Yes, this is my garden journal for the Garden of Weedin for October, 2010. But, it is much more than simply a planting journal or gardening record. For the Hillbilly Gardener, it is a gardener resource, to use to help in planning my garden, track my low budget gardening efforts, help me keep track of what worked and what did not. This is a garden history journal to remind the Hillbilly Gardener of the many things he saw, experienced and enjoyed in his Ozarks plateau world. It is a gardener resource to be a help planning a garden and as a reminder of all of the good reasons why the Hillbilly Gardener loves his Garden of Weedin and as a tool to help me remember that everything does not always go well. In fact, sometimes in the Garden of Weedin, some things are a downright disaster. My garden journal helps me to avoid experiencing the same disaster more than once. This IS the garden history journal of the Garden of Weedin and the Hillbilly Gardener here on the Ozarks plateau of Missouri. Perhaps my efforts here will help inspire you or help you to avoid some of my mistakes. If this can be accomplished then this garden history journal will have been successful and the Hillbilly Gardener will be happy.

the "Hillbilly Gardener"

Friday / October / 01 / 2010 -

I dug and moved the Garden Heliotrope (Valerian herb) to a different area of the bed. I did this for a number of reasons:

1. I wanted them in some soil rejuvenated with a lot of compost.

2. I wanted arranged in a more aesthetically pleasing mass arrangement to better show off their blooms next spring (provided I get them properly staked).

3. I'm trying to get the beds arranged for more of a "mass-planting" effect.

Mass plantings always have much more of a visual impact that singular or small plantings. Individual plantings can be good when you want a focal point though, or to help draw the eye toward another vista. This is what I did with the small area alongside of the small access walk. The singular taller plants will help to draw the eye toward the larger planting beds.

Valerian herb (Garden Heliotrope) is a very sweetly scented flower that I have grown here for a number of years. I originally started growing it back during my medicinal herb plants years. It was reported to grow well here in my zone 6 area, so I decided to give it a try. Valerian herb or Garden Heliotrope are both one in the same and the name by which I call it tends to be influenced by the company to which I am addressing. Each name tends to conjure up different images in a persons mind. If I call it "Valerian" to a person, images of mental disorders, physiological complications, herbal medicine and herbal practitioner all to often come to mind. But, if I address it as "Garden Heliotrope" to a person, images of sweet-smelling blooms and Victorian gardens tend to come to mind, if they know anything about Garden Heliotrope at all.

I originally started growing Valerian as part of a collection of every type of medicinal herb plants I could find. While I did use many of the herbs that I grew, Valerian was not grown to be used medicinally as it is not a plant to be taken lightly. It is easy to get into serious trouble with a great many herbs if used improperly. For anyone choosing to grow medicinal herbs for medicinal purposes, never grow or use any herb that you have not absolutely and positively properly identified and it comes from a reputable herb dealer who can guarantee its identification. Not all plants being called the name of a medicinal herb are actually the herb being used medicinally. The proper Latin name is best way to properly identify any plant and modern hybrids normally do not carry the same medicinal effect as the old standards. Do all of the research possible on the herb, its proper use and when it is not a good idea to use it or it should not be used. NEVER, NEVER use any herb for medicinal purposes without first seeking professional advice from a well trained and qualified medical or herbal practitioner. Pregnant and/or nursing women must be especially careful when using any herb medicinally as the herb is easily passed on to the fetus and or nursing infant.

The average gardener is usually not even aware that they are one in the same and that Garden Heliotrope became the source from which Valerian was originally derived. However, Garden Heliotrope was popular in Victorian gardens long before Valerian, the medicine, was known. Valerian herb however was being used by herbal practitioners for nervous disorders long before it was popular as a garden plant. So, full-circle this plant has come. However, for some reason, Garden Heliotrope fell out of favor as a garden plant in the early 20th century as hybridizers started flooding the market with new and better behaved plants being introduced.

As stated before, Garden Heliotrope is a sweetly-scented flower that is a valuable nectar source for bees and other insects as well as being a preferred food and nursery plant of many butterflies and other small insects. But, it does have a couple of less endearing qualities:

1. The large plumes of tiny, white flowers are born on hollow, relatively weak stalks that tend to fall or break over easily giving the plant a very untidy appearance in bloom. This is relieved by judicious staking or support of the flower stalks.

2. The plant, while usually listed as a perennial, often acts like a biennial and dies after flowering.

Since the plant normally seeds readily, keeping the plant going by saving seeds and starting new plants is not a problem. But. in the last few years, I've started trying something new in order to try to keep from having to start new plants constantly. At the point where the bloom starts to fade, but well before the plant starts to set seed, I cut the entire stalk off to the ground. This prevents the plant from producing a hormone that triggers the process for the parent plant to know that its work is finished and dies. I've been doing this for about 3 years now and thus far it is working well. However, this next year I think I may let some of the blooms go to seed for a new crop of seeds. But I haven't made up my mind yet. I've got some time before I have to make up my mind and I've got another blooming year of staking to get through. Staking (at least at the appropriate time) has never been one of my strong points. I let myself get busy with other things and tend to forget until it's to late.

Growing Valerian herb (Garden Heliotrope) is relatively simple. It only needs a moist, well-drained soil in full sun. The growing soil should be deep at a foot or more deep that is rich in organic matter. I use a lot of compost from my compost bins when planting Garden Heliotrope. Keep the soil moist and well mulched. Garden Heliotrope responds well to yearly applications of compost worked into the soil around each plant in the spring. A slow release, balanced fertilizer worked into the soil around each plant in the spring and again in late summer is all that Garden Heliotrope requires and even this is not absolutely necessary if the soil is kept rich with compost and/or well rotted manure. I have had good success with monthly applications of fish emulsion fertilizer.

I also dug the Bearded Iris that were in the side bed. They had not formed a huge clump. But, the clump was big enough to need thinning and reset in new soil that had been improved. Besides, with the mulch that didn't get pulled back or removed last year, the rhizomes were too deep. Another reason for digging them was that when they were originally planted, there were actually 2 different colors of iris plant there. There was the iris plant with the white standards and purple falls that I dug them for originally from my sons home and a larger bronze-colored iris plant. The bronze iris plant was a bonus and my son didn't even know he had this one when I dug them because it had never bloomed. I suspect that it was growing to deeply to bloom were it was.

I separated out the 2 different colors and planted the bronze irisbronze iris plant in a small mass grouping in the corner bed. The other iris plant will be planted in a mass planting across the path from them. Iris's are one of my favorite flowers of all. I would love to be able to have the space to have an extensive collection. One that I would have for sure is the "reblooming iris". These put up a large display of blooms in the spring and then a smaller display of blooms in late summer and into the fall. What a show!

It's a shame that more people do not concentrate on iris. They are among the easiest of all flowers to grow and will reward the gardener so well for little effort. The average gardener has a bad habit of overcomplicating iris and will all to often kill the plant because of it. Growing iris requires little, other than well drained soil consistent moisture and as much sunshine as possible. However, to grow really top-quality iris takes a little more than that, but not much.

To start with, bear in mind that as far as the Hilly Gardener is concerned there are principally 2 types of iris plant - the Bearded Iris and the Japanese Iris. He basically breaks them down by growing conditions. The Bearded Iris is broken down into varieties such as Siberian Iris, German Bearded , Tall Bearded Iris, etc. These are grown pretty much the same. The Japanese Iris is a little more difficult for the average gardener because it likes (in fact must) have its toes wet. Not the whole foot or it will rot, just its toes. By this I mean that it has to have soil that is consistently damper than most plants will tolerate, but no standing water.

For this garden journal I only talk about the bearded types because they are what I grow and by far are the easiest. First off, iris grow from a rhizome, not a bulb as so many mistakenly call the underground part. Iris must have warmth on their rhizomes to keep from rotting. In fact, planting the iris so that the top of the rhizome is exposed to the sun is best. Bearded iris must have very well drained soil and soil that stays to wet will quickly cause the rhizomes to rot. They like to have about an inch of water per week like most plants, but will tolerate dry conditions well and will tolerate some partial shade. But, bear in mind that shade decreases both the quantity and size of the blooms. Shade will also increase the incidence of rhizome rot. As far as fertilizer is concerned, they do very reasonably well with no additional fertilizer at all, but feeding iris with a balanced fertilizer in the spring and  and a low-nitrogen fertilizer in the fall will give you more and bigger blooms and healthier plants. A good quality complete bulb food is the best if you have it and early gardeners had great success with nothing more than " Bone Meal".

Adding large quantities of compost and dug deeply into well-drained ground will provide an excellent iris bed. If starting with iris dug from another bed, break the clump into smaller sections of individual plants by breaking the individual plants off of the larger parent rhizome. I normally throw the older rhizome away and only plant the smaller individual plants with a section of rhizome attached. The strap-like leaves should be cut into a "fan" shape by taking scissors and cutting the leaves at an angle from both sides so that it resembles a fan that comes to a point in the middle. Each short side of the fan should start roughly 8-10 inches above the rhizome and extending upward to the middle.

Why a fan shape? There is no agreement on this point by professionals and cutting into a fan or straight across makes no difference on the growing ability of the iris. I recommend a fan shape for the following reasons:

1. The fan shape is more aesthetically appealing when planted.

2. The leaves should be cut off because the root system, which is diminished, will not support the entire leaf system. If not trimmed back, much of the leaf system will die back to a point where the diminished root system can support it.

3. The long leaves will allow the plant to move around in the wind and hinder the development of roots. A fan shape tends to catch less wind that other shapes.

4. The leaves should be cut back so that the bulk of the plants energy is put into root and rhizome development.

After cutting the leaves, cut the roots back by 1/3 to 1/2. Cut off broken and/or damaged roots and look for mushy and/or rotting rhizome sections. Break or cut these sections off if found as they harbor disease and could cause the decay to spread to the entire rhizome. If rotting of the rhizomes is extensive, dust the raw ends of the saved pieces with dusting sulfur or other powdered fungicide. These ends can also be sprayed with a liquid fungicide spray if desired. When trimming and/or cleaning up iris, never throw this material into the compost. But rather, discard this material into the trash or burn it and wash your hands and clothing after handling iris because iris are known to carry Botrytis which can easily be transmitted to other plants.

Botrytis is a fungal disease that will cause spots (usually a yellowish color at first) to form on the leaves. With time, it will many times cause the leaf to die entirely. It does not seem to effect the blooms in normal or low concentrations, but probably could if the levels got high enough. Bear in mind that, while not normally significant in iris, Botrytis can be particularly virulent in other crops, especially fruit crops such as grapes and strawberries. If needed, Botrytis can be controlled with applications of "Bordeaux" spray or other fungicides listed for Botrytis. Of interesting note on Botrytis is the fact that it is also responsible for giving certain wines their distinctive flavor - GO FIGURE! On certain plants you can't live with it and on others, you can't live without it. Wonderful and fascinating world, fungus. Probably as equally important as the plant world as we know it and at least as fascinating..

Plant the rhizomes just deep enough to cover the roots and most of the rhizome. Do not plant iris in straight rows as this is an unnatural pattern. Plant the rhizomes roughly 10-12 inches apart in all directions in an alternating pattern. The wider the spacing, the longer it will be before the iris will be filled in and need to be dug. But planting to widely will give the bed a "thin appearance". So try to strike a happy balance between having a "filled in" look and needing to dig the plants to quickly. When planting iris, the direction of the spread of the clump can be directed by "pointing" it in the direction it is to grow. To determine the direction of growth, look at the rhizome. The leaves will be formed at the growing point of the rhizome. When planted in this same general orientation, the plant will continue to grow in this general direction. Therefore, planting the rhizome at the edge of a bed and pointing it toward the center will cause the plant to grow toward the center and fill it in with time. I prefer to plant form both or all sides of the bed for a more uniform pattern with time. About every 3-5 years, depending on how large the colony gets and you want it to be, the entire clump should be dug and thinned into smaller plants. This will rejuvenate the plant and provide you with larger blooms. Bear in mind that the number of blooms will usually be less the first year after thinning, but will bounce back quickly in subsequent years.

The normally recommended time to dig iris is in July soon after they quit blooming. This time will provide the plants with enough time before fall to grow enough that they will bloom well the next spring. But, you need to keep them watered during the hot, dry conditions of summer. More-so than at other times of the year because the smaller plants no longer have the moisture reserved of the larger parent plant to sustain them. However, iris can be dug, thinned and transplanted at any time the ground is not frozen with great success. The only real difference that you will see is a reduction of blooms the next year unless you live where the ground does not freeze so that the rhizomes will continue to grow all winter. When you plant the iris rhizomes, mulch the area well with an organic mulch. But, be careful not to cover the rhizomes with mulch as this could cause the rhizomes to rot. Keep the new bed moist until the plants are established and then water as normal.

At planting, if you are using a conventional fertilizer, hold off providing any fertilizer until new growth resumes. Then work fertilizer into the soil around the plants at the rate recommended by the manufacturer. If using "Bone Meal" or another slow to break down fertilizer, this can be worked into the soil at planting time. Then each spring, apply a "balanced" fertilizer at the time new growth resumes and then at the end of summer, just before the weather starts cooling, apply a "low-nitrogen" fertilizer" at the rates recommended by the manufacturer.

Saturday / October / 02 / 2010 -

I rejuvenated a large section of bed soil with copious amounts of compost and deep-digging next to the Garden Heliotrope and planted the white standard with purple falls iris today. There were a lot of starts from the original clump (I didn't count them), so the display will be quite good when they get established.

On another positive note - the Landlords worker started installing guttering today. But, of course he wasn't prepared to be able to complete the job because the local lumber yard didn't have enough material in stock. But, at least there was a start and we can at least go in and out of the front door without getting soaked when it rains. I do so hope that it won't take to long to complete the back of the house so that I can complete the corner bed. There are many advantages of having the guttering up. The biggest of which is to keep the rains from creating a ditch from the wash-out. This also washes out and destroys any plantings in the area of the drip.

Sunday / October / 03 / 2010 -

It got quite chilly last night (down to around 40 degrees F) and the weather forecasts are using the "Eff" word for tonight and tomorrow night. Frost of course - what did you think I meant? The forecast is for the thermometer to not get above the upper fifties today and windy - YIKES! In just a few short weeks we went from hot summer to cold winter (well, not quite winter I guesse). WHAT HAPPENED TO FALL? With the stiff breeze we had yesterday it was quite cool to almost cold and a jacket was definitely in order.

Well, it was quite windy today, which made the cool feel just that much cooler. But, you know what - that's ok. Today was dedicated to putting up Halloween decorations and cold weather and outdoor decorating just seem to go hand-in-hand. The Hillbilly Gardener has been decorating for the holidays outdoors in all kinds of weather for so long that it wouldn't feel like holiday decorating if it wasn't at least a little bit inclement outside. Now, just settle down! To the Hillbilly Gardener, holiday decorating, gardening, outdoor decorating and outdoor living are all synonymous and linked at the hip. As far as he is concerned, you can't have one without the other. The Hillbilly Gardener has a little bit of a problem with the attitude of a few misguided and uneducated individuals toward Halloween. But, that is their right to feel that way. He does feel sorry for their children who are denied the joy they could be experiencing and for the the joy that they deny themselves at this time of the year because they refuse to take an educated and realistic view of this holiday, or any holiday for that matter.

The outdoor Halloween decorations will be rearranged, modified and changed to reflect fall and Thanksgiving coming up next month and then they will be swapped out for Christmas decorations that are traditionally turned on Thanksgiving evening at dusk. This has been a family tradition here that began in the Hillbilly Gardener's childhood and he has carried it on ever since. Today, his children carry on this tradition and it is hoped that his grandchildren will do the same. It is unfortunate that so many people have lost sight of the fact that family traditions like these are part of the fabric that binds families together and helps to give us a sense of purpose and belonging.

For years now, the Hillbilly Gardener has had dreams of extending his decorating into the Garden of Weedin. He hasn't quite got there yet, but he's working on it. And why not? Isn't the garden but an extension of the outdoor area? There are often many architectural elements in any garden that can be brought into a decorating scheme to great effect. With up-lighting and small strings of lights of appropriate colors, plant skeletons that have been nipped back by frost can be resurrected to new life as interesting sculptural elements. The list could go on and on.

Note: While they do save power and solve the issue of supplying power to the lights, solar powered LED string lights in general do not appear to be reliably sturdy for outdoor use in studying many customer reviews. Most appear to have many quality issues and failures associated with them and they appear to be prone to failure. The Hillbilly Gardener has always used conventional, 120 volt miniature Christmas lights in the past and has limited experience with the LED's. However, while much more sturdy when properly modified and installed, these do present the issue of having to supply a 120 volt power source. Use extreme caution when installing any electrical outdoor lighting and follow all applicable safety requirements and local regulations concerning electrical installations.

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Monday / October / 04 / 2010 -

Quite chilly this morning. While the forecast was for the temperature to get down into the 30's last night, I only read 44 degrees F on the porch at first light. This makes it about 40 degrees out in the garden. But, just after sunrise, frost appeared in the low spots of the yard and on some rooftops. So, I guess it got a bit colder than I originally thought. When I get the new weather station built I think I might just try to add a sensor or two out in the yard at ground level.

The Halloween decorating was almost finished outside today. The Hillbilly Gardener got everything in place yesterday and today will be spent electrifying the whole thing. There is little left to do other than finish one small display and clean up the totes. We do so enjoy, not just Halloween, but all of the holidays that this time of year ushers in.

In years past. we had the luxury of stacking the totes in a corner of the porch until Halloween was over. But, this past summer we moved all of the faux wicker furniture to the porch until we can purchase some shade and weather protection for the patio. It was so hot and uncomfortable on the patio this last summer that we weren't using it. At least on the porch, we used it occasionally. I would like to install a "mist cooling system" for the porch and a couple of ceiling fans at some point in the near future so we could enjoy it more. These are 2 items that most homeowners with a porch (front or back) seldom think of, but they make a world of difference in being able to enjoy your porch in the hot days of summer.

Stop and think about it for a minute. You pay good money for a structural element that you probably only use 1 or 2 months total out of the year. A few days in the spring and then a few days in the fall. Other than that, it's pretty much only an hour or two here and there. At that rate, doesn't the cost of a porch in relationship to its use make it a waste of money in the way they are normally constructed or outfitted? Both mist cooling systems and ceiling fans are relatively inexpensive and easy to install (provided you have sufficient ceiling height). Neither one requires a high degree of expertise or mechanical skill. Add to this the fact that both can be installed in such a way that they are considered "temporary" and not permanently attached to the dwelling. Even renters can install them so that they can be taken down and taken with them if they move. Mist systems can be installed with clips and ceiling fans on hooks and powered by a cord strung to a convenient outlet like a light fixture. What could be easier and provide you with so much benefit?

One savvy homeowner of the Hillbilly's acquaintance installed a small attic fan in the ceiling of his porch because he didn't have headroom for a ceiling fan. The fan was set to low and the attic area above the ceiling was vented to the outside along with the installation of a mist system around the perimeter of the porch. On hot summer days, he simply turned on the mist system and and the attic fan. The fan drew air through the mist which cooled the air significantly and they sat on their porch in comfortable open-air, air conditioning. Talk about ingenious! And the real biggy of all of this? He judiciously shopped at yard sales, flea markets and local auctions to pick up the fan, vents and most of the hardware and fittings he needed. His total cost? Under $200.00! Time spent installing everything? One Saturday. Return on investment - Priceless!

Tuesday / October / 05 / 2010 -

Woke up @ 0500 this morning to light frost outside on elevated surfaces and low areas of the yard. It's that time of year for a jacket in the morning and shorts in the afternoon. ISN'T IT GREAT! The forecast is for the temperature to only get into the lower seventies today. Ideal weather for mowing the yard today.

I did indeed mow the yard today. But the extreme amount of dust generated by the dry weather we're experiencing again, along with the leaves that are starting to fall and dry grass, made this a bit of an uncomfortable chore to do today. I find that the older I get, the more my sinuses really bother me in dusty conditions like this. I think that it might be a good idea to start wearing a dust mask or other respiratory protection device. Physically, it's a bit uncomfortable to mow with a push mower anymore anyway. But, with my son breaking his wrist a couple of days ago, that only leaves me to get it done. So the dust just made it that much more difficult.

But, that's Ok. I do enjoy mowing my own yard. I just take a few more breaks now. I will probably look into investing in a "self-propelled" mower when I buy a new one. Perhaps a cordless, rechargeable lawn mower. I've been asked why I don't buy a riding mower before and my reasons are the same now as they were then:

1. I don't believe that my yard is big enough to justify spending money on such an extravagance.

2. With everything I have to mow around now, I'd spend just about as much time mowing where a riding mower can't mow as I'd be spending using a push mower for all of it.

3. We have a sedentary lifestyle in this country coupled with an obesity problem as it is. The average American gets way to little physical exercise as it is and riding lawn mowers just compound that problem when they're not really needed. Doing a little pushing of a lawnmower might just help everyone's health and waistline a little and get them out from in front of the TV idiot-box at least once each week for an hour or two.

4. Not everything in this life must be done in record time. It's good to slow down a little and mow your yard the slow way. Besides, you see and notice a lot more when you slow down and push a mower.

5. A riding lawnmower has a much higher cost to maintain and operate than a push mower.

   1. They consume a lot more petroleum products than a push mower. Petroleum products that we as Americans hypocritically say we are trying to cut back on (or need to) in order to lower our dependence on oil in general and foreign oil in specific. Small engines found on lawn mowers, trimmers, tillers, etc. are inherently inefficient and consume a great deal more gas than your average car.

   2. Outdoor power equipment in general are (by many reports) as much as 4 times more polluting than an average car. The bigger the engine, the more the pollution and this doesn't even take into account the noise pollution created by any outdoor power equipment.

   3. The air filters and spark plugs are generally larger and more expensive. These should be changed at least twice in a season. More if you mow longer than an hour each week. Many people have a lot of rhetoric to say about saving fuel and lowering our dependence on oil, but they never stop to think about the fact that by letting the air filter on their lawn mower get clogged and by not changing the spark plug when they should, the fuel used by it will increase - sometimes by as much as double. Most people tend to think that if it starts and runs, it's fine. That's just not the case.

   4. Riding lawn mowers have belts, pulleys and pneumatic tires that all must be maintained and changed in order to keep them functioning that my push mower does not. All of which I might add consume oil in order to produce.

But, if and when I did decide to consider purchasing a riding lawn mower, it would probably be one of the new cordless electric riding lawn mowers available now. Either way, I eliminate oil consumption as well as noise and air pollution.

Wednesday / October / 06 / 2010 -

No frost this morning and while the air was in the mid-forties @ 0700, it was pleasantly cool, clear and bright sunshine coming up. I am starting this day with basically 3 goals in mind:

1. Put away the empty holiday totes from the front porch.

2. Finish the last little bit of Halloween decorating that needs done.

3. Clean up and repot the few houseplants that need to go inside this fall.

I did get the totes put away and the last little bit of decorating done, but got sidetracked by a couple of other projects. First was to construct a short stand for the squirrel watering dish (a large plant saucer) from a section of tree trunk that I had in the wood pile for the wood burning fire pit. I have several of these large sections that are not split that I have been saving from our ice storm a few years back. They have come in very handy for a variety of purposes, but are now rotting pretty bad. A couple of them are still in somewhat decent shape. So I got one out and did some judicious wire-brushing of the exterior and then applied copious amounts of white paint. Now, these were starting to rot and therefore had a great many voids, large cracks, etc that I filled with paint.

Now, the paint will not fill the holes once it is dry, and I already know that a great many holes will appear from trapped air and where the paint shrinks, but at least there will be paint coating a large percentage of the surfaces. After the paint dries, I'll fill the holes and cracks with spackle and apply another coat of paint. In painting, I did find that I had to do some "filling" with bits of dry stems, etc. to prevent the paint from running out or all of it simply "vanishing" into the center of the wood.

Now RELAX! Yes, I already know that there is little that I am doing that is proper when it comes to painting, etc. But: 1) I don't intend for this to last for more than a year or two. The wood is far to rotted for that. It's more of a "prettied-up" experiment to see if the squirrels will take to it and use the water dish. If so, I'll look to do something more permanent later. 2) The wood has too much moisture in it for the paint to stick permanently. Stumps and other rough wood can be a fantastic decorating media, but it must be dried down to 7%-9% for painting or applying any other type of coating and having it stick permanently. Unless you happen to have a wood kiln or have a warm, dry place in which to store the wood for up to 3 years for it to properly dry to 7%-9% off of the ground and a wood moisture meter, you stand little chance of ever getting the wood dry enough to hold paint. Such storage the Hillbilly Gardener does not have. Therefore, I have no expectations of having the paint stick for any length of time.

The other side-track project I got involved in was the numerous root "knees" growing up from the Soft Maple trees in our back yard. The cause of these knee roots is stress on the tree, primarily a lack of consistent moisture.  These were large enough so that they were both a trip and mowing hazard and were growing in number. Now, every arborist I have heard recommends leaving them alone and that it may damage the tree if removed. Even if you cover them with soil, the knee roots will continue to grow and protrude out of the ground. That is what they are designed to do. Some of the knee roots I had were over 4 inches tall and up to 3 feet long!

For these reasons I chose to try cutting off a few of them at ground level. I used a sharpened " Mattock" in much the same way as you might use a "Broad Axe" and shaved the knees off of roughly 1/3 of the knee roots in the most heavily trafficked areas.. Next year I will shave off an additional 1/3 and so on. Now, if I wanted to control them further, I could install irrigation at the drip-line of the tree in the form of soaker hoses buried just below the surface and keep it well watered along with using a " root injector" to apply fertilizer to the tree. But, this would be pretty expensive to keep 1-2 inches of water per week on a tree and an adequate amount of fertilizer. It's not that any mature tree is not worth it, because it is regardless of how messy a tree is. The Hillbilly Gardener simply cannot afford such a luxury at this time. At least the Hillbilly Gardener won't have to be concerned with folks tripping over the knee roots and the mower hitting them.

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Friday / October / 08 / 2010 -

I got out and started digging an area along the south side of the house to move sun-loving, dry-climate plants to. The area along and in front of the satellite dish will receive the remaining Yarrow and Butterfly Weed because these do no get tall enough to interfere with the dish. Further down, I will later move the Joe-Pye-Weed to and perhaps some of the many Evening Primrose that have come up volunteer in the area because these get taller and like the hot, dry sun. Along the back of the bed area, I am installing a strip of  really good landscape fabric 18 inches wide as a "no-plant" zone. This area is just too dry for anything to do well here. I'll cover this area with mulch to prevent the few weeds that will sprout along here. The goal here is to remove the last of the plants from the existing bed where the raised planting beds will go soon.

Saturday / October / 09/ 2010 -

I got out and finished incorporating a lot of compost into the small area where I will be planting next alongside of the house. While digging I ran into another of the "mole baskets" I had installed earlier. I thought I had removed all of them! They seemed to work to keep the moles away from various plants, but they have become a real pain to remove. Especially when you don't remember where all of them are. This one is a particular problem because the satellite dish I recently had moved has been installed through it. For that reason, the basket is coming out in pieces. Because it is mainly in the "no plant zone", I don't think there is any reason to try to dig all of it out. I'll probably just cut out as much as I can easily and cover the rest of it with soil to eventually rot away.

In thinking about the situation here and the fact that I have a bad habit of getting side-tracked and not finishing many projects, I think that it would be a good idea at this time to hold off planting here until I finish:

1. The brick edging along this stretch of bed. In looking at the amount of height I've added to the soil surface by the amount of compost I've incorporated, plus the fact that what I've done on the edging elsewhere needs some modification, I think that I'll lay one brick flat first and then place one on edge on top of it. This will add a couple of inches more height to the edging and perhaps make it just a little more stable.

2. There is still much Spearmint that continues to sprout up in the area. This must be dealt with now in order to keep from having it all over the place later. At this time, I plan on digging out what I can and then any that comes up later, I'll probably just spray it with an herbicide. No, this is not an organic approach, but it is the most practical one for this very small area and possibly the only one that will work completely. Every tiny piece of spearmint root will sprout and it is doubtful that I could ever get every piece removed. NEVER plant spearmint unless you can plant it in a way that the roots are completely and thoroughly contained or it is in an area where it can run rampant - because it will do just that. I wish I had an old bathtub or stock tank to plant it in.

3. The landscape fabric barrier for the "no plant zone" needs to be installed before I plant. It will be very difficult to install once the plants are growing. As long as it is in place in the next week or so, there will be plenty of fall leaves to cover it with.

4. The basement windows must be dealt with in order to keep soil, leaves etc. out and away from the windows. At this time, my initial idea is to create a simple brick retainer around the window area to hold back the soil and mulch. I can backfill the retaining wall with rocks that I pick up from around the yard and wash them first before placing in the "window well".

Yes, this will set back moving the raised planting beds, but it is important to get these things dealt with now rather than waiting. Get these things done now and I won't need to deal with them later. They'll be done and out of the way.

Sunday / October / 10 / 2010 -

I got out and watered many of the plants in the beds that I am planning on moving this fall. With the rains that we got a while back, you would have thought that the dry spell might have ended and we were going to start getting some fall rains. But, that hasn't been the case and it's getting pretty dry around here again. Where are the fall rains? Perhaps waiting until November and then come as snow and ice up to our back-side? But, there is a pretty good chance of rain tomorrow and into Tuesday. We'll see. In any case, the plants I want to move need to start getting some water so that they won't be quite so stressed when I do move them later.

I installed the brick edging along the section of the south bed that I had dug. I did modify it from how I had started last year. I laid a brick flat and then one on edge on top of it. I looks pretty good and does provide a little better containment for the well-mounded soil in the bed. I pulled out as much of the old mole basket as I could without doing a lot of digging. It won't matter if there is still some left because the rest will be hidden under the landscape fabric in the "no-plant zone" anyway. I started trying to dig out the spearmint that was coming up all over the place, but I found the ground so hard and dry that it was not much easier than busting concrete. I may need to wet it down and wait a day or two before doing any more digging. This area receives virtually no rain because of the very large eaves of the house. That is why it is designated as a no-plant zone.

Speaking of snow and ice, I've been watching the squirrels and birds this fall and it would appear that perhaps we might be in for a nasty winter and possibly a lot more snow than we've been getting. The squirrels are working harder than usual gathering nuts this fall for food. They're burying them all over the place like mad for food later. My nicely turned soil has been a favorite for their nut-hiding activities. Everywhere I dig I'm pulling up nuts they've buried. Perhaps I'll start saving them and feed them back to the squirrels later this winter. The birds also are working harder than normal eating everything in sight. For the Doves and other migratory birds, this isn't all that unusual. But they do seem to be working more intensely at it than normal this fall. Perhaps they are trying to give us a "heads up" that some nasty weather may be soon to come. Perhaps I need to get the bird feeders out and hung up?

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Monday / October / 11 / 2010 -

Not a lot happened outside today. I did start on working on laying the landscape fabric in the "no-plant zone" where I had started renewing the south bed this afternoon. But, it was cut short when rain moved in. I'm cogitating on how best to:

1. How to work the fabric in and around the satellite dish pole and how to best handle the cable from the antenna. In the long run, how will the cable be best protected.

2. How to handle the area in front of each basement window. If this were my place and money were no object, I simply would dig down and install "window wells" at each window. But, this is not my place, money is a big consideration and making them "low-maintenance" are all big considerations before diving in. At this point, I'm leaning toward simply taking the soil down to or slightly below the window ledge. laying down landscape fabric and then laying down bricks, 2 high as a retaining wall. I will then lay down a layer of rocks that I have picked up from around the yard and gardens. This is probably what I'll do, at least for now.

It did rain this afternoon and evening. But, while areas to the north and a few to the south got quite a bit of rain, we got approximately 3/8 of an inch of rain. Just enough to stop work outside and screw up some of the Halloween decorations that had not gotten weatherproofed yet. Yes, I procrastinated to long! Nothing unusual there. I get distracted easily. Well, I did get out between the many little showers though and got the yard picked up where I have been dragging out project after project that I want to get done this fall. It was a veritable mess out back with stuff scattered here and there. It looks better now though. Not quite so "Redneck". I really think that I'll build a long workbench along the area between the shed and patio. A potting bench alone would be a little small because I do enjoy working on everything outdoors. I think that I already have a lot of the materials I need to at least start it and if it is painted really well, perhaps it will weather decently.

Tuesday / October / 12 / 2010 -

Rather cool today. The thermometer did get to around 70 degrees F . But, with cloudy skies most of the day and a definite dampness to the air, it felt a little chilly if you weren't moving around. But it was great. The leaves on the trees are really starting to turn brilliant shades of fall colors and we're probably only a few days away from seeing peak fall color here on our Ozarks plateau area. I do believe that I'm going to take a walk today or tomorrow just to enjoy the colors of fall. There are many hard maples in the area that are showing brilliant reds and several sweet gum trees that are starting to turn.

The Sweet Gum tree is a North American native hardwood tree, native to the Southeastern United States, but widely planted elsewhere. Many people dislike sweet gum trees because of the spiky balls they drop in the fall. These are known by many names such as; "space bug", "monkey ball", "bommyknocker", "bir ball", "gumball", "conkleberry", "cukoo-bir" or "sticky ball". These are the seed-bearing "fruit" that the tree produces and yes, they can be a little bit of a pain to keep cleaned up sometimes and they can be dangerous if you mow over them. But, for all of the other positive qualities that the tree possesses, including some of the most brilliant colors of fall in shades of red, orange and purple, I wouldn't mind having a gum tree in my own yard. I think far to many people find it far to easy to find fault with trees anymore, rather than looking at the positives that any tree has.

Mature trees of any kind provide tons of oxygen to help us survive on this planet and a mature tree will take literally tons of pollutants out of the air that we thoughtless humans put there each year. Trees provide several tons of natural cooling to the air and if a mature tree is located close to a house, they provide literally thousands of dollars worth of savings to our cooling bill over the life of the tree. Most people don't bother to think about that when judging a tree. Then, for many, there is the brilliant fall color. How much is that worth? Only the beholder can put a price on that.

Anyway, back to the sweet gum balls. They are not without worth to me. But, what can you do with sweet gum balls anyway? Many things actually. Here are just a few that come to mind quickly:

1. Coated with glue and glitter, they make some of the most beautiful natural Christmas decorations you will ever find and children love to do this craft project. To make these "glitter balls":

   1. Screw a small screw eye into each sweet gum ball to be decorated. Screw eyes with a long threaded shank are best and the easiest to insert. Handle the balls gently to avoid breaking off as many of the points as possible and wear gloves if you have sensitive hands. Some people prefer to drill a small pilot hole into each ball to make screwing the eyes into the ball easier.

   2. Mix regular white glue with a little water in a small bowl to make a thin glue (usually 1 or 2 parts water to 2 parts glue). Your want the glue thin, but not watery. If you're doing this as a craft project with children, place a small bowl of glue at each child's work station.

   3. Spread a couple of layers of newspaper on the table where you will be working to protect the surface from glue and make clean-up a breeze. And whatever you do, never get mad at children when a little glue or glitter gets spilled. The creative abilities of the child that you are helping to nurture that they will carry throughout their life are far more important than having to clean up a little spilled glue or glitter. A damp rag and a vacuum do quick work of cleaning these up. Then there are the memories of time spent creating their own homemade natural Christmas decorations. These are priceless and trust the Hillbilly Gardener on this - THEY WILL REMEMBER THESE TIMES FONDLY WHEN THEY GET OLDER! Who knows, you might just be starting a family tradition that they will pass on to their children and grandchildren. The Hillbilly Gardener remembers fondly, creating homemade natural Christmas decorations as a child and passed these on to his children and is now passing them on to his grandchildren.

   4. Choose glitter in the colors that you like. Any color you like is fine here, but the traditional colors of Christmas seem to work best for most folks. You and your child are the only ones that have to approve. But don't pass up the clear and pearl glitters. These will provide you with brilliant twinkling effects as the decoration moves if placed near a light on the tree. Place each color in a small bowl and place one bowl at each work station. You will rotate these bowls around between the children as they decorate so that everyone gets to use different colors. A single color per gumball looks best unless you have the patience to place glue on each of the individual points and glitter these with silver, gold or a complementary color. Then the effects can be dramatic.

   5. With inexpensive watercolor paint brushes that you can throw away if you like when finished, "paint" each sweet gum ball thoroughly with the glue. Even though the glue washes off your hands easily with water, many people like to wear rubber gloves for this task. Some folks have even gone so far as to mix up enough glue to be able to "dip" the balls in the glue. If you do this, you must allow them to hang and drip off before applying glitter though. This is a great way to apply glue if you have many balls to decorate. The Hillbilly Gardener has used this method when he is decorating many balls to use or sell. Another way to handle the balls and keep your hands clean is to hold each ball by the screw eye with a pair of pliers while painting. if small children are doing this, make sure to purchase small pliers that will fit their small hands. It can be very frustrating to a small child to try to do this task with pliers that do not fit their little hands. Small, child-sized pliers can sometimes be found in the toy section of many stores and small plastic pliers clean up easy with no rusting. The Hillbilly Gardener has found that this is a great and fun way to help the child learn hand coordination as well.

   6. After "painting" the ball with glue, sprinkle glitter over all surfaces of each ball and hang to dry for a couple of hours. The Hillbilly Gardener created a "homemade tree" for hanging a couple of dozen ornaments from at the same time to dry. To do this:

      1. Purchase a length of 1 or 1 1/2 inch wooden dowel rod and 2 or 3 lengths of 1/8 or 3/16 inch dowel rods. You will also need a piece of plywood that is roughly 16-18 inches square and 1/2-3/4 inch thick, a drywall or wood screw that is 1 1/2-2 inches long and some wood glue.

      2. Start by marking the center of the plywood and drilling a hole the same diameter as the large dowel rod you purchased about 1/4 inch deep with a paddle bit. Keep this hole as straight and square as possible so that your tree will stand straight up and down later. The tip of the drill bit should protrude through the wood. This will provide you with the exact center of the hole later. A chipper bit and drill press works great for this task if you have one or perhaps can borrow the use of one from a friend or neighbor. It is also the best and safest way to drill the holes in the large rod later.

      3. Cut the large dowel rod to roughly 26 inches long and sand one end to a rounded shape. This will become the "trunk" of your tree later.

      4. Starting at 1 inch from the rounded end of the large dowel rod (this will be the top of the rod later), mark the rod every four (4) inches, turning it 1/8 of a turn for each mark.

      5. At each mark, drill a hole through the rod the same size as the small rods you purchased. You should end up with six (6) holes spaced 4 inches apart and rotated 1/8 turn from each other here.

      6. Cut the small rods into 1 foot long lengths for the limbs of your tree and sand the ends smooth into a rounded shape. You will need a total of 6 arms.

      7. Thoroughly coat the inside of the hole you drilled in the plywood with wood glue and insert the square end of the large dowel rod until it is completely seated on the bottom of the hole.

      8. Turn the assembly over and insert the wood or drywall screw through the plywood and into the dowel until it is just flush with the bottom of the plywood. Do not over tighten.

      9. Turn the assembly back over and check it for square and that the dowel rod "trunk" is straight up and down. If the trunk is leaning one way or the other, drive a small nail into the top of the trunk of the tree and on the bottom of the plywood in the direction that you want to move the trunk. Loosen the screw in the bottom 1 or 2 turns. Tie a string from the top of the tree and gently pull the trunk square and secure it in place to the nail on the bottom of the base. Gently retighten the screw in the bottom of the base, checking the squareness of the trunk as you tighten.

      10. Next, insert the "limbs" of your tree through the trunk until there is equal amounts of limb protruding from each side. Mark each limb and pull it back roughly 1/4 inch. apply a small amount of glue around each limb and reinsert to proper location. If the limbs fit loosely in the holes, a small brad nail can be driven through the trunk and into each limb to help secure it

      11. At this point, your ornament tree is ready to use. If desired, glue a piece of felt to the bottom of the tree to prevent the base from scratching surfaces. Each arm will hold 2 ornaments safely for a total of 24 ornaments.

      12. For a useful variation, set the limbs closer together (1-2 inches) and vary the lengths of the limbs into a true tree shape and paint for a highly decorative centerpiece tree that you can hang miniature ornaments from. Drill the holes through the trunk at only 1/16 turn or it's fun to experiment. Small wooden beads glued to the end of each limb and painted in Christmas colors are quite attractive by themselves or painted to match the tree. Let your imagination run wild here and have fun with it.

   7. After the balls are dry, install and ornament hanger and let the child proudly hang their own ornaments on the tree.

2. Other great uses for glittered sweet gum balls as decorations are:

   1. Besides being great tree ornaments, glittered sweet gum balls look fantastic when placed in a large clear glass bowl etc. whit a large pillar candle in the center.

   2. Glued into a garland swag using "hot glue". This is even more dramatic if the garland is a pre-lit garland . Hung over a mantel or around a door, the effect is fantastic.

   3. Strung on fishing line to make a glitter-ball string. To do this you will need to glitter a lot of sweet gum balls. This is where "dipping" is a preferred method of applying glue. The Hillbilly Gardener also finds that placing several glued balls into a large zipper-seal bag with the glitter and gently tumbling them in the glitter makes the task of glittering many balls quicker. Place your glittered balls into a standard kitchen colander after they are dry and gently shake off excess glitter. Before glittering your sweet gum balls, obtain a large piece of Styrofoam about 2 or 3 inches thick and carve a concave "socket" in the center of the block of foam about 2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch deep to hold the balls without damage. Place a sweet gum ball in the socket and drill a 1/8 inch diameter hole through the ball. Gloves are recommended here for safety. Standard length drill bits will not be long enough to get through most sweet gum balls. But, long drill bits are available at industrial supply stores and many hardware stores. When stringing your sweet gum balls, the Hillbilly Gardener has found that placing 1 or 2 plastic beads between between each ball works out better than the balls alone and use at least a 20 pound test, monofilament fishing line for strength.

   4. Decorated sweet gum balls make great gifts and sell well at craft fairs. Sell or give away by the "dozen" by placing them in egg cartons for protection and an interesting display or gift presentation method.

3. Cinnamon scented pine cones are extremely popular in stores around the holidays. But, did you know that sweet gum balls work just as well as pine cones? Additionally, scented sweet gum balls are easily stored in sealed gallon jars to be used as air fresheners any time. No need to wait for the holidays.

4. Some folks have reported that they burn well and slowly in outdoor fire pits for a low, warm fire. Coating them in paraffin wax makes them great as fire starters.

5. A layer of sweet gum balls spread as mulch around susceptible plants will deter voles and other digging critters because they don't like their sticky points.

6. Ground in a grinder, they make a passable wood mulch to use in your landscape and some folks with a lot of sweet gum balls have found that they make a very soft and pleasant surface to walk on when applied to paths.

Back in the Garden of Weedin, the Hillbilly Gardener got started digging the next small section of the south bed along the house. I take "renewing the view" one small section at a time. This year, I'm digging one small section at a time and finishing it then moving on to the next. That way I won't have the entire thing only partially done by the time it gets too bad (cold and wet) outside to work and what I have done is completed. That way next year I only have to concentrate on maintenance of the area and enjoying it. Besides, an Elephant is best eaten on small bite at a time.

Wednesday / October / 13 / 2010 -

I finished digging the small area I started yesterday. With each small area I'm incorporating roughly 6 inches of compost and digging it to a depth of roughly 16-18 inches deep. This gets me a deep root-zone of rich and loose soil for the perennials to grow in, gets the tree roots out of the bed down deep and any rocks and trash out of the soil. This is a process that most growing beds should receive every few years. It also allows plants to be divided and the look to be changed. A frugal gardener may want to, but it is not necessary to spend a lot of money every year or two in order to have a new look in your garden. By simply "renewing the view", it is possible to have an entire new look to your garden without spending any money at all. Then you can add only a few new plants here and there to create stunning new views.

Elsewhere, I decided today to sell the large container of East Indian Lemongrass I have. It is an interesting ornamental grass with culinary and medicinal properties and admittedly it is a staple ingredient in many oriental dishes, but it isn't being used for any of these things and because it is a tropical grass, must be over wintered indoors. It doesn't do well in a light garden and is far to large and messy for inside the house, as is normal for many ornamental grasses. It will do best in a greenhouse over winter. I'm just not going to keep any houseplants that require a lot of fussing with or that require a lot of maintenance anymore. In fact, I'm not keeping many houseplants at all anymore.

The house is too small to have any large plants inside the living area. That's just a fact that I've got to live with and accept. Besides, we do have a young granddaughter that likes to get rambunctious from time to time and having a lot of plants around where she plays is not a good mix. The Hillbilly Gardener's house and landscape will be "kid friendly" or he won't have anything at all. Kids are far more important than plants to the Hillbilly Gardener. Far to often, that's not the case in the world today as far as he's concerned. Is it any wonder that we have so many disrespectful and troubled youth in our society today? If you can't respect a child as a person, let them enjoy childhood unfettered by a lot of rules and other constraints and help them to explore their natural curiosities, it is you that has the problem, not the child. The Hillbilly Gardener has seen more joy, excitement and wonder seeing the world through the eye's of a child than all of the gardens put together.

Through the eyes of a child, the world takes on new wonder and excitement. Bugs are huge, mysterious and sometimes cute or sometimes scary monsters. Worms aren't slimy and a baby plant is something to marvel over, cherish, care for and protect. Through a child's eyes, the world is a big playground to explore and have fun. Everything is new, fascinating and mysterious through the eyes of a child and wouldn't the world be a nicer place if we all could learn to see it that way? This is what the garden and outdoor world should be for all of us. This is what the Hillbilly Gardener strives to create in the Garden of Weedin. It isn't about what it produces. It is about the pleasure it brings. Even if it didn't produce a single crop of anything, but brought great joy, it would still be a huge success.

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Friday / October / 15 / 2010 -

It was a beautiful sunny day today with low wind and the high around 80 degrees F. The morning was spent running my son around to where he needed to go after he broke his wrist the other day and needed to have surgery to repair it. Once a father always a father and the Hillbilly Gardener doesn't mind at all. Actually, he rather enjoys helping his children out when they need it. My son does so much to help out around here, it is the least I can do. But, the first thing I did after getting out this afternoon was to start a fire in the wood burning fire pit . I did this for several reasons:

1. It was pretty full from all of the debris I've cut and trimmed off of the various plants around the Garden of Weedin this fall. Things like the rose and iris trimmings. Because of the high incidence of disease in these plants, these things should never be put in a compost bin because the diseases aren't killed by normal composting.
   
   NOTE: You know what? The Hillbilly Gardener has found that really good pruners that will last are getting quite expensive not to mention better ergonomics in pruners and finally, even pruners dedicated for use by "lefty's" that most folks never bother to think about. If you don't think these are important, trying using a pair of cheap, poorly fitted pruners all day - especially with arthritis in your hands. I've found that the cheap pruners available in those big box stores don't last very long if you use them very much, don't hold a edge very long and generally aren't worth the money and effort to bring home. It doesn't take very long before they loosen up and start twisting and it starts taking more and more effort to use them. The Hillbilly Gardener has several of these cheap pruners in a box in his shed that are no longer used and he has resolved to no longer purchase CHEAP pruners. But rather, he'll just save up his money and buy really good pruners once and not revisit this topic again for many years as long as he takes proper care of them.

2. My son so enjoys an outdoor fire. I love an outdoor wood burning fire pit, but he loves one even more than the Hillbilly Gardener does.

3. The Hillbilly Gardener has been kicking around the idea of having a weenie roast again anyway. The wind direction was not conducive to having a fire the last few days. But, today, the wind direction and speed was just right. A person really should be careful when having an outdoor fire because; 1) You don't want the smoke wafting into your neighbors house and 2) you don't want to start a grass fire.

I got the next section of the south bed finished this afternoon. Like I have entered before, I'm moving the plants from the small side bed to this south bed so that the raised planting beds can be moved to this location for more sun. This area is ready for mulching with the next mowing. No more than it has rained and the grass is growing, it will probably require the grass clippings and ground leaves both in order to get enough mulch for all of the planting areas I have and will have by the time I'm finished.

I've done quite a bit of research on "knee roots" of Maples the last several days because they are quite a problem around here and getting worse. Tree experts all tend to agree that these should be left alone for the good of the tree. But, I found many who cut them off religiously with no ill effect on the tree and I've found no one who has had a tree apparently suffer from it. For this reason and the fact that the Hillbilly Gardener is greatly concerned about the safety of moving around the yard and mowing. I did get out and trimmed off more "knees" from around the large maple tree that was in the back yard and near the fire pit. I didn't trim off all of them, just the ones in the main traffic areas. For all of the good a large tree provides, it would not be good for someone to trip, fall and injure themselves on one of these knee roots.

Saturday / October / 16 / 2010 -

About the only thing going on today was getting the yard mowed and mulching some of the new plantings just a little. There wasn't much in the way of grass to mow, so the mulch didn't go very far. But, the Hillbilly Gardener wanted to get things cleaned up in preparation for when the fall leaves fall that are starting now. Most of these will be used as ground leaves throughout the Garden of Weedin as mulch. With any luck, there will be enough for the compost pile as well. Fall is such an excellent time for starting a compost pile, with all of the fall leaves and debris removed from the garden.

The next week or two will see some beautiful sights as the fall leaves rain down. At times, it is beautiful to be out back in the yard and see a hard rain of fall leaves fall to the ground. And even more so when enjoyed with a child. Raking leaves into a large pile to jump into becomes a joy and something to look forward to rather than something to dread. It is especially magical to me when it is raining leaves, there is a distinct nip in the air and the smell of wood smoke in the air . These things evoke fond memories for the Hillbilly Gardener of falls spent as a child walking in the woods. There were the leaves falling from the trees, the crunch of leaves already fallen under foot and the discoveries of Bittersweet, Possum Grapes and the late fall blooms of wildflowers not yet stopped by a freeze.

With a little luck, I would catch a glimpse of a lizard scampering through the leaves and up a tree or the shell of a box turtle long since deceased. It's shell would be bleached white from the weather. I always had dreams of taking one home to create an "Indian Rattle" like our native ancestors did. But, I never seemed to get around to such as a child. Then there were the nuts of Black Walnut, and Sweet Hickory nuts to gather that only came in the fall, gourds, pumpkins and fall squash ready for harvest and all of the great pies, pumpkin butter and pumpkin bread that these would be turned into by my mother. Fall apples took on a distinct sweetness and a unique flavor that can only be had and appreciated when kissed by the cold of fall. Late-season watermelons left in the field into the fall were especially delightful when "busted" right there in the patch and savored. The melons seemed to take on a different and deepened cold and sweetness when chilled by the cold fall air. All of these things are the fondest memories that make up the fabric of life for a young person that far to many of our youth today do not get the opportunity to experience and this is a shame that makes the Hillbilly Gardener sorrowful for our youth today.

I got out early this morning and built up the fire in the wood burning fire pit . The air was cool and the sight, smell and feel of the fire was so delightful. It was a little warm today to do much sitting around the fire through the afternoon, with highs getting to around 80 degrees F. But, we did keep a low fire going all day and come evening, it was wonderful to sit around the wood burning fire pit, just talking and enjoying the crackling fire and the evening.

Monday / October / 18 / 2010 -

I got out today and watered the container plants and newly transplanted areas pretty good today. They're calling for a small chance of rain tonight, but with our past history of rain, we'll either get little or nothing (probably) or a "toad-strangler". It was a pleasant, sunny fall day though. It was a little bit warmer than perhaps I would have liked with highs around 80 degrees F. But, the Garden of Weedin is on an Ozarks plateau, so just stick around - it will change.

I finished the squirrel waterer project I had started today. The stump was put in place and 4 nails were inserted into the top of the stump so that it would hold the water pan (pot saucer) off of the stump about 1/2 inch. This was done for 2 reasons; 1) It keeps the water pan in place and doesn't allow it to come off of the stump easily and 2) it allows air to circulate under the pan. That way it will remain dry underneath and help to keep the stump from rotting any faster than it already is. I used a little water in the pan to determine a relative state of level. Since the pan is roughly 2 inches deep and squirrels do not care to get wet, I placed a 1/2 brick in the center of the pan for them to sit on while drinking. Now, we'll see if they take to the waterer and use it. I think they just might because at least one squirrel has been jumping up onto the birdbath in order to drink. I know this because it has left its "calling card" on the bowl of the birdbath.

I'm kicking around an idea to string a tight line between the 2 large maple trees I have out back. From this, I'll hang ears of shell corn for feeding squirrels. The idea is to encourage their squirrel antics and watch as they climb out along the line and hang from their back feet while they haul up an ear of squirrel food corn to feed on. The considerations here are; 1) it is quite a distance of roughly 40 feet between trees to be stringing a line, 2) once you start feeding the squirrels, it can get expensive because squirrels are big eaters and can consume a lot of corn in a short period of time. 3) If they hold true to form, they'll learn that they can cut regular rope and/or strings and drop the corn to the ground where it will be easier to eat. I may want to consider plastic coated clothes line cable for this. You would not want uncoated steel cable in the winter because of the potential to cause harm to the squirrels by freezing their feet.

Yes, we did get a little rain this evening. But less than 1/10th of an inch of rain and as usual, I watched on radar as heavier rains went to the west and south of us. We just can't catch a break.

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Wednesday / October / 20 / 2010 -

I started rejuvenating the third area of the south bed today. The digging has now gotten down to the spearmint where I now must contend with getting each and every piece of root out of the bed because it has outgrown its containment area. Spearmint is probably the most aggressive of the mints and must be grown either where the roots can be completely contained or grown where it can go as rampant as it wants. The real problem is going to be when I move the mint altogether with the next digging. I still have not made up my mind what I'm going to do with it. But, one thing is for sure - a whole lot of it is going to get "hoiked" because I have enough in one small area to plant an entire acre of ground and no one wants it because of its aggressive nature. I've tried to sell it before and no one wanted it. I'll keep enough for a good start though.

Right now, I'm leaning toward planting it in the remaining short barrel planter that I have left, as I did with the "Chocolate Mint". It is doing better in this planter than it did in the ground. Perhaps because it gets more water in a container than it did in the ground. In any case, it can't run rampant in this container. As far as containers are concerned, my long-term goal is to get as many plants as possible into large planters and install a drip watering system to make watering easier and faster.

Earlier in my garden journal I stated that the squirrels had been working hard to hide a whole lot of squirrel food away and the Garden of Weedin has been riddled with little "squirrel holes" where they've been hiding nuts and foraging for food. Well, while digging today I found a double-handful of nuts they had buried for later. I have been feeding these back to the squirrels as I found them. But, this time and from now on I think I'll hang onto them and feed this squirrel food back to them when the snow flies and food is harder to find. This will be part of my feeding squirrels project for this winter.

Further south in warmer climates, folks pay good money to plant and grow Bermuda grass lawns. Here in the Ozarks, Bermuda grass occurs naturally and while it may be a blessing during the summer for some, for most gardeners this is nothing less than a nuisance "weed" that grows into and through everything. Many folks try to "barricade" it out of their landscaping and gardens with physical barriers. But, I've tried 6 inch deep barriers and the stolons went right under them. So, I guess a person might need to go at least a foot or more into the ground in order to stop it. I've also considered going to deep raised beds for everything.

The problem here is that a heavy barrier fabric may need to be installed under the beds when they are installed. The Hillbilly Gardener has tried this on one occasion and it worked to keep the Bermuda grass out at first, but then ended up being a failure because voles or field mice dug under the bed and chewed up the fabric. The chewed up fabric then became very nice nesting material for them. After the fabric was destroyed, Bermuda grass and Elderberries came right up through the 10 inch deep bed. The answer may be that first the fabric needs to be applied to the bed frame (the bottom side of the raised bed frame) and then a wire mesh over that so that mice, rats, voles and moles cannot tear it up and then allow the plants to grow through.

What the Hillbilly Gardener has been doing for a few years now that seems to work well in controlling the stolon's of Bermuda grass is to "rake" it or pull up the stolon's. Using a cultivating fork , rake the ground hard to dislodge and pull the stolon's up. This also pulls up the runners from such weeds as ground mint, false strawberry, purslane and others as well as de-thatching the area as well. Actually, this task is easier if you use a thatching rake if you have one. Work in small areas and after you get an area pulled up, mow the stolon's and weeds off with a lawn mower. The Hillbilly Gardener uses a bagging type lawn mower to catch the clippings and either use them for mulch or place the clippings into the compost. This "raking" is done along the planting beds only most of the time. But, occasionally large areas of the yard may be done when the stolon's are getting thick. But, here again, only work in small areas at a time because it can be hard work.

Thursday / October / 21 / 2010 -

It's shopping day today. One day out of each month there is not much chance to get anything done in the Garden of Weedin because, after several hours of shopping there's not much left in the Hillbilly Gardener anymore to do much garden work outside. I did commit myself to what I'm going to do with the Spearmint in the south bed. I'm going to transplant starts of it into the last short tub made from the upper part of a 55 gallon barrel. It is working well so far for the Chocolate Mint that was planted a couple of years ago. But, spearmint is much more aggressive in its growth. So I'll need to be more aggressive in keeping it thinned as well.  So I picked up some glue to attach screen wire over the drainage holes in the bottom of the planter. Now - where will I keep it? I'm working on some ideas for that as well. I don't want to be moving heavy large garden planters around much, so I need to try and come up with a plan to place it where it can stay for a while.

I do have a dream of someday having a place and the abilities to have row upon row of large garden planters filled with every kind of fruit, vegetable and herb imaginable. My "POT FARM" as it were. I can see so many problems being overcome by such a gardening method and the obstacles to overcome will be minimal and manageable as I can see right now. No more bending, stooping and kneeling down. Some of the issues that will need to be addressed with such a venture as I see it now are:

1. Soil temperature stabilization. The soil temperatures will tend to get very hot in summer and overly cold in winter. The hot in summer will be the biggest issue to deal with for most plants. This can be addressed with soil and container shading and insulation. Bubble-wrap and shade cloth may work well for this. I have also had good success using aluminum foil and some form of covering to detract from the "shine" of foil.

2. Excessive soil drying. I would seek to install a drip-irrigation system here. These could be attached to and controlled by a timer or a series of timers depending on the water needs of the various plants. Some will need more and more frequent watering while others will need less.

3. More frequent feeding. Containerized plants cannot send their roots deeper and wider in search of food and water. Therefore, it will be necessary to feed them regularly. This really is not a big issue to overcome if you use an eductor system with your irrigation system. The fertilizer will be automatically introduced and mixed with the water each time you irrigate. The only drawback to this type of system is to get the correct mix ratio (that does take a little bit of math) and keeping them rinsed out and clean. Dirt and corrosion will render this type of system useless quickly. But none of these are big issues to overcome. Once you have a mix ratio with a particular type and brand of fertilizer, stick with it and rinse the system out thoroughly after each use. The only other thing that one needs to consider is to never allow them to freeze. This will destroy or damage them quickly.

4. The soil will need to be "rejuvenated" regularly. This means that the soil will probably need to be removed and amended with compost, etc. every year or two for many plants. But, because you're dealing with large garden planters instead of the open ground, large shovels, etc. will not be needed. This task is easily handled with a soil scoop and wheelbarrow or garden cart. And ladies, there are now garden wheelbarrows designed with you in mind and if you're going to be making compost anyway, why not have some fun while you're at it.

Friday/ October / 22 / 2010 -

Another beautiful fall day with bright sunshine and temperatures near 80 degrees F. But, it's very dry around here and the grass is largely brown again. The bright spot? They're calling for rain tonight and throughout the weekend! In fact, they're calling for a good chance of severe weather tomorrow evening. But, the leaves sure are beautiful around here right now. If we do get the severe weather it will probably knock a lot of them down though.

We went to town for a few things this afternoon that we didn't get while we were out shopping the other day. I couldn't help picking up 3 mums that were marked down. Late into the fall season is a great time to get a lot of bargains when stores are trying to clear out inventories. Sure, they look kind of ragged right now, but if they survive the winter they will look great next year. A truly frugal gardener really aught to check out the clearance isles more often in late season to save money on things they're going to buy and use anyway and many plants are marked way down in order to get rid of them. A frugal gardener can increase the plants in their garden for very little money and a little TLC because many of the plants offered now have not had the best care. Even if the frugal gardener looses a plant or two, they're not out much. But the ones that survive will more than make up for the ones that don't in most cases. Other things I've saved money on by checking out the late season clearance isle are things like jute twine, plant markers, seed starting supplies and small garden art items. And on plant markers, those little short plant markers are great in seed-starting flats. but if you're marking plants in your garden, for goodness sake get markers that are large and tall enough that you don't have to get down on your hands and knees to read them! Here again ladies, the Hillbilly Gardener is sensitive to you as well and has found that with the "pink awareness" across the nation today, there are now pink markers just for you. You're no longer stuck with drab white. One last thing on plant markers, well a couple really, if you're planning on using them for more than just starting seeds, pick up a paint pen where you get craft supplies and use that to mark your labels. Pencil fades out in a short time and regular markers don't last more than a few weeks before they also fade out in the sun. The other thing on plant markers is to save money over the long haul by using plastic or other durable material. Save then at the end of the season and reuse them. I'll show you how in my "Tips and Tricks" area coming soon. The Hillbilly Gardener is not going to spend more money than he has to, loves a good bargain and hates to waste anything.

I finished off the last of the compost in the first compost bin and was able to start on the second bin. Once I got the rough stuff off of the top and got down into it, there is a lot of compost that is just right for digging into the beds. I turned the rough stuff into the first bin to finish composting and there will be a lot of room left for any leaves that are left after mulching this fall. I always mulch early in the fall for two reasons:

1. If the bed is newly planted, it keeps the soil warmer longer so the roots can continue to grow.

2. If the bed is established, it lets it freeze later and thaw less. This lets the roots continue to grow late into the year.

3. Late fall around here is normally fairly dry and mulch helps to retain moisture.

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Saturday / October / 23 / 2010 -

It was warm, dry and very mild today with the temperature getting to the mid 70's. Once again, we watched as the storms they were predicting last night went north of us. My son must be right, there's a huge bubble over us so we can't get any rain here. Oh well, the weather is what it is and at least we have some really beautiful fall colors in the trees this year. They're calling for the chance for some possibly severe storms this evening and tonight. If we do get strong storms, it will knock a whole lot of leaves off of the trees.

I did get out and harvest leaves this afternoon for mulching the plants I have moved. When the fall leaves fall, I look forward to getting out to harvest leaves and rely on them for much of my fall mulching. I find it somewhat irritating, or at least disappointing that more folks don't harvest leaves when the fall leaves fall because there are so many uses for leaves around the garden and landscape. They have a wonderful insulating quality and the amount of minerals and trace elements they can provide as free fertilizer are fantastic. It would cost the average gardener a small fortune to purchase that amount of fertilizer in a commercially prepared form.

It has always been my long-term goal to harvest leaves from wherever I could get them to mulch the garden with, build the compost pile and still have enough left over and the place to store them dry for later use. As it is, I rarely have enough to just mulch what needs mulched and some for the compost. Every year, when the fall leaves fall, I am left wishing I had yard vacuum, a truck or trailer and a place to store leaves. I would run an add in the paper and harvest leaves from every yard in town. But then, I would also harvest the black walnuts of fall as well that are fetching $11.00 per hundredweight this year (weight after hulling). With a good place to pick up walnuts, the Hillbilly Gardener can easily pick up 100 pounds or more of walnuts in an hour. Between the two, harvest leaves and black walnuts, the Hillbilly Gardener could make a nice little income for the upcoming holidays and gain some valuable leaves for my own use. But, I don't have the means right now or facilities, so I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing and keep on dreaming of someday.

Anyway, I'm out to harvest leaves to mulch what I have moved. But, regardless of whether or not I get enough leaves to complete what I want to mulch, the Hillbilly Gardener will not harvest leaves from the main part of the back yard yet. There is a little girl that has been bugging her father to rake up leaves to play in. If there is one thing she remembers well, it is raking the huge pile of leaves last year, being thrown into and playing in them. Come on folks - a little bit of raking is good for your health, gets you out from in front of the idiot box for a little while, gets you some fresh air and lets you enjoy a fall day when the fall leaves fall and the joy seen on children's faces as they have a ball in a huge pile of leaves is priceless. Can anything be better than to harvest leaves when the fall leaves fall each year?

Anyway, I've got the beds mulched, the birdbath and squirrel water dish cleaned out from the leaves that have fallen in them, refilled with fresh water and it's starting to sprinkle pretty hard. I'm going inside for now and hope we do get some rain, but no strong winds to knock off to many of the beautiful leaves to enjoy another day.

Sunday / October / 24 / 2010 -

Alright, my son must be right. We watched all afternoon and evening as a huge storm system moved up from Texas and Oklahoma toward Missouri and our Ozarks plateau Garden of Weedin, just knowing that we were going to get a huge amount of rain. And it did start to rain very lightly yesterday, which drove me inside. What we ended up with was to watch the storm system split and go to the south and mainly north of us as has been the case all year long with storm after storm. We did get 1/4 inch of rain which came down nice and slow over many hours and just a little bit of wind. But nothing strong. It's a curse I tell you - A CURSE!

I did hear someone tell me a theory about our rain patterns that I find very plausible and in fact probable. Bolivar and the Garden of Weedin are situated on the edge of an Ozarks plateau (the Springfield plateau) that rises up from the relatively flatter land to the north of us (actually a broad valley) and the flatlands of Oklahoma. To the south of us are the hilly areas of the Boston Mountains and to the east of us is the Salem plateau and St. François Mountains. As storm systems approach us from the southwest or northwest, they reach these higher elevations and are redirected around them. Storm systems that do get into our area, must be fairly strong and by the time they rise to our elevation, they have lost a great deal of energy. While a great many folks come to the Ozarks for the shear beauty of it, few realize that the Ozarks mountain region of Missouri is actually a part of the oldest mountain range in the United States and as such is actually somewhat arid as are most mountain ranges.

Sunday / October / 24 / 2010 -

It was a bright, sunshiny day today with temperatures getting into the upper 70's and quite breezy. Just the kind of day you expect from a fall day. The rains they were calling for, as normal around the Garden of Weedin this year, went around us. In this case, to the south. But, after seeing the amount of storm activity with tornados across Texas and all the way into Alabama and Tennessee, I'm kind of glad it didn't make it up here. The pretty fall foliage would have been gone for sure and maybe worse. I really would like to get a new weather station built. It really does not take a lot or time or effort to be able learn how to use a weather station effectively for getting advance warning of approaching foul weather. This is something that the Hillbilly Gardener believes that every responsible person should do for their own protection and that of their loved ones. At least get a weather radio so that you can get advanced warnings of approaching storms. Yet, there are countless folks who will do nothing. They'll rely on someone else to warn them and then whine and cry when they don't get the warnings they think they should have. The Hillbilly Gardener finds it difficult to feel sorry for those folks.

I got out today and removed the leaves from the patio that were starting to build up from the leaves. This helps avoid patio stains and keeps the patio tidy. You know, if more folks would do a little more proactive work at removing leaves when the fall leaves fall, they would avoid many patio stains and wood deck stains. Wood deck stains are probably the easiest to get, because wood is more absorbent than brick, stone or concrete. In any case, the easiest stains to remove are the ones you avoid in the first place. It's to late to avoid patio stains or wood deck stains if you wait until you already have them before taking action. Patio stains and wood deck stains in fall occur mainly from the tannins in all leaves. When the fall leaves fall, they pile up in corners and around furniture and then when they get wet, they dry out very slowly and allow their tannins to leach into the deck or patio, causing patio stains and wood deck stains. Patio stains and wood deck stains caused when fall leaves fall onto your deck or patio are easily avoided by prevention. But not easily removed once they occur.

1. Keep the leaves removed and do not allow them to build up. This is especially true after a rain or other moisture occurs to the leaves. Yes, when the fall leaves fall and start to pile up, this might require almost daily removal, but is so easy to do and normally requires very little time or effort. It is normally not necessary to remove every leaf. But, it is absolutely necessary to keep them moved around so that none of them are allowed to remain in one place for long.

2. Keep your deck or patio sealed with a good quality water sealer. If your deck or patio is sealed so that water cannot penetrate, any patio stains or wood deck stains will be confined to the surface and easily removed with normal cleaning. Sealing should be done at least twice per year. Once in the spring after the deteriorating snow and ice of winter has passed and the weather has warmed. A second sealing should be done in late summer to counteract the harmful effects of summers heat and drying. Try to find a sealer that is resistant to UV (ultra-violet) deterioration.

Any way that you can remove the leaves of fall will work. But, by far, the easiest way is to use a leaf blower for this task and if the blower doubles as a vacuum or shredder vacuum also, you can turn those piles of leaves into instant mulch to use around your garden and landscape. While any blower will work, consider using an electric blower. Electric blowers, either corded or cordless blowers, are much quieter when working near the house. No, they tend not to be as powerful as a big gas-powered unit, but extreme power is not needed for this operation. In fact, it is often much more difficult to move leaves in the direction you need them to go with a big, powerful leaf blower. Big blowers tend to kick the leaves up in the air much more than a smaller blower. Think of it kind of like trying to "herd chickens". If you run at them or use a lot of sudden force, they scatter to the four winds. But, a gentle guiding will push them in the direction you want them to go.

When you use any blower, it is absolutely imperative that you keep blower safety in mind and the bigger and more powerful the blower, the more important blower safety becomes. This is because that the more and faster the air is moving, the faster and more forcefully anything that is kicked up moves. Think about it for a minute. A blower moving large volumes of air at 300+ miles per hour is moving objects at the speed and force of a major hurricane. How much damage can a stick, rock or other object moving at 300 miles per hour do? Yes, blower safety is extremely important and the Hillbilly Gardener is constantly seeing folks using these portable "missile-launchers" in a very unsafe manner, never thinking once about the damage they can do. It is as if these folks are creating an accident just waiting for a place to happen. For your safety and the safety of people and things around you, here are a few blower safety tips to help avoid an accident:

1. ALWAYS read, understand and follow the safety and operation instructions that come with your blower.

2. ALWAYS wear hearing protection when operating any power equipment. Many blowers on the market today, produce sound levels in excess of 90dB. Sustained exposure to sound levels above 90dB can cause serious and permanent hearing damage and loss. Also, never substitute a "headphone radio" for proper hearing protection unless it is specifically designed for that task. Headphone radios are not designed for, nor are they intended to be used as hearing protection. In fact, in attempting to listen to your favorite tunes over the noise of a leaf blower, you may end up turning the volume up to a point that your "tunes" are more dangerous than the sound of the leaf blower.

3. ALWAYS wear eye protection when operating any power equipment. But especially a leaf blower. Remember, the objects kicked up by a blower are moving at extreme speed and will ricochet off of solid objects easily back into your face. Persons who wear prescription eyeglasses should wear safety goggles that fit over your prescription glasses. Normal prescription are not designed to be safety glasses and should not be counted on to do so. If you normally wear sunglasses outdoors, it is now an easy thing to combine sunglasses with safety glasses with the new tinted safety glasses.

4. Wear respiratory protection when blowing fall leaves. Fall leaves carry a great deal of dust and mold with them that can cause respiratory infections and other respiratory problems. If you are prone to respiratory problems, never rely on thin, disposable paper masks as these rarely are very effective at keeping out fine dust particles. Instead, invest in a good quality particulate respirator with replaceable filter cartridges and is washable.

5. NEVER operate a blower for extended periods of time. The vibration of the machine can lead to physiological damage such as "Carpel Tunnel Syndrome" and other joint problems. Take frequent breaks.

6. Never operate any power machinery when fatigued. These are potentially dangerous machines and they require your utmost attention to their safe operation. For some, this may be a good excuse for an afternoon siesta on a beautiful fall day. OHHH - - - WHY NOT?

7. NEVER blow or point a leaf blower at anyone. Objects being blown by a blower are moving with dangerous velocities and force that can cause extreme injury if they strike a person.

8. Blow leaves and other debris away from structures and other solid objects. Any solid object becomes a point from which airborne objects can ricochet back at you or another person. NO - NOT CAN RICOCHET - THEY WILL RICOCHET. Trust me on this!

9. ALWAYS keep small children and pets out of the area where you are blowing. Remember, blower safety is your responsibility and they are trusting you to operate your blower safely.

10. ALWAYS make sure that anyone in the immediate area is also wearing appropriate eye and hearing protection.

11. ALWAYS have a clear and open path to blow leaves and other debris through. NEVER try to blow anything up and over a stationary object. Move or remove furniture and other objects in the path of the leaves whenever possible to provide a clear path.

12. Never blow into the wind whenever possible. Kicked up debris will blow back into your face. Always try to blow when the air is calm or work with the wind to keep material moving away from you.

13. Be aware and mindful of pedestrians and passing vehicles when blowing. Kicked up debris will injure pedestrians and damage vehicles easily and quickly. Always be aware of the fact that material may be moving with great velocity and can travel great distances very quickly.

14. NEVER store gasoline inside the living area or basement of a house and ALWAYS keep it in an approved container and away from ignition sources such as hot water heaters, furnaces and etc.

15. ALWAYS keep all power equipment tuned up and operating efficiently to avoid undue physical strain, fuel usage and distraction during operation. Check all parts for proper tightness frequently and properly tighten any that are found loose.

16. ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep all guards and other safety equipment in place working properly on all power equipment.

Leaf blowers are one of the greatest pieces of outdoor power equipment that any gardener or simply any homeowner can have, especially if the blower is a shredder-vac that can do multiple duty. But only in-so-long as a few simple blower safety rules are followed. These are but a few of the more important blower safety rules that must be followed in order to avoid injury and many more could be mentioned. Enjoy your leaf blower, a beautiful fall day when the fall leaves fall and BE SAFE!

On a final note after those "long-winded thoughts". I witnessed my first squirrel drinking from the squirrel water dish today. So, I guess it is a success after all! Once in a while the Hillbilly Gardener comes up with a good idea.

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Monday / October / 25 / 2010 -

It was a breezy, pleasant fall day today and the granddaughter is going to be here this evening. One of the big fall activities for kids that she has been asking for is a big pile of leaves to play in. This is an activity that she looks forward to each year when the fall leaves fall and the weather turns cool. So "Papa" dutifully started building her a leaf pile today. More leaves need to fall though to get her a really huge leaf pile. But, there are enough leaves to get her started so I dug out the leaf blower and started to harvest leaves into a leaf pile.

When you harvest leaves into a leaf pile as fall activities for kids, blower safety is even more important because often kids will be eagerly bouncing all around the place in anticipation of the coming fun. But. Papa used his head for something besides a "hat rack" and did the blowing while she was at school so it would be a surprise for her. There was a stiff breeze today, so I was glad that I took the time the other day to construct a homemade windsock to help me determine the wind direction a little better. Garden windsocks are so handy around the Garden of Weedin and so practical. They are not just a handy thing to have when blowing leaves, we build many fires each year in the fire pit and it's great to know which direction the wind is blowing so we don't blow smoke at the neighbors house. In fact, the longer we have a fire pit and use it, the more we enjoy and almost rely on it. It has now come to the point that we use our fire pit so much that we would be lost without it. It's one of those things that you don't realize how much you can enjoy something until you start using it and using it often.

The humble, fluorescent orange windsock so familiar at airports and buildings where helicopters land, started out as a purely utilitarian device to help pilots accurately determine wind direction and wind speed. Today, garden windsocks have evolved into a functional outdoor decorating device that, while no longer widely used for its originally intended purpose, still retains its originally intended ability to tell wind direction and wind speed. Garden windsocks today are often brightly colored and can be made to any size, shape and color desired and with the use of a wind anemometer, you can still use them to estimate the wind speed.

A simple homemade windsock can be made to any size and shape you wish it to be. In many cases, as here in the Garden of Weedin, a homemade windsock is used more to determine wind direction than speed and actually takes on more of a "streamer" appearance than a sock. But then, like the Hillbilly Gardener said, it is used most to determine wind direction than wind speed because wind speed is seldom of big concern for what we use it for. The Hillbilly Gardener normally just wishes to keep from blowing smoke from his outdoor fire toward the house of his neighbor.

To make the simple homemade windsock (actually a wind streamer) that the Hillbilly Gardener made, simply choose a board that is from 18-24 inches long and some yarn in whatever color or colors you like. Brighter colors are easier to see from a distance. Wrap the yarn around the board from end to end from 12-24 times. After wrapping the yarn around the board, at one end of the board, tie a string or another piece of the same yarn tightly around the entire bundle of wrapped yarn. After tying the yarn together at one end, using a sharp knife, cut through all of the wraps of yarn at the opposite end of the board. After cutting the yarn loose, tie a knot in the end of each strand of yarn to keep it from fraying. In the middle of your bundle where you tied them all together, attach the assembly to a ring of your choice. I used a piece of garden wire to attach the streamer to my ring.

The Hillbilly Gardener made his own hanging ring by wrapping a length of straightened coat hanger around a piece of wooden tool handle three times. After wrapping the wire, remove it from the handle and cut it off so that the two ends overlap each other by at least 1/2 inch. Using a length of smaller and more flexible wire, wrap it around the hanging ring where the ends meet several times and secure it in place to bind it all together. then paint the ring whatever color you wish. The Hillbilly Gardener has thing for green. After the paint is dry, attach your homemade windsock to your ring, hang and enjoy.

Getting back to the leaf pile, a leaf blower is a great tool for getting a large area collected into a relatively small area pretty quickly. But, it is not good for getting a large leaf pile "high and tight" for those fall activities for kids that involve a leaf pile. For that reason, it is best to use a good leaf rake to finish off the leaf pile into a high, tight pile. At times, the leaf pile has been large enough that the Hillbilly Gardener had to use a pitchfork to pile up the leaves and a rake to clean it up around the pile. A leaf grabber would even be better here because it won't leave as many leaves to rake up. A leaf grabber will also make quick and easy work of picking up those leaves after the kids are through with the leaf pile or rather "mom and dad" decide the kids are through with the leaf pile.

When the fall leaves fall and you do harvest leaves for the purpose of fall activities for kids, be very careful to watch for and remove all sticks, limbs and other debris from the leaves as you collect them. But, make it easy on your back by using a "grabber" or other pick-up tool to do this. The Hillbilly Gardener would be lost without his pick-up tool and it is his constant companion anymore. Sticks and other debris can easily injure a small child if left in the leaves. Even a small stick that you might not think twice about otherwise, can do serious injury if a small child lands on it the right way. Additionally, if you fail to pick up the sticks and other debris from the area before you start mowing, many of the sticks can damage the lawnmower, dull the blade and pieces can become projectiles when they are thrown from the mower that can cause serious injury or damage if they strike a person or object.

Another word of advice for children when it comes to enjoying your leaf pile. ALWAYS WEAR LONG SLEEVES AND LONG PANTS. The stems and edges of dry leaves can and will create small scratches all over exposed skin that can be extremely painful and uncomfortable. In fact, it may only take a hour or two of hard playing before the child is complaining of burning and itching on all exposed areas of their bodies. The burning and itching is from thousands of tiny scratches that are being irritated by the dust and dirt on the leaves. The good news is that with some judicious cleaning with soap and water (yes, it may burn a bit if the scratches are bad enough) and some good skin lotion, followed by long sleeves and pants will clear it right up in a day or two unless they are bad scratches with visible bleeding. These should receive some antibiotic salve and perhaps a light dressing for a day or two.

Elsewhere, I had bought some more fall mums the other day and have not yet got a good location in mind or ready for them. So, for the fall and winter I decided to plant them in one of the large long planters I have and let them beautify my back door this fall. Next spring, I'll plant them in a more permanent location. Right now, I'm considering planting them in large containers like I've done with the maroon mum I currently have and using them on the patio.

Tuesday / October / 26 / 2010 -

We had bad storms roll through the area last night. A lot of thunder, lightning and wind. The weather radio kept going off every few minutes with warnings and watches of all kinds. But, through it all we only got 1/4 inch of rain while elsewhere tornados, floods and hurricane force winds were occurring in other states to the north and east of us. To the north and east, they were breaking records for air pressure, extensive tornado and wind damage. This storm system is being claimed as being stronger than the one that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes back in 1972. Snow over a large area of the northern states and even blizzard conditions in North Dakota. This is one time the Hillbilly Gardener is glad the storms went around us. But in meteorological terms - we barely missed it by a whisker!

But, this system is set to bring some of the coldest air of the season down from the north and we are predicted to get our first major freeze of the season tomorrow night with temperatures predicted to get down into the 20's. The highs for the next several days are not predicted to get out of the upper fifties to mid-sixties and windy. What a way to end October.

In any case, I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the yard from all of the limbs, sticks and other debris that was knocked down last night. Otherwise, it was really quite pleasant outside even though it was quite breezy.

Wednesday / October / 27 / 2010 -

It's Wednesday, nearing the end of October and the month has been pretty calm so far. I took the time today to take a little walk around the area and enjoy this beautiful fall day with its bright sunshine and relatively warm temperatures in the lower seventies. Folks don't take the time to get out and just enjoy the outdoors enough as far as the Hillbilly Gardener is concerned. We're too busy with far to many things and I used to be the same way. Too much to do and not enough hours in the day. You know what? All that just really doesn't matter any more and life is far to short not to take time to enjoy what is all around us every day. These are things and memories that children will carry with them throughout their lives. So take the time to share these things with a child and both of you will be the better for it.

Around the yard and garden, I did take time to finish digging the little area (the third area) of the south bed and incorporating a lot of compost into it. Tomorrow, I'll finish off the edging and landscape fabric. A task that I've been undertaking on nearly a daily basis is picking up paint chips from the yard from the attic windows that were repainted. Ok - so what does this have to do with gardening? Why is this something that needs to be brought up in my garden journal? Who cares anyway? Wouldn't the Hillbilly Gardeners time be better spent doing something that is of more interest to others? This is boring and is of absolutely no interest to me. Yes, you're absolutely right on many points. This does not have anything to do with the garden and yet, it has a lot to do with both the garden, landscape and the health of many.

Many people, just like myself live in older homes. Homes with paint that dates back many years. Paint that few will ever take the time to give a second thought to - especially if the paint is outdoors. Stop and think for a moment if you will to what was a key component in paint that was used many years ago. That component was lead. An element that is vital to many things and which without its use even today, we would still be starting our cars with a "crank", the plumbing in our houses would still be steel that is prone rust and corrosion and we would have no electronics. But, when it is released into the atmosphere or in some way finds its way inside of our bodies, it only takes a few parts per million to start having grave health effects. Lead, when consumed in some way has been shown to cause brain damage and many other physiological problems. When released into the soil, a very small amount can contaminate a large amount of soil. Soil that we grow in.

Getting back to the point, I am spending many hours per week picking up paint chips that are continually raining down from the roof from where the attic windows were scraped and painted. Given the probable age of the paint coming loose, the Hillbilly Gardener chooses to suspect that it contains lead. As such, it would be extremely detrimental to allow it to degrade into the soil. Besides, it's unsightly. Ok Hillbilly, so what's the point in bringing this up beyond the safety issue? Why did you leave it on the roof? Why didn't you clean it up as you scraped it off? Why don't you have it tested? Simple really. I have no say in the scraping, painting and leaving of the paint chips and I do not have the ladder needed to get up on the roof and remove it. The fact is, that in most parts of the country, even today, there is little interest in these things among homeowners and landlords and even less desire among them to limit exposure to others because it can be expensive. Whether or not it is tested will make little difference in how it is handled in this case and would probably work against the Hillbilly Gardener with increased monthly payments if the issue was pursued. Therefore, it will be assumed that the paint contains lead and it will be cleaned up.

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Thursday / October / 28 / 2010 -

Well, it's a rather chilly, breezy but sunny day today. The temperatures are not getting out of the 50's today. Guess what? They're calling for the first killing freeze of the fall tonight with the thermometer getting down into the twenties tonight. I guess it's a fitting end to October. So I got a few plants covered up with sheets and blankets that I want to hang onto for a while longer. I'm glad I kept an eye out for old sheets and blankets at the yard saleing I did the past couple of years. It keeps the Hillbilly Gardener out of trouble with Momma when I drag her good bedclothes out of the house to cover plants. You know, there is a wealth of bargains and needful garden stuff to be had at yard and garage sales for the frugal gardener and the ability to save a lot of money on stuff a frugal gardener would be buying anyway. It would be so easy for the Hillbilly Gardener to get off on a tirade about the advantages of shopping second-hand for many of your garden needs. But, this is something that a frugal gardener either realizes themselves on their own or will not listen to anyway. But then, if a gardener refuses to take advantage of yard sale bargains, I guess they could be called a frugal gardener could they? So, I'll just say that "second-hand" opens the doors for so many opportunities around the yard and garden and satisfies a creative vain in the Hillbilly Garden while allowing him to save money.

It is probably a safe bet that this freeze will make the fall leaves fall like rain as well. While in many ways I don't like to see that day come, (like the end of a much anticipated holiday) there is a great beauty in watching the fall leaves fall in great waves like rain. This is especially true if there is a chill in the air and the smell of wood smoke in the air. I do so look forward to getting out to harvest fall leaves though. It also makes me wish I was out cutting firewood for the coming winter. Perhaps someday again.

Anyway, I did get the area finished in the south bed that I had started. I edged it with the bricks and landscape fabriced the "no-plant area" that stays too dry to effectively grow plants without copious amounts of supplemental irrigation. Tomorrow, I'll get it planted and then all of the areas where I want to move the raised beds will be cleared out and I can start getting the beds ready to move. I let my son start building the long garden work bench beside the patio that I've been anticipating building for so long. This garden work bench will allow me to work outside without the need to drag everything out into the yard and set up sawhorses to work on. I do so much prefer to work outside as opposed to inside whenever to weather allows. Yes, it's probably too late in the year to get the painting done on the garden work bench top, which is a piece of 3/4 inch chipboard,  but I can probably paint the top of the garden work bench in the basement and attach it after it's dry. The rest of the frame is made from treated wood, so I'm not to concerned with that yet if it doesn't get painted.

A garden work bench is such a simple thing, or can be, and they are so valuable for all of those little jobs you do outside. In fact, so useful is the garden work bench around the Garden of Weedin that the Hillbilly Gardener plans to build at least one or two more that are smaller, say only about 2 feet square and place them at strategic locations around the Garden of Weedin. These will be simply a square top that is mounted on top of a wooden post installed at various strategic locations around the garden. This type of garden work bench will serve as a quick bench area for all of those little quick jobs that you do around the garden or all of those small garden tools and other things that you do not want to leave on the ground.

Anyway, getting back to the garden work bench that my son is currently building, it's a basic bench. Nothing fancy here. This one is 12 feet long by 2 feet wide and stands 36 inches tall with no shelving underneath for a clear storage are that is easy to clean and get to. Yes, it is fairly large. But then, it is intended for much more than simply a handy potting bench. I just wanted a basic bench to work on without bending over. There is no shelf under it. That way the Hillbilly Gardener can store trash cans used for storage under it and container plants that are being over wintered will go under it for the winter. The method of construction of this garden work bench will allow plastic sheeting to be attached all the way around it to provide additional protection for the container plants. Just a simple top on 4x4 legs. That's the garden work bench I have been wanting. Simple, functional, reasonably attractive, inexpensive, easy to keep clean underneath and no shelves or other areas to act as "collection points" for a lot of "stuff". Stuff that the Hillbilly Gardener is trying hard to whittle down. This is what the Hillbilly Gardener is looking for in a garden work bench.

With the colder temperatures each year comes the need to start keeping garden hoses drained or install heated hoses. Ultimately, it would be great to have at least one heated hose so that there would be no need to drain the hose after each use and I could have water whenever I needed it without the hassle. Something that used to be rather time consuming around the Garden of Weedin, I would have to disconnect the hose and "walk it out" by stretching the hose out, then starting at the highest end, elevate the hose and manually drain the hose as I walked length of the hose. This year, the Hillbilly Gardener finally got around to doing something he's been meaning to do for years. He finally constructed a "hose blow out". It is based on the very same principles and methods employed by professional sprinkler people.

The Hillbilly Gardener was able to scrounge through his collection of saved plumbing fittings and add a hose connector and spare air blow gun to create a blow-out valve that could be connected to an existing hose "Y" valve at the hydrant. This was then connected to an air compressor and regulated down to a pressure below the normal city water pressure. He then simply opened the valve on the hose and "blew" the water out of the hose. Since the air compressor is only a small one, the air must be cycled on and off to allow the air time to build up in the air compressor and shut off between cycles. Now that I know the idea works as planned, I will pick up the parts to create a more permanent, "hands free" valve system.

This worked very well and will work equally well for water appliances like drippers, water timers, sprinklers and the like. The big caution here is that you absolutely must keep the air pressure regulated BELOW the normal operating pressure of the appliance. This is because air is compressible and water is not. Also, most water appliances are incapable of withstanding high pressures and to shoot high-pressure air through the appliance will most assuredly destroy it. After each use in cold weather, simply attach the air hose to your blow out and clear the water from the system quickly.

Always use a pressure regulator and NEVER get impatient and try to speed up the process by applying pressure at or above the normal operating pressure of the system or device. This is a proven effective and safe way to clear systems and devices of water - but only as long as some common sense and patience are employed. As long as water is moving and the pressure is set to a pressure below the normal operating pressure of the device or system, it is working as designed. So leave it alone and let it do its work.

Friday / October / 29 / 2010 -

Got up at 0530 to 26 degrees outside, frost and a calm wind. I guess the traditional growing season is now over and the month is nearly so. Halloween is only 2 days away, the month will be over and Thanksgiving will be on its way with Christmas right behind. I LOVE IT! The weather forecast is for the temperatures not to dip to freezing again for at least the next couple of weeks. So I have not yet dug out and installed the birdbath heater. But, when I got up this morning, the birdbath was frozen over. A few birds came to call and their landing was a bit of a shock as they "skidded off the runway" so to speak. It was a little funny to watch actually. But, the birdbath water will thaw quickly after the sun has been up a little while.

While I've been enjoying a little hot spiced cider for a few cooler weeks now, this morning found a special appeal for some of my homemade "Coffee Mocha", Hillbilly style. A simple thing really. But oh so good on a chilly morning! To make homemade Coffee Mocha Hillbilly Style, all you need is some really strong coffee (instant will work, but fresh brewed is better), your favorite instant hot cocoa mix, cinnamon and nutmeg. Into your favorite large cocoa mug, pour the contents of the hot cocoa mix. To this add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. The Hillbilly Gardener has a "large" coffee cup. So he normally uses roughly 1/16 tsp. of nutmeg and 1/8-1/4 tsp. of cinnamon (two of his favorite spices). Fill cup with hot, really strong coffee and enjoy. If you like yours sweeter, add pure honey to taste - not sugar. the honey adds extra depth to the flavor. If more cream is desired, use half and half or heavy cream - not milk or creamer. Top with marshmallows if you like. Yes, this is a really rich cup of "Coffee Mocha", but one cup is much more satisfying than anything you'll buy in one of those expensive coffee shops and costs practically nothing in comparison to their prices. This is a fantastic hot drink if you have work to get done outside on a chilly morning. AND OH SO GOOD!

When I got out and about today, I found that the cucumbers had succumbed to the cold and were frozen. So, it had to have gotten down to around 25 degrees in the Garden of Weedin last night. Blankets will normally protect plants down to around 26 or 27 degrees. But, there is a fine line between where various plants will freeze and where they will not. Add to this whether or not there is a breeze and protecting plants below freezing becomes a a little bit of a gamble. The blankets, coupled with plastic sheeting over it would have given 2-3 degrees more protection. I guess the traditional growing season is now over in the Garden of Weedin and anything grown will need to be in a more formal growing enclosure such as a hoop cloche or other growing enclosure.

One of the joys of working outside in the fall are the number of birds that come to call during their annual migration south. While working on the south bed today, I had a pair of Bluebirds stop by the birdbath for a drink and a quick wash-up. These were replaced by a Tanager and Robins. The Robins are not unusual around here, but Tanagers are not something you see everyday. A little Titmouse was flying around the area waiting to take its turn, but got scared off when the back door was opened. At some point, the Hillbilly Gardener would very much like to acquire a wildlife camera to mount near the birdbath. The good ones can be wired directly into the computer to have a record of all of those feathered friends that come to call. In doing a little bit of research on wildlife cameras, I found that they have become quite popular anymore and their prices aren't that bad. They're motion activated. So all you need to do is mount them on a pole or other stable media, turn it on and enjoy. If you get a camera that is equipped for it, the images can be downloaded directly to your computer.

Anyway, the Hillbilly Gardener got the third area of the south bed planted today. Evening Primrose with their smaller, sunflower-like, yellow blooms for some height were planted, along with a few more Yarrow, Daffodils and Grape Hyacinths for some spring color. All of this was then mulched with some leaves I ground up from the yard using a bagging mower. A bagging mower is one of the best peices of power equipment for this task I have found. Generally they will grind the leaves to about half their original bulk, which makes then just about the right size for mulching. If the Hillbilly Gardener had either more leaves or a larger area to harvest leaves from, he would be looking at a formal lawn vacuum. These remove leaves much faster and they have a larger leaf capacity. I would probably look at getting a leaf grinder so that I could harvest leaves whole, store them in a covered and protected bulk enclosure and grind them as I needed them. This flexibility to have leaf mulch and leaf compost material would be a great advantage. But, when the fall leaves fall in the Garden of Weedin, there general aren't enough to do everything that needs to be done with the fall leaves and still have leaves left over.

Anyway, since I had plenty of leaves now, I backfilled the "no plant area" of the south bed with leaves. Because it's so dry along there, which is under some large roof eave overhangs, little grows there anyway. The leaves and high quality landscape fabric will stop the few weeds that do sprout there and it will keep the area attractive for a long time. When adding mulch to an area like this, pay attention to filling corners and voids tightly with mulch, because these will be prime locations for weeds to collect and sprout. A long-reach tool greatly helps here.

Now normally, the Hillbilly Gardener does not advocate leaving soaker hoses out during the winter. Normally, the Hillbilly Gardener picks up the soaker hoses, cleans and stores them for winter. But, the weather is very dry this fall and the National Weather Forecast Center released its "long-range winter forecast" today and it is calling for the next 4 months to be at or below average moisture and above normal temperatures. To the Hillbilly Gardener and the Garden of Weedin, this means a warm, dry winter. As such, the Hillbilly Gardener will be doing a lot of watering this winter in order to keep the new plantings alive until next spring.

For that reason, the Hillbilly Gardener went ahead and installed a soaker hose along the south bed to keep everything watered. When installing soaker hoses, there are a few soaker hose tricks that the Hillbilly Gardener always uses and strongly suggests to other gardeners in order to keep the hoses working and make their use easier:

1. Install a hose valve on the far end of the hose, A soaker hose is made from porous rubber and easily plugged up. When this happens, the hose becomes useless and must be replaced. Therefore, flush the hose out prior to each use. If a simple hose valve is installed at the end of the hose, this becomes a simple task to open the valve and let the water flow through the hose for a few seconds.

2. Either install a quick connect male end to the feed end of the hose or cut short lengths of dedicated connection hose to attach each soaker hose to a hose manifold. This greatly speeds up getting the hoses going each time it is time to water. Cutting custom lengths of connection hose, installing hose ends on each and attaching them to a hose manifold makes this as simple as turning on a valve. But, admittedly, this is not always practical for many. Therefore a quick connect is the next best thing. But, if you install quick connects, do yourself a favor and use durable brass or stainless steel couplings. These last for many years and are relatively trouble free. Cutting custom lengths of connection hose is also a great way to recycle old garden hoses that are no longer good for general watering use.

3. Always connect your soaker hoses to a watering timer. When properly operated, soaker hoses take time to work and are easily forgotten. Therefore, by attaching each to a water timer, you eliminate the need to try to remember to go out and turn them off when the watering is done.

4. Install strainer screens in the supply end of each hose. It might surprise a gardener what can come through your "potable water" supply. An in-line strainer screen will help stop that "mystery stuff" from plugging your soaker hoses.

5. When you lay out soaker hoses, always hold them in place with "earth staples". Over time, hoses can move around forcing water away from plants. Staples will hold the hoses where you want them. Install these staples about every 2-3 feet and on bends in the hose.

If you use a soaker hose during cold weather, it will need to be kept free of water the same as your other hoses. This is especially true of watering timers. All of these can be kept free of water by attaching a compressed air supply upstream of the timer. Turn the timer on and open the valve at the end of the soaker hose. the turn on the air until clear air is coming out of the hose without water. Then close the valve and continue to run air through the hose for a couple of minute to eliminate the water from the pores of the hose. This will clear water from the entire system, including the timer. When you install soaker hoses, you should always cover the hoses with mulch as well in order to keep the water close to the plants and force it all to go down into the soil and eliminate water loss from evaporation.

Saturday / October / 30 / 2010 -

It's that time of year again. There has been enough fall leaves fall to build a decent sized leaf pile. So Pappa dutifully did his job and collected leaves into a large leaf pile for the granddaughter today. This will provide hours of entertainment for her and the required "bath night" afterward to remove the leaf stems and dirt from hair, clothes and body. It's funny, the places that "leaf-crumbles" will find their way into. To the Hillbilly Gardener, it's kind of like having your clothes filled with grains of sand - YUCK! But, kids just naturally don't seem to mind, or even notice for that matter, until they start to itch all over that is.

The funniest part of this annual event is that it's NO PROBLEM getting kids to have a bath night after an afternoon of playing in a large leaf pile. LOL! If you have more than one child to run through the shower, this is the one time of year that you may be faced with the perplexing problem of who goes "first" as they all besiege you with requests to be "FIRST" into the shower. The rest of the year, a parent is faced with fighting with the kids just to get one of them to be first. After the annual bath night ritual starts, the poor parent is faced with attempting to get children to set shower speed records so that the next child who is complaining loudly that their sibling is taking too long can get in. When the fall leaves fall and you harvest leaves as fall activities for kids, that is the one time of the year that you are assured that they will go to bed clean and they will actually "wash their ears" without being told to do so. And you wondered why you were getting gray hair before you thought you should? if it weren't so chilly outdoors, this would be a great time to have an outdoor shower to keep the mess outside. One word of caution regarding that big leaf pile, make sure to turn it over into another area of the yard every two or three days or you may have a lasting reminder of the fall activities for kids in that big leaf pile with a patch of dead grass.

After finishing the prerequisite leaf pile, the Hillbilly Gardener managed to pull the sheet of 3/4 inch sub-flooring out of the garage that I was targeting to use as the top for the new garden work bench we are building. I managed to get it pulled out from behind everything that was stacked in front of it and got it cut to size. Because the temperatures are predicted to fall below the safe zone for the oil-based primer and paint I will be using, all of this had to be carried down into the basement for painting. Afterward, I'll carry it back upstairs and install the top on the garden work bench. I'm really looking forward to getting this outdoor project finished because the garden work bench will be used a lot, even in winter.

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Sunday / October / 31 / 2010 -

Well, it's Halloween and the last day of the month. The weather is sunny and rather pleasant with the temperature in the upper 60's. How many times I remember Halloween's where we had to bundle the kids in winter clothing and rain resistant coats to go Trick-Or-Treating. Today was spent touching up the Halloween decorations, making sure the yard was picked up and clean. I want all of the decorations working properly and I don't want any sticks, etc. in the yard for the little spooks to trip over. The Hillbilly Gardener took time to play with the granddaughter in the big leaf pile and came to the conclusion that the best clothes for kids to wear when playing in a big leaf pile is a "jumpsuit" with the collar buttoned up. It's a big "downer" when leaves get in ones underwear. It puts a real damper on things real fast! Won't have any children around here for a few days, so I guess it's time to collect the leaves and start building the new compost pile. I do so hate the end of any favorite holiday.

October Conclusion -

October was a very busy month around the Garden of Weedin as it normally is. By all accounts, October may be the busiest month of the year around here as the weather cools and problems of the past summer are corrected and new projects are started. This year was no different. The beds that have been slowly down-sized, thinned and containerized were in need of a major face-lift. We started moving many plants and reducing the numbers of others for a renewed look. Beds were consolidated in anticipation of moving the raised beds to a sunnier location on the south side of the house. The south bed along the side of the house was largely finished with rejuvenated soil  and a new look for the plants. October also found it taking much longer for the Hillbilly Gardener to do what used to take little time at all as life slowly catches up with him.

October marked the start of the 3-month holiday season with Halloween and this year was no different with major holiday decorating being done and plans laid for the following holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas coming soon. All three holidays together being among the most important holidays of the year for the Hillbilly Gardener and providing the biggest opportunities for outdoor decorating for others to enjoy.

After a long, hot summer, October presented wonderful opportunities for enjoying an outdoor fire in the fire pit and enjoying food cooked over an open fire. Outdoor entertaining is at its peak in October when cooler weather is the rule. Along with a welcome outdoor fire came the annual leaf harvest into a huge leaf pile for fall activities for kids. The fall colors of October were more brilliant this year than in years past, even though the weather was much drier than normal and the days were extremely mild, which led to several walks to enjoy the weather and fall colors.

This year in the Garden of Weedin, we undertook several projects that we have been considering for a few years, but never got around to. The bed renovation already mentioned was a priority and needed to be done. Along with the renovation, the Hillbilly Gardener constructed a squirrel waterer to provide water for them and keep them out of the birdbath. Along with the help of my son, an outdoor garden work bench was started that will provide a much needed outdoor workspace. New guttering was also started on the house to direct the rain away from the beds. But, it is unknown when this may be finished or finished at all. This, like the rest of the house project has been very frustrating to say the least.

October also saw both, the first frost and the first hard freeze of the season that put an end to the traditional growing season. It also saw storms barely miss the Garden of Weedin and wreak havoc and destruction on other parts of the country. But overall, October was a very good month this year around the Garden of Weedin.

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the "Hillbilly Gardener"