What did you do in the garden today?

[Acre4Me]

Will definitely look into it! Will it take over the yard and/or smother other things out? I looked into ajuga, but people seemed to complain that it spreads too much and takes over the whole yard.

It spreads, but not in a bad way. I think easily contained and spread is “slow”. So, you may start out planting them x distance apart, and they won’t completely fill in right away. But look into how they spread...if with roots like a Daylily, then patch just gets bigger (denser) every year. If by runners, then different issues.

 

[jerryse]

Hey WthrLady I checked under the hood on the tractor . New end on positive cable . So you were right . I feel like smacking my forehead .

 

[TJAnonymous]

I'd like to see some photos if you have them! I'm intrugued, and we do have a local tire shop I could source from. Would they be useful at all for planting on/terracing a slope?

Here's some pictures taken within the past month.

Strawberry tower that I built last fall. The top tire has since been seeded with alpine strawberries. I used juice jugs in the center for these to water below the soil.

Here's a dwarf peach tree that I planted. This area tends to flood in the spring and fall because of a storm drain runoff. I planted the tree in the tire to improve drainage so it wouldn't have wet feet.

I have a line of painted tires along with east edge of my garden. I use these for onions, peppers, determinate tomatoes, etc. The PVC pipe you see here is not for watering the onions. I used a juice jug for that... This PVC pipe connects to an underground system so I can water plants below the soil in the garden (where the white fabric is).

I'll try to get some pictures of the stacked tires this weekend. I'm using those for some flowers, indeterminate tomatoes, yacon plants, potatoes, etc...

 

[WthrLady]

You don't know until you know. Chalk it up to a learning experience.
They use the crappiest gauge of wire for that. If they didn't, I use water seal gel on mine to stave off corrosion.
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One more 10 foot row of muppets to rip out of the garden.
Then I put up supports for the raspberry plants.

Tomorrow I'll spray the dandelions, mulch doesn't cut it with those. You have to spray and then burry.

Next week I'll get the bags of mulch down in the walkways.

I painted the 2x4s for the next shelf unit this morning. They're in the sun on sawhorses drying. I'll do that build later today. I'm not impressed with the vent windows on this greenhouse. I'll have to figure a work around for them.
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Off to lunch. Have a good day all.

 

[oldhen2345]

Mixed up and applied some liquid fertilizer for the acid-loving plants (camellias, hydrangeas, blueberries) after the promised rain did not arrive today. I watched the clouds just scoot past overhead . I would have watered my newer plants this morning had I known the rain would be a no-show. Oh well.

Oh, I also patched some gaps in my super-sophisticated method of extending the height of my chain link fence - I weave sticks through it so they stick up at the top every 6 inches or so and discourage the chickens from flying up there to roost. A couple fell/broke in the last storm, so had to replace them. So far, its been the only GOOD use for privet I have found - the branches are flexible enough to weave into the chain link, but also stick up nice and tall.

Oh, I am also looking for a ground cover that can cover a VERY shaded slope. Preferably something that doesn't need mowing and is okay around chickens and dogs. My ideal would be something low that spreads well like creeping phlox, except a shade plant. Zone 7 with clay soil. Ideas appreciated!

The most aggressive, groundcover I can imagine is Asian Jasmine - grows in sun, grows in shade, even roundup didnt kill it off. If you accidentally mow over some runners in the yard, they will sprout vines wherever they land. Honestly, this stuff is virulent and unrelenting.

 

[oldhen2345]

Rained off and on all night and early this morning. Good time to spend trying to pull up some asian jasmine with the ground soaked. Noticed some leaves on the bottom of my dwarf fig trees, so yay.Got to get some peat and sand into the dust bath for the chickens. I will add DE to it when it is dry out. Maybe will plant some mint and rosemary or marigolds in the cinderblocks around the dustbath.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Here's the link from the homesteader I mentioned who did a LOT of research on tire gardening. It was her post that got me digging into whether tires were safe or not. I could not find any evidence to the contrary, but did find a lot of scare tactics. What I do know is that a gazillion cars drive on our roads today. Those tires wear down on road surfaces and for decades those minuscule bits of tire residue has been washing into our water, soil, etc... Yet, there has been no evidentiary contamination from our roads tied to tire residue. Chemical spills, yes. Tires, no. We let our children play on tire swings and playgrounds with ground up tires. No contamination there either. So I feel there is enough circumstantial evidence, along with absence of direct evidence, to prove to me that it is safe. But I highly recommend you read her post yourself and make your own opinion.

http://www.rural-revolution.com/2014/01/in-defense-of-our-tire-garden.html

 

[TJAnonymous]

The most aggressive, groundcover I can imagine is Asian Jasmine - grows in sun, grows in shade, even roundup didnt kill it off. If you accidentally mow over some runners in the yard, they will sprout vines wherever they land. Honestly, this stuff is virulent and unrelenting.

I'm in the same situation with Buttercup. It's toxic to my goats and horses and grows EVERYWHERE. I don't want to spray Round-Up in my pasture.... I can control it with 2 4-D but it is really TOUGH to kill it completely.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

The most aggressive, groundcover I can imagine is Asian Jasmine - grows in sun, grows in shade, even roundup didnt kill it off. If you accidentally mow over some runners in the yard, they will sprout vines wherever they land. Honestly, this stuff is virulent and unrelenting.

We have some sort of jasmine or jasmine-like plant popping up in our yard. I think it's a "volunteer" coming from the neighbor's yard since it's near their fence. Is there a way to make sure it isn't the asian type without waiting for flowers? I'm considering whether to relocate them to that slope to see how they do there or if I should kill them (if I can). Snapped a quick photo of one I came across. The leaves are very flexible and sort of shiny.

 

[Elyrian1]

Mmm, did somebody say dandelion salad? No? Just me then.

@TJAnonymous Thank you for the link, I'll add those to my list of potential materials for future gardening, especially if we end up on a slope.