Composting 101

As the weather is getting warmer, our compost bins are working non-stop.  Here is a great tutorial on what you can and can't compost...

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/composting-101-infographic

Mr. Coffee in the garden

I'm trying to drink less coffee and more water and tea.  But sometimes I justify drinking more coffee because I don't want to waste any coffee leftover in the pot.  

But there is no need to throw it out because you can use it to fertilize your garden...

Here is how...

• dilute leftover coffee- add 3 parts water to 1 part coffee
• pour over the soil at the base of your plants that need an extra energy boost
• coffee has calcium and magnesium- both beneficial to plant health
• till coffee grounds into the top 6 inches of soil when preparing new plant beds to fertilize and improve organic soil texture
• throw coffee grounds on surface of garden to discourage slugs and other pests

Not a coffee drinker...ask your local diner or coffee shop for their grounds...

http://www.garden.com/garden-articles/plants-love-coffee-and-tea--who-knew/58/

A Cactus with a Purpose

When we first bought our home in 2004, my husband and I were eager to start to turn our front yard into a private,drought tolerant and native animal-friendly garden for the birds, lizards and most importanly our tortoise Iris of course.  I found a photo of Diego Riviera and Frida Kahlo's home studio in Mexico City in one of our magazines and loved how the border was landscaped with a minimal looking hedge of cacti...

Here is how ours turned out...

Yesterday, I trimmed the cacti to grow more columnar and to make it easier to rake the mesquite leaves and harder for black widows to hide. The cuttings will dry for a couple of weeks...

then I will plant them around the wall in our backyard.  Not only is this cactus beautiful and drought tolerant but it produces the most attractive flowers at night and also the sweetest fruit that tastes like a mix between dragon fruit and kiwi to me.  I plan to grow these all around our property since you can never have enough of these fruit since we compete for them with the birds and Iris...

Here is some information on the cacti with the linked website at the bottom:
Scientific: Cereus repandus [also known as Lophocereus schottii or Cereus peruvianus (though not from Peru) and often confused with Cereus hildmannianus]Common: hedge cactus, Peruvian apple, queen of the night, night blooming cereus (the common names for plants in the genus Cereus are all mixed up!)Family: CactaceaeOrigin: Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina (uncertain)
Pronounciation: Ser-E-us re-PAN-dus
Hardiness zones: Sunset 13, 16-17, 21-24USDA 9 (marginal, protect from cold) - 11
Landscape Use: Strong focal point for xeric landscape themes, container plant, rock garden, large patios, and even as a natural screen for garbage containers.
Form & Character: A majestic columnar cactus, upright, tree-like, branched and contorted, convoluted, dominant.
Growth Habit: Slowly upright and branched to 20' (specific variants can grow to 50').
Foliage/texture: Stems sometimes segmented, dull to light green, ribs mostly 12, mostly spineless to very short spines; coarse texture.
Flowers & fruits: Flowers large and white to 6" across, borne on a elongated tube, somewhat fragrant, tube short often ridged, stigma often exerted before flower opens, flowers at night; Fruits, globose, red when ripe and rounded like a small apple with a white pulp to 2 1/2" diameter.
Seasonal color: Spectacular flower display in late spring, sometimes will flower during early fall.
Temperature: Tolerant to 20^oF.
Light: Full sun and NO shade.
Soil: A well-drained mineral soil is best.
Watering: Water only occasionally if at all during summers.
Pruning: None, except to control size by occasionally thinning out awkward or crossing stem branches.
Propagation: Easily propagated from softwood stem cuttings of most any length. Will develop roots after directly planting stem cuttings into the soil (right side up!). Make sure to first allow the cut surfaces of the stems to harden for several weeks (callous over) before planting directly into soil.
Disease and pests: Susceptible to root rot in damp poorly drained soils.

http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/cereusrepandus.html