Mother Nature need not be defended, but respected and feared. However, “Come on woman, can you make up your mind already!”
So far this summer we’ve had sun, rain, chill, hail, funnel clouds and even a tornado. Really. Wow. 'Little bit of everything. My garden is nice and deep green, getting big bushy leaves all over the place. Not too many veggies, though. My cherry tomatoes are pumpin' out like crazy; and, just yesterday, I noticed about 12 baby zucchinis. Everything else is nice-n-leafy. Normally, by now, I would have already harvested at least twice.
Y’all know how much I loathe Miracle Gro and what it does to the system and structure of a plant, however, drastic times call for drastic measures! I’m using it this year. Maybe we can all have fresh veggies in October & November. LOL. I do want to share as I told you I would -- I have no weeds in my garden. I tried the Miracle Gro Shake-n-Feed plus Weed Preventer and it has proved its worth to me beyond expectation. I applied it at the time of planting (early May) and I used starters, not seeds. I can’t attribute any significant growth from the fertilizing aspect. However, to not have one weed and it’s been over two months since I planted - that to me is amazing enough.
As I am writing this, we are in the middle of July and I can only speculate a late hot, hot summer that is going to be very harsh and drying on our soil and plants. Remember the baby diaper trick? We all know how much fluid a disposable diaper can hold right? I myself, having 5 kids, can remember pushing the diapers to their limits. LOL. On the package when it says 5-6 lbs, 8-14lbs, etc. it does not necessarily state that is the weight of the baby it can handle. Hee, hee, hee. I know I am not alone here. Anyway, take a NEW, UNUSED disposable diaper and tear it open and take all the gelatin and cotton filling out of it and dispose of the outer casing. The contents can now be mixed into the first few inches of soil. Sounds funky, I know, but I already have your trust -- don’t let me lose you now. This will help retain valuable moisture readily available for our thirsty root systems on those days the water just runs right through or evaporates at a rate greater than the absorption rate. I used to do this in Texas. I will admit a pee-pee soaked diaper cannot hurt an acid loving plant. My ex mother-in-law dumped my 21 year old daughter Ashley’s wet diapers in her hydrangeas and azaleas. Boy I thought she was a nut. You can take two cups of water and place 1 cup each into exact clear cups and in one just fill with 1 cup water and in the other fill with 1 cup water and contents from a diaper. Put just enough in to fill the cup up not to soak up all the water ‘til it’s dry. Place either outside or in a window sill and find out for yourself. Save water and save our plants.
As always, please share your experiences with us. Making ice cubes out of Miracle Gro is also a nice tasty treat on the hottest of days. The ice melts slowly feeding the roots at the same time cooling the soil for a few minutes during the scorching heat. Eclectic summer? Ok then. Eclectic strategies we must have up our sleeves. Don’t forget to fertilize with a weed-n-feed now. All of that extra rain germinated a whole lot of extra weed seeds.
I will close with letting you know I survived my surgery. I'm now at home recovering slowly. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. I have a new scar now, but it just makes me more good lookin’.
God bless you all.
Love Always,
Your Plant Lady