by Noel | Dec 7, 2014 | CobraHead, Gardening
The garden is put to bed. I was diligent about dragging in leaves to cover most of the beds with a thick protective layer. Last year snows and cold weather came before I was ready and the leaf covering ritual was interrupted. That caused me much more work this season than I wanted to do, but I did learn a lot about weeding. Without the leaf cover, weeds emerged sooner and the ground in the beds was not as soft. The extra weeding re-affirmed my belief that we...
by Noel | Nov 16, 2012 | CobraHead, Gardening
As I work on putting my garden to bed for the winter I’m realizing how much I like working with open raised beds. I’ve been working with them for nearly thirty years. Soon after starting my Wisconsin garden in 1986, I knew that, for me at least, maintaining a relatively large garden did not require power equipment and I gave away my rototiller. All the work in my raised bed garden is done with hand tools. I’ve become an advocate for growing...
by Noel | Nov 12, 2011 | CobraHead, Environmental Issues, Gardening
In the village that borders us a few blocks to the west and south, leaf burning is prohibited, but it is allowed and practiced as a seasonal rite in our township. I’m not advocating a ban on burning, but I really wish the neighbors understood what they are wasting. While I was working hard today to get as many leaves as I could into my garden, I could see at least four smoke trails in the neighborhood. Too bad for the leaf burners, they could be making...