Frugal Christmas Gifts: Loops Earplugs

 If you have someone in your life with a sensitivity to sounds these earplugs are an attractive, affordable, and effective option.  They come in different colors and strengths; from high noise blocking for sleep to partial noise blocking for everyday activities.

Loops come in a variety of colors and they look like jewelry, not earplugs, so you won’t be hesitant to wear them in public.

I have misophonia and it can negatively affect my ability to enjoy myself if my trigger noises are present.  But I have been able to handle my misophonia much better since I have purchased these earplugs.  Loops come with several different sized ear plugs and a small carrying case.  Right now they are having a buy three get one free sale.

God bless,

Pam

The Frugal Garden: Nematodes #3

 One of the best ways to fight nematode root knot is by applying beneficial nematodes to your garden soil twice a year.  Specific beneficial nematodes affect specific pests, such as fleas, grubs, tics and harmful nematodes.  Because of this I apply a three part nematode mix from Nature’s Good Guys.

The nematodes will arrive in a cool pack.  Remove the package of nematodes from the pack and immediately place in your refrigerator.  It’s important to keep them cool and apply them within a couple of weeks.

I apply them twice a year, spring and fall.  Mix the nematodes with water and place in a sprayer or watering can.  Pull your mulch to the side and apply the nematodes directly to the soil.  Then water the garden well to move the nematodes deeper into the soil.  Reapply your mulch and it’s that easy!

I have seen a big difference in the health of my plants since I’ve started actively been treating the garden with beneficial nematodes.

My upcoming posts are going to cover frugal Christmas gifts.  I’ve been experimenting with different ideas for gifts and look forward to sharing them with you.

God bless,

Pam

Happy Thanksgiving!

 I hope you are having a blessed Thanksgiving.  I scaled my Thanksgiving menu back and it made the day much more enjoyable.

Cornish game hens, green bean casserole (with some okra from the garden), cornbread stuffing, and homemade cranberry sauce.

God bless,

Pam

Mushrooms Are Thriving!

 Yesterday I was planting collards and mustard greens in the garden I had seeded with oyster mushrooms.  Every time I pulled the mulch aside I discovered a thriving network of mycelium.  There was even a baby mushroom, albeit very beaten up by Hurricane Nicole.

I am thrilled and very surprised by how easy it is to incorporate mushrooms into the garden; not only to eat, but to overall increase the health of the plants and the soil.

Later I was walking by the mushroom bed I started for shiitake mushrooms and saw a yellow oyster mushroom peaking out.  I had attempted to grow yellow oysters inside without success, so I threw the leftover spawn into the old mushroom bed.  Surprise!

I am like a little child when it comes to these mushrooms.  I think that by experimenting with something new it has added a fresh excitement for gardening and dispelled the ennui that comes from repetitive tasks.  So, try something new in the garden this year.

God bless,

Pam

P.S. I order my mushroom spawn from Northspore.  Use this link and use my coupon code: FRUGALMENNONITE for a discount.

The Frugal Garden: Nematodes #2

 Due to my ongoing fascination with fungi, I was thrilled to learn that seeding a garden with Wine Cap or Oyster mushrooms can make your garden plants resistant to root knot nematodes.  Here is a YouTube link to a video from Northspore about growing mushrooms in your garden.

I was advised to keep the Wine Cap mushrooms and Oyster mushrooms separate from each other.  I have two vegetable gardens, so I dedicated each to a separate type of mushroom.

The larger garden (above) is dedicated to the Wine Cap mushrooms.

And the small garden (above) is dedicated to the Oyster mushrooms.

It very easy to do.  First I raked back the mulch, broke up the bags of spawn, scattered the spawn throughout the garden, then recovered the garden with the mulch.

The large garden is usually mulched with pine straw, which works well in Florida, because our soil can be very alkaline.  If your soil isn’t alkaline just use regular straw.  The small garden is mulched with a layer of wood chips, then a layer of pine straw.  It also has decomposing oak roots from some oaks my neighbor had removed.

A couple of weeks after spreading the mushroom spawn I pulled back the mulch in the small garden and was quite happy to see that the Oyster spawn was already spreading.

You can purchase these mushroom spawns from Northspore.  Use the coupon code:  FRUGALMENNONITE  to get a discount.

I’ll keep you updated on the mushroom bed progress.

God bless,

Pam

The Frugal Garden: Nematodes #1

 Have you ever had a plant in your garden suddenly start to decline, then die?  Then when you pull up the plant it’s roots are gnarled and bumpy.  You are probably dealing with root knot nematodes.

Nematodes are a tiny worm like creature that can do incredible damage, and are prevalent here in Florida. Fortunately, there are ways to limit the damage they can do.

The first line of defense is solarization.  Several weeks before planting your garden cover the dirt with plastic, weigh it down and leave it.  The sun will kill the nematodes off, but the beneficial worms will just dig deeper and return when you remove the plastic.  In colder climates this has the added benefit of warming the soil and quick starting seed germination.

There is quite a debate on whether to use black plastic or clear plastic.  I use a dark colored tarp that I can use to cover other things in case of a tropical storm.  I’m not sure that the color even matters, so use what you have at hand.

There are two other methods that I use to control nematodes and I will cover them in future posts.

God bless,

Pam

The Frugal Garden: Bits and Bobs

 I wanted to share a few ideas from trying to garden during our ridiculously hot Florida summers.  This year I tried out shade cloth for the first time.  You can buy shade cloth in different strengths; the one I chose was 40% sun protection (like sunscreen).

I purchased some small hoops and placed the shade cloth over a raised garden and over a regular garden row.  It did extend the season by a month for pak choi and bok choi.  The down side is that the cloth kept out pollinators, but the slugs loved the shady environment.

My Seminole pumpkins did well.  I’ve been planting them along fences, shrubs and wherever I can find a bit of space.  Then we do our best to encourage the vines to stay out of high traffic areas, but where there is adequate sun.  When they are ripe they are a buff color and the flavor is strong and sweet.  They are a really good choice for areas that are too hot and humid for regular pumpkins.

Before you move into your down season (summer for me) mulch like your life depends on it.  The mulch protects the garden soil and the beneficial organisms within it.  I prefer straw type mulches, but anything you can obtain can be used.  My area does provide free mulch piles in our county parks, but I won’t use it in my vegetable gardens because I don’t know if they are contaminated with insecticide or, even worse, weed killer.

Hurricane Ian came through south of me.  I only lost a few plants, but some people lost their entire gardens (or worse their homes).  Don’t allow setbacks and losses in the garden discourage you.  Every year every gardener faces failure.  Think of failure as a learning experience and an opportunity to try new things in your garden.  The most successful gardeners look hopefully to the future.

God bless,

Pam