Sprig's Summer Gardening

SprigOfTheLivingDead

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The warmer weather is almost here to stay and like most of you I'm trying to get situated to hopefully have a successful year

Between my rows of soil I laid out horse manure last summer to suppress weeds and obviously give nutrition over time. Ober winter I spread chicken manure as well and then in early March put straw down over all that. I'm excited to get the corn and sunflowers (I like sunflowers and then I rip the plants out and throw them over the fence for my chickens in the fall) in. We're going to try growing cucumbers against the chicken run fence. We'll see if they survive :(

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Then today I took the first steps in making my raised bed for strawberries. My plan is to use a few amur maple trunks I sunk in the ground as the corners. I'll Then run some lumber between them at the top and then cut a lot of 1" thick branches to put vertical as the wall. I hope it ends up looking half as good as the picture in my mind :D

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And maybe some of these guys will provide my family with some yum yums this summer
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Now I need to order up about 6-8 yards of soil. Need to calculate stuff first

Side note: my neighbor gave me a trailer he wasn't using anymore since he got a side-by-side. He said it was because I let him put his trees in my gravel bed, but I wasn't looking for anything in return. However, this was a glorious gift since on that same day a tire exploded in my other garden tractor trailer. Scared me a little. Sounded like a gunshot going off right next to me.
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flowerbug

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tires can get cracks and pop after some years. last year i replaced a tube in an old tire and noticed that the tire itself was getting old enough to start getting cracks in it. i should have replaced the tire and i was sorta upset that the guy who put the tube in the tire didn't tell me how bad it was. late last summer Mom pumped that tire up and i think she over-did it but it could have just been worn out and ready to be replaced, but the inner tube started coming out the side of the tire and i was hoping it wasn't going to do much else but a bit later it popped completely. oops. cost me an extra $20 and lesson learned. replaced the whole tire this spring for $55 which is worth more than the wheelbarrow but i figured the price of the bolts, washers, nuts and new tire and tube i'm pretty close to being able to use all those parts again on another one if needed (we have three wheelbarrows - but this one is Mom's favorite so i fixed the tire instead of ditching it).
 

SprigOfTheLivingDead

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tires can get cracks and pop after some years. last year i replaced a tube in an old tire and noticed that the tire itself was getting old enough to start getting cracks in it. i should have replaced the tire and i was sorta upset that the guy who put the tube in the tire didn't tell me how bad it was. late last summer Mom pumped that tire up and i think she over-did it but it could have just been worn out and ready to be replaced, but the inner tube started coming out the side of the tire and i was hoping it wasn't going to do much else but a bit later it popped completely. oops. cost me an extra $20 and lesson learned. replaced the whole tire this spring for $55 which is worth more than the wheelbarrow but i figured the price of the bolts, washers, nuts and new tire and tube i'm pretty close to being able to use all those parts again on another one if needed (we have three wheelbarrows - but this one is Mom's favorite so i fixed the tire instead of ditching it).
I had pumped the tire up the day previous. Yeah, I wasn't totally surprised, but the trailer wasn't even a year old :(. I'll fix it up
 

flowerbug

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huh, never cut a t-post as i can't ever have them too long. bought a few last year for a fence that are 10 footers. gotta get 'em pounded in sometime this year and get the fence put up to finish off what i started.
 

seedcorn

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10’? I complain driving 6’ in ground. Obviously don’t use a manual post driver-unless you are 8’ tall or like climbing ladders....
 

flowerbug

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10’? I complain driving 6’ in ground. Obviously don’t use a manual post driver-unless you are 8’ tall or like climbing ladders....

i haven't put any of them up yet, but i do expect to be using a ladder. the shorter posts didn't work to hold up the fence when deer tried to run through it so it is currently laying a bit bent over and i need to get some taller posts put in at least every other post in that section or they'll likely try to do it again sometime.

i have some 7 or 8 footers too. going to be a fun job, but at least most of it is already done. i just have to finish it... in the middle of the other big mess yet, so i won't be starting a new project until i get the previous messes finished. getting there.
 

digitS'

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Probably shouldn't admit it - heck, a guy who was moving gave them to me!

Anyway, I use milk crates, carrying to/in/from the garden. Sit on them regularly.

If the post isn't too high, I just stand on 1 and sometimes 2, with 1 foot on each. Sometimes ... I put 1 on top of another, set a 3rd on one side to serve as a step, and climb up there so that I'm about 2' above the ground. FIRST, paying attention to level ground ...

Steve
 

SprigOfTheLivingDead

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Got the first set of cut branches in as the wall. I knew this was going to be a good amount of work to locate, cut and clean all the needed branches and make sure that they're straight enough to matter, but this is going to be a GOOD amount of work. Oof. However, I'm liking the product, so I'll be happy with the end state
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Also, a 10' T-Post? wow!!!! I imagine that is what you'd need for deer if you weren't going for full cyclone
 

ducks4you

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10’? I complain driving 6’ in ground. Obviously don’t use a manual post driver-unless you are 8’ tall or like climbing ladders....
Don't be a complainy pants! I pound in 5 ft posts every year for gardening. Not that bad, if you spread the job out. HATE post hole drivers. I do use a ladder for any 8 ft posts. I even moved old 6 ft posts and pounded them in last February to repair a fenceline.
 

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