per·i·pa·tet·ic
ˌperēpəˈtedik/
adjective
  1. 1.
    traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
    "the peripatetic nature of military life"
    synonyms:nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant,migratory, unsettled
    "I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle"
  2. 2.
    Aristotelian.
noun
  1. 1.
    a person who travels from place to place.
  2. 2.
    an Aristotelian philosopher.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

A Happy Ending for Pecan Shells in My Garden


When we lived near Havana (pronounced Hay-Vanna), Florida, surrounded by acres of pecan groves, I never gave much thought to what happens to those shells that pecans (pronounced Pee-Cans) give up for the sake of pecan pie eaters and fanciers of other sweet Southern delights like pralines. Now I know.


They become mulch for consumers of another sort--the gardening kind. We had a couple of pickup truckloads delivered right to our yard a few weeks ago. The guy selling the stuff had an ad on the Pensacola Craigslist site. He said he has a contract with the Renfroe Pecan Company to pick up all of their spent shells. Way to go, pecan-shell guy! That's using your noggin. Find a company with a useful waste product, help them dispose of it, and make some money on the deal. He told us that we got the last two loads of the stuff. His girlfriend was real happy to see it go away as she can park her car once again in their driveway. I'm happy, she's happy, pecan-shell guy must be happy now that she's happy, and (best of all) the plants are happy. It's just a happy ending all around.

18 comments:

  1. I just love happy endings! What a great way for Pecan Guy to make a buck and you to have a wonderful mulch! Now my question, do the squirrels dig in them? That would be my fear. But may keep them out of other planters. LOL...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Skeeter! You know, we have more of a problem with Peanut the cat digging in the stuff than squirrels. There's probably not much nut left for the squirrels to bother with, but you know how cats can be with lots of loose stuff to push around:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello W2W,

    And we are also happy learning the correct pronounciation of Havana and Pecan, though the later one is a new word foe me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a beautiful mulch!!! I like the tropical garden below too. Cardboard works so well in gardens. Did you put the shells on it?

    Carolina lupine grows to Zone 9. You need to check with native nurseries to buy it. Not sure on the peonies though.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Are you talking about praline, Tomz? I think it's pronounced Pray-lean. It's a heavenly candy, but I'm afraid it won't do much for keeping someone lean. The other pronunciations, by the way, are not your typical dictionary version. They're more of the local flavor.

    Thanks, Tina! We only had enough of the pecan mulch to barely cover a couple of beds in the front yard. The tropical bed is in back by the pool. Maybe next year we can order more mulch for that bed. I love walking around in the stuff but definitely not barefoot. It's very crunchy! Thanks for the info on the lupine. It's a beautiful plant.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a wonderful reuse of shells! One man's garbage is another woman's treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, indeed, Sarah. This woman finds shell-treasure not only at the beach but now also in her own front yard. I don't mind this kind of garbage at all!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, tattina, and welcome to the blog!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Walk2Write,
    that's a clever idea to use the pecan-shells! I've never heard of it before, but it seems convincing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Britta, I'm convinced enough to get some more the next nut season. I wish I'd had more of it to work with this time. Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  11. It looks very nice. Now my question two years from now will be how quickly does it decompose. I haven't had very good luck on that subject.... :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. TB, in Florida there is no organic mulch that withstands the test of time. Heat and moisture do their dirty deed, and it's done dirt cheap--at considerable expense to the gardener, I'm afraid. I always have to add at least a top dressing of mulch every spring. At least the pecan mulch looks pretty and makes a nice sound when you walk on it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you for another nice tip for mulch. They look much better than cardboard boxes (^_^)
    I'm thinking of what is a substitute for pecan shells here. Anyway it's good to know everything ended happily!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a wonderful use for the Pecan shells! I have never heard of such, but it looks great!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh my gosh...this is so great! What a good idea!!! It looks so attractive too! Genius!!!
    xoxo- Julie

    ReplyDelete
  16. I too bought pecan shells from that man. 3 truck loads! He was very friendly and said his name was Glenn. I tried to contact him for more but his number has since changed. What a bummer! Looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks, Matt, for taking the time to visit and comment. I'm hoping that Glenn will put his ad on Craigslist again this next season. Pecans should be ready for harvest soon, so I will be watching for that ad. We definitely want more shells for the landscape.

    ReplyDelete