Turning Lawn into Meadow

First, I chose a small section of lawn and mowed it as short as possible.

Next, I removed grass from three areas to plant 50 agastache (anise hyssop) deep plugs. I also began covering parts of the lawn to kill grass and weeds near the plants.

I was impressed by the quality of the plants I bought from Izel Native Plants, an online supplier recommended by the Mount Cuba Center.

Made space for two black adder agastache plants we had in pots. 

We want to see how the agastache fares before adding grasses and other plants to the meadow. I will to continue to cover the grass around the plants to prepare for spring plantings.

 

DIY--I replaced my broken garbage disposal. You can too.

Our garbage disposal of 20+ years finally died. 

I decided to replace the disposal myself, and here are some lessons learned:

• The parts in the sink and the mount are still in good shape--I just needed a new machine. Replacing an Insikerator with the same brand saved lots of time.  All models attach to the same mount.

• The drain pipe and dishwasher hook ups were a breeze because the measurements of both Insinkerator machines were the same--even though the new disposal is a different model (Evolution Spacesaver XP).

• Stainless steel grinders are worth the extra cost if long life is a value.

• Horsepower also matters: I chose 3/4 hp for grinding power.

• I applied some of the the money I saved from hiring a plumber to purchasing a higher-end, more durable, and quieter machine.

• Not all "how-two" Youtube videos are equal. Here are links to the two videos that I found most helpful:

• How to take out the old machine
• Step by step installation

New model installed, and and a sink full of water is draining so I can check for leaks.

All done! Here's a video of the completed installation so you can hear the noise level.