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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 7, 2020 21:36:46 GMT -5
...or at the very least, cover everything up to kill any weeds. Our garden went unused for the past 2-3 years, and while I started cleaning it up at the beginning of April, it took this long to get it usable once again. Here are some of the things that can go wrong when nature (and unassuming people) reclaim your garden: - The poor, poor garden hose was torn into shreds over the years by the lawn mower(s).
- The sides of the raised bed bowed outwards, making the bed harder to use as well as creating a slope in the garden bed as dirt resettled.
- The weed barrier that once protected the garden had become a shredded mess within the garden.
- The fencing had been torn down by animals. (deer?)
- Chipmunks claimed the garden as their new favorite spot to bury acorns, including the raised bed, so they keep coming back to dig things up.
- Frost had brought many large rocks up to the surface, including within the raised bed.
- The raised bed had become completely compacted, so I had to retill it.
- The soaker hose had rusted (?) and become buried in the garden bed.
- Weeds were everywhere, including the accursed creeping thistle that can't get enough of my blood.
A simple application of cut-open black trash bags and some bricks/rocks to hold it down will be enough to "protect" your garden from weeds and animals during the time you don't want to use it. At the end of this fall, I will definitely be blocking up most of the garden that way. |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 7, 2020 21:42:31 GMT -5
Some fun observations during the clean up: - Roughly 1/4th of the non-raised-bed portion of the garden became overtaken by chives. I have no idea what we'll do with that many chives, but it's better than weeds.
- A rhubarb plant had managed to survive the entire time, and is now the size of a car tire, if not larger.
- Dead weeds are very flammable and are excellent at killing live weeds once set alight.
I've decided to try something new this year - instead of putting weed barrier in the garden bed, I placed it around the garden bed (to create a walkway), and I am trying a "living mulch" approach. The weed barrier has always been a pain to cut through for putting in plants, and it wasn't very effective since we had weeds growing through it and making holes anyway. So this year, I sprinkled 2000 lettuce seeds (Tennis Ball and Black-Seeded Simpson). The idea is that the lettuce will prevent any weeds from growing by overshading them, and if I want to put a plant somewhere, I just pull out some lettuce. Less work on my end, and free food as a bonus  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2020 11:12:56 GMT -5
I am so into reading this thread. Thanks for posting these bits of info . I have an ongoing battle with weeds...not in the raised beds, but in the grass areas in general. Weeds abound in EVERYONE"S space..except the guy who had people come in and rototill it and lay down some tough turf. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO WALK ON IT and it is watered by timer under ground every day. Not so with mine. I spent so much last year having it dug up, weeded, tilled , sprayed, reseeded and guess what? They are ALL back and growing to mock me!  . So the gardener mentioned putting more 'stuff in' I said I'm done and as long as there is green and it is mowed, I am content. They are clover and plantain weed..a nasty, tough brute of a weed. I have lost the weed battle and I surrender. Thankfully, even though I do not give my boxes a rest every few years, things still continue to go well.
Plantain weed, believe it or not is EDIBLE and people plant it intentionally!! UGLY BUGGER. I guess if we have a food shortage, everyone can survive here for an entire season.
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Jun 8, 2020 11:29:34 GMT -5
Plantain weed, believe it or not is EDIBLE and people plant it intentionally!! UGLY BUGGER.
I guess if we have a food shortage, everyone can survive here for an entire season.
No. At that stage it is so tough, I'm not sure the deer would eat it!  |
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Post by akivalocal on Jun 9, 2020 13:29:50 GMT -5
This is a thread of great tips, ERR0R1755! I just started gardening outside this year, after not using the garden for 5 years. What a headache it was to get ready! But now things are going fairly well. I wish you all the luck with your garden! What, besides chives and rhubarb, are you growing? |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 9, 2020 13:54:54 GMT -5
What, besides chives and rhubarb, are you growing? So far not much - I had taken a storebought tomato and sprouted the seeds from that, so I moved ~10 seedlings out there (with no idea what they'll turn into since I'm sure the parent was a hybrid). I reserved part of the bed for strawberry plants once I buy some. There were also a few pea plants that I started, and maybe I'll put some mung beans out there? There's also the 2000 lettuce if nothing else  |
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Post by akivalocal on Jun 9, 2020 15:45:12 GMT -5
Good luck with the tomato plants! And 2,000 lettuces should be enough for *quite* the salad. I've never seen mung beans grow, so I'd be very interested if you started those! I have some great plans next year to add some w ild kidney beans to my garden, but that's as adventurous as I'm going to get! |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Jun 9, 2020 15:52:32 GMT -5
I've never seen mung beans grow, so I'd be very interested if you started those! The only reason I'd grow them is because I have some old sprouting mix, and I've had good germination rates despite the seeds being 4+ years old. It's nearly impossible to find any information on how to grow them online, since there are hundreds or thousands of sites talking about how to sprout them for use as microgreens >_> The seed/initial leaves look beautiful, so I'll take a picture of the one I started indoors once it sprouts for you! |
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Post by akivalocal on Jun 9, 2020 15:58:07 GMT -5
Yay!!
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