Tag Archives: gardening

Friday Funnies

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For the first time, Kenn planted a small garden this year. Some things didn’t do very well, but we did get a few bell peppers and the tomatoes are still coming in. However, we’ve learned the hard way that we can’t leave tomatoes sitting on the kitchen counter to finish ripening. Nyx, our black cat, has a weird obsession with them. Any tomato left unguarded will, at the very least, develop teeth marks – if it doesn’t completely disappear.

Earlier this week I showered while Kenn cooked supper. When I came downstairs to set the table, etc. he told me that he’d brought in three tomatoes. He turned his back for a minute and all three were gone. He managed to find two of them (one was in the garbage disposal) but one was still missing in action. I didn’t find the third one until I went downstairs to play video games. The remains of the third tomato were at the base of the stairs.

Our cats definitely keep life interesting, LOL!

Bamboozled

Kenn is the plant person in our relationship. He has always done a great job of keeping our yards looking good. However, we’ve learned the hard way that some plants are the gift that just keeps on giving – and not in a good way.

Our last house had a terraced yard which included a few raised beds. One of the beds at the front of the house contained azaleas which gave a nice pop of color in the spring. We planted lantana in the other to add color in the summer and fall. Kenn decided that he wanted to plant bamboo in the beds to the sides of the house, I was a little concerned about it spreading because invasive plants such as kudzu love the climate here in the southeastern United States. Kenn said not to worry, he would be taking steps to keep the bamboo contained so the planting commenced.

We moved out of that house almost five years ago but still maintain it as a rental property. Over the years it has become obvious that the attempt at bamboo containment failed. Not only did it fail, it did so spectacularly. Our property now has a bumper crop of bamboo and it is busily spreading throughout the neighborhood. Oopsie. Our bad.😬

Yep, the bamboo is thriving

I would say that bamboo grows like kudzu, but if you’ve never lived in an area with kudzu that means nothing. Kudzu grows several inches per day. So does bamboo, which is another fact we’ve learned the hard way. The growth is most noticeable in the spring when the new sprouts begin pushing through the soil. The next day, those sprouts are six inches tall. By the end of the week, they’re six feet tall. We’re now taking steps to reclaim the back yard at our rental property from the bamboo jungle it is becoming but it’s going to be a never ending battle. Wish us luck!

Do you have any experience with bamboo? If you have any tips on how to kill the bloody stuff, please let me know!