Holy Grass clippings Batman, its only April.

I cut the lawn yesterday with a rental Ahrens, which was wheel powered. I have a postage stamp yard, and filled a bag each lap of the back yard, stopping the mower dead. The rest of the year I maintain the yard with my B&D battery electric. Last year I did not cut so much grass plug the mower or have a bag per lap. Last year I rented the mower in May. Man, this is a warm spring.

Hi Rob! Sounds like you've harvested a sizeable crop for composting. I'll be doing the same today...
How is the vegetable gardening going?

Our grass really needs clipping too - dh better get to it!

We've (that is to say, my husband) mown the yard twice so far. Oh, and my son did it one time, too, as an anniversary present. Wasn't that kind? (LOL!)
We have a composting push mower. It leaves the cuttings on the lawn.

The compost pile is now 3/4 grass clippings, I need to mix or bear the slime of ages. The veggies (radishes, peas and beans) are acting insane growing like crazy. The scallions, lettice and peppers are taking it easy and slow.

Drive down and take away some of my straw. True, driving down here would pretty much negate any 'environmental' goodness you'd be doing, but, hey, I need to get rid of this pile of straw! The compost bins are full.

geez, Pixy - how much do you have?

Rats. Harley was in Lacey delivering a piece of furniture to my mother's house with his truck today. I could have told him to stop by your house and get us some straw. I need to mulch all these asparagus I bought. Too bad for me, its too late now.

Speaking of asparagus, I have read 4 contradictory guidelines on how deep to plant the crown. They are all in the ground according to directions from the company I bought from, but it might be California climate directions. Does anybody know from experience how deep they need to be in this climate?

I did mine about 8 to 10 inches. I think that's what I read. I still want to put in a few more. Wonder if it's too late.

I had bought two bales. Bales expand to a gazillion times their size. I filled the compost bins (3 bin system) and still have a large pile of it left. Lynn came and took some, but it didn't make a dent in the pile. I'll probably just move the pile somewhere and keep adding green stuff until it begins to melt.

Pix, if I can find a way to fit a bag or two of it in my car on Friday, I'll be happy to take some off your hands . . .

You're on!

I read somewhere that slugs dislike straw because of its sharpness. Any truth to that...
I need all the slug help I can get.

Not in my experience. They just crawl underneath it.

I just read that slugs are attracted to citrus fruit - leave a halved orange next to your hostas and go pick up the booty in the morning. Worth a try, and those too squeamish to perform mass murder can relocate them.

Boy tonight the slug pickins were pretty darned good. I gave them all a good scolding and dropped them off in the woods . . . I like the citrus fruit idea.

you can't drop them off in thewoods..... they will be laying eggs and make there way back. Ya need to be cruel, unfortunately . Soapy water works best. SOrry !

No. I don't think so. They form an important part of the ecology, breaking down decaying materials. I don't kill unless I have to and this doesn't qualify as have to for me.

Besides, I could kill them all and there will still be more. It's sort of like trying to eradicate shot weed - the seeds are going to be there, regardless.

Now Lamiastrum, ivy, Aegipodium - I'm okay with killing that.

aaaaaaaaaaaaah! you forgot one: the dreaded Creeping Ranunculus!!!

Hey you guys what is a slug? We have no such things here in Paradise. LOL

I'm thinking you may get a surprise parcel Soferdig! I could share..... they aren't allowed to cross the border, so you are lucky. They are terrorizers.

Now there you go, enye. You could ship them all to Montana. Come to think of it, we didn't have them in Fairbanks when I was growing up, either.

Anyone have any luck with watering frequently chewed plants with leftover coffee. I read that somewhere too.

I always used Diotenacious earth under the plants in Seattle. Oh yes I tried to use the beer can with beer but all of mine were empty. How do you open a beer can and put it full in the garden?

apparently not very easily...it calls to you, right?

When I tried this method, I would buy the cheap beer for the slugs and then go and get a nice one for myself.

good thing chocolate doesn't drown them. i wouldn't want to share.

I have heard that slugs are attracted to people who eat chocolate. Possibly that is why they are in your garden. Maybe you need to switch to green tea. LOL

We've got the ultimate slug defense this season: A mallard duck couple chose our pond for their spring home, and I swear the hostas have never looked so good. ;) Mama duck has been sitting on her nest, faithfully for almost a month, and for the first time this morning I heard baby duck noises! Haven't seen them yet, but maybe tomorrow... Very exciting, and a little nervous for the family, as we have a big dog next door that doesn't understand his boundaries... not to mention coyotes, raccoons, hawks... :( Cross your fingers for the new wild mallard duck family....

Oh, that's scary. I hope they do okay. It's exciting, isn't it, to have been selecting as the prime location for the family?

Whereabouts do you live in Redmond? I'm actually in unincorporated King County not far from Cottage Lake, right behind the Bear Creek Country Club . . .

This message was edited Apr 28, 2010 8:49 PM

It's been my experience that the natural selection process of ducklings is: about every day or so there is one less little guy in the train until they get big enough to fend for themselves. Probably OK, or we'd be overrun with duck doo-doo.

Kathy I never knew where you lived. I used to live near there right off Paradise Lake Rd and Woodinville Duvall Rd

Holy cow. You're kidding. That's 5 minutes from me. I'm about 1/2way to the south of that on 212th off of Woodinville/Duvall road.

However, it's getting too crowded for me already. I might have to move to Montana . . .

Ok... I'm mystified (and slightly relieved)... I thought for sure I heard baby ducks yesterday! Maybe they were baby birds from a nest in a nearby tree.... I guess I was fooled, because this morning she was actually away from the nest so I took a peek up close for the first time and there is no sign that eggs or chicks have ever been in there - just some nicely compacted leaves and mama feathers...... I guess she was just practicing... ;) Papa and momma flew over from the pond to keep an eye on me, but they are so used to me now they were not too concerned and soon flew back to the pond to resume their breakfast swim….

Anyway, I’m actually relieved there are no baby ducks to worry about. I’m a HUGE softy, and was doing my best to prepare myself for the reality of Mother Nature… I told my husband if we ever get chickens we’d have to build them the biggest enclosed aviary you ever did see… ;) Something like this:

Katie - I used to take horseback riding lessons thereabouts! :)

I live in unincorporated KC, off of highway 202 between Redmond and Fall City... We used to live north of Monroe on Woods Creek Rd... But got tired of the loooooooooong commute...

Okay then. I know just about where you are.

You, me, Ladybuggfan, and Katye (who am I missing?) and any other Issaquah/Carnation/Duvall/Woodinville/Redmond-ites should get together for coffee one weekend!

My EXDW after planting about 20 trees cut down 3 of my favorites there when shee got possesion of the house. She knew it would hurt me so I think that was her motive. I haven't been out there since. someone else bought it right after the divorce and I don't know what they have done. Cottage lake is where I went on opening day of trout season with my step-daughters. Oh yes and that is where I wen't "crawdad" catching at night with my neighboors. 17636 201st Ave NE. It weas a good group of neighboors who have all moved away fro Seattle.

Huh. I didn't know that there was trout fishing and crawdad catching at Cottage Lake.

So were you on the backside of the Reintree subdivision? Were you on the hillside facing east and overlooking Paradise Lake Road? I have some acquaintances who live very near there and who are great gardeners.

People out here do seem to be pretty nice. Sadly, Duvall is getting taken over by the young wealthy and so the nature of the area is changing. I don't have anything against the young or the wealthy, per se, but there is a whole group of self-entitled "rich" people who are unaware and unappreciative of how they are impacting others. Or perhaps they just don't care.

Yes I faced east towards the road we were at the top of the hill. When I was there there were no homes below us. It was thick forest. I started to thin the forest floor and plant a variety of decidious trees. Though I did plant a Costal Redwood I bet it is a monster now.

I'll try to find out the address of the other house I've been to and see if it was at close to your old one . . .