Garden thief

     I have had my garden now for about 3 years. So far we have had our share of bugs, worms and caterpillars. But, up until now, I have yet to have any larger pests in my garden. I will try to make this story as short as possible. LOL So this morning hubby and I woke up and looked into our back yard. On our fence we saw a hawk. Hubby immediately asked me for my camera to capture this beautiful bird of prey. Since he couldn't take the pic through the screen door, he tried to open it. The hawk must have heard it open and he flew off. This is the second time we have seen him, so we wanted to capture a photo. Problem now arrives. I know enough about birds of prey that they will hunt their food. So I get to thinking....if I keep seeing him, there must be a reason why. Well, not too much more thought was put into that. Hubby and I get our coffee and head out to the back patio to check on our garden. This is a daily thing we do as we start our morning.
     As we walk up to the garden, the first thing we see is a partially eaten tomato. Now I know that this is fresh because we do this every day. The day prior a ready to harvest tomato was eaten also. Good clue that there is something around. We started to think that this little pest may still be in the area. Up till now I have lost two pepper plants. Something ate all the leaves off and left only the stems (on the entire plant). I had found a few peppers on the ground, but I figured that whatever ate the leaves left the peppers behind. They are Cayenne Peppers so maybe they were too hot for this critter. We continue our search. Hubby looks under the compost container, which is sitting on CBS blocks. Low and behold we find a plethora of tomatoes, peppers, and a few agave babies that I thought our new puppy ate a week ago. We started to laugh, because in a sense it's funny. At the same time we figured we need to do something to remedy this problem. Time for traps.

    I love all animals big and small. I have had two rats before as pets. They are smart and most people don't know that. So the fact that I have to set a trap to kill this rodent is a problem for me. I really don't want to hurt or kill anything, but I am not just growing my garden for fun either. This is to feed my family and save us some money on our groceries. Not to mention the health benefits from having fresh veggies. This is just another example of how nature is. Sometimes you have to deal with things that you aren't planning for. I love my garden and so does my family. I hope to stop this pest without any more damage to my garden. I have a whole other side that is safe so far. LOL Have a healthy day!


On a side note....I am happy the world didn't end today. hehehehe

Wouldn't you know it!

     A few months ago, the family went to down to the Florida Keys. We have the benefit of being very close, so we go as often as possible. I guess you could say it's our beach time. So while we were down there, we hung out with the family. My aunt lives down there so there is an added benefit. LOL She lives on the bay side of the island. Along the waters edge are Mangrove trees and someone unknown to us set up a swing off one of them. The water was pretty deep so it seemed safe to jump in. But my youngest, instead of swinging down, decided that he was going to jump off the tops. Seems to me he had a blast.

          So as I sit there starring at this tree I remember a friend of my Moms. She has planted on her patio a few Mangrove seeds. We were telling her that you can get them almost anywhere down south. So while we were there, we decided to get some seeds. We not only got some for Mom's friend, but we kept a few for ourselves. Now after being planted for about a month, they are starting to sprout leaves. It is so cool to be able to grow such a huge plant in a planter. I just haven't thought about what I will do when it gets bigger. I do know that I have plenty of time to worry about that. On a side note, check out the stragglers that I have in my planter. I happened to use my composted dirt to plant the seeds, in it grew tomatoes and peppers. Wouldn't you know it!!! LOL I will be transplanting them soon, otherwise the roots will take over. It is just amazing how nature works. Have a healthy day!

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Composting

     When I first started my garden we purchased all the dirt necessary to get everything planted. As time went on and the rain slowly washed away the dirt, I had to make a decision. I am a very simple person and try not to spend needlessly, so I knew there had to be a different way to have the dirt I needed. I started talking to my mom (whom always was an avid gardener) to find out how to do such a "dirty" deed. She told me it was simple. Now that is what I was talking about. All I had to do was take all my food scraps and throw them into a pit or container. Awesome! I can do that no problem. So the hubby and I looked around for a pre-made container to compost in just to see what they cost and how they worked, etc... After some research we purchased our 40 gal. heavy duty garbage can. I mean, it's all scraps right. We had found many that were quite expensive for what its purpose actually was. It just had to hold trash. From there we also purchased a hand tool which helps to turn the compost. You do have to turn it so that everything inside will continue to break down and it is aerated. I have also added worms to add to the decomposition to the scraps. The worms help to speed up the time that the dirt can be used. I try to do planting as much as possible so I need a constant supply.

     There are so many benefits to composting. One that has made a big difference is the money. We have saved so much by creating the dirt that I knew we would be needing for future. We have also saved a lot of the trash that we actually throw away. I feel that I am recycling my food into well.....more food.  Another benefit is to my plants. The new soil is nutrient rich. I live in an area that is maybe a few inches thick of dirt and then nothing but coral rock. So I will use all the nutrients I can get. Composting also has taught my kids that if it came from nature, it will return to nature to be reused.  Our planet even recycles :D I will continue to compost everything I use. The benefits are well worth the time and effort it takes to make my own dirt. I hope that my garden continues to grow healthy and provide for my family.

Welcome :D

     Hello to everyone! Welcome to my blog. I hope to keep you updated on interesting facts about what Mother Nature provides for us to keep us healthy. I am a gardener, which I love. My cousin gave me a plaque that says "Work is for people who don't know how to garden." I could never have enough time in my garden. I compost my scraps from the kitchen and make my own dirt. I love to up-cycle and recycle. I am also a DIY'er!! I will post some cool ideas about things that I like. I am a big  firm believer that nature provides for us what we need. Yes, I do sometimes go off track... but that's because I am human. LOL I work part time with my mom in her business and I also have a home business. I educate others about the chemical dangers in their homes and offer safer alternatives. If you ever have any questions about anything, feel free to send me an email. I love to help as much as I can to the best of my abilities. Some things  I am a novice at, while others a self proclaimed expert. ;) I have 3 kids and a wonderful husband. I also take care of my niece and nephew a few days a week. I dedicate my days to my family and all their schedules. I am a Mom first and am very proud of my children. I live to make sure that they have a great future ahead of them. I also love to help other people besides family.  I feel that if people work together, many things can be accomplished. The more you know the better off you are. I hope to hear from my followers, I am always open to new ideas. :D Enjoy!!