Monday, May 3, 2010

Ducks and Small Space Planter...

We hatched 2 ducks, one more pipped but died in the shell. I think I let the humidity get to low. I had to help all of them out. One I just KNEW wasn't going to make it. He laid in the bottom of the incubator for 2 days curled up. I just didn't have time (heart) to kill him. This morning T came in and ask me when we were going to move the other duck. I was like what duck? I thought one more must have hatched. Nope this one finally recovered. He is at least part runner duck with a crest no less! I like the runner ducks. Dogs like the runner ducks too. I have one left that we hatched from my runners I go several years ago. I am guessing he was daddy to this one.
Since I only hatched 2 I wanted a few more. I called the feed stores locally. I could get geese for $10 each but no ducks. I placed my order! They should be here Thursday. I got an assortment of 4 runner ducks 2 of some little black ducks I like and 4 ???? along with 6 geese.
MN is excited about the geese. I find it interesting she LOVES geese. She got caught teasing the geese several years ago and I made her go out among them. She still remembers it. They didn't get her, but she sure thought they were. She hasn't been caught teasing them again.

Here is my cheap small space planter. What you ask is it? I took a 6 inch piece of PVC that I really think had been throwing around here since we moved here. I stood it up where I wanted it and drew circles about where I wanted my holes. Off I went to find something to make holes with. Came up with the cordless drill and dad's saws-all and a hammer. Hey, saws all should work right? I have 13 yo son getting electric cord for me and such. He looks at me looks at the saws-all and ask. "Mom, have you ever used a saws-all?"


"Nope, but I have saw dad use it!" He didn't look very convinced I knew what I was doing.


I cut the top off flat. It was sorta jagged. :) That was the first use of a saws all. Hey it cut! Then I drilled holes in the circles. Once I had drilled a couple of holes to make a hole big enough for the saws-all blade to fit I was off and running. I cut perfectly round holes ................ well they might have been more along the lines of designer holes, but they were HOLES. I was proud. I didn't break the blade as I tried to make small holes instead of cutting the pipe into. I put a coffee can under the pipe to hold the dirt in. I wired my planter to the fence. Now we were ready to fill it. I filled to the first hole. T and I stuffed a tomato plant and a marigold in the hole. Then we stuffed an old phone book page to help hold the dirt. I think our dirt would have worked better IF we had moist dirt instead of dry. The dry fell out to easy. We filled the pipe with dirt, flowers, and tomatoes until we ran out of flowers and tomatoes. I have holes for about 3 more plants. I then poured some water down the pipe. This didn't work to well as it was to forceful. I slowed my pouring down and allowed it to soak in more. Once it was sorta wet I punched a hole in my drip system and put a dripper in the top of the pipe for future watering.


Close up of a marigold and tomato in my "perfect" hole.








I did this last Friday I think and all the plants still look great today. They are starting to lift up instead of being stuck strait out or pointed down. We have highs in the high 90s later in the week.





2 comments:

Felicia said...

That pipe thing looks cool, I'll have to try that.

Tasha said...

Wow Nola,

thanks for the idea with the pvc. I've got tomatoes in buckets, but dread putting posts in ground and trying to hang the buckets again this year. I think I'll be going to get pvc and stuff this weekend!!!!