Garden Geeks thread

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

We had a patch of very warm weather (70s) followed by -11F and then snow. Rhododendrons and forsythia both had scant blooms because their blooms were frozen. Spring continues to be all over the place. Some things early, some things late when compared to other years.

Dam groundhogs are back looking very svelt and fat. Where is the bobcat when you need it?

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

My 2 projects for the summer - edging the lawn around the sidewalk and driveway, and doing something about the bare patches in my lawn.

We are trying an experiment this year at the edge of the garden beds, where they meet the lawn. Supposedly if you dig a 4" deep V along the edge, the grass won't spread into the garden because it spreads by first sending out underground roots as runners, and the deep V keeps the roots from spreading that way. We'll see.

We are trying to move sod from some areas where it is growing well and putting it in some of the bare patches intact (after turning the ground where it will go and watering it first). It has worked before and we hope it works again.

 

[CLS]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

...

My 2 projects for the summer - edging the lawn around the sidewalk and driveway, and doing something about the bare patches in my lawn. (who wants to help? you're gonna have to move in, because the part where you water it every effing day is the part I always have trouble with )...

My lawn people recommended doing the reseeding in the fall. In the summer, grass tends to go dormant and watering is a pain. In the fall, there's less competition from weeds, and you don't need to water as much. Last fall I finished reseeding a week before Thanksgiving, and I was happy with the results. One of those rare instances when procrastination gets rewarded.

We had a patch of very warm weather (70s) followed by -11F and then snow. Rhododendrons and forsythia both had scant blooms because their blooms were frozen. ...

And more seriously for me, the New England peach crop is pretty much ruined. One of the joys of August for me is a juicy picked-when-it-should-be peach for breakfast and a peach and ice cream for dessert. Ain't gonna happen this year.

Finished planting the vegetables and annual flowers today. Paid more attention to color balance in the flower bed. Last year it was all red and orange. Pretty, but not very interesting.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

My lawn people recommended doing the reseeding in the fall. In the summer, grass tends to go dormant and watering is a pain. In the fall, there's less competition from weeds, and you don't need to water as much. Last fall I finished reseeding a week before Thanksgiving, and I was happy with the results. One of those rare instances when procrastination gets rewarded.

The caveat to this is if you have a heavily shaded lawn, you can over-seed your lawn pretty much at anytime during the growing season. The water needs are less for a shaded lawn as well.

 

[jen]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

My lawn people recommended doing the reseeding in the fall. In the summer, grass tends to go dormant and watering is a pain. In the fall, there's less competition from weeds, and you don't need to water as much. Last fall I finished reseeding a week before Thanksgiving, and I was happy with the results. One of those rare instances when procrastination gets rewarded..

The caveat to this is if you have a heavily shaded lawn, you can over-seed your lawn pretty much at anytime during the growing season. The water needs are less for a shaded lawn as well.

The parts that need to be over-seeded are all heavily shaded (which is why they need to be over-seeded). I think last year CLS recommended doing it in fall as well, because the weed control used by the lawn service wouldn't let the seed germinate (but then.. I just didn't do it at all ). I might call my lawn guy and ask what he recommends.

As far as any recommendations involving sod - I have fulfilled my lifetime quota of sod movement. Not happening.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

The parts that need to be over-seeded are all heavily shaded (which is why they need to be over-seeded). I think last year CLS recommended doing it in fall as well, because the weed control used by the lawn service wouldn't let the seed germinate (but then.. I just didn't do it at all ). I might call my lawn guy and ask what he recommends.

As far as any recommendations involving sod - I have fulfilled my lifetime quota of sod movement. Not happening.

When it comes to a shaded lawn, you traditionally want to toss down a fescue and perennial rye grass seed. In the case of an existing lawn, skip the rye grass and stick with the fescue.

 

[CLS]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

The parts that need to be over-seeded are all heavily shaded (which is why they need to be over-seeded). I think last year CLS recommended doing it in fall as well, because the weed control used by the lawn service wouldn't let the seed germinate (but then.. I just didn't do it at all ). I might call my lawn guy and ask what he recommends.

As far as any recommendations involving sod - I have fulfilled my lifetime quota of sod movement. Not happening.

Forgot about that exchange, but I'm happy I was at least consistent. As far as putting it off, I didn't intend to finish up the week before Thanksgiving. Good luck with your lawn, whatever you end up doing.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

As far as any recommendations involving sod - I have fulfilled my lifetime quota of sod movement. Not happening.

I'm on board with that sentiment! (as if it were only up to me....hah. )

Here is another idea to consider: in the heavily shaded area, give up on grass entirely. Clear out the area and put down some pea gravel or some mulch, and set a small table and two chairs there, or a hammock, or maybe a birdbath, (not a sundial ) or a statue or something. We did something similar and have been pleased with the result.

 

[MadTownSioux]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Freaking May 14. 30 degrees in Madison! (south 10 miles) Tomatoes went in last weekend so we tried to cover them up. So far, it looks like they made it. Warm Up, Dam it!

 

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Freaking May 14. 30 degrees in Madison! (south 10 miles) Tomatoes went in last weekend so we tried to cover them up. So far, it looks like they made it. Warm Up, Dam it!

We had so little snow and such a mild winter it feels like we should be planting already but we have frost risk until about Memorial day. Soooo the beans, cukes and summer squash are still waiting to be planted.

Tomatoes and basil are looking good in their flats under the lights.

Moved all sorts of stuff around in the garden over the last few weeks. When I was working my neck was so messed up I couldn't tolerate gardening. Now I can My hostas were all huge. Now they are split. Slowly clearing out all the stuff that spread like wildfire. Rearranged a whole garden yesterday for zero cost. In the last few yrs I would have just bought something to stuff in there.

les is a happy girl.

 

[MadTownSioux]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Frost warning again last night. most of the tomato plants made it; 2 did not. Also some of the wife's flowers in a half-cask on the deck didn't make it.

The robin in the bush by the front door had one hatch today! 3 left to go.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Put a gallon jug/ other big container full of warm water by the plants under what you used to cover them. Works like a charm. We used to put dry cleaning bags over our plant cages. I imagine garbage bags would work as well.

 

[FreshFish]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

everything is growing nicely so far. Had two salads from garden lettuce already, peas are on the vine and look like they'll be ready to pick by the weekend, strawberries and blueberries are ripening, everything else appears healthy.

We are in a season of olfactory delight right now as the roses are all in bloom. When the wind is in the right direction and the kitchen window is open, the scents waft through and are really pleasant.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Spent the day in the garden. My Russian sage got some sort of wilt/black spot. Look it up on line- all I can find is it doesn't get disease. I searched a few different ways. Yeah- well mine did. Tried to chop of the affected parts, realized the stems were blackening from the ground as well (like blight you see in basil). Ominous sign. Had fiiiiiinallllly gotten them to grow well and bush out only to have them crap out in the last few weeks. Oh well. Ripped them out (sigh) because they were going to be dead soon anyways and then decided to restructure the garden as they left a huge hole. Enlarged, transplanted, watered. It was an excuse to do the thing I wanted to the garden but just hadn't gotten to yet. It was a good day.

 

[MadTownSioux]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

We made a momentous decision this weekend - the Asparagus garden is too out of control and weedy to work with. We're going to nuke it with Roundup, and then next spring dig it down and put new good soil and compost in and replant the whole thing. It's about 15 feet long by 3 feet wide. It will be sad not to have Asparagus for about 3 years but should be worth it in the long run.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Roundup- Nooooooooo!!! Rototiller it deep and then huge layer of leaves and or lots of newspapers, cover all with black landscape fabric. WIll kill things, not nuke the soil and leave chemical residue. Round up may take more than 3 yrs to clear out and all the beneficial organisms, etc will be dead. Organic gardening sites have ways to do this.

Guy down the street surrounds areas he wants to rehab with large logs, Dumps all the leaves into the area and they smother everything underneath them. I wasn't convinced but he has done this to an area of about 50 yds of his side yard with resultant wonderful compost. Leaves are deep enough weeds can't root

 

[MadTownSioux]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Roundup- Nooooooooo!!! Rototiller it deep and then huge layer of leaves and or lots of newspapers, cover all with black landscape fabric. WIll kill things, not nuke the soil and leave chemical residue. Round up may take more than 3 yrs to clear out and all the beneficial organisms, etc will be dead. Organic gardening sites have ways to do this.

Guy down the street surrounds areas he wants to rehab with large logs, Dumps all the leaves into the area and they smother everything underneath them. I wasn't convinced but he has done this to an area of about 50 yds of his side yard with resultant wonderful compost. Leaves are deep enough weeds can't root

Good info - thanks. But I do plan to dig down about 1 foot and get rid of the soil, then add new better soil and composted manure.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Good info - thanks. But I do plan to dig down about 1 foot and get rid of the soil, then add new better soil and composted manure.

Cheaper to do it the way I said. The guy down the street just smothers things and doesn't even till it. If you use the leaves and pile very high they smother anything under them, bottom layers break down, the worms go crazy Viola! I am never patient enough but if you were planning to have the area fallow for a few yrs this is a cheaper way with much less work and waaaay healthier. It will also probably result in the kind of conditions you need for your asparagus.

You can also 'sterilize the soil' by covering it with plastic somehow- google it- but then the area needs to be conditioned because all the bacteria and nutrients are screwed up. Result would be similar to Round up without the chemical residue

 

[bostonewe]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

No gardening for me this year. I didn't get my pots done as planned and now we're away a bunch of long weekends coming up.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

No gardening for me this year. I didn't get my pots done as planned and now we're away a bunch of long weekends coming up.

I still have herbs. Stick em in the ground and away you go. Free. If they die there are always more where they came from!