April 18, 2010: My Clothespin Garden


My neighbor, Pat, hollered over yesterday and asked if I was growing clothespins in my garden this year. It does look like it, as I hauled out that awful bird netting and managed to get both of my pea patches protected by clipping it to the fences with clothespins. It had to be easily removable, just in case the peas (both are bush varieties) grow taller than expected, and for picking the harvest. I hate that netting. I always manage to get my feet tangled in it, as does Annie. I had to free two of her ensnared toenails yesterday, while trying to hold her still as she panicked.

After I got the netting on, I wished I'd have had more of the plastic garden fencing. It has the same sized openings, so does as good a job as the netting without being so flimsy and tangled. Since I needed to buy more of the small, folding wire fence to keep Otto and the neighbor's new pup out of the raised beds, I decided to see if the plastic fencing was still available. After all, I had made very good use of that first roll, which I purchased three years ago! It has protected my beds from pups and birds here, as well as pups and bunnies in Arizona.

Wal-Mart did have the rolls of fencing, although I'm quite sure it cost a bit less three years ago. It's still under $10, which is not bad for 50 feet of it, and it does last forever.


Dalen Plastic Fencing, 3'x50'.

I might just go undo all my clothespin-fastened bird netting, and replace it with the good stuff. Or not. I probably have more important things to do today, like load the rest of the pile of compost into buckets, and fill the new area that I made for pole beans. I used to have half of one side of the "kennel garden" open as a passageway from the east garden to the north garden. Now that I'm removing the fence from the north garden, this is no longer necessary. I had simply pulled the chain link back and wired it up, so it was a simple matter of pulling it back over to the gate and reattaching it. That doubled the vertical growing area for the beans, but the soil must be raised and amended before I can plant there. The same needs to be done on the other side of the chain link, inside the kennel. I already brought compost in for one corner, then scattered some seeds for shade-tolerating flowers. Now the strip along the west end can also be planted with shade tolerant veggies....whatever they may be. Maybe I can get a second planting of spinach to grow there. Or maybe I'll just put in more flowers and my garden bench, then retire to the shade for the summer. Sounds good. Won't happen.


The kennel garden 2009


Additions (in red) to the kennel garden 2010 will double my vertical growing area on the left, and allow me to make an L-shaped pea bed on the right side next spring (or maybe for some fall peas). The small wire fence to the left is being removed, but the one on the right stays, as that is the area that is more susceptible to damage from the dogs. I enter through the kennel gate.





29 comments:

  1. Hope that all means Pat's doing a lot better. You'll keep those birds out. Go get a super soaker and squirt the fool out of those boogers.

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  2. Ribbit, now Pat has hurt her knee, and had an MRI this week. She still keeps real active for an 80-year-old, but she has a few rusty parts. Mentally, she's handled her husband's death quite well. I can see that the new puppy is helping her cope.

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  3. Looks great! I wish I had one of those kennels, i can think of a million uses besides for dogs, lol!

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  4. Erin, as soon as it gets shade from the pole beans, I'll have a chair and table in there....great spot for a good book and a tall glass of iced tea.

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  5. so, looking at that tree, is that just the way you grow it or is it a different variety? I don't know much about them, since this is our first home and this is the first time this lilac bush has even bloomed since I have been here! I wanna know how to get it looking like yours!

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  6. I have a love/hate relationship with my netting to. It works, but it is such a pain to use. It gets caught on everything.

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  7. Shawn Ann, it was a fairly large shrub when we moved in, and I began by choosing three of the larger "trunks" and started just pruning off the small side branches. I didn't so it all in one year, but worked at it for two or three seasons until it was tree shaped. When we built the raised beds, I drove the pickup to the back yard to unload the compost, and we couldn't get it back out! We had to saw off one of the three trunks to make room to exit. I must say, as much as I love the tree, it is a pain in the butt. It grows suckers all over my garden, and they are a real chore to remove.

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  8. Daphne, yep. I finally used most of mine on the backs of the fences, where it's out of my way and can just stay forever. That way the birds can't come through the chain link. I'll eventually get the plastic fencing cut so I can use it for the front and top of the pea beds....maybe by installing hoops over the beds.

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  9. I find clothes pins to be indispensable in garden. And it's nice that they are a dime a dozen...unlike other things we must buy for the garden.

    One thing that I'm definitely lacking in my garden is vertical growing space. I will definitely have to think about what I should use to support my tomatoes.

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  10. There has to be something edible you could grow in all that nice shade this summer, but I can't think of anything right offhand. :) Your clothespin garden is my kind of garden -- do what you have to do to protect those poor pea seedlings. Mine have had a rough time of it this year (but I suppose I'll get better once I've tried growing them a couple of times -- and if the weather cooperates a bit).

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  11. Thomas, I actually replaced a few of the clothespins with S-hooks today. They were the ones in the kennel garden, so that looks much better now. The other pea patch is still full of clothespins.

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  12. Meredith, I decided to plant the pole beans on the inside of the fence, so now I won't have to worry about a shady side. On the other side (outside) I planted cabbages and marigolds. I'll still have my shady seating area that way, with no waste of planting area.

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  13. What a lovely blog you have, and you write so well. I've just been having a good read!

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  14. Hi Granny - everything is looking great, as always! I bet you're going to have a lovely crop of peas this year. I've all but given up on mine, as nothing short of an armed guard on duty 24/7 is going to keep the bunnies from chomping down on those yummy plants! I'm not a fan of bird netting either - it is just too difficult to work with!

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  15. My biggest problem is squirrels and my solution is stew but DW won't go along with that. John

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  16. I'm a little late in getting this to you, but this is for your beautiful lilacs:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj7Zf9dG7Ag

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  17. Lol, it is nice to see another kennel garden out there. Mine won't be going up this year, and hubby is quite happy about that!

    Poor otto, must be so traumatizing to get caught up in that stuff!

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  18. Jan, thank you! And welcome to my blog :-)

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    Caffeinated Mom, I'll bet I get more than a handful of peas this year, since I've outsmarted those sparrows. I didn't plant a lot, but what I have are lookin' good!

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    John, if you look closely at that kennel garden, you'll see a big old English walnut tree hovering over it. It's full of squirrels, and they run back and forth atop the cedar fence all day. They usually don't bother the garden, other than burying an occasional walnut. I think they like the tree more than they like my garden.

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    Caffienated Mom (again), well THAT woke me up! You are such a nerd ;-) Gotta love ya.

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    Kelly, you mean I'm not the only one with a kennel garden? Well, shoot. Actually, it's a lovely place to sit and ponder my garden on a hot summer day. I hope the flowers I planted in there grow. I seeded one corner in forget-me-nots.

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  19. "...then retire to the shade for the summer."
    That totally made me laugh! I cannot imagine you sitting for a single moment (or maybe a moment but not much more). I can see you sitting, looking around for about 30 seconds then standing up and saying, "Well that's done. On to the next thing!" I love your spunky personality. =)

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  20. LOL, Granny - I didn't know it was so obvious! And you didn't even know I wear glasses and "rock out" to Ben Folds..

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  21. AG! What's going on? I've missed you. I've missed all my gardening blogger friends. I've seen some people use dog kennels to grow watermelons, melons, and pumpkins. I'm praying that I can save up enough funds to get one to try this out. Garden looks good. I browsed through your other posts and saw how your peppers and tomatoes are doing. I started my tomatoes early but they're not doing well. I'll do a post on them soon. Ttyl!

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  22. Jenn, It's just not gonna happen, huh? Maybe long enough for a cold iced tea and a bit of garden study ;-)

    *******

    Caffeinated Mom, I knows a nerd when I sees one ;-)

    Man, I'm a bigger "rocker" than you...Ben Folds. Really. I'm more into Hinder, Daughtry, Train, The Fray.....I even rather enjoy L. Gaga.

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  23. Kalena Michele, good to "see" you. I'm sure I ran by and left a comment on your blog not too long ago, but having the flu and being down in bed for a few days really put me behind. I've had a few tomato failures, mostly because I set them out one day then went shopping, the wind came up and the sun came out and sunburned quite a few of my smaller plants. I don't know if they will overcome the damage, but I had too many anyway, so not to worry.

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  24. Dog kennels? Whatever next? I thought I was bad trying to use every possible bit of anything to plant things.

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  25. TIG, waste not, want not. Money spent on a kennel that my spoiled dogs wouldn't use gets used as garden trellis and "sitting room" instead!

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  26. Hmmm... If year two of my gardening experience is a bust, maybe I'll try growing clothespins...

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  27. Momma_S, they're cool. If you can't garden, at least you can do laundry.

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  28. I think I'm going to Walmart myself and see about the fencing. I hate bird netting, too; it's such a pain to use. I grow lots of clothespins, too...very handy in the garden.

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  29. SB, in our Wal-Mart it was with the little folding wire fencing and edging materials. Too bad it doesn't come higher than 3' so it could be used on hoops. Winter project...whip pieces of fencing together with a needle and fishing line? ;-)

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