We put the finishing touches on our most recent design/build project today. The landscape installation was the easy part of this job compared to the large amount of hardscaping that proceeded it. We are very proud of this project and have been working tirelessly during decent weather to get it finished. Spring has finally sprung, and our first completed project of the year is one worth celebrating. We will be back this summer to take pictures of the maturing landscape. Now, on to the next!

Beneficial Insect Solutions
Before the "Green Revolution," farmers and horticulturalists had to use what tools they had to battle insect pests, and were forced to accept some losses every year in order to get their crops in at all. Some years, sadly, they lost everything...which made the use of chemical pesticides extremely attractive when they became available. Once they were put into use, decades of bumper crops resulted -- but at a terrible cost to their posterity.

Overkill. Chemical pesticides have a tendency to kill the 98% of harmless and beneficial bugs along with the pests, with the added result of poisoning the soil and nearby waterways. Worse, the surviving pests develop resistance to the traditional poisons, breeding superbugs, thus forcing farmers to use a greater variety of pesticides at higher concentrations. The result is expensive in both economic and ecological terms. Today, insect management is undergoing significant changes. Not only are stricter regulations on the use of chemicals and pesticides in place, consumers are more purposeful about taking care of the environment. Some of the new, softer chemistries can help maintain beneficial insect populations, but the most environmentally sound method for keeping pests at bay is enlisting Mother Nature's help by bringing in beneficial organisms.

Careful, Now. Beneficial insects include both pollinators (bees and their ilk) and the natural enemies of insect pests (ladybugs, mantises, lacewings, etc.). Destroying the pollinators through the use of broad spectrum insecticides affects yields at harvest time. Killing the predators not only lets any subsequent wave of the pests proceed unmolested, but it also can encourage opportunistic, secondary pest populations. Ironically, that may result in greater damage than the original infestation. Microbes to the Rescue. Field research shows that the use of the naturally-occurring soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) can make any pesticide program more effective at killing the pests while maintaining beneficial insect populations.

There are several types of Bt, all specific to certain types of insect pests.

Bt var. kurstaki (Bt-k), for example, is used to control caterpillar-type larvae, like cabbage loopers and tomato hornworms. One of the chief characteristics of any Bt variety is that they're safe for use around humans, pets, fish, and wildlife, including beneficial insects.

Bacillus popilliae, milky spore disease, was the first commercially-developed microbial insecticide. It's specific to the Japanese beetle, and remains dormant in the soil once it wipes out an infestation, waiting for the next one.

Take it Easy. Rather than use harsh chemicals, which are ecologically dangerous and less and less effective, we urge you to use biological insect controls like these with your EarthBoxes. If you're willing to accept some minor losses and trust Mother Nature, in the best traditions of Integrated Pest Management, you'll help the Earth and yourself.

We have a great professional relationship with Plantscape Nursery in Herrin, IL. We bought 99% of all our trees and plants from them last year. They have the most knowledgeable, friendly staff around and the largest selection of healthy plant material in the area. Basically, we don't shop around when we find a good thing. They recently set up a display to promote our small WormTea brewing kits to their retail customers. We are excited to be involved with Plantscape on yet another level and wanted to say THANK YOU!

The rain has held off for the last several days while the temperatures have been slowly rising and that has allowed us to get back into the field where the real fun is. This is a project we started in early winter and are just now getting an opportunity to make some real progress. Right now we are building the bones of a raised paver patio. The block is Brussels Block, manufactured by UniLock.

Sean...once again pulling his weight to get the job done.

We always hand chip each block after every cut to ensure it blends in with the rest. We have noticed several local examples where this was not done when building with rumbled products such as the Brussels Block shown here. If you do not take the extra few seconds to do this each time, there is a sharp, clean-cut edge showing and the end result is not as good as it could be. We take the time to notice the small details on each project we construct.

The shell of the patio is complete. Next we will back fill with gravel, install three steps and a small water feature in the enclosed area to the right.

The pavers are going in.

The fountain has been set and the seat wall is complete. The next step will be to finish the pavers and install natural stone caps for each column.

The last remaining hardscape area consists of three conjoining paver squares. They form the bones of a walkway leading to the hot tub.

Only one week after sowing 40 'Calabrese' heirloom broccoli seeds, 36 have successfully emerged. The remaining four did not and were replanted. They are being grown in a 50-50 mix of Metro Mix and worm castings. When I see life like this it makes me even more inpatient for spring to arrive, but more appreciative of what it brings with it each year. It seems like it has been a long, cold winter this year and when you see new green life come out of the dark soil, it is encouragement to hang on...spring is almost here!

Over the past several months we have been fleshing out ideas for two simple vermicompost tea brewing kits we plan on marketing to the small-scale home gardener. We have several of each kit complete and they will be on the shelves of a couple local retail establishments very soon. Also, we were accepted into the Carbondale Farmers Market on the west side of town, recently. We plan on selling our earthworm castings and related products, as well as promote our new organic landscape services. Come and check us out in April!

Besides the compact brewers below, we are working hard at developing a new system that combines rainwater collection, compost tea brewing and easy application. We will eventually use this system for our own commercial brewing purposes and market it to larger-scale gardeners and growers to name a few. The possibilities with this system are endless and we are excited to show you soon! Stay tuned!

With winter rolling in steadily, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get work done in the field. Constant freezing and thawing of saturated ground is not the right recipe for landscape and hardscape installations. So, this downtime gives me the opportunity to focus more of my energy towards my personal vegetable garden. Several months ago, I decided I wanted to grow as many vegetables as possible for my family in 2010. Since then, I have been reading and researching as much as I can, amending the poor soil in the back of our house and trying to decide where to buy seeds. Well, the reading will never stop and the soil won't be tested an fully amended until spring. But I have found a great place to purchase heirloom vegetable seeds, and I recently did just that. Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing selected heirloom vegetable seeds. I recently became a member of their organization by making a small donation that I am sure it will pay off many, many times in the future. If you garden at all, I highly recommend you check them out at: seedsavers.org.

My goal is to grow a beautiful, productive garden in 2010 and document the process here. At this time the space measures approximately 40' x 15'. I have split the main garden down the middle by creating a pathway out of flagstone left over from recent projects. With deer being so over populated in this area, they will no doubt help themselves to a late night snack if I do not fence off the garden securely, so that is something else I am working on. I recently built a gate and will install it soon, then impatiently wait for spring. Check back for more as the process continues...

Here is part of my ambitious list of heirloom vegetables I plan on experimenting with next spring:

Amish Past tomato
Redfield Beauty tomato
Italian Heirloom tomato
Ancho Gigantea pepper
Joe's Long pepper
Mini Red bell pepper
Mini Yellow bell pepper
Yellow of Parma onion
Ailsa Craig onion
Double Yield OG cucumber
A & C Pickling cucumber
Calabrese broccoli
Provider OG bean
Dwarf Sugar Grey pea
Green Arrow OG pea
Amish Snap pea
Dragon carrot
Paris Market carrot
Amish Deer Tongue lettuce
Grandpa Admire's OG lettuce


Merry Christmas and happy gardening!!

This is our newest project. We were hired to design a deck addition and raised paver patio area for the back of this home. The deck construction is under way, and when the weather cooperates, we will begin installing the hardscape elements.

The weather cooperated long enough for us to pour a footing and build a section of wall. We will be installing pavers over the gravel area next.

Exactly what you want to see....every time.

For those that don't know, at this time Cedar Hill is only a three person operation. Myself, my wife and one person that has been a major part of our success this year, Sean Davis. Sean is our only employee and happens to be my cousin. Without his continued strength and knowledge in the field, real world common sense and willingness to work in the rain, mud and heat this year, we would have never been able to complete the projects you see in this blog. We work together every day, and each project we complete is a success because of our dedicated teamwork. Besides the projects shown here, Sean and I have planted over 50 trees and over 1000 shrubs and perennials this year. We have spread a few hundred yards of mulch and serviced five full time landscape maintenance accounts while gaining almost fifty customers since January. Remember, this is Cedar Hill's first year in business with only two of us in the field. We are laying a strong foundation and plan on building an innovative landscape company based on what we already know...bringing to life creative, functional designs through old fashioned hard work, attention to detail, and unmatched customer service. Thanks Sean!

We are at it again...

We are using landscape blocks manufactured by Unilock and Pavestone, as well as decorative trap rock, to create a fire pit  with seating area in the back of this home. Almost finished...

Finished.