You throw it away I say wait I minute... I could use that to...


Tires turned inside out make wonderful mini raised beds. The soil heats up faster and it is a great way to get kids interested in gardening. Be sure to scrub them well.


Chimney tiles sunk into the ground ar a great way to contain those herbs that want to go everywhere. A discarded terracotta saucer makes a great birdbath.

What grows in my garbage cans? Well, since I don't throw that much away, I grow potatoes in mine. They are so easy to harvest, just knock them over. No digging!!!

Gorge-eous: Conkle's Hollow

Today was my oldest daughter's birthday she requested that we go hiking. She and I hopped in the car and headed south, towards Old Man's Cave, but that was not the destination. Very nearby is a small (87 acres) called Conkle's Hollow. If you've never been there, you should make a point to take a trip there, you won't be disappointed. Neither of has been there before, a friend told us about it. We will be thanking them. It is kind of tricky to find, but worth the effort. Far fewer people visit this outdoor gem than other Hocking Hills attractions. If you don't like crowds, get there now (or wait until after a good rain, more on that later). If you take my advice, make sure you are in pretty good shape and DO NOT take small children, this is not a place for the meek and mild. Take snacks and plenty of water the Rim trail is 2 1/2 miles, not super long, but you have to get there first. We had some zuchinni bread, apples and water (we wished we had more by the end).

The map for the park shows some cute dotted lines that say these represent many stairs. It is not kidding, the trail starts at the bottom of the gorge and goes to the top fairly quickly. The trail winds along the rim of the gorge. People die here, so be careful! Don't forget to enjoy the view. It can be decieving how high it is, because the trees from the bottom of the gorge reach almost to the top of the rim. It is quite spectacular when a clearing opens and the bottom is in sight. These peeks usually come at a place where water would be falling in the spring or after a good rainstorm. (I need to go back to witness that!)

After going around the rim, we headed into the gorge. The first part of the trail is completely handicapped acessible, at least go hike this. It heads straight back through the gorge along a slowly meandering stream (mostly puddle, right now). From the bottom, it is difficult to see the top because the trees are so tall and thick. Continue back, it is nice and cool in there and completely still. No breeze, just delightfully fresh air.

The paved trail ends, but press on. The best is yet to come. The trail ends at what would be a beautiful waterfall, if only there were more water. We will definitely go back.

Oh I wish it would rain...

It has been uncharacteristically dry here in Central Ohio. Even the humidity is down (thank goodness for that). However it has made it very difficult for the plants in my garden to make it through summer. I don't like watering, seems like such a waste when usually it falls from the sky for free. Ordinarily it is not a huge deal as I have rain barrels (4, for a total of 220 gallons) but they are all disconnected as I prep the house for painting. Drat!

Spring was awesome with all of the rain we had here. My fruit trees are loaded. One of my apple trees is so loaded that its branches are bent and touching the ground. This after picking off and throwing away (composting) two 5 gallon bucks of immature fruit. Ugh! I can't bring myself to pick off any more.

I should mention that I have a standard city lot, not huge by any stretch of the imagination, but currently have a large silver maple tree (I'd like to tap it some day and make syrup, more research required), 2 apple trees, 1 fig tree (yes, you can grow figs here in Ohio), 1 nectarine tree, and 2 paw paw trees (Asimina triloba, largest fruit native to North America). The "orchard" is in addition to a gardening space of about 20' x 40'. It keeps me very busy.

Pictures and details coming soon.