Showing posts with label Chicagoland Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicagoland Spring. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Midwest Gardening 2025---Projects and Late March Spring

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You know I crabbed about critters and bunnies last year, and last Fall I dug out our well plot of the 30+ year old Day Lilies...sifting the dirt and getting MOST of the roots out. We splurged and planted purchased Tulips, some transplanted Daffodils and lots Iris I got from a friend. Then the plot was covered with leaves, and we laid heavy plastic fencing over the whole thing and rocks everywhere to keep the edges down. 

Lo and Behold, there was a softball size hole in the fence last week, so that is why we built walls to try again.

oldnewgreenredo

Besides the hole, I very quickly saw the mesh of the fencing wasn't big enough for the sprouts coming up. So, I pulled it all up, replaced more leaves on my bulbs' growth and fenced the whole area in. We don't through anything away, so some fenceposts were new or used, and some really old. The blocks are holding the edge of the fencing down, and so far no critters have bridged my little plot of Spring bulbs.

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The big black pot is currently covering our well, the saucer is balanced against a trellis for the Clematis. Here and there you can see the Tulips and Daffys unfurling. I heaped more leaves in here afte the photo as our night temps are still below freezing.

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Honestly I can't wait....winter has been dreary here. 

TIP: I leave all the flower beds covered in leaves and old blooming stalks until it is warm enough to support the bees and helpful insects that are so necessary for polinations. I do clean up stairs, concrete, walkways and anywhere else that just leaves congregate in winter.

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This is the extra stuff stored in the greenhouse I just had to pitch out for the moment.

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I was so ill last Fall, the last of the garden pickup didn't get done, and Hubby was also dealing his friends illness, death, and then estate. 

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 Literally the weed cloth is still down, and you can see the veggie garden really needs a clean up!

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Moving around the yard...we had a DRY winter, very little snow--but we did have a lot of rain late last Fall. 

Everything is dry right now, we need rain.

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How about the precision drilling on this branch...these holes are all @ 1" apart. Made me smile! The birds hard at work. This is the reason we have cement panel siding on the house...lots of Woodpeckers...LOL.

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This is a LIME Heuchera or Coral Bells trying to come up in a patch of sun in our shady back yard. I covered it deeply with extra leaves after grabbing this shot.

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I call this my squirrel feeder, supposedly a bird feeder four feet off the ground, LOL! Let's call it a dog, raccoon, possum feeder. Grins.
I'm going to put a vine plant in here, a good excuse to buy a different new plant.

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The birdhouses along the fence are favorites of our little sparrows...and occasionally nuthatches.

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I have so many Iris and new perennials planted here last year, I do hope everything made it. 

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This was our crazy bush sunflowers that grew 10 feet high...I left the branches in the lax cleanup---and they have been filled with birds picking at the seeds all winter.

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I'll pay for not getting this wreathe area cleaned up---that wreath had sweet peas on it. Planted some 40 years ago from a package of seeds. They are all pale pink now---but I bought another mixed colors package to start some near the veggie garden for pollinators.

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The pond is always so sad this time of year. The fisher kids are all dark and cruddy, when the sun hits them they will brighten up. Everything needs new stain and paint this year. A whole year's worth of projects for sure.

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My only actual SPRING blooms, a couple of crocus-peeking up-so dry-and skinny.

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I couldn't stand the lack of color so I jammed a 90% off tulip bush from Michaels in a pot.. along with some fake grass plants I've had for ages. 

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Our Barberry Bush on the left seems to be the only severe winter damage. This is the south side of the house and under an eave. We water heavily during the green months, but clearly it isn't happy. I will trim is out and see if it survives. It's sister looks great they were planted at the same time. Iris and Daffodils are coming up here.



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In the same bed, My Giant Sedum. I call them bushes as they get huge. Amazing how they start like teesny rosebuds.

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This is where I have tried to clean up in years past and bees flew out of the debris...so now I leave it messy and alone. (Besides I'm deathly allergic to bee stings)

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Another OLDNEWGREENREDO project??? This won't fit in the rock bed because the legs bow out front and back...DARN. It will land on the front porch. Everyone needs a six foot long planting bench? Maybe.

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Out on our Mound (now a flat mound) by the street, lots of Daffys and Tulips should come up.  Our Evergreen bushes don't look very happy, they need water. We can't water yet as our exterior faucets may still freeze and hoses burst if water freezes in them.

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Up by the porch I plopped another fauxTulip bush and some faux Grass, it really does help a bit.

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PS our gray carpet on the porch pavement is fading to pink from gray. Oh Dear, in one year, pinkish really doesn't go with a yellow, brown red house? 


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We need rain......and the kids need new poles again...they blow away 
to WHERE?
Happy March Chicagoland Spring! 

What's BLOOMING in 
YOUR NECK
of the WOODS??




All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown.  








 

Friday, May 17, 2019

Green House: Lemons to Lemonade

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We have become adept at making lemonade out of lemons around here.

Two weeks ago, I posted April Midwest Gardening-not so pretty! and showed you all the damage and how far behind Chicagoland is from Spring. Since then we have had two 5-6" snowfalls, an icestorm and over 5" of rain in the last week. 

Our NEW 8'x10' Greenhouse was wrecked over the winter--so hubby decided to work off the heavy tubular frame and use it for a new greenhouse--more stable then the 1 year old UV destroyed fabric used in the zippered greenhouses. (that company is out of business)



He's been dodging rain deluges, snow and wind and managed to get this far. He built an exo-skeleton of treated wood over the existing tubular frame. This REDO was done by meticulously drilling through the pipes and bolting the boards on. Technically this green house is portable, as the only thing attached to the ground is the metal frame which can be unbolted. 
Maybe six guys will be able to move it, lol.


With our huge snow accumulations and drifting here in windy Chicago-land, he chose corrugated aluminum for about a third of the way up, all the way around. We chose basement windows which open from the outside. We've been rolling up plastic canvas windows for over 10 years---so this is just as easy.


The greenhouse is straight-but the ground slopes. Hubby put in four basement windows and in the back, one sash window. All this was designed around our shelving and work areas. A storm/screen door will be used on the front. The ground beams were put in a year ago as was the gravel, sand, pea gravel floor. This is designed to drain water into the ground at GREEN thing to do.

 Our excessive rainfall, has been so huge they have asked people to forego washing machines and unnecessary showering to help the already taxed drainage systems. I don't ever remember that happening before.

oldnewgreenredo

Do you ever roam the big box hardware stores looking for something that doesn't exist?

Hubby used some left-over brown roofing flashing---he trimmed and added a bend to create a waterproof surface for the corrugated plastic panels to sit on. Water from the inside or outside will just roll out. All the trim will be painted brown outside, to match the house. Brown windows would have been a custom order and would have cost over double.

oldnewgreenredo

From inside you can see the framing around the windows. This side is all ready for the clear panels which are easy to install. 

oldnewgreenredo

This looks metal looks critter proof, but of course they can simply dig underneath and have a nice home for the winter. I'm hoping to try and grow late fall crops in here---fresh lettuce and maybe a few tomatoes and peppers too.

oldnewgreenredo


Hubby took these photos today, May 9th and you can see the neighbors perrenicals are barely out of the ground.

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Hubby is improvising as he goes along, tweaking and making changes. I'm hoping I can she-shed it a bit---we will see, if nothing else it is very 'Farm' looking. But the point is to be able to grow our own plants from seed.

oldnewgreenredo

The flashing is brilliant----making do with what you have---we had some left over from the roof repair, last year.


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We know there may be some gaps when all the panels are on---but we will work with that when we get there! Our extra length of patio lights is right above and in front of the greenhouse. Electricity is 
just a post away--so we can use a heater if necessary.

oldnewgreenredo

Now if the weather will only cooperate, hubby could get this done. Hopefully on Mother's day the boys can help with the roof panels!  He's doing a great job and soon we will be able to move our plants from our improvised plastic hut off the front porch. 

Is  this going to be winter-proof? I'm sure some caulk and maybe some expanding insulation foam will be utilized. After all-WE-are the 'McGyvers' as my husband calls it.

HOW's YOUR SPRING LIST COMING??? 









How it Started! NEW Greenhouse is Done!

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~Spring is elusive in the Midwest~

This is a repost from 2019 
on how we made our greenhouse!

Hubby finished the greenhouse with a little help from a friend and took some photos for me to share. I still can't get out and about---and probably won't for a month. He moved our plants out there yesterday before the bad storms hit the Chicago area, again.

My last few posts have been on the disaster our ruined purchased greenhouse suffered, but we are resourceful and decided to take the metal frame and build around it with wood and corrugated clear panels. 

Hubby found out that cutting the poly panels with a shears was easier than with saws. The hardest construction issue was drilling holes in the metal frame to bolt the wood too. Technically this entire structure is removable, piece by piece. 





oldnewgreenredo

Today is in the low fifties, so the plants are quite happy inside their new home. I can't wait to use this in the Fall to prolong our growing season.


oldnewgreenredo

The windows open from the outside, except for the door and the sash frame in the back.

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The metal on the bottom is to fight the snow we have in the winter...hubby designed his own flashing from some leftover roof flashing that he bent to fit the ledge over the ledge above the corrugated metal. 

oldnewgreenredo

He used a screen storm door for the entrance. The long flip out windows are basement storm windows with screens on the inside.





oldnewgreenredo

once all the trim is painted brown..I hope to do some cute stuff on the outside and inside. I have lots of vintage goodies that will work.

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Here you can see the backside. The space behind is actually a utility easement of 6 feet, Nothing permanent can be placed there.

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The wood shelves are from our old greenhouse. 
This building is 8x10 now and very high, more than enough room for us to plant.
We have a sink in here that will be hooked up by hose--and drain into the garden. We will put a moveable drain hose to direct the outflow where we want it to go.

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Finally the garden is coming to life. These photos were taken on May 15--and we are so far behind again this year.



oldnewgreenredo

We had a couple of inches of rain yesterday---so the garden won't get tilled until it dries out-again. 
I hope Hubby got all the equipment put away.  

I will post a list of materials and midwest prices, once Hubby gets it done! PS the frame from the defunct company I can't put a price on, original greenhouse was over $450.00. I'm sure this will last a lot longer than a year now
Maybe something with a lemons theme for here...
SMILES...In our Lemonade Greenhouse.
HOW's YOUR SPRING LIST COMING???