Spring-loading

Tortoise Enclosure

Last summer I got Harry a wife named Erma. Over the winter they seemed to enjoy their indoor house, which included a 6 foot bookshelf turned on its side, lined with a rubber mat, and filled with Bed-A-Beast. But this summer I want them to be outside to enjoy the sunshine and eat some new types of Russian tortoise approved vegation. The first step was growing marigolds, cucumbers, petunias, and green peppers from seeds starting in late winter (pumpkin, kale are being grown directly in the outdoor enclosure). During the second spurt of nice weather we pulled up the sod from the side of the house. Nathan tilled the little area and I got busy putting down 2 layers of scalloped 12 x 4 inch long edgers.

The tortoises love their new enclosure. It will see some additions throughout the season, but it is a work in progress. They appear to enjoy petunias but have pretty much been scarfed down. Marigolds aren't a favorite and the cucumbers aren't enjoying the cross wind so much. So for now, I still have to provide some lettuce for them eat. And when the nights get below 50 degrees I have been bringing them in. I did lay some old sod into a nice little pile and put one of Oscar's plastic cat beds upside down over it, to give them a little place to stay dry when it rains. Here are the pictures:

Vegetable garden

So we waited and waited for the HOA to contact us about finishing a drainage project in our neighborhood. We knew that this spring, the back end of our yard would have to be dug up in order to correct some drainage issues. So we were hoping to plant the garden at this time. But the plants we grew from seeds quickly outgrew 3 different containers they were planted in. So I decided to do some research and see what could be planted in pots. Apparently, vegetables (even carrots) can be grown in pots and there are these new contraptions out called self-watering pots. These pots contain a water reservoir at the bottom of the pot that can be wicked up into the soil. So we are going to give it a try, despite the fact the contractors started work on our yard one week after I spent the majority of the weekend getting the pots and planting the veggies.

PS. I may be getting a new puppy in August.