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Author Topic: Gardens anyone?  (Read 513388 times)

SHaRPS

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2085 on: May 07, 2018, 11:57 AM »
My son has 10 bee hives. They looked like they made it through the winter with our early warm up. Then it got real cold. Now it looks like he last 8 of the 10. he lost all 10 the winter before this.

He had more bees ordered wanting to increase the number of hives so it looks like there is not going to be a big increase of hives.

That blows! bees are not cheap. I have 12 hives and last year was terrible. So far so good this year, all are going strong.
Wicked Wec

rgfixit

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2086 on: May 07, 2018, 05:15 PM »
Honey bee hives are hard to keep around here. They have all kinds of enemies. A friend to the south of me tried to keep some hives. He had multiple electric fences destroyed by bears and raccoons. Then he lost all his bees to some sort of mites.

Fortunately, our native bees are solitary bees and not really susceptible to those kind of intrusions. I did put hardware cloth over the hotel to keep out hungry birds. Time will tell how well it works.

Rg

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

ActiveTrapChecker

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2087 on: May 08, 2018, 11:25 AM »
Getting ready to put plants in. Rushing it this year due to scheduling issues the next 4 weekends.
I revisited the weed guard dialogue from June 2017. Getting the preen fabric from Bj's.

RG, last year you tested weed fabric/mulch vs. nothing. I didn't read all of the replies (starting page 91 of this thread) as i was really looking at what material to use. I am thinking about adding mulch (natural, from my pile and from the town) to the top of the fabric for looks and weight (keep the paper down). Did you notice anything with the fabric/mulch combo that would make you not do it again this year?

I also came across this companion chart and thought i would share it with the group. i am trying to maximize space and harvest this year so did some digging online. Pick the vegetable you are going to plant in the white header, then companions are listed below. Green is BEST, yellow is GOOD and red is BAD

http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/companion_planting_color.pdf


rgfixit

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2088 on: May 08, 2018, 06:11 PM »
The fabric I used was StaGreen Premium landscape fabric. Best I've found. Lowes has it in various lengths.  I found that using my mulched leaves on top was every bit as effective as bark mulch. In fact, it was easier to deal with at the end of the season. I removed the fabric and was able to just till the leaf mulch into the soil. I won't use any bark mulch on my vegetable gardens this year.

I think the fabric/mulch combinations are great for holding the moisture in the soil during the hot, dry months. It's easier to spot water and be effective. At least for me it is in a raised bed garden.

The beds without the mulch and fabric were more weed prone and required more water.

Rg
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Raquettedacker

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2089 on: May 08, 2018, 07:09 PM »
Rhuebarb is   coming up good.....



Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

tomturkey

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2090 on: May 08, 2018, 09:07 PM »
So is mine. Mine has no red on it at all. It kind of reminds me of the pie plant(?) that was in the old garden that was at the place I g bought in '69. Sour as !!!!.

BTW Raq you are missing the clomping and stomping. It is Tulip Time in Holland. For a change the tulips are in bloom instead of going out of bloom.

deerefishyfishy

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2091 on: May 08, 2018, 09:11 PM »
Got the cow mud slung on the garden. Time to give it a second shot with the tiller and think about planting! Soil is finally getting warm enough to drop seeds in. I also grilled the first cutting of asparagus a couple days ago. Gotta love it!



Do you think fish go home and lie about all the bait they stole?

Early to bed, early to rise
Fish all day and make up lies...

There's a reason they call it fishing, not catching.

rgfixit

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2092 on: May 09, 2018, 03:00 AM »
We had our fisrt batch of asparagus with dinner last night. I'm learning how and when to pick it. The purple was super tender and sweet. I left a couple of the Jerseys in too long. They got pretty stringy. Lots poking through now though. 2 years we've waited for this👍

 Potatoes have leaves sprouted on all but one. I noticed some 2x8 boards in the discarded pile of stuff in the park where I walk every morning that are about to be repurposed for my potatoes beds. They were benches for the soccer players at one time. They recently bought all new aluminum benches. They're clean, dry and untreated. I'm gonna raise the beds up another board to accommodate adding mulch as the potatoes grow. It'll also make that bed the same height as the asparagus bed that right now, shades about 4 square feet of the potatoe bed.  Stuff just seems to grow slower in that part of he bed.

Almost all  of the seeds I started in the cold frame are up and working on the first set of true leaves. I should be putting them in the ground this weekend if the weather cooperates.

Dug up an area in front of the garlic bed yesterday morning. Gonna do the area in front of the strawberry bed today. Those two spots are going to be my wildflower plantings. I plan on plenty of flowers to attract the pollinators to my gardens this year.

I've also got a spot picked out in the yard for a sunflower patch. I might plant a few giants in the middle of some black oil and striped.

Fun times playing in the dirt.

Rg
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Raquettedacker

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2093 on: May 09, 2018, 05:13 AM »

BTW Raq you are missing the clomping and stomping. It is Tulip Time in Holland. For a change the tulips are in bloom instead of going out of bloom.


   Believe me Tom I dont miss it at all..   Lived on west 12th st and use to work on 8th and took forever to get home and in my driveway........ :P
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

ActiveTrapChecker

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2094 on: May 09, 2018, 08:16 AM »
The fabric I used was StaGreen Premium landscape fabric. Best I've found. Lowes has it in various lengths.  I found that using my mulched leaves on top was every bit as effective as bark mulch. In fact, it was easier to deal with at the end of the season. I removed the fabric and was able to just till the leaf mulch into the soil. I won't use any bark mulch on my vegetable gardens this year.

I think the fabric/mulch combinations are great for holding the moisture in the soil during the hot, dry months. It's easier to spot water and be effective. At least for me it is in a raised bed garden.

The beds without the mulch and fabric were more weed prone and required more water.

Rg

Thanks for the input RG. I couldn't go wrong with the price of the 4'x225' Preen for $24.99. looking forward to finalizing soil prep tonight

SHaRPS

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2095 on: May 09, 2018, 08:20 AM »
Rhuebarb is   coming up good.....




Nice! I have been picking my rhubarb for 2 weeks now. Pie and fresh juice. Being farther south I think I am about 2 weeks ahead of you.
Wicked Wec

rgfixit

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2096 on: May 09, 2018, 05:47 PM »
This topic is just great Dom. Thanks for starting it. I've learned a lot from it.

Rg
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Raquettedacker

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2097 on: May 09, 2018, 07:11 PM »
Nice! I have been picking my rhubarb for 2 weeks now. Pie and fresh juice. Being farther south I think I am about 2 weeks ahead of you.

   SHaRPS not sure how much further south you are but they were under snow 2 weeks ago... 
I just looked up rhubarb juice and never knew....   Now I will try it...
I have 8 big plants and after my wife makes a couple pies I give the rest to the Amish girls who work for us...
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

Raquettedacker

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2098 on: May 09, 2018, 07:14 PM »
This topic is just great Dom. Thanks for starting it. I've learned a lot from it.Rg

 Thanks Bob..   I have been on some gardening sites and there all a bunch of nerds....    :rotflol: :rotflol: :rotflol: :rotflol:
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

Raquettedacker

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Re: Gardens anyone?
« Reply #2099 on: May 09, 2018, 07:17 PM »
Got the cow mud slung on the garden. Time to give it a second shot with the tiller and think about planting! Soil is finally getting warm enough to drop seeds in. I also grilled the first cutting of asparagus a couple days ago. Gotta love it!





   Deerefishyfishy  I hope you didnt dig that out with that shovel???     ;D ;D ;D
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

 



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