The sun came out for a few minutes today, miraculous and gorgeous. I spent some time out in the garden today weeding. Its my birthday and I get to do whatever I want to do this includes but is not limited to: Riding my motorcycle, watching Tori and Dean reruns on TV (yes I know), gardening, and mucking out the chicken coop. How fun!!! I did manage to get pictures of some of the plants. Please note: we have a serious slug and beetle problem. The dust you see on the plants is Diatomaceous Earth or D-earth. I learned about D-earth when I started raising great danes as a natural substance that you could use for flea control, tick control in your yard, and even a wormer. This is an all natural product. The wikipedia says this:
Diatomaceous earth (pronounced /ˌdaɪ.ətɵˌmeɪʃəs ˈɜrθ/) — also known as DE, TSS, diatomite, diahydro, kieselguhr, kieselgur, Celatom or celite — is a naturally occurring, soft, chalk-like sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. This powder has an abrasive feel, similar to pumice powder, and is very light, due to its high porosity. The typical chemical composition of diatomaceous earth is 86% silica, 5% sodium, 3% magnesium and 2% iron.
Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It is used as a filtration aid, as a mild abrasive, as a mechanical insecticide, as an absorbent for liquids, as cat litter, as an activator in blood clotting studies, and as a component of dynamite. As it is also heat-resistant, it can be used as a thermal insulator.
I know, that is alot of information and its all science-like and stuff. The first time I looked into the D-earth thing, I think brain matter leaked out of my right ear. The point is, I have used it around my foundation to limit ants/bugs/spiders, we use it in the coop along with the deep litter method to prevent mites/lice and now I am using it in the garden.
So anyway here are the pictures of the garden progress in the five minutes of sun.
A little pea flower :)
Peppers!
Oh darn look! I have been spotted! I can't do anything around here without those dang Cluckeratzi following me!
No comments:
Post a Comment