What Did You Do In Your Garden Today?

[897tgigvib]

Today I finished that trench in the back bed, moving it to fill a layer in the front beds. Then I pulled the soil in the back to sort of level and low, ready for a couple yards of fluffy compost to mix in with it.

In the front beds, since it was clouding up like it may do a little rain, I pulled the fluff compost there over it and mixed it in.

I got 4 wagon loads of woodchips and finished doing that in areas near the garden for looks and aroma.

I sorted my wire cages, and some were well worn and messed up, so some went bye bye. Want things beautiful.

Terre did stop by and said he'd help with the netting. Maybe that'll happen, can't count on it. Also found out I have another camp to rake. Got the leaf blower ready to go for that. I'll try to get that whooped tomorrow in a hurry. That adds to crunch time!

 

[897tgigvib]

Today I had no chance to do anything in my garden. I had a full camp to rake, and then another one to do some work on. Crunch time! And I'm tired!

 

[digitS']

Today, we finished emptying a framed bed, moved it into place, and refilled it. The 2 longer beds are now in place to be covered with a hoop house. Neighbor Ken helped .

Outside what will be the hoop house, a 5' by 5' frame was rebuilt and refilled with soil. We have the path on the far side of those 2, 5' by 5' beds to go down with the spading fork and cultivator to pull those weeds.

The weed pile in this little garden is enormous!

Steve

 

[journey11]

I finished the last of my tree pruning. Now I'm off to bed with 2 ibuprophen! I wanted to get my onion sets and peas planted today, but ran out of daylight after deciding to go fly a kite instead.

 

[canesisters]

The weed pile in this little garden is enormous!

Steve

Next year's compost!

 

[digitS']

Can't do it, Cane' . . . or, too chicken to try :/.

I once tried a little experiment. I put quack grass roots in a black garbage bag and tucked it in, in the very corner of my garden. Admittedly, it had nearly complete shade - inconspicuous, you know. Of course, the bottom of the compost pile is in complete shade also.

I left that there for 12 months. When I pulled it out, the roots were still alive!

Putting all those perennial weed roots in a compost pile is risky business. They are probably 85% bindweed and quack grass roots! I'd be turning it like a demon for the next 12 months and trying to set fire to it with nitrogen too, I'd bet.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Things like obnoxious weed roots that don't easily die can be burned for the ash. Ya still get nutrients, just different balances of them.

Ashing: There is basically 2 kinds of ways.

You can burn completely and hot to red embers, leaving residue unrecognizable. Amazing how it leaves an almost sandy residue from multiple burning on top of each other.

You can burn it incompletely. Some stuff burns completely, but other stuff that may have been damp is charred but recognizable. Well done, not a cell in it could have survived.

Course, it it was bindweed, i'd burn it to unrecognizable ashes!

oh...never burn poison oak...gotta add that. don't want anyone doing that and becoming one of the 14 or so people who die each year from burning poison oak.

Ash can be added directly to the garden where appropriate, or added to the compost pile. Goes best as a surface coating...a decoration for Mount Rotmore!

 

[digitS']

Dad talked about burning manure for fertilizer use.



I remember catching manure on fire when we were burning an old corral - stink!! Still, I bet it is pretty good fertilizer for the minerals that remain. The nitrogen is lost as N2 or N2O, no doubt.

Steve

 

[Carol Dee]

oh...never burn poison oak...gotta add that. don't want anyone doing that and becoming one of the 14 or so people who die each year from burning poison oak.

Add poison Ivy to the list. NEVER burn poison ivy , bad to inhale the smoke and get it IN your lungs.

 

[Carol Dee]

What did I do in the garden today? NOTHING To muddy and semi frozen under that. DH is cutting more trees out of the fence line that shade the garden though.