I've been whining for many years about having a laundry sink in the garden. Why, you may ask? So that I can wash pots. So here it is with a fresh coat of beige paint. While it's not hooked up to a water source...no faucet at this point, it does have a cold water spigot nearby. I'll have to haul out some hot water from the kitchen but at least I'll have a large enough place to scrub pots and hold enough water. Beats washing 'em on the ground! Did I mention that I hate dirty pots? After some 40+ years of gardening I have a sizable investment in garden pots!
Here are a few pots on a simple, free standing 3 shelf system.You can see that the fence behind the pot shelving, along with ALL the raised beds, is now painted. We've had a spate of warm (mid 50's to mid 60's), dry, non-foggy weather and it makes me "yust go nuts" (said with a Swedish accent by Yack). So I prevail on my aforementioned under-gardener to help me with projects on my "TO DO THIS SPRING" list. So far that has included replacing 8 fence boards and patching knot holes in this pitiful (but now better) fence. We're hoping to at least make it harder for the rats to get into our yard from the neighbor's mess.
We also revamped and painted the pea trellis so it almost disappears into the side of the big storage building. Some day, I keep telling myself, I'll be through with all these major projects so that all I'll have to do in the spring is plant stuff....(uh huh, says my under-gardener). Well, it could happen...?
Last year I had sent a post to Gardener's Supply and suggested that they offer a REAL watering can. I was probably not the only one...just guessing...and so they have added an exclusive Haws can in their spring catalog. I ordered it and here it is. And it's even in the right color for my garden! I've had my original plastic Haws (purchased at Smith and Hawken) about 25 years ago. I've replaced the "rose" once. I plan to baby this can a bit more and not leave it out in the weather so the rose will last longer. As you can see from this design, it's spill proof and puts out a wonderfully gentle spray. Plants like that. Yeah, I'm waxing eloquent about a watering can but honestly if you've been using a pitiful can from a garden supply store, you will appreciate this can for sure.
If you like to garden, get a hold of a Gardener's Supply Company catalog...keep it wherever you spend the most time reading...and enjoy all the great stuff. The only downside to them is that they're in Vermont...but it hasn't stopped me from buying stuff from them for more than 20 years.
I'm happy to report that I've finished staining the driveway fence...3 gallons of Miller paint and a lot of scraping later! My aim was to reduce the eyesore of a poorly built fence (my neighbor's) who evidently thought that he could save the expense of installing 2x4 stringers in between his fence posts by just using the fence boards instead...installing them horizontally. What an idiot! So I am stuck with a topsy turvy version of a "good neighbor" style fence. My options were to spend about $1000 to tear down and rebuild this fence or just paint it to be "invisible" for now. I chose to spend $100 and the sacrifice of 8 hours labor and my body.
Happily, as far as I'm concerned, it was worth it! Next comes some ivy and Parthenosisus (Virginia Creeper) deer resistant vines to further disguise it. Since you cannot buy ivy in the State of Oregon, I have been propagating starts that I brought back from California, along with some that I moved from my previous residence (before ivy was declared an invasive species). I want it to be invasive enough to eventually cover up this fence!
I was able to hang out the sheets on New Year's Day thanks to a high pressure temperature inversion here in the Rogue Valley...50 plus degrees at our place at 1900' elevation while the valley remains in the 30's and fogged in...
Nothing like the smell of line-dried sheets! A quick touch up in the dryer and they were back on the bed. Chase and Izzie enjoyed the sun, too!
