Gardening

[malcore]

Alright, so I have flower bed all around my property - except it always looks like shit because of the weeds that grown. What is something good that I can throw down instead of the landscape fabric? The fabric looks like shit, I've take it all out anyways - but is there something I can throw down like Preen or something???

Mulch. Reduces weed germination, but doesn't eliminate. Many other benefits, like insulating roots from heat and cold, moisture retention and it eventually breaks down and adds nutrients to the soil. It's also looser than soil, so weeding is easier.

 

[X]

Planning my 2014 garden right now -- anyone else gonna grow their own this yr?

 

[Scoot26]

Planning my 2014 garden right now -- anyone else gonna grow their own this yr?

I have room to, the question is do I have time to?

 

[X]

I have room to, the question is do I have time to?

It's always the question.

The bright side, though...is that if you have a week or so to get it together, you've typically got time to maintain. Last year, I spent probably 5 min/day on mine, except for every other saturday I'd weed for 15 min. :shrug:

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I'm going to do some herbs around my deck. I can hang them to keep critters away. Need to solve the raccoon/bunny/skunk problems first before I really get into things.

 

[Crystallas]

Sadly, I have to start a part of my garden from scratch after a panel on my greenhouse broke. It's not a very big greenhouse, but it kept a lot of vegetation going in negative temps. And I honestly don't know what I'm going to do.

 

[Urblock]

Hell yes. This is going to be the biggest garden I've ever had. 25ft x25ft. Several types of tomato, carrots, assorted peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, watermelon, corn, green beans, and lettuce. At the back along the fence will be pumpkins. They take a lot of space . Watermelons will be in the back with the pumpkins. I want to try strawberries.

 

[DrGonzo]

We did well with leafy green vegetables like chard for a year or two and then we got hammered by these small grasshoppers that live in our yard. Nolo bait hasn't done a damn thing to slow them down, and I really don't want to use Sevin or anything like that. They don't typically mess with our tomatoes, squash, chilis, or basil. Occasionally they'll take a shot at our Japanese eggplant but mostly they just annihilate the leafy greens. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Crystallas]

When are you guys going to test your soil pH's this year? I'm thinking the polar negative temps are going to keep the top soil a little harder than normal for longer than normal. And if we get heavy rain early, that's going to be enough of a flash flood to wipe a lot of fertilizers out.

 

[brett05]

I don't ever test

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[Urblock]

I start by tilling 8 inches deep. Add peat moss and miracle grow. Till again. Water and let the weather tell me when to plant. Try to start this the first week of May.

 

[Crystallas]

I test because it's easier than picking weeds out later without dumping unnecessary herbicides(I have a zero glyphosate/roundup garden). Then I'll shift the soil around to match whatever I'm growing, supplement with lime or used tea and coffee grounds. For instance, if you like to grow onions or garlic, then you'll see a nice improvement when they grow in your highest pH soils, whereas if you want to grow something in a more alkaline soil, you're going to have a hard time for most plants, but the general rule of thumb is anything that grows low to the ground will do much better in a lower pH soil(including most tubers like potatoes).

 

[brett05]

I use grass clipping to eliminate weeds

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[Crystallas]

I use grass clipping to eliminate weeds

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I never did that, and I'm sure it helps too. Right now I have a mulching mower, like super mulching and collecting clippings isn't really possible.

 

[X]

Yeah, I don't test pH levels, either...but the area I live in is known for having really good soil. Last year, I just mixed in a cpl bags of miracle grow soil after I tilled. This year my garden is going to be significantly larger (probably 15'x15'), so -- we'll see how it goes. lol.

What all does everyone plan on planting?

I'd love to get onions, banana peppers, bell peppers, hot pepper assortments, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini this year. My wife's grandma does a crapload of corn and green beans, so we're set there already.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I'm going to do the pH testing this year. I really want to do all I can to make my front yard look like a fairway.

 

[X]

I'm going to do the pH testing this year. I really want to do all I can to make my front yard look like a fairway.

I'd love to have better grass...but with a baby on the way, my time is going to be limited enough as is I suppose - lol

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I'd love to have better grass...but with a baby on the way, my time is going to be limited enough as is I suppose - lol

Well the first big thing for me is to get the thatch out......or at least what I think is thatch. Then I got to fill in some depressions. After that - wooh hoo.

 

[X]

Well the first big thing for me is to get the thatch out......or at least what I think is thatch. Then I got to fill in some depressions. After that - wooh hoo.

Right - I started filling in some depressions last spring. Will probably try to do a few more this spring. I've got a big hole in the corner of my lot that I use as a compost pile -- and just dig a little more of it out when I need to fill in a depression - ha. It's a job that's never done, but any type of yard work is rewarding to me for whatever reason.

 

[Crystallas]

Spent all morning clearing the snow from the shed so I could get a few tools ready for next week.

I found a tree growing about 3 feet tall behind the shed. So either I need to get rid of it, or move my shed(sits on gravel and planks) if it's a tree that I want to keep. The reason I would go through so much trouble for a wild tree, is exactly that, it's a wild tree unlike anything on my property. This means some animal carried/passed seeds and that usually means nut/fruit bearing. So wild fruit/nuts At least I hope.