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The Gardening Thread

Discussion in 'Permanent Threads' started by bewildered, May 27, 2017.

  1. Nettdata

    Nettdata
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    Mr. Toast

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    Look back 5-8 pages, I uploaded some pics and described what I was doing as I went... start here: https://www.theidiotboard.com/threads/the-gardening-thread.254548/page-20#post-606227
     
  2. Nettdata

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    Mr. Toast

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    I did a bit of both.

    I'm lucky that I work from home so I go sit in front of the garden with a coffee for a break a few times a day, and can keep up with any bug issues.

    I had a few small issues, first one was handled with a mild soapy insecticide (store bought, eco-friendly), but then I upped it to something stronger for the second one.

    Right now none of the tomatoes have ANY issues... no bugs, etc. I had a few brussel sprouts plants that had some leaves being eaten and it seems some flying bug of some sort was liking them.

    Otherwise, a few ants tried to climb up so I hit the outside perimeter with some ant killer a few times and that stopped that in a hurry.

    I really think that the box being raised up as high as it is is a bit of a deterrent to a lot of insects. And rodents. I saw a squirrel stand on the edge of the box the other day for a bit (before the cat chased him away), but no rabbits or other animals have been around.

    I'm tempted to mount my trail-cam to see what's going on, and am quite curious to see if that will change when stuff starts to ripen up.
     
  3. Nettdata

    Nettdata
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    Mr. Toast

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  4. Revengeofthenerds

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    ER Frequent Flyer Platinum Member

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    Those cats are the best garden protection you have. I’m not a big cat person, but I’ve always kept an outdoor cat just to deal with snakes and rodents. They’re adorable and like roaming sentries.
     
  5. Nettdata

    Nettdata
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    Mr. Toast

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    It begins.

    58B8FC1F-DA9C-487B-A522-A223AD4D221B.jpeg
     
  6. Nettdata

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    Mr. Toast

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    Garden is still growing like crazy. Tomatoes are still not ripening yet, but man they are getting big and they are EVERYWHERE. The lettuce is looking mutantly large, and is very tasty. The cucumbers are now producing, and I expect the first ones to be picked probably middle of next week. The melons are really taking over that corner of the garden and are spilling out and over the sides.

    But fucking hell... bit of a major setback with the wicking bed. It appears that something has poked a hole in the bottom of the reservoir, as it won't hold water any more. There is one small area that just leaks forever, right at ground level. I can only think that some underground vine (we have lots of trumpet vine around) grew up and through the bottom of the pond liner. I'll wait until next year when all the plants are dead and gone and dig down and investigate, but until then, it's back to normal watering. At least the drainage is still awesome... if not too much.

    I already have plans for a second one (but maybe with a solid partition between the ground and pond liner this time), and a third potato and root veggies bed.

    8A51FAF8-4866-418D-85B2-55F57BA7CE9A.jpeg
     
    #586 Nettdata, Aug 11, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2018
  7. Improper

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    Disturbed

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    It happens, stuff is forever poking up through my weed cloth. A pond liner is definitely thicker, I am interested to find out what got through it!

    Idk if you have ever grown cucumbers before, but definitely take them when they are about as long as your hand....the big big ones are usually bitter, and all seeds inside, not nearly as good. Just saying!
     
  8. Nettdata

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    Mr. Toast

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    Yep, have grown cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for a few years now. I follow exactly what you’re recommending.
     
  9. Rush-O-Matic

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    I would be really surprised if something grew through the liner if it's HDPE. More likely a creasing tear on a fold as it took on the weight of soil & stone and settled. If you find it, it's hard to patch - can't really glue, but can heat bond or extrusion weld.
     
  10. Nettdata

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    Mr. Toast

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    There are some pond liner joining kits that do a chemical bond between sheets, so I may be able to cut a patch and then bond over it... we'll see. The polyurethane that I used to seal the overflow is still bonded like crazy too... it was a higher end compound that is designed for use below the water line... so who knows, that might come in handy as well. Absolute worst case is I'll hire someone to empty it out next year and then redo the reservoir completely.

    I'm going to make another one like this, behind it, so I might be able to just transfer the soil/rock into the new bed.

    We'll see... I'm not a fan of duct-tape and band-aided temp fixes, so I'm thinking this will be "version 1: learn from these mistakes" and get fixed properly.
     
  11. bewildered

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    Deeply satisfied pooper

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    I'm learning from your mistakes too. Keep us posted on how the Project's progress and how you end up designing your next bed.
     
  12. Rush-O-Matic

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    I wonder if you could tack in a cheap thin paneling on the inside of the frame so you'd have clean square (ish) corners. Then, get some Flex Seal to roll on, and a spray can, or two, of it to apply in the corners / overlaps.
     
  13. Nettdata

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    I actually have some old plastic cutting boards that I used for the pass-thru for the overflow that I was thinking I could use for that. It all depends on what the hole looks like and where it's sitting, which I won't know until I dig it all up and take a look, which will probably be Spring next year.

    My big concern is that I don't want something totally toxic that will leach out into the water and get pulled into the plants. I know the pond sealer stuff is called out specifically to be non-toxic for fish/plants/humans, and I'm guessing the stuff that REALLY works is probably cancer-inducing if ingested.
     
  14. walt

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    I've never grown "cold weather" crops but bought some broccoli and lettuce seeds the other day to give it a shot. The potato beds are empty now, may as well.
     
  15. zyron

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    Dug up some of my potatoes today.

    IMG_0941.JPG
     
  16. Nettdata

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    I now have 2 big tomatoes that are on the verge of being ripe enough to pick. Can't wait!

    And then tonight I get some serious shots fired by the local rodents. Just sitting on the top rail of the back fence I see a partially eaten tomato. I think it was from my neighbour's garden, but it doesn't matter... that fucking squirrel left it there like he was Vlad the fucking Impaler sending me a message.

    Needless to say the new motion detecting lights just went up and night hunting season just opened; red dot pellet gun, lights, and now some fresh bait.

    Nothing wrong with being both Hunter and Gatherer, right?
     
  17. zyron

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    What's funny is I saw Broccoli seeds for 50% off today and bought some to plant where I dug up my potatoes.
     
  18. zyron

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    Bought carrot, lettuce and beet seeds today. I think I have still have time to get some.
     
  19. Nettdata

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    Mr. Toast

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    Everything is finally starting to ripen up! 20 cherry tomatoes so far... a few beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes are a day away... about 10 cucumbers... and what I thought was a melon plant of some sort turns out to be squash, and is totally taking over the corner of the garden... overflowing, even... 10 gourds(?) growing like crazy as we speak. Fucking nuts.

    IMG_5479.jpeg
     
    #599 Nettdata, Aug 13, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2018
  20. Nettdata

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    Mr. Toast

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    By the way, I have no plans to trim it back yet... a weird part of me wants to see just how much it'll take over the back yard.