Thanks for the tomatillo advice. I'm not 100% sure that I'll have space for two tomatillo plants on my balcony in addition to the other stuff I'm growing, but we'll see... I'll buy some seeds in about a month or so and give it a shot. I get that they're different species and all, but will tomato fertilizer (liquid) be fine for tomatillos as well? That would keep things super simple for me, since that's what I use for the chilis.
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# ? Jan 12, 2021 20:38 |
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# ? May 30, 2024 07:09 |
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Ok Comboomer posted:Ooooooof (altho didn’t he come out as ACAB/pro-BLM? Edit: that was apparently Ammon) Anyway, to echo what other people have said, I've had good luck with Southern Exposure and very good luck with Kitazawa. I've been propagating yellow potato onions that I first got as starts from Southern Exposure years ago, and I've been propagating long beans and bitter melons that I originally got as seed from Kitazawa. And after the pandemic hosed with my garden plans this past spring I impulse bought a seed variety from Kitazawa and got several varieties of leafy greens that I really liked (as documented in somewhat tedious detail in my other posts in this thread). crazyvanman posted:Apart from a similar-sounding common name, tomatillos and tomatoes aren't that closely related (same family, different genus), so you'd be fine to grow both tomatillos and tomatoes together, but would still need at least 2 tomatillo to ensure pollination.
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# ? Jan 12, 2021 21:24 |
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Fruition seeds is another nice optionChad Sexington posted:What are good places to get seeds from? I've used Gardener's Supply before and bought Burpee seeds from the hardware store and never really noticed changes in quality that couldn't be attributed to my other numerous gently caress-ups.
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# ? Jan 12, 2021 22:10 |
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SubG posted:
In plants that cross-pollinate easily and where the grower wants to save seed that is true to type, it's necessary to grow the plant literally miles from anyone else growing a similar thing. So yeah it's highly probable I guess that your tomatillo was helped by tomatillos unknown!
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# ? Jan 13, 2021 00:17 |
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my in-greenhouse fresh-soil carefully trimmed tomatoes keep getting blight and its loving ANNOYING
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# ? Jan 13, 2021 00:26 |
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awesmoe posted:my in-greenhouse fresh-soil carefully trimmed tomatoes keep getting blight and its loving ANNOYING Some people end up switching to hydroponic methods of producing tomatoes just to avoid soil-borne pathogens. The Kratky method is probably the lowest up-front investment if you want to give it a try. I had decent success the one time I tried it, but the only spot I've got to put them in is adjacent to windows/glass doors, and I had to cut them down in advance of a hurricane so I could get the containers inside before they'd become projectiles.
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# ? Jan 13, 2021 00:37 |
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I just ordered some insane disease resistant tomato rootstock seeds, but it's a packet of 100 which is way too many. How long will tomato seeds keep?
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# ? Jan 14, 2021 19:15 |
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I just ordered some insane disease resistant tomato rootstock seeds, but it's a packet of 100 which is way too many. How long will tomato seeds keep? 4-6 years based on a quick google search. Presumably that assumes cool, dry, dark storage without insect access.
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# ? Jan 14, 2021 19:38 |
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I grew tomatoes from seven year old seeds last year and way over 90% germinated.
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# ? Jan 14, 2021 20:01 |
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I've got some old Ferry Morse beans from my first garden that still come up. That's probably not the norm but keeping them dark, dry, and cool greatly helps extend their longevity. You can always do a quick germination test with some paper towels before planting if you're curious.
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# ? Jan 14, 2021 20:56 |
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I'm planning to build garden beds this year and would love to hear suggestions for what to build them out of. I'm currently thinking of doing 2"x12" pressure treated boards (yellow southern pine) since that's the tallest boards I can find online at my local hardware stores. Something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Weather-Common-2-in-x-12-in-x-12-ft-Actual-1-5-in-x-11-25-in-x-12-ft-2-Prime-Treated-Lumber/50277349. Anyone know if that's okay for garden beds? I'd read that some forms of pressure treated wood are acceptable for food crops, but can't tell if these are. The perimeter for the new beds is about 68'. Zone 9a and we get small floods about half the time when it rains (standing water in the yard, none inside, yet).
LLSix fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jan 16, 2021 |
# ? Jan 16, 2021 19:46 |
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LLSix posted:I'm planning to build garden beds this year and would love to hear suggestions for what to build them out of. I'm currently thinking of doing 2"x12" pressure treated boards (yellow southern pine) since that's the tallest boards I can find online at my local hardware stores. Something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Weather-Common-2-in-x-12-in-x-12-ft-Actual-1-5-in-x-11-25-in-x-12-ft-2-Prime-Treated-Lumber/50277349. Anyone know if that's okay for garden beds? I'd read that some forms of pressure treated wood are acceptable for food crops, but can't tell if these are. The perimeter for the new beds is about 68'. Zone 9a and we get small floods about half the time when it rains (standing water in the yard, none inside, yet). In theory any pressure treated lumber shouldn't be used on beds because the treatment uses chemicals that you probably don't want leeching into your soil, but that being said I know a few folks who use pressure treated wood and so far they haven't died, so...? I used 2x12's of whatever untreated hardwood they had at the time, I think oak. Wasn't terribly cheap, but I'm on year four and it's still in fantastic shape. I've heard folks suggest using a food-safe sealant can extend its life a bit, but I didn't end up doing that because L shaped framing brackets at the corners seem to hold up better than just plain screws into wood, and are definitely sturdier than the gardening-specific brackets you can find in the garden department.
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# ? Jan 16, 2021 22:21 |
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Treated wood hasn't had arsenic since about 2003. It's mostly copper now.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 00:41 |
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LLSix posted:I'm planning to build garden beds this year and would love to hear suggestions for what to build them out of. I'm currently thinking of doing 2"x12" pressure treated boards (yellow southern pine) since that's the tallest boards I can find online at my local hardware stores. Something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Severe-Weather-Common-2-in-x-12-in-x-12-ft-Actual-1-5-in-x-11-25-in-x-12-ft-2-Prime-Treated-Lumber/50277349. Anyone know if that's okay for garden beds? I'd read that some forms of pressure treated wood are acceptable for food crops, but can't tell if these are. The perimeter for the new beds is about 68'. Zone 9a and we get small floods about half the time when it rains (standing water in the yard, none inside, yet). https://extension.psu.edu/environmental-soil-issues-garden-use-of-treated-lumber Most of the concern was about wood treated with CCA which has nasty chromium and arsenic stuff in it, but it’s been fairly restricted since 2004. The stuff you get now is usually treated with ACQ and it’s much safer.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 00:51 |
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Staple some plastic sheeting inside your beds Pro: keeps pressure treated wood away from your dirt Pro: keeps dirt away from your wood Con: I dunno I guess it’s more work
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 01:36 |
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I will keep this in mind for next year. My aunt in the country used to have one that she'd overwinter tropical and stuff in since it gets colder up there. Seems simple enough to build. Hers just used a heat lamp, but I guess the bottom heat is probably better for germination? In the shade it could probably be useful as a mini-greenhouse with high humidity for rooting cuttings too My germination rates are super, super high! Jhet posted:Do you also use a row cover or cold frame with it? That part of me that picked up on my dad always turning lights off makes me wonder where the heat escapes. “Are you trying to heat the outside, close the door,” sort of thing. Yeah, the way I was taught is that a hot bed is a cold frame with a heated bottom. Lots of plans call for the use of manure here, but I use a heating cable. As far as seeds are concerned, Floret Farms has amazing varieties of flowers. Just stunning varieties you won’t find anywhere else. Not to knock grocery/hardware store seeds (because I’m always going to pick up a few on a whim) but the variety out there is just nuts.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 02:37 |
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Sockser posted:Staple some plastic sheeting inside your beds Con: Drainage. You can use landscape fabric, which will help keep dirt in the bed when you water and will keep weeds down.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 07:13 |
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rojay posted:Con: Drainage. I built one last year so I don't know how long it's going to hold up, but you probably want to use a sealer on the inside of the bed before you put dirt in it. Unless you're doing something weird I'm not sure why you would need to add anything to keep the dirt inside, but you definitely don't want to gently caress up the drainage. My understanding is that ground-contact PT lumber will last for decades in contact with soil theoretically, and it is extremely rot resistant, but it isn't inherently resistant to moisture so if you don't seal it it will still tear itself apart from expansion/contraction as it takes up moisture.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 16:38 |
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Sockser posted:Staple some plastic sheeting inside your beds What prevents the water getting between the wood and plastic? Seems like pointless busywork to me. Untreated wood will last a decade, oak will last much longer. rojay posted:Con: Drainage. I think / hope Sockser was only talking about putting plastic on the sides. I don’t think landscape fabric is something you want anywhere near your beds, it’ll prevent worms and other beasts getting in and block roots. A foot of fresh compost & soil on top of any preexisting weeds bed will do a lot of smothering - or what’s often recommended is putting a layer of brown cardboard over the base to help do that - it’ll be gone inside 6 months. I have wooden raised beds, but FWIW in some damp climates like the UK they can apparently encourage slugs, so I might get rid of my wood sides when they perish. You can just pile compost on the ground and get precisely the same growing performance, with slightly less neat sides.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 19:20 |
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wooger posted:
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 19:28 |
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Hi thread. Got a house recently and have a garden for the first time. Don't really know where to begin. Are there any thread recommendations on resources for beginners (e.g. books)? Our short term priority after we get our shed in will be to grow some screening to stop our neighbours from perving
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 21:21 |
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Entropy238 posted:Hi thread. Got a house recently and have a garden for the first time. Don't really know where to begin. Are there any thread recommendations on resources for beginners (e.g. books)?
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 21:30 |
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SubG posted:If you live in the US, your state has a master gardener programme. The master gardener programme will have a handbook. These are generally a spectacular guide to growing poo poo in your local climate. I should have said - I live in Ireland. So climate similar to Britain.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 21:34 |
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Entropy238 posted:I should have said - I live in Ireland. So climate similar to Britain. I mean I'm sure there are plenty of good Irish gardening guides out there, I just don't know any.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 21:43 |
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SubG posted:If you live in the US, your state has a master gardener programme. The master gardener programme will have a handbook. These are generally a spectacular guide to growing poo poo in your local climate. Ooo, great tip, I never knew this existed. Just ordered one for my area.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 23:13 |
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Entropy238 posted:I should have said - I live in Ireland. So climate similar to Britain. Try Charles' Dowding's YouTube channel for growing vegetables and the Royal Horticultural Society for everything else.
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# ? Jan 17, 2021 23:31 |
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wooger posted:Untreated wood will last a decade, oak will last much longer. Even treated wood isn't going to last this long if you let it stretch/shrink with moisture and temperature over and over again. People build decks out of PT lumber without accounting for this all of the time and have them turn into garbage within a handful of years.
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# ? Jan 18, 2021 00:12 |
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Chad Sexington posted:Ooo, great tip, I never knew this existed. Just ordered one for my area.
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# ? Jan 18, 2021 05:43 |
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That’s helpful - thanks.
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# ? Jan 18, 2021 11:12 |
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So I noticed that pre-cut galvanized zinc garden beds would cost about as much as buying treated wood and assembling them myself so I'm thinking of doing that instead. I certainly feel a lot better about the safety of steel beds versus maybe-safe pressure treated wood. I'm thinking one extra big bed for cherry tomatoes because those are our favorites and a few smaller beds. Anyone have opinions on these two brands? https://www.amazon.com/Raised-Garden-Elevated-Planter-Vegetable/dp/B086T1VY6M/ https://www.amazon.com/zizin-Galvanized-Elevated-Planter-Vegetable/dp/B07T8HMV5S I could buy the raw parts for cheaper but I don't have any tools yet, or any where to store tools and once I did it'd be pretty close to the same price as just buying the kits. LLSix fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Jan 19, 2021 |
# ? Jan 18, 2021 21:55 |
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LLSix posted:So I noticed that pre-cut galvanized zinc garden beds would cost about as much as buying treated wood and assembling them myself so I'm thinking of doing that instead. I certainly feel a lot better about the safety of steel beds versus maybe-safe pressure treated wood. I'm thinking one extra big bed for cherry tomatoes because those our favorites and a few smaller beds. I have three of these. They're nice, light and portable. Mine survived a move just fine. Also tend to warm up a bit faster in the sun. Good for temporary beds IMO. And definitely get the rounded ones, I've gouged my leg on sharp corners before.
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# ? Jan 18, 2021 22:39 |
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FWIW, there are lots of examples of self watering planters built from galvanized zinc stock tanks which might be worth the additional expense/effort depending on your climate/soil/etc.
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# ? Jan 18, 2021 23:18 |
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Entropy238 posted:Hi thread. Got a house recently and have a garden for the first time. Don't really know where to begin. Are there any thread recommendations on resources for beginners (e.g. books)? Charles Dowding (mentioned above) is a good shout for no-dig methods. Also Joy Larkcom's book Grow your own vegetables. If you want to try growing some lesser known and mostly perennial plants I highly recommend Ken Fern's Plants for a future and Martin Crawford's How to Grow Perennial Vegetables.
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# ? Jan 19, 2021 00:03 |
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LLSix posted:So I noticed that pre-cut galvanized zinc garden beds would cost about as much as buying treated wood and assembling them myself so I'm thinking of doing that instead. I certainly feel a lot better about the safety of steel beds versus maybe-safe pressure treated wood. I'm thinking one extra big bed for cherry tomatoes because those are our favorites and a few smaller beds. You might want to buy a can of ZRC Cold Galvanizing as well and spray the crap out of any nicks, scratches, or drilled holes where the galvanizing is missing or weak. Used as directed (whole lot of shaking before spraying) it really does prolong the life of galvanized steel in water.
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# ? Jan 19, 2021 08:53 |
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I'm in the market for some good gardening resources (preferably online) that provide detailed info about the needs of different food plants. Ie. when/how to start, when/if to transplant, soil type, light and watering requirements, pests & treatments, companion planting, container growing possibilities, etc. I'm working on a gardening-related site as a personal project and need to better wrap my brain around the different ways people have modeled this sort of data in the past so that I can (hopefully) model my own data in a format that'll work well for lots of different types of plants. Also, is there any sort of international equivalent to USDA hardiness zones?
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# ? Jan 19, 2021 19:37 |
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Which country are you in? Actually, that might not matter if what you're looking for are models for your own project. I rely heavily on West Coast Seeds planting charts to keep organized during planting season (January - October here). It's a format that keeps a lot of information at your fingertips. Other seed catalogs are probably worth looking at as well but WCS is the only big company catalog I use.
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# ? Jan 20, 2021 07:04 |
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I'm wanting to start growing some microgreens indoors plus a few other things, all leafy greens, not flowering stuff. Do I really need full spectrum LED strips vs 6500K leds? Hard to find good data on this but seems like 6500k is just fine for this purpose. Asking because the not full spectrum are cheaper. And no, I'm not growing weed, thanks.
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# ? Jan 20, 2021 14:53 |
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That does great for leafy greens and has been doing well on my basement pepper garden. I have a handful of LED daylight shop lights and they put out enough light for the vegetative growth for sure. It’s not quite perfect enough to promote flowering and fruiting for all the plants, but most have flowered even if they’re not following through and fruiting. About a third (10) plants are happily fruiting anyway. These are the same lights I’ve used for hydroponic greens, and those grew pretty well.
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# ? Jan 20, 2021 16:39 |
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wooger posted:What prevents the water getting between the wood and plastic? I'm with you on plastic. Particularly in zone 9a, I'd think putting plastic on the sides would just hold moisture on the wood. It'd be something like a "WE'RE OPEN FOR LUNCH" sign for termites, depending on the wood used. In terms of why I use landscape fabric, I did it for beds that I put over a concrete patio in my backyard. In addition to the fabric, I added a couple of inches of pea gravel to the bottom so water wouldn't pool. I don't think it was necessary, to be honest, and if I build these sort of beds again I'll just throw in the pieces of broken pot and large tree limbs I collect now and then to add bulk and in the latter case to provide nutrients as they decay. I added worms from the yard to those beds, and when I dig in the ones that I replant now and then, I still find them. They seem fat and happy, but I don't speak worm so they may be morose. I built the beds out cheap 2" x 2" posts and cedar fence boards. On the oldest ones I have (about 4 years) I'm starting to see the 2 x 2 posts rotting at the bottom, but for the most part the cedar boards have been solid. I should have used larger, treated wood for the posts. I also built them too tall, which is problematic because all of the weight of the soil puts more pressure on the bottom posts/boards and it takes a lot of dirt to fill a raised bed that's around 2 feet high. Even with a couple of inches of pea gravel I had to use a combination of potting soil, compost and topsoil to fill them, but that stuff breaks down pretty quickly, leaving the surface of the soil *well* below the lip of the bed. I've added more soil and removed the top board, but when I replace them in a few years I'll do a few things differently if I don't just buy a bunch of cinder blocks instead. The wooden beds look a lot better, but cinder blocks don't rot, and I'm in 9a, too. I've also built the same beds over grass, and for those I cut out the soil in squares under the bed to a depth of around 4 inches and flipped it so the grass was on the bottom, then laid untreated cardboard down before adding my soil mixture. Those beds are also much shorter than the ones I built over concrete.
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# ? Jan 20, 2021 19:30 |
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# ? May 30, 2024 07:09 |
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rojay posted:In terms of why I use landscape fabric, I did it for beds that I put over a concrete patio in my backyard. Ah OK, mine are all direct over bare earth, so a different situation.
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# ? Jan 20, 2021 21:55 |