What did you do in the garden today?

[Liz Birdlover]

I went outside and took pictures of the area I want to clear, remove all the privet.
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I have already worked on the area on the left side.

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The hollies were all along the fence on his side, 8' tall or more.

That's his mulberry tree that's on top of my shed. It's not going to be a fun job for HIM.

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USDA Zone 8a, annual rainfall is 48". I want some privacy, 6' or more would be nice.

What are your thoughts?

It will take time for anything to grow, unless you lay out the money for something already tall. When we got neighbors that put in a pool, we planted the Green Giants, the evergreens are wonderful but they do get huge. They're like Leyland Cypress, but have deeper roots to deal with wind. Until they got tall, I planted a lot of Sunflowers. There are skinny versions, that don't eat up as much room, you just have to plant more of them.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I did get most of the backyard mowed yesterday. I ran out of time but managed to get the area that gets swampy after a big rain storm. I left the part that dries out quickly. The showers are supposed to start in an hour or so. Just enough time to re- seed the peas that didn’t come up in the “rock” garden. Then tomorrow is supposed to be dry. Fingers crossed. Still lots to do in the garden. Good to know you and your family were not caught up in the tornadoes yesterday @Acre4Me.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Good morning! The sun is shining & the birds are singing. No Rain today, but rain all day tomorrow. I'm getting sacroiliac injections at the surgery center tomorrow, so today I need to do all of the stuff I won't be able to do for a few days after shots. I learned the hard way, if ya don't take it ez in the days after the shots, they end up not working. I really need to be rid of this pain as much as possible, at least diminish it.

So...on the list today, get some chicken feed at TractorSupply, finish up moving some heavy cut down tree debris, plant the remaining blueberries & grape vine root stock, finish cutting my grass & the neighbor's grass, as it got too dark last night to finish. Clean the ash out of the firepit & spread in garden, then cut up & lay down the cardboard as walkway where I'm planting & water it all down & place some stones on it in case we get wind, water everything that needs water, because I really can't depend on what rain they predict (sometimes it misses us completely & hits the next town hard, go figure).

So this morning I'm thinking out my day...see what's up for weather & have coffee.
I already did laundry. 1st thing...finish removing the packing tape off of the cardboard (DH will be so happy to see it gone lol) I have it right here in the house temporarily, so he was calling me The Hoarding Box Lady, lol. Last night after gardening & cutting grass, I brought little Ziggy in to feed her (my crossbeak pigeon) and I was mixing up her food, she was on my shoulder cooing & the background was all of the boxes...DH wanted to get a picture of that for y'all & post the Crazy Pigeon Hoarding Box Lady, dirty from yard work, all over the internet...I said no way!

Anyway, today...I will get crated eggs down to market, too. Figure what's for dinner & get groceries while there, then go to TractorSupply then put feed away & focus on stuff I can do now because after shots tomorrow I need to give the back a chance to recover. Ugh, I really Hate resting...I mean it's OK a few hours, 1 movie, but for me to "take it ez" & not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for a Few Days Straight absolutely drives me nuts! Well, I know what happened when I did heavy duty stuff right after shots before...it was not good. So I will behave & be a good patient, so I can imitate being a mini Hercules later.

I'm not sure about planting the tomato sprouts yet, I almost want to skip a step, but yeah, I should just move them to larger pots. Oh, I wish I had a helper sometimes!

I am very disappointed with the Brussel sprout seedlings! They did germinate & sprout but that's it...they did not grow & instead died, just keeled over one by one. There are like 2 left! They are not growing, just there, so I guess they'll end of keeling over, too. Really ticks me off. Can you get a bum packet of seeds like that? Every single one keels over? Did I do something wrong? The other sprouts, different plants, are all doing well. I never tried Brussel sprouts seeds before.

Yup, that pretty much fills the day. Oh & don't forget to get the trash & recycling out.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Sally PB]

Sounds like Michigan, Kalamazoo area, was hit with a strong tornado. Are you ok @Sally PB? Can’t remember what part of MI you are located.

Thanks, yes, I'm fine. The storms were about 90 miles south of me. Portage, MI (just outside of Kzoo) was hit by TWO tornados. Lots of buildings/homes damaged. Reports of injuries, but no fatalities.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Thanks, yes, I'm fine. The storms were about 90 miles south of me. Portage, MI (just outside of Kzoo) was hit by TWO tornados. Lots of buildings/homes damaged. Reports of injuries, but no fatalities.

Good to hear no fatalities. That is very scary.

I have had 2 tornadoes 🌪 blow right through this yard, & I will never forget the sound & feel of the house shaking. One took a 30 foot Magnolia tree & it landed 100 feet away from where it was growing, right between my house & pigeon loft. The tornado hopped over my house, then left a trail in the crop farm field, then rose up & hopped over neighbor's horse barn, sheering off the tops of trees behind her barn, right at her barn roof height...so it was like there was an invisible shield over my pigeon loft, house & her barn.
(I was praying & envisioned God's large hand over the house, coop & her horses...thank you Lord!)

I cannot imagine the terror & fright of a direct hit, being in a building as it is being shred & torn apart, destroyed by wind while you're inside. Very intense! I feel for anyone that's gone through it, and my heart goes out to those that lost loved ones & their homes.

 

[lagrange chicks]

Yesterday at light I tilled a bit of the garden to get 3 rows of carrots/ radish seed in, always put a radish seed in the carrot rows about a foot apart for marking the rows. Beet the storm by an hour or so and am glad I put narrow pieces of wood over the rows because it poured and would of just washed the seed away.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Yesterday at light I tilled a bit of the garden to get 3 rows of carrots/ radish seed in, always put a radish seed in the carrot rows about a foot apart for marking the rows. Beet the storm by an hour or so and am glad I put narrow pieces of wood over the rows because it poured and would of just washed the seed away.

That's awesome you covered with wood. I used wood as planks when my garden up north flooded...we were swamped with rain. I was upset thinking my melons would drown, so went out there in pouring rain & laid down planks & set my watermelons up on the planks. I tell ya, they were the best darn watermelons I ever had!

 

[Molpet]

It will take time for anything to grow, unless you lay out the money for something already tall. When we got neighbors that put in a pool, we planted the Green Giants, the evergreens are wonderful but they do get huge. They're like Leyland Cypress, but have deeper roots to deal with wind. Until they got tall, I planted a lot of Sunflowers. There are skinny versions, that don't eat up as much room, you just have to plant more of them.

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I have several different varieties of arborvitae. The deer love them and have a browse line 4ft up.

 

[fuzzi]

Good to hear no fatalities. That is very scary.

I have had 2 tornadoes 🌪 blow right through this yard, & I will never forget the sound & feel of the house shaking. One took a 30 foot Magnolia tree & it landed 100 feet away from where it was growing, right between my house & pigeon loft. The tornado hopped over my house, then left a trail in the crop farm field, then rose up & hopped over neighbor's horse barn, sheering off the tops of trees behind her barn, right at her barn roof height...so it was like there was an invisible shield over my pigeon loft, house & her barn.
(I was praying & envisioned God's large hand over the house, coop & her horses...thank you Lord!)

I cannot imagine the terror & fright of a direct hit, being in a building as it is being shred & torn apart, destroyed by wind while you're inside. Very intense! I feel for anyone that's gone through it, and my heart goes out to those that lost loved ones & their homes.

I do not EVER want to experience that. When we were in SC living in a mobile home I recall us bugging out once, with cats, dog, children, and we sat in a friend's house for the duration, in her sunken den. While loading up the car the rain was coming down so hard that it left me breathless, knocked the air out of me. The sky was green. The tornado was close but hit Chesnee, a little town just north of us. A friend was spared, his house had minor damage, but the other houses in his neighborhood were flattened.

 

[lagrange chicks]

That's awesome you covered with wood. I used wood as planks when my garden up north flooded...we were swamped with rain. I was upset thinking my melons would drown, so went out there in pouring rain & laid down planks & set my watermelons up on the planks. I tell ya, they were the best darn watermelons I ever had!

Carrot seed at a 1/4" deep would have floated all over the garden.