It’s a grind in the garden
Christmas came early this year.
A week ago, garden columnist Joan Jackson earned four-star
brownie points among gardeners throughout the region for
encouraging us not to rake up fallen leaves, but rather to use them
as organic mulch in our garden beds.
It’s a grind in the garden
Christmas came early this year.
A week ago, garden columnist Joan Jackson earned four-star brownie points among gardeners throughout the region for encouraging us not to rake up fallen leaves, but rather to use them as organic mulch in our garden beds.
Only too happy to oblige.
Last month, we acquired a chipper-shredder. This bright yellow dynamo, manufactured by the McCulloch chainsaw folks, takes twigs, branches and leaves and turns them into a vegetation hamburger that’s been going onto our flower and vegetable beds.
As we remove several trees from our garden, truckloads of waste has been turned in to a manageable load of mulch, which offers several advantages.
Since we live in a temperate desert, our gardens tend to dry out during the six months or so that it does not rain. Mulch helps retain water, slowing runoff and keeping the water in the ground from evaporating so quickly.
It keeps our clay-laden soil from crusting over, and even contributes organic matter as it breaks down, composting as it works.
Best of all, it keeps me from spending Sunday afternoons at the landfill.
It’s just about the only power appliance we use in the maintenance of our garden. The mower is a reel model that makes a satisfying racket as I push it around. Pruning is done with loppers and hand pruners. There are no string trimmers at the Paxton estate.
But the utility of a chipper is inescapable. They’re so useful that I cannot figure out why I don’t see more of them. We could not locate one in Hollister, and eventually purchased our new electric beaver at Orchard Supply in Salinas.
Our garden is quickly being blanketed in a three-inch thick mantle of woodchips and shredded leaves. It looks more tidy. The plants are happier. Water use will drop. And the dog will find it more difficult to track mud through the house.
Life is good.
In other news
With rainy days punctuated by stretches of mild, calm weather, this is likely to be the best time of year to get outdoors to appreciate the place we call home. Two weeks ago, in shirtsleeve weather, I led nearly two-dozen people on a tour of one of Gilroy’s best features – its sewer.
That’s right, the wastewater treatment plant between Highway 152 and Bloomfield Road.
The tour, offered through the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, was such a hot item that reservations were required and the number of participants was limited.
The reason, of course, was the season.
In a dry climate, the presence of water is a guarantee of wildlife. As the wet months arrive, astounding numbers of migratory birds filter in. The treatment ponds were carpeted with ducks of many varieties, and shorebirds were abundant. A Peregrine Falcon worked the crowd in hopes of a duck lunch.
While a sewer plant may be only a dedicated birder’s idea of a vacation spot, the Gilroy plant is popular enough that provision is made for visitors.
Pack some water and a pair of binoculars and be sure to check in at the office upon arrival. The plant is located on the eastern edge of Gilroy behind Gilroy Foods. You might want to save the picnic lunch for another location.
Closer to home, the Hollister ponds may be viewed from a number of locations outside the fence. Here, too, I’ve watched as Peregrine Falcons terrorized the waterfowl.
A sewer pond is no Lake Tahoe, but around here, we’ll take water where we find it.
