The Garden Part 6 -- 5/9/09

Nothing too exciting going on this week in the garden. My previous plantings are all growing, though maybe a bit slower than I thought. I hope it's not because there's not enough sunlight.

Lettuce is growing slowly but surely.

Radishes are starting to look good.

Peas are coming in nicely.

My potatoes started popping up this week too. It was hard to see the sprouts at first, as they blend in to the soil. I covered them up with another 3-4 inches, per my research.

I'm a little potato sprout, short and stout...

Roy gave me some Volcano Peppers that he started growing in the greenhouse, which I may plant this week. I want to make sure the soil temperature is high enough. My notes tell me it should be between 60-70, and this week it was around 65.

Exciting, isn't it.

However the weather report calls for cold weather this week, with lows in the low 40's, so I might hold off for a bit.

The only other project for the weekend was to "install" the Guardener protection systems that arrived last week. Steve's friends sent 2 free of charge, but they are actually 2 different models. The first one is the high-end version. It's solar powered, and has a "range" of 20 feet or so. Any movement inside the range of it's "seeing eye" triggers some ultrasonic pulses. If the movement doesn't go away, it then shoots out streams of water to deter the pests.

The Guardener -- powering up.

It needs to power up in the sun for a couple of days before turning on, so I'll be doing that this week.

The 2nd model sent was a much less advanced, technological wise. This one is on a small pole, and only has a range of 4 feet or so.

The Guardener Mini -- ready to party

This version uses a battery pack of 8 AA batteries, but does not use water. Like version 1, if the "seeing eye" catches any movement in its range, it sends out ultrasonic pulses. But if the movement continues, instead of shooting out water, it inflates an attached "air expander", which also makes a noise.

The "air expander" letting loose.

In case you can't tell from the photo, the "air expander" is, in fact, simply a party horn/blower.

Yes...these are supposed to keep squirrels away from my compost.

Now, don't get me wrong. I couldn't be more thankful that Steve's friend wanted to send me 2 free samples of his new company's pest control devices. I just didn't think that it would be using favors left over last year's New Years Eve party to keep squirrels and rabbits from my yard. Maybe it will actually work. Or maybe Sage and I will be kept awake at night by the "air expander" being blown all night. Or, as I suspect will happen, maybe I'm going to look out the window one day and see the neighborhood squirrel with a lampshade on his head, drunk off his ass, and blowing this party horn. Something like this.

For all of us, all we can do is hope it happens.