Category Archives: Garden

The Clover Connection

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It was suggested to me by a special friend, that I should add clover seeds to the back lawn. Now I am not really into lawns, but I do have a small, mostly crab grass lawn in the backyard, that I keep trimmed and minimally watered. It’s primarily for the dog.

Why clover I asked? She said that clover will produce small flowers, which will attract and nurture bees. With a shortage of bees, we need to do all we can to improve their habitats. Without bees pollinating, we do not exist! Okay, I was convinced.

In late fall, she just randomly tossed the seed around the existing lawn. Within a month, the clover was really sprouting. Within about three months it looked like this – complete with white flowers. Of course, growing results will vary by geographical location.

Here’s a closeup of the flowers.

A local honey bee visiting the clover patch.

I use my trimmer to sculpt the clover so that I still have lawn area for the dog. You can also keep the clover shorter if desired. It will still flower.

Here is a picture of year two with clover growing. Also, I really did find a 4-Leaf clover!

Now this is corny (we need more corny in our lives), but it all comes down to this:

To Bee, or Not to Bee? That is the question – I hope that you choose to Bee!

Garden Tank Set Up

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Spring is really just around the corner, so it’s time to get your garden prepared. Last year I set up this garden tank for veggies. I’ll show you what I did.

I purchased a large stock tank. They were on sale for $99.00.

I positioned and leveled six left over blocks to place the tank on.

I had to place the tank on the blocks a couple of times to ensure I really did get it level.

I drilled 1″ holes throughout the bottom of the tank to ensure that there would be proper drainage. I purchased the metal drill bit at the same time as the stock tank.

I placed a 2″ layer of gravel on the bottom, followed by the soil. I selected a soil mix specifically for veggie gardens. It took less than a 1/4 yard of soil. Keep the soil about 2″ below the top of the tank.

Here I have butter lettuce planted and added flexible tubing. This enables you to easily cover the garden on frosty nights or on those hot summer days. Looks a little like a covered wagon. I can hear John Wayne now, “Get the garden tanks in a circle, the deer are commin’.”

Here’s the garden in late summer. I grew peppers and tomatoes after the butter lettuce harvest. Depending on the season, you can really grow any type of veggie in the tank that you’d like.

A simple set up for “good eats” all year long!