My Chicago Garden

Over on the My Skinny Garden blog, Gina brought up the topic of big box stores, and in particular their return policy on live plants. Here was my response…..

Im a non-selective shopper [except under rare occasions where a particular store has made me particularly mad] , however I always give the local guy a try first. I’m willing to pay a couple extra bucks, even if they don’t have the best return policy. They almost always have the best service.

As for plants, I guess I have a different philosophy. Plant’s are living things, and they die for any of a number of good reasons. Most of them having to do with my actions. If only a couple died, that’s pretty good in my book and I wouldn’t even pull them out to take them back to HD. In fact I’ve probably killed $20 worth of plants already this year and all of them went into the compost pile instead of back to the store. I figure HD is trying their best to give me a good product and I tried my best to keep them alive, but stuff happens and it’s unfair to expect them to take the loss.

Different strokes for different folks I guess I know some of my family members will take an instore item that is scratched up to the counter and ask for a discount when there is nothing wrong with the item and it will get scratched as soon as they put it in the car. Unfair if you ask me.

One thing I will not tolerate from a local shop though is the complaining about being put out of business by the big guys. That’s a bunch of hog wash in 99% of cases. What really happened is they refused to change their business and died, like anybody else who has done that.

Case in point…when I lived in KY there was a local hardware store. I tried at least 15 times to purchase items from them, but their hours were 8am to 4pm M-F. That’s nearly impossible for anyone but contractors. And where do you think contractors shop? The discount stores…duh. They then complained in the newspaper about how the big box stores were putting a 100 year old hardware store out of business. Total crap. Had they changed their hours to cover weekends and evenings and stocked retail items instead of commercial they could have stayed in business. But they refused. And they died. No loss in my opinion

First thing to be harvested this year is something new for me. Lettuce was on the menu for dinner tonight! Our family doesn’t eat much salad at home, yet we like eating salad when going out for dinner. Doesn’t make much sense, but we do. I took some cuttings from the various lettuce (still in baby stage) and made a salad of lettuce, feta cheese and dried cranberries in a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Very yummy. The rest of the garden is doing well except for the second set of cucumbers I’ve planted out. The first set died due to a later than average frost and this replacement set are also probably damaged beyond recovery from the later winter/early spring low temperatures. I’m having to recover the potatoes with dirt practically every day. I’ll have to switch to straw here in about a week as they will have out grown the “hilling” of dirt available.

A few months ago I saw what to me was a new soaker hose system and it had been tempting me ever since late winter when I saw it on the shelves.  Only problem was it was basically a very thin soaker hose and a 1/2" distribution tube and they wanted $38 for it.  I shook my head and told myself that only a moron would pay $38 for two hoses and some plastic pieces (Amazon for $36).  Only thing was is that I went back and looked at it EVERY time we went to Menards, which is practically every weekend, and it looked like nobody was touching them. 

A few days ago I saw a sign that had them down to $10.  I did a double take and thought 75% price drop?!?! No way! I couldn’t pass it up and grabbed 4 of the 6 boxes that were still on the shelf.  See…I’ve done this before and purchased only one of an item and then come to find out I can’t find them anymore.  Like my Ultimato Tomatoe trellis system.  Curse you Lowes for not stocking them anymore!  When I got to the checkout they rang up as $8 each. I about fainted.

Tonight I just finished installing the first one and I can tell you it’s the best soaker system I’ve ever used.  I was out in the garden pulling out my large soaker hose system and replacing it with these. I recommend anybody with a couple extra bucks hit their local Menards and snatch up a couple.  You are looking for a purplish box labeled  Orbit Vegetable Garden Soaker System (Part #67562). It may say "DripMaster" on it somewhere.  It was originally outdoors in the garden section near the edging but I found them this time in the seasonal area near the hoses and hose accessories.

No seriously. Go now. If I didn’t already have 4 and only 3 vegetables beds I’d go back for the last two. Actually, if they still have them when I go back this weekend I’ll probably buy the rest. So if you live near Cold Springs/West Chicago nevermind…the system is horrible and a complete waste of money. What you need is a large bird bath..yeah that’s it!

What can go wrong, will go wrong. But you can still have fun!  Read all about it

We knew something was living under our deck the last year but we have never seen him. Tucker (our dog), was always sniffing around the edge and practically destroyed a stacked full-cord of wood on the edge of the deck trying to get at something under it.

Well the animal popped his head up today when we happened to be walking past the window. It’s a woodchuck! And he’s a beast! When I compare him to our 30-40lb dog (Tucker) the woodchuck has got to be a good 15lb. He was out eating the cast off’s under the bird feeder which is only 5 feet from his hole. The deck is the perfect location for him. It’s within 20 feet of a creek and wooded area and plenty of vegetation. Luckily my garden is on the other side of the house so I doubt he’ll go after it. But I’ve put up a mesh fence that should discourage him if he goes wandering.

Oh wait…my potatoe plants are on the side of the house near the deck.  Darn it!