Back to Gardening

The gardens took a hit this year with the sickness and eventual passing of Lyn's Dad. He was a great man, great father, husband and a good friend to me. He liked to build things and fix things and was always interested in what I was doing. I couldn't have wanted for a better father in law.

After the entire redo of the back yard, including the deepening of dirt, held into the beds by more and larger rocks, the run off problems we have always had was lessened considerably. Much of the running water was now directed into the beds where it could soak into them.

There was one place that kept washing out though. We keep two syrup tubs under the gutters that don't drain to the rain water collection, to catch that water. When they would over flow, the course they would take would wash with every rain. Lyn and I looked it over for months until we could both agree on a plan. It would include building more steps that would block the present run off direction and making a dry weather creek bed for the rain water to run off in a new direction to a rock walk way. That rock walk way went to the back gate and the water could get all the way out of the yard with out hurting any thing. Bold plan but a lot of work.

The tubs catch water from a very small part of the roof but it is still a lot of water. When the tubs run over, they now run down the creek. We've just recently had enough rain to see it all work and it worked great.

 The rock steps in the left of the photo was the route the water used to take. The steps and the built up ground now block the water and it runs onto the rock walk way that we built years ago.

 Once on the walk way, the water runs down the low steps in that walk way to the gate. There is a walkway under that rock rose I promise. I guess I better prune that.

 

Recent Garden Tour

I was visiting a couple recently that are customers of mine that have, like most of my customers, become very good friends. Mrs. Cole is an avid gardener and has an unusual and different garden then we usually see. She has to deal with deer as well as other kinds of varmints that want what she grows. She has done a good job of keeping the varmints out and the veggies in but it has taken her and Mr. Cole some serious work to do it. Like my own gardens, she had to bring all her dirt in as there just wasn't any there.

I noticed when I drove up that she had added to my favorite bottle tree.

 The deer proof fence was made with materials on hand, cedar and lots of it.

 Beds are also made of material that was plentiful on their place meaning rocks, syrup tubs and plastic drums cut in half.

 Paths are made of wood chippings.

 Excess run off from the house runs off in a dry creek bed.

This is such a productive little garden with some thing to harvest all the time. Mrs. Cole may need help this year as Mr. Cole is under going cancer treatments and was a feeling a little punky the last time I was there. They own land on both sides of the road and the land on the side opposite the house borders the Lampasas river. They have always given me access to fish the river and it's one of the most beautiful and relaxing places to fish that I know of. I may have to go fishing a little early one day and help her with the garden. It would only be right seeing as how I will also get to fish!