Non-Invasive Gardening

I don't know if that's the best title, but what I mean is gardening that isn't intrusive on your landscaping and is easy to clear away after it's served its purpose.   Which brings us to this post.

For the second year now, I'm planting my okra is a way that is easy to maintain, mow around and remove once the growing season has ended.  Now I know this isn't bird house building, but it is about using things (junk) around the house and putting them to new use.

I didn't invent the wheel or anything, but I use single-square cinder blocks.  I space them out each year, fill them with good compost (from my composter) and mix in a little manure and peat moss, and then sow the seeds harvested from the previous year's last pods.  This year I installed some old gutter screen mesh (garage sale find - gotta recycle!) across the tops to keep the birds from picking out the seeds.  This didn't happen last year, that I know of, but I believe in Murphy's Law. 

After installing the screen strip, I staked the ends with some old rusty wire and every other or so cinder block to make sure it didn't move.  Once the seeds sprout, I'll remove the screen and then give them time to see which ones are the strongest sprouts and weed out the smaller ones.  I try to give them away to friends if possible to introduce them to okra.  Last year, the stalks grew well over 10 feet tall and started new shoots at the bottom of the stalks and started all over again.  I was floored.

The great thing about the cinder blocks is that when the okra has run its course and cooler weather starts to set in, you just pull up the stalks, kick over and empty out the blocks, level out the small amount of soil in the blocks and you're done.  The rest of the year, you can store the cinder blocks or use them around the yard for other purposes.  I painted mine green to tie in more with the yard. 

Like I said, I didn't reinvent the wheel or anything, but I thought it was a neat way to go about easy gardening.