My resolution is to do less mowing this year. Don't know if I can keep it though. The trouble with an acreage is that the areas you don't mow get overrun with pernicious weeds you don't want all over the rest of the property.
In our case, the two nastiest are sow thistle (the seeds blow around like dandelions) and buckthorn, a nasty invasive non-native shrub that the birds spread everywhere when they eat the berries. So I will most likely have to go over some of the new "no mow" sections at least once a month to keep these and other weeds from taking over.
The past season was quite something with regard to mowing - we went from the worst drought in 50 years in 2007, to the soggiest season I can remember. Usually, we get a break from mowing in July and August, but not last year.
In previous years, I had hired a young man to mow, but he moved on. Last year's hire didn't work out and so I ended up doing the job myself. This wasn't a bad solution: given last summer's high gas prices and all-too frequent mowing (every four days sometimes), I'm sure I saved us a lot of money.
However, I spent far too many hours on the mower: fortunately, it's good machine - ride-on, obviously - with an 6-foot mowing deck, and it's actually fun to operate. We'll see what happens this year...
What's your garden resolution for 2009?
Posts
Had to think about that one - although I have a few things "on the 2009 agenda".
ReplyDeleteI really want to try out "winter sowing"
http://wintersown.org/wseo1/index.html
so I must make plans and order seeds very soon.
Then I must decide to not work against nature (when I buy seeds or plants on impulse). I have had lots and lots of disappointments and dead plants due to very wet soil, so this year I really want to finish my perennial borders with plants that can grow here.
Finally I plan to plant 10,000 willow cuttings in preparation for a new business adventure.
As you can see - I'll have a very busy spring and early summer, so the winter sowing will be of great help if it works.
Good luck with the mowing project, I am looking forward to hearing further about that.
Wow! That's a lot of willow cuttings. You've certainly chosen an apt pen name, Salix!
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I'm just planning on having a garden Who knows where I'll be in the spring! If I'm still here, I plan on sneaking a few of my plants out of my gardens to take to Alabama, if not it'll be a brand new start from a zone
ReplyDelete4b to 7!!! Wow that will be exciting...will I be able to stand the heat? Will I get bit by a rattlesnake? Will there be chiggars in the soil...will I even have a plot of land to get chiggars from????? OH Dear! Well, at least I know I'll be able to visit your garden even if just virtually!
Oh how about planting another wildflower garden...the no mow solution???
my gardening resolution would be to own the acerage we have always wanted........first we have to sell our house!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping by my blog and commenting.
Gill
My gardening resolution is to actually get my gardens going! We have a graded acre with only one lonely Vitex growing. (Actually, it is dormant right now.) Thankfully the greenhouse gives me my gardening fix, but hopefully we will get the irrigation in place this spring so I can go to town on the gardens.
ReplyDelete