What did you do in the garden today?

[littledog]

Anybody got some thoughts or suggestions on top mulch options that work for them? Thanks.

I've used straw before, and it worked well to maintain moisture, but really finicky to spread around small plants, plus it seemed to seed itself and grow weeds later in the season. Plus the price of straw around here has become ridiculous.
Wood chips were easier to deal with than straw, but tended to decompose and change the pH of the soil as the season went on.
I like and use grass clippings as well - as long as they're fully dried-out, so they can't cause weeds.
My favorite is old leaves - ones raked up in the fall and left to decompose all winter, then used in spring. I suppose wood chips could work the same way, if you have more patience than I did - get them in the fall and use them in the spring after they're decomposed a bit.

 

[gtaus]

I've used straw before, and it worked well to maintain moisture, but really finicky to spread around small plants, plus it seemed to seed itself and grow weeds later in the season. Plus the price of straw around here has become ridiculous.
Wood chips were easier to deal with than straw, but tended to decompose and change the pH of the soil as the season went on.
I like and use grass clippings as well - as long as they're fully dried-out, so they can't cause weeds.
My favorite is old leaves - ones raked up in the fall and left to decompose all winter, then used in spring. I suppose wood chips could work the same way, if you have more patience than I did - get them in the fall and use them in the spring after they're decomposed a bit.

Thanks for the ideas. I'm ruling straw out because I'd have to pay $$$ for it where I live, and I think the other free options you mentioned would be better anyway.

 

[gtaus]

Wow, the whole project looks amazing! Every choice you made sounds like the right thing, from the staples to not trimming the fencing, to not ripping the 2x4s - you could re-use those in the future as well.

Thanks. The plants are starting to climb the trellis, so I'll have to post some pictures later in the summer. Looks like the trellis is working.

Someone mentioned that I should use stainless steel Arrow T-50 staples, because the normal staples will rust out and fail in no time. I checked into that option at Menards, and they do sell stainless steel staples that are T-50 compatible but made by another brand. But, holy cow, a pack of 1250 qty stainless steel staples costs $12.00 compared to $4.00 for a pack of 1250 qty regular T-50 staples. Depending on how long my regular staples last, I might just shoot in some more staples if/when they fail. If I see the staples failing within weeks, then I'll be looking at spending more for the stainless steel staples.

Or, if the staples pull out before they rust out, I'll probably replace them with the much stronger fence post staples.

For now, the regular 9/16 inch T-50 Arrow staples are holding....

The only thing I can think of is incorporating a ladder into the design, to make it easier to harvest the multiple pounds of produce that grow on the top pallet!
Please make sure you show us a picture later, when your plants are growing over it, I can't wait to see!
My arch trellis is not half as strong as that, for sure I will be copying your design once mine fails in a few years.

Not sure what you mean about a ladder? The top of the arch is only 6 feet high, so I can easily reach any produce. In fact, I had Dear Wife select the height so she could reach everything if the plants grow fruit on top of the arch.

As far as the design, Dear Wife really likes the trellis. Since I made it out of 2X4's and 2X4 wire fencing, it should last many years. Big thing for me was that I just used long pallet wood 2X4's and old 2X4 wire fencing I had out behind the garage. My cost was free other than a few screws and staples.

 

[littledog]

If it does get this cold, do I need to take some steps to protect my garden? If so, what steps should I take?

Can someone please help me out?

Like WthrLady said, the soil will maintain its temp for a few days, so unless it gets colder than forecast or lasts longer than a couple days, you should be OK. If it was me, I would just put extra mulch around the plants to trap heat from the soil, and call it good.

 

[jerryse]

I had a nice Father's day. Grandson and his family came over. Grandson and I went fishing. We cooked on the grill. The rain on Saturday and Sunday was not enough to water the plants.

 

[Sally PB]

Someone mentioned that I should use stainless steel Arrow T-50 staples, because the normal staples will rust out and fail in no time. I checked into that option at Menards, and they do sell stainless steel staples that are T-50 compatible but made by another brand. But, holy cow, a pack of 1250 qty stainless steel staples costs $12.00 compared to $4.00 for a pack of 1250 qty regular T-50 staples. Depending on how long my regular staples last, I might just shoot in some more staples if/when they fail. If I see the staples failing within weeks, then I'll be looking at spending more for the stainless steel staples.

I used the stainless steel staples, and they show no sign of rusting in 3 years of outdoor duty.

I actually didn't know that you could buy them not stainless steel...

 

[jerryse]

I found this interesting.

 

[WthrLady]

interesting.
SVB doesn't just go after the base of the plant, but anywhere on the stems
but school glue dissolves when it gets wet
DE isn't effective wet and glued - it's the loose fossils that cut and tear the insect bits

 

[saysfaa]

How does she get such small squash plants? By the time mine flower, even the bush varieties are waist high with leaves well over a foot wide.

I didn't know I need to protect whatever touches the ground. Last year, I tried inspecting the leaves for squash bug eggs and the stems for squash borers. I was successful with the squash bug eggs until I just go way too many leaves and couldn't check them all often enough (or maybe thoroughly enough) but completely failed with the borer entry holes and/or frass until a section was dying, and then failed at the surgery attempt.

This year I'm trying foil around the stem. I need to redo it now that they have enough root growth for the tops to start growing.

Have any of you tried that tangle stuff - meant to give a barrier protection around tree trunks?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Got some gorgeous new plants at Lowe’s yesterday and planted them immediately

Spoiler