"Contemplation"

Nothing much happend on "Ye Olde Homestead" today. I spent most of the day reading, researching, planning, salivating over seeds, making up a wish list and trying to visualize what I want to do with "My Little Piece of Heaven".

I spent the morning reading "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholemew. I think that his method of growing plants is a very good, clear, and concise way to approach growing all sorts of plants. I personally still like the old fashioned look of row gardening, but love the easier and more efficient way of Square Footing.

The book showed all kinds of things that can assist in making a garden grow and many of the sites that I perused today got me thinking about how I could duplicate what I saw from what I have.

I think the tent idea is going to work great. I saw some various Greenhouses for purchase and didn't really see much difference in them and my tent. They were all domed shaped and the purpose of them is to protect the plants while they grow. There is nothing that I will have to build, or put together and with the more serious of storms, I think that the tent will hold up even better than  a pre-fabricated or homemade greenhouse.

Another item that I saw was a plant warmer. It is very costly. As I studied it, I wondered what is the difference betweeen it and a heating pad?

I mean it heats up ,the heating pad heats up. If carefully watched and used the same amount of time, why can't you substitute it? I plan to experiment. Hey, how did others invent and find things out if not by experimentation?

Another thing that was suggested in the book was a steel rod trellis with trellis net. It didn't look hard to build, but appeared to be a two man job to get the pieces together and then to string the netting. What they created looked so familiar. Then it dawned on me that I had seen something similar except kids were kicking a ball into it:

This is almost the exact same rendering of what was made in the book. The upside, if you don't have a truck to bring home the pieces due to length and don't have anyone that can help you, you can get this soccer goal at Toys R' Us, for almost the exact same price as it is sold in the book, or perhaps close to what you would pay for in gas, materials, and manpower. This is used as a trellis for vine plants and is supposed to be the absolute best growing environment for them. I am using Bamboo right now, and that is what another friend said that she will be using. What I like about the net trellis is that it is moveable I could sit my containers of vine plants right against it to train them. I really like this idea and one way or the other plan to duplicate it.

My head has been racing all day with anticipation and hope, and ideas of how to further turn my backyard into a sustainable, area. I am in awe of the whole process and every fiber of my body tingles with anxious anticipation for the time that the whole vision is finally realized.

 

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