What did you do in the garden today?

[Nym]

I like watching those bucket stand videos. If I made such a stand, I would want to make the buckets self-wicking, or sub-irrigation buckets and not just have drain holes in the bottom where you would have to water them all the time.

I have tried to figure out how to make the watering of the buckets easier. That is, maybe one large water reservoir container with some kind of water lines to each bucket, filling each bucket to a predetermined level and stopping.

I have not yet figured out a system that I want in that respect.

I like the idea of being able to swap out buckets if you want. Maybe planting some early cool weather plants (like peas) outside while warm weather plants (like peppers) are still growing inside the house or greenhouse. Then, about the time the peas are done, just pull out that bucket and plop in a bucket of peppers.

Having said that, I am still very happy with my 4X4 foot 16-inch high pallet wood raised bed v2.0 which I can build for less than $2.00 each.

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I fill the bottom half of the raised bed with hügelkultur wood and the top half is topsoil/compost mixed 1:1. I have lots of chicken run compost on hand, but my native soil is sandy lakeside crap, so I do buy a trailer full of Red River topsoil from a local nursery about every other year - depending on how many new raised beds I'm building.

Just thinking out loud, maybe one could fill a 5-gallon bucket with about 4-6 inches of wood chips on the bottom, and top it off with that topsoil/compost mix and have a Hugle pot type of setup? I would think the wood chips on the bottom would act like a water battery and retain lots of moisture even if you had drain holes on the bottom, or the side.

I just don't like the idea of paying all that money for buckets ($5 each) and then drilling drain holes in the bottom - which guarantees that you will be watering those buckets all the time.

This could be a cheap solution. I bought a few packs of the nozzles and asked my neighbour to throw over all her empty soft drink bottles. I have learnt over the yrs to keep the bottles in tact and simply drill a large side hole in the bottle to prevent debris blowing in / building up. Situating the waterer in the center and adding a few small holes around the nozzle would easily water the surrounding plants.

 

[WthrLady]

I have dedicated drip irrigation, so watering isn't an issue.
I'm liking the idea of being able to grab my bucket and bring it in for the night.
We have many buckets that are no longer water hauling worthy, ie, the handles have popped off.
So they would be perfect for this. It also keeps the lettuce out of nibbly range of critters.

 

[gtaus]

View attachment 3748327
This could be a cheap solution. I bought a few packs of the nozzles and asked my neighbour to throw over all her empty soft drink bottles. I have learnt over the yrs to keep the bottles in tact and simply drill a large side hole in the bottle to prevent debris blowing in / building up. Situating the waterer in the center and adding a few small holes around the nozzle would easily water the surrounding plants.

Looks like a self-contained drip irrigation solution. What nozzles did you buy? How long does a full bottle of water last?

 

[gtaus]

I have dedicated drip irrigation, so watering isn't an issue.

Maybe someday I'll have a drip irrigation system as well. For now, I just have a timer on the garden hose with sprinklers.

I'm liking the idea of being able to grab my bucket and bring it in for the night.

That would be great for those warm sunny days followed by frost danger nights where I live. Our average last frost date for my zone 3b is the end of May. It would be nice to set out some plants earlier in May but have the option of carrying them inside the garage at night if there was a frost warning.

We have many buckets that are no longer water hauling worthy, ie, the handles have popped off. So they would be perfect for this. It also keeps the lettuce out of nibbly range of critters.

Yep, I've got a number of older buckets that would be perfect for a bucket rack or table setup. My raised beds are only 16-inch high, but I have yet to see a rabbit jump into a raised bed to eat the greens.

 

[akroberts1085]

So I just got an idea for my garden. I'm going to try to get a picture of all the stuff I have to use for the garden, and post it so everyone can see what I have and maybe give me some ideas for what I can do with them. Maybe a drawing or something. After I get the garden done I will post more pictures for everyone to see.

 

[chickengr]

So I have one of those hanging feeder cups that I put in there to keep the water off the ground. Went to feed her this morning and she purposefully bum rushed my hand, jumped on the hanging feeder cup and pulled it off... Spilling water everywhere.

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sorry for laughing but that's story of my life, lol.

 

[Sally PB]

But I always look forward to hearing that familiar honking as the Candian geese fly overhead.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2876756/

Me too, though I worried about HPAI a year ago.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Geese were not on the pond last night or early this morning when I was out feeding but they've since returned so they are clearly sleeping somewhere more protected...



Hmmm, I was going to let my ducks out this morning because it will be a beautiful day today before storms and cold/crappy weather returns tomorrow. They will be so disappointed....

 

[gtaus]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2876756/

Me too, though I worried about HPAI a year ago.

Wow! Did you understand that study in the link? I'm an RN and that report was too technical for me to read. I did understand that HPAI would be bad.

Well, we never have that many Candian geese flying in to our lake, so it's never been an issue where I live.

 

[gtaus]

Geese were not on the pond last night or early this morning when I was out feeding but they've since returned so they are clearly sleeping somewhere more protected...

View attachment 3748617

Hmmm, I was going to let my ducks out this morning because it will be a beautiful day today before storms and cold/crappy weather returns tomorrow. They will be so disappointed....

Looks like a nice place to build a nest if I was a Candian goose. Are they going to set up home on your property?