Happy Earth Day to you too, Felix. It sounds like you are having a wonderful day. I am "working" today but did slip outside for lunch with a friend. We sat on the curb and ate our lunch and enjoyed the sunshine!

To celebrate Earth Day I managed to snag three (!!!) 55 gallon plastic drums - blue too! I got permission from our Operations Manager to take three of them home. He said they normally recycle them but when I told him what I wanted them for he said "take as many as you want"! I'll have them operational by the rainy season for sure. Can't believe they managed to get them in my Jeep! lol!

I also got a nice Oakleaf Hydranga at a plant sale this past weekend so I plan on planting that this evening.

~Betsy

i'm looking at ways to reduce my water consumption in the garden. i'd like to set up 3 rain barrels (i have one at present), so today i contacted a bunch of craigs list sellers. i know it's POSSIBLE to get free barrels, but it's hard to find them, and i'd be willing to pay $10-20 per barrel for convenience. i also bought shade cloth today, which should really help out my strawberries and chard, which cannot handle the strength of the florida sun with this low humidity, no matter how much i water them. i had a small piece leftover from a craft project. i installed it using some bamboo and it made an immediate difference for the bed of chard.

i really thought this article, in sunday's times, was excellent... it's by michael pollan:

Here is a link that might be useful: Why Bother?

Good for you guys, and thanks for starting this thread, Felix! I'll be following to see what ideas I can glean. Me, I'm just working outside today for the first day since last week. I didn't feel good Sunday and yesterday, and I still have a bit of a cough, but not enough to keep me inside a 3rd day in a row. I've actually been potting up stuff from the swap, planting some new stuff and mulching a bit here and there as I go.

I'm thinking about how to install a drip irrigation system that will work in my largest bed, and I'm figuring out where my new compost set up will go, when we've finished working it all out. I have an area picked out that Mark and I need to clean before we build the new wire bins.

I'm also considering a small compost tumbler, too, for faster results. Anyone using one of those? Target had one for $99 which is a lot less than I usually see them advertised for. I'm wondering if it is a lot smaller.

Marcia

marcia, i love the idea of those barrels too. but let's fac it -- it's fla, things break down so quickly here. for $99 i could buy 9 pickup loads (about 5 cubic yards) of mushroom compost... that said, i've long drooled after one of those tumblers, it's just never made sense economically.

It is a beautiful planet we are on and I am so thankful to be here and have a place to garden and commune with nature.

I am growing more things to eat this year, becoming a very little more self sufficient. I try to remember to thank each plant when I harvest. I read that the Indians did that and it feels so right to do it.

I'm a lazy composter - don't have a big formal compost pile, just little ones hidden here and there - under the grapefruit tree, behind a wall - and I bury stuff in the garden. ;) In addition to things from the kitchen, I add wet paper towels (man I use too many of those), coffee grounds from Starbucks and saw dust from my husband who is into woodworking.

This forum got me interested in rain barrels and my husband is too so I think we will be doing that - just a matter of getting around to it.

My gardens are mostly organic (no pesticides or herbicides). I save seeds from store produce. I even tried the urine fertilizer thing (blush) and it seems to work really good. Recycle, reuse, and be thankful.

Ill - I sent you an email!

~Betsy

Ill, I agree it would be an extravagance, but we compost all our kitchen scraps, and because we aren't good about turning the piles in the big containers, it takes months and months and months for it to break down. I would just like to be able to have a ready supply on hand. It wouldn't be instead of the mushroom compost, but in addition to.

Which reminds me, I need to call Volusia shed. Mark wanted to know what they charge for delivery. Might be cheaper than renting the trailer. And certainly would be easier. I think.

Marcia

I am using the soaker hoses around the shrubs on a very slow drip. I picked some tomatoes, trimmed my Pommegranate tree, I have birdfeeders to fill...it is a GLORIOUS Day to be in the garden!