July 4th Babies
I can hear them! Never thought I would have baby birds born on my patio! Hmmm I wonder why they chose my patio? Especially the grill is right underneath the bird house. Every time the mother bird flies into the bird house I could hear the little ones chirping. The parents always bring back something for the babies to eat, it looks like some kind of bug. I had my camera on a tripod and waited and waited for the perfect moment. I wish I could see through the birdhouse, the baby birds must be so cute! Too bad I can't tell what kind of birds they are. This is the bird house I got for free at the Annual NYC Grows Garden Festival.
Happy July 4th everyone!
Are we out of the woods yet?
I think I'd like to skip Spring altogether if it means nonstop raining. I mean not just a day of downpour, the kind of rain that just hang on for days and weeks. I've lived in this neighborhood for five years and have never seen a wild mushroom growing out of flower beds. The rain really put a damp on things in the garden, plants are more prone to foliar disease when they are constantly under moisture and cloudy weather.
Here's a great article about Tips for Gardening After Heavy Rains. A few important points in the article:
1. Use preventive fungicidal sprays to prevent foliar disease especially for roses.
2. Deadheading - remove all dead leafs and cut the stem back to the closest leaf node or stem.
3. Heavy rain will cause erosion on bare soil and destroy the structure. The author suggests breaking up the soil after the rain ends and add one or two inches of organic mulch
4. Seeds you planted and have not sprouted are probably rotten at this point. Author suggests re-cultivating the soil and try again with other vegetables.
With this rain I started thinking about how I can avoid this and still have a good harvest, and avoid the dreaded insects and animals. Normally greenhouses are quite expensive. For apartment dwellers like us, you're probably challenged by small spaces. The big greenhouses might not be economical and you might not be allowed to put it in common areas. Check out these small greenhouses, they're very affordable and allow you to grow several vegetable plants.
The Seed House Jr. Greenhouse $45
Juliana 4 Tier Growing Rack $59
Juliana 2 Tier Growing Rack $38
Wait... do I see sun? Looks like we'll be out of the woods pretty soon, the forecast is looking good!
I have visitors in the bird house
If you look closely you can see twigs coming out from the bottom of the bird house. Who put it there? Back in April I noticed a bird coming in and out of the bird house but I never thought it would actually build a nest in there! I'm really excited because the bird house has been unoccupied for a year.
I wish the bird house is clear so I can see what's going on in there. Is a baby bird being born in there? I'm curious but at the same time don't want to disturb it. One thing I'm really worry about is the grill is right under the bird house and I don't want to cook the bird! I'll have to somehow move it.
