What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

Actually, it is mostly because there is a rancher down stream that "owns" the water in the stream and needs it for his cattle. It is called "water rights" and when you collect rainwater, you "divert if from the stream" and you are stealing his water. Many a range war happened about water rights.
For instance, the US actually pumps water from deep wells into the Rio Grande in certain areas to make sure that the water volume in the river meets the treaty requirements we have with Mexico.

I saw an article several years ago about the "downstream effects" of the water rights war. It was about the Snake River and showed various pictures through history. The Snake River used to wind its way through the US and Mexico and empty into the Pacific. The pictures showed how the areas in Mexico became a desert wasteland because of cities and ranches in the US who are diverting/damming up the water further north. Of course, this was long before people understood environmental and economic consequences of those actions. I know water rights is a tricky and complicated subject but I still don't think it is right to say someone "owns" the water that falls from the sky.

 

[TJAnonymous]

"lucky" for me, none of the property is level unless we level it, so the chicken divots arent a huge deal.

my biggest issue is wild blackberry

Ugh....don't even get me started about wild raspberry. Would be great if it was actually edible but the ones that grow around here are disgusting. Not salvagable and are extremely hardy.

 

[jewelg]

ew is this a thing?

Oh, yes! We had a science experiment in school when I was a kid and we were trying out planting methods. I know Three Sisters was one, and planting a fish head with one plant, but not with the control group, was another. Basically, it’s a less processed form of fish meal.

 

[Sueby]

I think @NewBoots buries her fish parts in the garden!

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I think my most hated weeds are probably grass and wild horseradish. I actually like the wild blackberries ours stick to the woods for the most part and have sweet reasonably large berries on them. I actually don’t like the ones from the farmers market anymore they taste watery after eating the wild ones. If I have time this summer I’m going to try to cultivate a patch of them.

 

[ackie]

Ugh....don't even get me started about wild raspberry. Would be great if it was actually edible but the ones that grow around here are disgusting. Not salvagable and are extremely hardy.

I think my most hated weeds are probably grass and wild horseradish. I actually like the wild blackberries ours stick to the woods for the most part and have sweet reasonably large berries on them. I actually don’t like the ones from the farmers market anymore they taste watery after eating the wild ones. If I have time this summer I’m going to try to cultivate a patch of them.

ours do make edible berries so that makes it mentally harder to get rid of but the amount of fruit per amount of vine of the sprawling vine is too low. there are areas where its built up a reasonable amount of vine and they do fairly well (all over an old tractor for example) which was super exciting, but I'm still set on removing the runners in the garden and vineyard. I'll have to pick somewhere to let it grow. my housemate originally wanted to save and transplant each bit of blackberry plant. it was nuts.

 

[ackie]

Oh, yes! We had a science experiment in school when I was a kid and we were trying out planting methods. I know Three Sisters was one, and planting a fish head with one plant, but not with the control group, was another. Basically, it’s a less processed form of fish meal.

yeah that makes total sense

 

[ackie]

we have a hard time getting grass to grow. so the yard is very un-suburban with clover and grass onions and wild strawberry (edible but taste like... water with the teeeeensiest drop of strawberry flavor & are tiny) with some regular grass mixed in. right now it's got a lovely top coat of leaves.

 

[BReeder!]

ours do make edible berries so that makes it mentally harder to get rid of but the amount of fruit per amount of vine of the sprawling vine is too low. there are areas where its built up a reasonable amount of vine and they do fairly well (all over an old tractor for example) which was super exciting, but I'm still set on removing the runners in the garden and vineyard. I'll have to pick somewhere to let it grow. my housemate originally wanted to save and transplant each bit of blackberry plant. it was nuts.

A vineyard... that sounds nice. I'm tempted at times to turn the whole back yard into a mini farm. My expansion this year is the mini orchard. We already have a peach tree that will hopefully fruit this year and I'm planting two native plums, a gooseberry bush and some rhubarb in the gaps between trees. I may add one or two more trees if I find anything I want.

 

[ackie]

A vineyard... that sounds nice

okay in reality, it wants to be a vineyard when it grows up but it will need a lot more attention and time to get anywhere near that.