Recycled sunflower stalks used to make grapvine trellis

So a little while back a posted about my grapevine extending out from my fence into the alley. It needed some support for it to continue its growth. So I brainstormed and thought what better way than to re-use the stalks from the sunflowers as a natural trellis.

So I found a few tall stalks that were great for the task. I literally had to hatchet the stalks down. My clippers weren't strong enough to cut through their thickness. I already broke one set of pruners trying. I stripped the leaves off and dug them into the ground. Then used a smaller stalk as a cross beam for the vine to travel down.

I think they really work out well. They similar color to the vine itself and add a natural touch to what would probably be an artificial structure. I have no idea how long they will hold up but I'm hoping a long time. Especially once the vine become entangled.

I've also used some of the smaller sunflower stalks to create support sticks for leaning plants. I reccommend trying to find things to recycle rather than spending money on simple sticks and dows.

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Tomatillo stages

Just a few shots of my juvenile tomatillo plants. Above is what the tiny tomatillo starts out like. It will quickly grow and expand out. It's good to have some kind of netting, fencing or string because the stalks of the tomatillos tend to weaken with the rising weight of ripening tomatillos. I used some clothesline to help guide my young plant towards my fence in hopes that I can weave branches for structure. I think the smaller plant may be a purple tomatillo plant. It would be a welcomed color change from all the greens and yellows.

Pest Control. My methods of extermination.(Gophers mainly)

So if you've seen some of my past posts you know that I've had encounters with possums and raccoons in my backyard garden. I've trapped 3 raccoons and eliminated 2 possums but gophers had been a problem in the past I wasn't really willing to tackle. At least until recently. The gophers in my backyard alley were ruining plants and soil everywhere. I'd had enough. So after some serious research I chose my weapon. A Victor Black Box Gopher trap. The amazon reviews were great and it was under $15. Now as you see the trap here it's set and ready to go. You would just point that end (the open end) towards an open tunnel. It works like a reverse mouse trap, instead of pinning a rodent down it pulls them up and pins them to the roof of the trap. The trigger is that coat hanger looking metal piece in the middle. It packs quite a punch when triggered. Now you can't just look for an open hole and stick it in front of it. I watched YouTube for about an ho

Whiskey Barrel planter project

So our new neighbor that just moved in has a job at a brewery and said he could get these whiskey barrels for free. I thought what a great planter. So this past Saturday I set about making them into planters. Here is how I made them. After cutting it in half with a hand saw (Didn't have any power tools and could use the exercise), we set about attaching casters to make the planters mobile. I purchased casters from Home Depot and purposely bought one caster that had a stopper in case our planter was parked on anything with an incline. We ended up using a piece of wood as a spacer to ensure that our casters where high enough to make clearance. The one being drilled in the photo is the one with the brakes. After casters were installed we drilled (I say we cuz I was helped by my trusty neighbor Erik) holes in the bottom for drainage. Instead of drilling a few large holes I drilled a lot of small holes. This way I'd ensure proper drainage and also provide a hole size

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