bend wyatt one crop

bend wyatt one crop

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Wyatt's wonderful wacky way to the wonderous world of gardening!

or in simpler terms...my top 10 tips for a  garden that any dog would be proud of!

Number One:
Have a plan.

Many home gardens and landscapes evolve helter skelter. Plants are purchased on a whim and installed in a piece meal fashion. Start with a blank slate on paper, put in some of the existing items you will keep, transplant some items and plan for the new purchases. Most perennials and annuals look better planted in groups of the same variety.

Number Two:
Think outside the box.

Break away from rectangular shaped lawns and straight beds.
Curvy lines are easier on the eye and easier to mow and edge.

Number 3:
Plan and Plant for all 4 seasons.
Most landscapes fall short in the fall and winter.
Look for evergreens and plants with berries, fall color and texture for seasonal interest, year round.

Number 4:
Improve your soil
Be generous when adding organic amendments. Spread 2-3 inches over the soil, then dig or till into the top 9-12 inches. Large compost piles are also fun to play on!

Number 5:
Failure to water, or Overdoing it.
Most folks here, tend to over water to the point of soggy!
Most established plantings really need very little water after the first year.

Lawns benefit from deeper watering at further intervals. Lawns watered frequently have shallower roots and are not as hardy.

Number 6:
Know your pests.
We love you Bambis and Bunnies, just not in our gardens!
If you have wildlife, research your plants and find deer resistant varieties.

We have found dogs to be the best control method. Scarecrows only scare me,Wyatt!!

Number 7:
Wyatt's Tomato Tip
When planting a tomato plant, we mix into the planting hole, 1 shovel full of steer manure, 1 handful of pelletized lime and 1 handful of bone meal. Works like a charm! Warning dogs love bone meal and will dig up the tomato plant to get to it, so put the tomato cage on right away or fence off the area!

Number 8:
Mom's Pruning Tip
Flowering plants that bloom in the spring on wood that grew the previous year (Rhododendrons), should be pruned only after the bloom has finished, if you prune too late in the season, you will eliminate the flower buds for next year. Flowering shrubs like Hydrangea, that bloom on the current season's wood can be pruned in late winter or early spring and not effect the current seasons bloom.

Number 9:
Container Plantings
The bigger the container the better! It's hard to keep plants alive in a small container, go big and don't be afraid to rotate things out of the pots and put in new plants when they start to look ratty.
Containers need daily water in the heat and frequent fertilization. We use a mild fish fertilizer or time released pellets.

Number 10:
Have Fun
Don't create so much work, that you don't have time for the dog!! 

Now that's entertainment!!
Frankie, Thanks for letting me speak at the Blogville Picnic in the Bark!

Is there anymore watermelon and hotdogs?
Wyatt

29 comments:

  1. Hi Wyatt, How great your tips are, we are sad to say we don't realy have any garden we would love to even just to follow your tips.
    We like the last bit, have time for your dog.
    Licks Bobby

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  2. You have some awesome tips, and great photos for illustration! Mom says she has to get out and prune those hydrangeas of our ASAP. We miss having a handy supply of horse manure to put in our garden, because we know how great it works with those tomatoes.

    Bunny

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  3. Wyatt! That was SO helpful!! As you know we need all the help we can get!! Tip 11 might be something about planters/flowerbeds are not the same as dog beds!! Have a fun weekend, and seriously, this was really interesting.

    ~Rottie Kisses

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  4. What wonderful tips! You really have a beautiful garden! Love the scarecrow!!! Lots of love, Debbie & Holly

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  5. wyatt!

    thankies for your totally awesome gardenin' informational! my mama is definitely bad about not havin' a plan...but don't woof to her that i told you that! heehee. anywho, i think my two fave parts were about havin' a big compost pile to play on and makin' sure that your hoomans still have time to play with us doggies! :D

    *woof*
    the booker man

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  6. Wow, very good tips. My mom is very good at thinking outside of the box, but not so good about planning. I will work on her planning skills.

    For some reason, I don't seem to deter the raccoons and possums who occasionally pass through our small yard (and eat our tomatoes and eggplants).

    Your pal, Pip

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  7. BAH... I think Blogger or the STORM we just had.. ATE my comment..

    BRRRRRRRAAAAAAAVOOOOOOO WELL DONE BUDDY!!!
    THE ampitheater was standing room only.. and CRAMMED at that!! EVERYBUDDY LOVED your Tips.

    I had a question... do you ever put Epsome Salts in the holes for your Tomatoes??
    Do you prefer Cows Poops to Horses Poops.. and if so... why?
    You did a spectacular job!!!

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  8. Great tips (sigh) unfortunately our human is incapable of following the first one. Have a plan, well actually she usually has a plan, but then she can't find the plants she wants when she is at the nursery and then she sees something she likes and then she buys it and sticks it somewhere and oops her plan is all messed up. We so admire humans that actually stick to their plans.

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  9. Great advice. When our back garden was put in, it was planned. It's growing very well....except the paths we zoom through. We're the best guards out! We don't even let the birds in our garden.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

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  10. Very good.....can you makes a special trip to Florida to helps Mom wit her garden. Da garden needs.........lots of help!

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  11. Mom can't wait until we move somewhere where the weather is more garden friendly! She really enjoys all of your pictures.

    Sam

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  12. Just a reminder. I'm collecting watermelon rinds for my spaceship fuel.

    Yours,

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  13. That's all good advice and as you say one should leave time to enjoy the garden even though working in a garden is fun in its own right.

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  14. What great tips from an expert gardener! Thank you, Wyatt!

    Love ya lots
    Maggie and Mitch

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  15. How about tips for a garden in the desert?

    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com

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  16. Well I got #1, but that's as far as I got! :)

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  17. Hey Wyatt!
    Wow, this was a great addition to the picnic! Goes right along with the flower show. Very good tips...especially the fertilizing part. My peeps tell me I'm full of that. Definitely good to tell the gardeners not to forget about us pup!
    Grr and Woof,
    Sarge, COP

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  18. Phhheewwww she needs a plan alright! She goes to the flower stores and comes home with a ton of stuff that he says she will never get in the ground! It's pretty funny actually...but now she's starting to learn. Have fun is the best part.

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  19. Good thing the previous residents of my place did the planning. Otherwise a lot more than one front bed would be helter-skelter.

    The chickens are dedicated to soil improvement. The compost worms love the chickens' contribution!

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  20. Hi Wyatt and Stanzie, you have very helpful tips..... your peeps really know what it's all about!! I'm always helping my mum and dad in the garden, then mum freaks when my white paws are brown and gritty and there is dirt ALL around my mouth..... then I smile sweetly and she is not so mad! Got HER around my paw!

    As always, keep up the good work,

    Tail Wuggles, Rubie.

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  21. Oh - by the way - you have been awarded - see my blog to pick it up!

    Tail Wuggles, Rubie.

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  22. Great tips ALL Wyatt! You really know your stuff pal :D Like how you ended it with 'remember to have fun!' I know some peeps who's garden looks great but its so much work they have come to resent it :( Good thing is, they can fix that if they want to :D

    Waggin at ya,
    Roo

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  23. These are FABULOUS gardening tips, Wyatt. Think we might have to print them out and keep 'em for future reference. Better yet, it would be great to have all this in a handy little "Wyatt's Gardening Tips" manual or book. We would totally buy one of those, um, of course, IF you pawtographed it :) OR better still, could you just come over and do all the gardening FOR us? BOL!

    Hey, thanks for stopping by the bouncy castle!

    The Road Dogs

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  24. Man you ARE the man with the plan. You know everything about gardens! Great picnic stop.

    Nubbin wiggles,
    Oskar

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  25. Wyatt, this is pawesome! Mama is that gardener you talk about. She goes out and just buys a bunch of stuff she like, but none of it goes together and there's no real plan and the finished project looks kind of like a train wreck! We like the idea of a map that shows us where we are headed. Even if we can't achieve it all at once, we can start with the outline and build it up over time! Thanks!

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  26. Great garden tips Wyatt!!! My momma thanks you fur da inspiration and the pretty fotos of gardens that aren't BROWN.

    Sadly, all we gets to do in our yard/garden lately is drag da sprinkler hoses around and WATER! We are in a big bad drought (19 inches behind in rain since January) Sheesh!

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  27. Great tips!! We planted a Hydrangea last spring, and I didn't know until recently that I was supposed to have pruned it. Luckily, it came back, has beautiful blooms, and looks great. Live and learn. Thanks for sharing!

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  28. You are such an awesome gardener!! Thanks for the great tips!! I'm always available to help with the digging!!!
    Love,
    Janie

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  29. What excellent gardening advice. See you in the compost pile!

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