my yard. They bounce around in it and go from garden box to garden box and eat the bugs. The nest-building birds also appreciate the fine selection of building materials. It is neat to watch them pick up something and then toss it aside. They are looking for the perfect piece for their nest. We should have some finely crafted nests around here!

Adventures with FREE landscaping!

This is one "steaming pile" I like to see
in our front yard! ha ha!

The weather is still cool here in Houston, so we decided to take advantage of it and do some yard work. As noted in my previous post, we had a delivery of wood chipper chopped up trees from a tree trimming company dumped on our driveway.It was beautiful, steamy and smelled like a Christmas tree farm with all the pine tree trimmings. It was way more than I anticipated. I'm sure our neighbors were curious what we were doing with this refuse.

My youngest son toted load after load into the backyard. We dumped it where we now have pine bark nuggets that surround our square foot gardens and take up most of our backyard. We made a thick layer. Then we added more. It didn't even make a dent in the pile. Gulp.

We needed to do some work in our side yard. Years ago we had lots of pine bark nuggets there but we had neglected it last year and the weeds were starting to take over. Well, we hired a strong young friend "J" to help us tackle this portion. We had to move rocks from our previous "dry creek bed" landscaping look. We then put a thick layer of newspaper (4-5 layers thick) right over the weeds. Newspaper is amazing stuff. It smothers and kills whatever is below. No need to pull up grass or weeds. 

Then we piled up a very thick layer of our wood chipper delivery. Then we piled on more and walked on top to help it settle. We were careful to keep it well below the bottom of the siding and brick weep holes around the house. We don't want a friendly location for termites to enter the home. It smelled like heaven. I transported an old log from our backyard to this location. It really added a woodsy feel. I added the rocks back to make a "dry creek bed" look. I planted a small fern on the hollowed out end of the old log. I put a little dirt in there to help anchor the fern. I also pulled aside the layer of chipped tree and put a bunch of dirt and compost down to the newspaper. I planted another small fern here. I also had some sheet moss from the decorator store. I put a little dirt in the cracks of the log and pushed the moss here and there on the log. Below are before and after pictures.

The chopped up trees will turn browner as the days go by. It feels very natural and smells just amazing. It is springy to walk on and is a natural fertilizer for the cypress trees in this location. We still have a nice amount of chopped up trees sitting in our driveway. Enough to do the other side of the house. We are awaiting some more newspaper.

The best part? Everything was FREE! The newspaper was from our "extreme couponer" friends (thanks Holly and Renee) and the chopped up trees were courtesy our electricity company's contract wood trimmer. All we did was make an inquiry to our electric utility company via e-mail and Voila! We did pay our young friend, but that was all the money we have spent on this project and it was worth it to have the extra pair of hands.

I am so thrilled. In years to come, we will just need to get another free load dumped and then spread it on top of what we have already done to keep a thick layer. In a few years, if we so choose, we can plant in the mulch which will have broken down enough to support some vegetation. I am thinking blueberry bushes on the other side of the house. Yummy!



before



After

 
 

before



After



 



Closeup of Fern planted in the hollow end of the log. Added a little moss for effect.



Moss with a little dirt added to bark of the log



Dry creek bed and the log



closeup of moss planted under the bark



How to Have a Maintenance Free Backyard for FREE

Over the years, we have slowly been reclaiming the grassy areas of our backyard in our goal of having a maintenance free backyard with no grass.  We have been using newspaper, covered with black weed cloth, topped with large pine bark nuggets. It works well, but the nuggets are not cheap and you have to maintain a thick layer to keep out the weeds. Recently, I came across the "Back to Eden" project video. It got me to thinking that we could more quickly reclaim our backyard and return the natural covering to it by using the free resources talked about in the film. Namely, free leftover newspaper and free tree clippings from the choppers that tree service people use. Did you know tree service companies have to pay to dump their tree clippings? They are paying to get rid of something we can all use for our benefit.

Here are some benefits:

• We can save water by not having to water our grass in the backyard.
• We can save time by not having to mow the grass.
• We can save gas by not having to mow the grass.
• In a few years, you can actually plant in the clippings.
• The plants and trees in the clippings need very little water as the clippings hold water efficiently.
• The plants and trees in the clippings will not need any plant food.
• Flooded backyards will be lessened by using the clippings.
• The clippings don't float away in a rain storm.
• The clippings don't blow away in the wind.
• Future buyers will be attracted in purchasing a home that requires no yard maintenance in the backyard.
• Your beautiful backyard has raised the value of your house.
• The clippings are soft to walk on and look natural and beautiful.
• The clippings are loose and easy to weed.

 We have contacted a local tree trimmer and are arranging for him to dump some tree clippings in our driveway. Our plan is to trim the grass as short as we can, lay a thick layer of newspaper (like at least 5-6 layers thick) and lay a very thick layer of clippings right on top of that. We are foregoing the black weed cloth. We are going to claim the remaining areas of our backyard and I am eyeballing some areas of our front yard. I'll post pictures as we go along. I'm super excited about this new project and want to get it underway before the heat of the summer claims us.

Super quick update on garden because it is cold outside

 

fitted cover kept the plants from freezing

 
Well Spring sprung and then it decided to "unsprung". Or is it "unspring"? It never fails, I plant, it freezes. It is the circle of life. Que Lion King music. Well, I made some handy-dandy Square Foot Garden covers for just such an occasion. I was tired of having the fly-away square plastic sheets. These fitted covers are just the ticket. It kept my plants nice and cozy in the freezing temperatures last night. It feels like a greenhouse in there now that the sun is out. Wish I could crawl in there and take a nap.

I need to make some more. It is kind of a production to make them as it takes up my entire great room. I have a pattern that I use to cut out each triangle. When I have four, I hot glue them together. I made the pattern by laying out a large square of plastic and tracing where my white pipes were on one side of the square. I added a nice length to the bottom in case it was a windy night and I needed to put rocks at the bottom to keep it in place even better. I added about 4" to the sides to allow some space to glue the sheets together. I glue them right sides together (just as if I was sewing) and then flip it right side out for a nice fitted cover that looks neat.

 


Mr. Toad is welcome to stay as long as he likes



I found a stowaway hidden in my strawberry plants keeping nice and warm. Yes, that is a big fat brown toad. He eats bugs, so he can absolutely stay and make himself at home.

I spoke with the tree trimmer in our neighborhood and he gave me some free fresh chopped up trees. I can't believe they pay to dump this stuff! I decided I like that on my paths and under my strawberry plants. You need to have hay, weed cover or something under your plants so that your strawberries don't touch the dirt or they will rot.

strawberry patch with chewed up tree under them

The planting has started and some things have already sprouted.




sweet peas



One of my heirloom tomatoes
trench planted



green beans - my favorite french variety




   

Can you say "overgrown"? This fennel got a haircut.







Swiss Chard doing very well



Proof that Spring has sprung. Louisiana Satsuma
Flower and just to the right of the flower is a very
tiny baby satsuma.



Lavender flower is so beautiful in the garden!
One of my favorite smells.



More adventures with dryer lint

Check out this post regarding cleaning out your dryer connection at the back of your dryer. Well, we have had to take a more drastic approach after our dryer didn't seem to be working well again. We have one of those horrid dryer vent pipes that goes through the roof. I wish they wouldn't do this as it makes it very hard to clean it without a chimney sweep. Our house is 14 years old and we have never cleaned out this vent pipe. Big mistake. We tried a pipe snake and even this handy, dandy tool called a "Hey Tom Dryer Lint Kit" from Flylady. Gobs and gobs of damp lint came out but there was a point where even the longest tool could not reach. My husband went on the roof and tried to blow out the rest of the lint with a leaf blower. There was quite an adventure that included me ducking under the eaves to avoid being hit by heavy tools rolling off the roof, running to the neighbors and borrowing longer ladders so my husband could get off the roof and trying to throw a screwdriver at my husband while he sat on the roof. I know. I could have put his eye out. Luckily, I have a weak throw and the farthest it got was his legs. He can catch very well with his legs! I'm sure we put on quite a show for any neighbors that happened to be viewing the whole incident. Anywho, the lint was lodged into some sort of tight ball in the vent pipe. So, we have called a chimney sweet who will be coming today. $80 seems fair to risk your life on the roof.

The last few days have been filled with me getting creative about drying the clothes. I tried using our dryer without it being hooked to the vent pipe. I don't recommend that unless you have been pining for a sauna in your laundry room. I got a nice facial when I walked into the steamy room. Also, I won't need to scrub the walls in the laundry room this year. We ended up hanging all our clothes to dry in our garage and in the backyard. Those scratchy, stiff towels work like a loofah on your skin. So between the steam and the stiff towels,my skin should be glowing! Well, you gotta laugh at your predicament or you will cry. So, this afternoon I will be catching up on the huge piles of dirty clothes!

"Creature of the Night" = 4 for 4 Me = zip

This guy is smarter than me

It is pretty humiliating to think that a creature that roams around at night and eats garbage is smarter than me. Sadly, I have set out a humane trap 4 nights in a row and caught a big fat zippo. This doesn't count my attempts a few weeks ago with a friend's trap. "Billy the Exterminator" must have some secret to baiting traps. How does he always get it on his first try. Selective editing? I guess we can add "Billy" to the growing list of things "Smarter than Frazzled Mom". I tried cat food with the ever enticing fancy Angus hot dog pieces. Nothing. Apples and peanut butter. I sprinkled apple cider vinegar on the trap to disguise it. I covered it with branches and leaves and grass. Nope. I even put some peanut butter on a small piece of bread in front of the trap. He didn't even touch it.

So just to keep you up to speed, the list looks like this:

1. Billy the Exterminator

2. Creature of the Night

...

54. Me

It doesn't help that I have no idea what this thing is. I do know that it loves my broccoli plants. It has to be kinda tall because it bent over my 2 foot high broccoli plants and helped itself to the beautiful heads of broccoli. It has also eaten all the leaves off of my baby pepper plant and loves my lettuce and parsley. He has taken various bites out of my cabbage and cauliflower. He has also eaten some of my hottest peppers so my garlic pepper spray is like a delicious condiment for him. "Mmmmm... she spiced it up for me tonight." Arggggg... I have taken to covering the favored plants at night. He has taken to finding a new favorite. He can climb because he uses my trellis nets as a ladder. The nets have been torn away at the poles they are tied to. These nets are strong so this guy is FAT!  I haven't found any scat. Not that I could identify it by the scat. The handles were torn clean off my plastic garden bucket. Now I'm starting to think it is a raccoon. A very smart raccoon.

My husband tells me that his grandfather used to sit out at night with a gun to shoot the rabbits that were eating his garden. Am I coming to this? "Shots fired! Shots fired!" "No, its just Frazzled Mom protecting her peas." The very thought of me sitting outside with a shotgun across my lap is just spooky. Not gonna do it. My husband tells me that whatever it is must have been trapped before and is avoiding this trap. How do you catch something smarter than you? Get smarter. Or get Billy the Exterminator.

Yeppers, its time to plant peppers in Houston!



Nooooo, a scary Frankenpepper!
tee hee...

 The days are starting to get warmer in Houston. Our pepper plants love the warmth. The nights have been too chilly to plant our peppers until now. Peppers should be planted in the second row to the back as they get a little tall (2' to 3'). Planting on the end of the box is a good idea as they usually can flop over a bit. Remember friends, don't plant your pepper plants too close together in your square foot garden or they will cross breed and make "frankenpeppers". Unless you want to make some strange cross between a bell pepper and a jalapeno pepper. I actually like to harvest what I plant, so I am keeping mine apart. Pepper plants produce prolifically (a tongue twister). Plant sparingly. Bugs don't seem to bother pepper plants too much either so you won't lose many to them. I was begging people to take peppers last year. Begging. Peppers freeze very well, especially bell peppers. Chop them up and put them in small freezer bags. Store flat. You can easily break off what you need for your dish. Plant what you eat and plan to eat a lot of peppers this year. After the weather heats up, pepper plants seem to back off of production a bit. When it cools down, they come back like gangbusters and you will be searching for pepper lovers amongst your friends once again. I planted wayyyyy too many pepper plants last year. You might make a deal with one of your Gardener friends to plant and share a different kind of pepper plant. For instance, you might plant one banana pepper and she/he will plant a cayenne pepper. You will still have enough to share with your friends.

Peter Rabbit's Ham and Cheese Garden Soup

We had a huge cabbage in our garden that needed picking (see it to the left). I wanted a soup with cabbage in it and thought ham and cheese sounded like good accompaniments to it. I made up this recipe. My family loved it! If you have a cabbage that needs to be eaten, here is a delicious and quick soup. As an homage to the pesky rabbit that is getting into my garden and causing havoc, we have named the soup "Peter Rabbit".

Peter Rabbit's Ham and Cheese Garden Soup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 yellow onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 carrot sliced (or 1/4 cup frozen chopped carrots)
1 celery stalk chopped
2 cups diced cooked ham
4 cups chicken stock
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of Louisiana hot sauce
3 stems of thyme (or 1/2 tsp. ground thyme)
2 Tbl. fresh parsley chopped (or 1 Tbl. dried parsley)
1 head of cabbage chopped
4 cups milk
3 Tbl. whole wheat flour
3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 green onion chopped (optional but awesome)

Heat the butter in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Cook and stir in the onion, garlic, carrot and celery until the onion is clear. Add the ham. Stir in the chicken stock, cayenne pepper, Louisiana hot sauce, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil. Add the cabbage. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the milk. Slowly sprinkle the flour as you stir. If you add it too fast, you will have clumps. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the soup to thicken a bit. Stir in the cheese. Cook for an additional 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each bowl with some chopped green onion. There is something magical about the combination of cabbage and green onion!  Feeds 6-8 people

Of beginnings

Buttercrunch Lettuce - so very yummy!

We are in the beginning planting stages for our Spring garden. The seeds are ordered. I purchased a few plants from Nelson Water Garden and planted those including a nice variety of lettuce and some spinach. I added a few more brocolli plants as my supply was wiped out by the creature of the night (still yet identified). We made some repairs to our aging fence and noted that the midnight raids on our garden have stopped. That points to a rabbit. Seeing as our next-door neighbor spotted a rabbit in her backyard, that is a good indication. Maybe my Spring garden has a chance!

this guy is ready to be harvested

We have a few nice fall cabbages that need harvesting.

Little Finger carrots are perfect for a
Square Foot Garden 6" soil depth. No peeling needed.

How I have missed fresh basil

Strawberry plants in bloom

A nice surprise. Beautiful purple rosemary flowers.

Garden 4 - planted with a few Spring greens

Swiss Chard was not appetizing to our
"creature of the night" so we got to
enjoy it all winter long. Delicious as a substitute for
lettuce on sandwiches or hamburgers.

Aren't new beginnings wonderful. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Rejoice in that today my friend!