[speaker001:] What type of lawn and garden work do you do?
[speaker002:] Well, I do it all [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] I see. Do you have a garden?
[speaker002:] Uh, yes. I, I try to grow, uh, uh, a vegetable garden and,
[speaker001:] We do the same thing. It's, I just have a small plot it's like ten feet by five feet.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I have two plots, one's ten by ten and one's like fifteen by four.
[speaker001:] I see.
[speaker002:] It's a long skinny one and,
[speaker001:] Yeah, you do a lot more area than I do. I've, all the rest of my yard, backyard is, uh, you know, pool and decking it's all the dirt I have,
[speaker002:] Oh, I see.
[speaker001:] left in my backyard [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah. I see.
[speaker001:] Well, I enj-, I enjoy fiddling around. It's cheap entertainment.
[speaker002:] Right. Right. Yeah, it's nice to get out in the open air.
[speaker001:] It is, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And especially when the weather's not too hot or,
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] not raining or whatever,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but, uh,
[speaker001:] I enjoy,
[speaker002:] sometimes I,
[speaker001:] Excuse me, go ahead.
[speaker002:] I said, I sometimes I wish I had more space
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know. I grow a lot of things, a lot of food.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And sometimes I, I want to plant something, there's not enough room to plant.
[speaker001:] That's right. That's right.
[speaker002:] Some of those things like, uh, you know, the things that vine like, uh, cucumbers,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] or, uh, squash or something,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] like that.
[speaker001:] Takes a lot of room.
[speaker002:] Plant one of those and it takes up your whole space [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] It sure does. I made mistake one year and planted some cantaloupe, my goodness,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] what a mistake that was.
[speaker002:] Yeah. They, they just run all over,
[speaker001:] They do.
[speaker002:] the place, don't they,
[speaker001:] Well, it was very good it just takes up, you know, like you say, a lot of your garden area.
[speaker002:] Right. Right. .
[speaker001:] It's the first and only time I've done that. We don't do anything exotic we just do, oh,
[speaker002:] The basics.
[speaker001:] tomatoes, bell peppers,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] radishes and turnips, I mean, not turnips, carrots, beets and things like that.
[speaker002:] Yeah. That's what we do too.
[speaker001:] My wife used to plant a few snow peas. I don't really care for snow peas. Well, she just plants a few for herself.
[speaker002:] Right. Peas
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I, I got a few peas out my garden a couple of days ago.
[speaker001:] Did you really?
[speaker002:] The first one, they started them indoors this time. I read it,
[speaker001:] Oh, I see.
[speaker002:] And so I,
[speaker001:] Okay. We don't start anything indoors we,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] just wait until, you know, the weather warm enough to stick it in the ground.
[speaker002:] I, uh, I guess you can get an earlier harvest by doing that,
[speaker001:] Probably so. Yeah, you can get a head start on it. [Noise] [sounds like ice in glass.]
[speaker002:] But, uh, sure is a heck of a lot of work.
[speaker001:] I guess it, it,
[speaker002:] Because you got to,
[speaker001:] might would, yeah.
[speaker002:] watch them every day,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and keep them watered and I, I don't think I'll do it again [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Well it will make, it will make them taste better I'm sure.
[speaker002:] Oh, yeah. Yeah, I enjoy it. I come home from work and, and I usually say hello to wife and kids,
[speaker001:] Sure.
[speaker002:] and then go out and fiddle, you know, just walk around the yard and
[speaker001:] You got to inspect it, yeah.
[speaker002:] inspect it and the kids want to swing,
[speaker001:] Sure.
[speaker002:] and I push them on swing.
[speaker001:] Sure.
[speaker002:] And I wal-, I mow my own lawn.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And I do, I don't have a sprinkler system. I, I don't enjoy watering.
[speaker001:] No.
[speaker002:] Especially,
[speaker001:] I, this is the first home we've lived in we've had a sprinkler system,
[speaker002:] Oh how,
[speaker001:] and boy, it is really nice,
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] it sure beats dragging hoses around.
[speaker002:] Yeah, you can have it come on just early in the morning.
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] And, and off by the, you know, by the time you're up and about.
[speaker001:] That's right. It's really nice.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I, I usually get it started for my wife
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I, and she moves it around [LAUGHTER] ever other day.
[speaker001:] I'll have to admit I don't, I do my own yard. I, I really don't enjoy doing that. I enjoy having a nice looking yard,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] I just don't enjoy the work,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] that it takes to get it done.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I had a lawn service to do my yard for me
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] during the real hot summer months, you know, until I retired and now I, I've lost my excuse for that so I have to [LAUGHTER],
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] for the last couple of years I've done it myself.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Sometimes I wish I could get one of these, uh, chemical services to come,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] out and spray for weeds,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and fertilize,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and all that and take that one step out of.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] But, uh, they want too much money.
[speaker001:] It is kind of expensive, it is.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Of course, the chemicals themselves when you buy them, they're expensive too.
[speaker002:] Right. Right. But it's still be quite a bit cheaper to do it yourself.
[speaker001:] That's right. If I have a problem discipline, you know, I think, now, boy, I really need to get out, you know, and apply something, you know, and I screw around and don't do it or wait too long or something.
[speaker002:] Right and the weed come up,
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] and all of a sudden you've got to do something else.
[speaker001:] That's right. I'm, I'm kind of bad about that.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I enjoyed having a lawn service but now I have the time and I really can't, I really don-, you know, don't,
[speaker002:] Well, if you,
[speaker001:] want to spend the money for it.
[speaker002:] enjoy it too,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] you know, you, you can get out in the morning when, before it gets hot and,
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] and do it and stuff,
[speaker001:] I'm not limited to,
[speaker002:] when you only have to,
[speaker001:] just mowing it on Saturday morning, you know,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] I can do it on most any day of the week.
[speaker002:] When the days start getting a little longer,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, you can, I can start doing it in the evening after work.
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] When they, when they switch to,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] switch, when we get an hour more,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] when they rollback an hour.
[speaker001:] That's coming up here pretty soon. Is it this weekend?
[speaker002:] I don't know.
[speaker001:] It's pretty soon.
[speaker002:] I really don't know. It just seems like I here it on the news the day before.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, uh, I, I think it's coming up here soon.
[speaker001:] [Noise] [ice] I believe it is too.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Yeah.
[speaker001:] Well,
[speaker002:] Are you having any trouble with bugs in, in your garden?
[speaker001:] Uh, not a whole lot, uh. I, I don't use, I, I seldom use anything harsher than seven dust, you know.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] I don't really like to put a lot chemicals on it but then,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] again, I don't want the bugs eating it upping either.
[speaker002:] Right. I, I, it seems like they come in spurts.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] One year I didn't put anything on and I didn't have any problems.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Next year I was planting some broccoli and, and some of those, they're called cabbage,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] cabbage loppers,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] or whatever.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] They were just covered with them,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I mean, I went up, I didn't go out there for about three days, you know,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] because I, and I went out there one day and the plant was noth-, nothing left but a stem,
[speaker001:] That's right.
[speaker002:] they devoured it that quickly.
[speaker001:] Absolutely. They really go through it,
[speaker002:] And, they, they,
[speaker001:] they really do.
[speaker002:] have a, you, a good appetite [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And they would, you know, I, I picked off like twenty of them and,
[speaker001:] You know cutworms will do the same thing to your tomato vines too.
[speaker002:] Ye-, yeah.
[speaker001:] Boy, they'll strip,
[speaker002:] They got that, uh, what is that safer soap, uh,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] B T spray this,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] year.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And I've been watching them every day and I've, and I haven't seen any signs yet. So, if I see any signs I'm going to spray them,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and, uh,
[speaker001:] I did something a little bit different this year that I haven't done before, I've got, my garden is shaped that I can, it's kind like this, uh, box shape, so I got four pieces of two by twelve and joined them together and just made a box.
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] And put in a whole bunch like eight hundred pounds of topsoil and manure and, you know, various other things,
[speaker002:] Well, the good stuff.
[speaker001:] Raised it up.
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] And I'm hoping especially with those big tall sides on there it that maybe I won't have, oh, I'll have less of a bug problem any-, at least they, they'll have a hard time crawling up the thing.
[speaker002:] Right. Yeah, my backyard is, uh, is sloping so I built a box up, you know
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] had to build the one, the low side up.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, uh, I had sandy loam hauled in. I had a dump truck come and dump it.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] On my driveway, I guess, that's what they do and then,
[speaker001:] Yeah,
[speaker002:] I had to wheel barrow it in.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] But, uh, you know, you can improve your own soil there
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] but the Texas soil isn't the greatest,
[speaker001:] That's right,
[speaker002:] gardening soil.
[speaker001:] you, you have to work on. You,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] really do.
[speaker002:] And you know, if I, I didn't wait five years for it to be good enough grow you know what I mean [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] That's right. When we had our pool done I had them to leave some extra loam, you know, for my garden so I had, I had a lot of loam out there to start with I just turned it all up and mixed it all up together
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] with,
[speaker002:] Do you have, do you have a rotor tiller?
[speaker001:] No. I don't, I did it by hand,
[speaker002:] Small enough, you have a, just do it by hand?
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] It wasn't too much of a job,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] really.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Like I say it's just,
[speaker002:] Yeah. I'd like to get one of these little small ones,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] that you see in all these gardening magazines.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. It would be handy.
[speaker002:] And it weighs twenty pounds or,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] something like that. My neighbor across the street has one. He always uses it to dethatch his lawn,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I see him out there,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and I guess it has a thatcher attachment to it.
[speaker001:] It might be handy,
[speaker002:] Yeah. Yeah.
[speaker001:] They're pretty neat little, I've never seen one.
[speaker002:] I have a friend who has one and, and he lets me, you know, no problem borrowing if it's,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] just a hassle when you know,
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah.
[speaker002:] to go up and it's a fairly large one to,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] heave it up into the back of the van,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh [Noise] [Ice rattling].
[speaker002:] bring it home and,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] check it back and just grab it, you know, if I, just go to my garage and grab it.
[speaker001:] Yeah. That would be neat, sure.
[speaker002:] That would be nice.
[speaker001:] We've had a garden, gosh, for years and years and years,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] of some size, you know, I can't remember a year when we didn't have one of some kind.
[speaker002:] What have you got growing right now?
[speaker001:] Uh, got, you know tomatoes that are starting to bloom
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and, uh, I've got carrots, I mea-, yes, I've got a few carrots up and I've got some radishes up,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and as a matter of fact, I've already done a second row of radishes.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. Yeah.
[speaker001:] And, uh, the green onions are coming along.
[speaker002:] Okay,
[speaker001:] Snow,
[speaker002:] what kind,
[speaker001:] excuse me.
[speaker002:] what kind of onions do you grow? Do you grow those, those ten, fifteen Y?
[speaker001:] Yes, I've for the first time we planted them this year.
[speaker002:] Oh, they, they are the best.
[speaker001:] Yeah. We tried to find them last year, we screwed around and waited too long and I couldn't find a nursery that had any of them left.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But we've got some this year.
[speaker002:] Uh, those,
[speaker001:] Snow peas are up and, uh, my wife does, uh, a small herb garden on the side.
[speaker002:] I see.
[speaker001:] They're up and doing fine.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I, uh, those onions, I think, we, we planted like twice as much this year because, you know, we got, on-, onions and they lasted from, you know, about when you harvest them about a month from now or so,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] or six weeks,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] from now,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] until, until like October,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and, uh, we really missed them when they were gone,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] because the ones from the grocery store just can't,
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's kind of a,
[speaker002:] compare.
[speaker001:] let down.
[speaker002:] She made these onion rings that were so good,
[speaker001:] Oh, I bet,
[speaker002:] and, and,
[speaker001:] they were.
[speaker002:] and, uh, you don't realize how many dishes you put onions in,
[speaker001:] That's right. We use a lot,
[speaker002:] that it's an ingredient,
[speaker001:] we sure do.
[speaker002:] and, and it was just like everything you put it into tasted so much better.
[speaker001:] Yeah. One nice thing with onions and, and bell peppers at least you can chop them and freeze them if you have,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] you know, too many.
[speaker002:] Right. We froze a lot of peppers. We let some turn red.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Uh-huh. We did that too,
[speaker002:] And some we do green and then my wife puts them on pizzas.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, and chops them up in recipes
[speaker001:] Sure. Makes, uh,
[speaker002:] and things like that.
[speaker001:] makes a colorful salad too.
[speaker002:] Oh, yeah. Put them in salad, yeah.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You're, you're making me hungry here.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] We planted some yellow peppers this year. We've tried it,
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] before and nope, we haven't had much luck with it we're going to try it again this year.
[speaker002:] Yellow peppers, huh.
[speaker001:] They have some little buds on them hopefully they'll do something.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Sounds like you have a real good garden.
[speaker001:] Yeah. We enjoy fooling around with it.
[speaker002:] Just let me see what I got, I got the peas and I've got some broccoli, uh, onions some, some radishes and, uh, uh, beets.
[speaker001:] Beets. Yeah, we've got some beets, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, and I planted potatoes too.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. I've never done potato. We used to do it at home when I was a kid,
[speaker002:] Oh, the potato,
[speaker001:] had a huge garden.
[speaker002:] They were, they're delicious but they, you don't get, seem to get that much for the space,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] they, they do.
[speaker001:] It takes a, yeah, it does take some space.
[speaker002:] Some beet, uh, potatoes
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and I've got some tomatoes still growing,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] in, in containers,
[speaker001:] I see.
[speaker002:] I got to wait for a place to, to, to free up.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, our, our kids love pickles and we all love pickles so we're going to try to grow our own pickles this year.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. That will be neat, yeah.
[speaker002:] We've got some good, um, um, Hybrid Burpee uh
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] uh, pickler cucumbers and we're going to try to see if we can pickle our own and,
[speaker001:] That will be neat, yeah.
[speaker002:] So, because have you seen how much pickles cost in the store?
[speaker001:] Absolutely, they're expensive.
[speaker002:] I know it. I said, why are they so expensive they're just a bunch of little cucumbers, you know?
[speaker001:] I don't know unless it,
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] labor intensive or something. I really,
[speaker002:] I guess.
[speaker001:] don't know.
[speaker002:] But we're going to try that,
[speaker001:] That will be interesting.
[speaker002:] and see how that works. An experiment.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I'd like to try, you know, just try something new,
[speaker001:] Sure.
[speaker002:] every year that,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I haven't tried before and,
[speaker001:] That's interesting.
[speaker002:] Well.
[speaker001:] Well, I'll let you go it's,