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Lead out in cuffs posted:Lol those already look more pro than 95% of raised beds out there. I haven't really seen them bowing, but a brace couldn't hurt if you're worried. What kind of mix should I fill these things with? I see recommendations ranging from 2/3 topsoil/1/3 compost to weird mixes of peat moss, vermiculite, and compost.
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Mar 15, 2021 16:58
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I filled mine with 60/40 sandy loam/compost and man did that shrink over the last year. Probably lost half its volume. So if I could do it again I'd definitely go heavier on the soil side.
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Mar 15, 2021 17:33
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gvibes posted:Thanks! And no, I am going to move them into a spot in the yard (off screen on the left). At the bottom of the bed I put in chopped up wood to "hugelkultur." Enough wood that it just touched 18" from the top of the bed to the top of the wood. Then I did 50/50 compost top soil mix for the first 1/2 to 2/3rds of each bed and then did miracle grow in ground soil bags for the rest. Expensive? Oh yeah, but it produced pretty good results last year for what little growing season I had.
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Mar 15, 2021 17:50
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 my kingdom for a small-to-midsize pickup
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Mar 15, 2021 18:00
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gvibes posted:Thanks! And no, I am going to move them into a spot in the yard (off screen on the left). The 2:1 topsoil to compost should be fine. And on the yard is good because then you'll get the assistance of earthworms, somewhat mitigating the need for something like vermiculite.
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Mar 15, 2021 18:42
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Fitzy Fitz posted:
Haha, Bush's pasture park by chance?
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Mar 15, 2021 18:52
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The romanesco I planted last year mostly survived the winter and finally started producing heads. About half of them died off I'll put some more seeds in this year and just know I may not get anything off of them until next spring.
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Mar 15, 2021 19:32
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sexy tiger boobs posted:Haha, Bush's pasture park by chance? I'm in Georgia, but probably the same idea. When the city removes a tree they chip it and dump it here for free pickup. It's so much better than store-bought mulch too.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:08
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Fitzy Fitz posted:I'm in Georgia, but probably the same idea. When the city removes a tree they chip it and dump it here for free pickup. It's so much better than store-bought mulch too. If what you are using is for works for you, great. But around here using wood chips instead of mulch is a great way to have a bunch of artillery fungus. It also tends to cause nitrogen depletion at the surface soil layer which is very much not a good thing in a garden.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:22
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Motronic posted:artillery fungus When I first learned about this ITT, it led me down a research rabbit hole that lasted almost a whole day. Fascinating, disgusting stuff.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:38
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Motronic posted:If what you are using is for works for you, great. But around here using wood chips instead of mulch is a great way to have a bunch of artillery fungus. It also tends to cause nitrogen depletion at the surface soil layer which is very much not a good thing in a garden. Could you or someone else explain what's going on here with nitrogen depletion? Is it a factor of using a specific kind of mulch, or the bacteria breaking down any mulch or something else entirely? I mulched a tree last year that suddenly died on me last fall and after testing the soil there was almost no nitrogen there, so I'm wondering if it was related.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:40
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Solkanar512 posted:Could you or someone else explain what's going on here with nitrogen depletion? Is it a factor of using a specific kind of mulch, or the bacteria breaking down any mulch or something else entirely? The organisms that make this low nitrogen wood decay take nitrogen from the soil. So it's not gone, but it's tied up until the wood composts completely enough to be incorporated back into the soil.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:50
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Motronic posted:If what you are using is for works for you, great. But around here using wood chips instead of mulch is a great way to have a bunch of artillery fungus. It also tends to cause nitrogen depletion at the surface soil layer which is very much not a good thing in a garden. Yeah, I'd be putting a lot more thought into it if I owned the place. But as a renter who wants to garden, free is the way to go. It's also in a spot that's pretty far from the house and stays dry, so hopefully not much of an issue anyway. I use straw mulch for the veg garden itself, but this stuff has worked well for making paths, suppressing weeds, and mulching around some trees.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:50
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Fitzy Fitz posted:this stuff has worked well for making paths, suppressing weeds, and mulching around some trees. If it not near something like siding where the fungus will cause issues and it's not a NEW plant it's a perfectly fine material to use as mulch. I only brough up the issues because this is the gardening thread and this material is not a good candidate for mulching vegetable gardens.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:54
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Solkanar512 posted:Could you or someone else explain what's going on here with nitrogen depletion? Is it a factor of using a specific kind of mulch, or the bacteria breaking down any mulch or something else entirely? As far as I know the nitrogen depletion issue with wood chips/mulch hasn't been borne out in studies. There's a decent run down on mulch here. You can find a more academic version of the same information here.
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Mar 15, 2021 22:18
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Wallet posted:As far as I know the nitrogen depletion issue with wood chips/mulch hasn't been borne out in studies. There's a decent run down on mulch here. You can find a more academic version of the same information here. I don't have the time to get into those right now, but nice.....I haven't actually read a study on this in a loooooong time and I do like to get my info from ag school studies. Just be careful in that the conclusion isn't just supporting "this can make for good mulch" (because it absolutely can) but that it's specifically saying it can make for good mulch for a vegetable garden.
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Mar 15, 2021 23:30
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Motronic posted:I don't have the time to get into those right now, but nice.....I haven't actually read a study on this in a loooooong time and I do like to get my info from ag school studies. Just be careful in that the conclusion isn't just supporting "this can make for good mulch" (because it absolutely can) but that it's specifically saying it can make for good mulch for a vegetable garden. Yeah ... from that info sheet (which is produced by a horticulture professor): quote:Concern: Wood chip mulches will tie up nitrogen and cause deficiencies in plants. Bolding mine.
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Mar 16, 2021 00:21
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Bolding mine. I mean.....that sounds like a best case scenario so if that's the current wisdom it's worth a try. I've certainly got enough material here. Thanks. I need to read up again.
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Mar 16, 2021 02:45
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Motronic posted:I don't have the time to get into those right now, but nice.....I haven't actually read a study on this in a loooooong time and I do like to get my info from ag school studies. Just be careful in that the conclusion isn't just supporting "this can make for good mulch" (because it absolutely can) but that it's specifically saying it can make for good mulch for a vegetable garden. Yeah, the way you handle a high turnover bed (annuals/vegetables) is often pretty different. The same woman specifically addresses arborist wood chips as mulch here but she's mostly discussing landscape plants.
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Mar 16, 2021 13:45
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Earth posted:At the bottom of the bed I put in chopped up wood to "hugelkultur." Enough wood that it just touched 18" from the top of the bed to the top of the wood. Then I did 50/50 compost top soil mix for the first 1/2 to 2/3rds of each bed and then did miracle grow in ground soil bags for the rest. Expensive? Oh yeah, but it produced pretty good results last year for what little growing season I had. Interesting, never heard of a hugelkultur! I've a load of old hedge and tree branches sitting in my back yard and no means to move them away. Looks like a good use for them. I've enough material to lay out a layer about a foot deep along my beds, do you think it's worth doing? I was thinking digging out the area by a foot and laying the sticks/logs and then covering with leaf mould/ grass clippings/compost/soil. What do you reckon? Also hello gardening thread!
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Mar 16, 2021 13:52
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Solkanar512 posted:Could you or someone else explain what's going on here with nitrogen depletion? Is it a factor of using a specific kind of mulch, or the bacteria breaking down any mulch or something else entirely? Bacteria and fungus colonise the woodchips and need nitrogen to make the proteins that comprise their bodies. Woodchips on top of the ground aren’t going to suck up the nitrogen from the soil below, but woodchips will temporarily deplete nitrogen if mixed into soil. There’s also the potential for something like chicken manure on top of woodchips to result in less nitrogen getting to the soil than chicken manure on bare ground. The solution to “woodchips eat nitrogen” is to fertilise with more nitrogen, not to never use woodchips.
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Mar 16, 2021 13:56
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Melissa McCarthyism posted:Interesting, never heard of a hugelkultur! I've a load of old hedge and tree branches sitting in my back yard and no means to move them away. Looks like a good use for them. I've enough material to lay out a layer about a foot deep along my beds, do you think it's worth doing? I was thinking digging out the area by a foot and laying the sticks/logs and then covering with leaf mould/ grass clippings/compost/soil. What do you reckon? I am no expert so take what I say with that understanding. I will say that it’s working for me, and that I would not use grass clippings. If you want grass in your raised beds add grass clippings. The reason I know that is that’s the best way for me to get grass growing in dead spots in the yard. I’ll mow blowing the grass clippings onto the empty spots and grass starts growing there. It’s the same reason I don’t put grass in my compost. I use chopped up leaves in compost and raised beds and have had no problems with any of that.
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Mar 16, 2021 15:17
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To add onto the grass talk, if you don't want grass in your raised beds I'd recommend removing the grass all around. Ive got grass invading along the sides of all of my beds that are in my lawn. I hate grass... I'm gonna remove like 10 inches or so around the beds and plant marigolds and stuff, it'll look nice too. sexy tiger boobs fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Mar 16, 2021 |
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Mar 16, 2021 16:23
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Earth posted:I am no expert so take what I say with that understanding. I will say that it’s working for me, and that I would not use grass clippings. If you want grass in your raised beds add grass clippings. The reason I know that is that’s the best way for me to get grass growing in dead spots in the yard. I’ll mow blowing the grass clippings onto the empty spots and grass starts growing there. It’s the same reason I don’t put grass in my compost. I use chopped up leaves in compost and raised beds and have had no problems with any of that. Cool hedge clippings and freshly trimmed bush leaves would be fine though? I don't have much grass clippings lying around atm as I've just reseeded the lawn. For what it's worth I intend to have the raised area be semi wild with loads of different bee/ butterfly friendly flowers!
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Mar 16, 2021 16:34
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Death to all grass.
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Mar 16, 2021 18:20
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Organic Lube User posted:Death to all grass. It frustrates me to no end that we managed to make mandating people grow monoculture grass normal in many places, but running ruminants in those same places is prohibited. What kind of short-sighted, psychopathic bullshit is that?
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Mar 16, 2021 18:48
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Have you heard of the British Empire? Because I have some sad news for you if you haven’t. In less poo poo posting news, I have a ton of moss that grows in my east facing grass and it’s wonderful and soft. There’s not much of it anyway, and it’s mostly under a very pretty Birch tree. The back yard is a disaster and I have mole hills on a regular basis. So there’s small 4-6” mounds back there. I hope having my dog urinate all over the area will help drive them away to anywhere else, but I’m not holding out hope. So the limited grass in the back will stay for dog and child play, as it’s mostly under a big rear end conifer of some type, but I haven’t taken the time to ID it yet. I will say, a good manicured field of Bermuda grass is a wonderful thing to walk and run on, but most residential lawns are a disaster like mine.
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Mar 16, 2021 18:57
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When I buy a house and finally have a lawn I'm going to turn it into prairie or clover. I can't wait to destroy a whole lawn.
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Mar 16, 2021 19:19
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Jhet posted:Have you heard of the British Empire? You think insane HOA rules are somehow the fault of Britain? - where we don’t even have HOAs. Woodchips are fine as mulch in the right climate (not damp and rainy). In some climates it is a haven for slugs which will eat your veg right up. I remain to be convinced that Hugelcultur isn’t a worthless gimmick. Certainly using freshly cut wood rather than pre-rotted is a bad idea for the nitrogen related reasons noted above. Also, in a raised bed, I don’t know what benefits you’re expecting from having wood in there, but putting your veg further away from the base ground level will reduce their access to water if anything. Compost, frequently made from well rotted chipped trees, is much better Imo.
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Mar 16, 2021 19:20
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Fitzy Fitz posted:When I buy a house and finally have a lawn I'm going to turn it into prairie or clover. I can't wait to destroy a whole lawn. I'm turning my front lawn into an orchard.
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Mar 16, 2021 19:36
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Solkanar512 posted:I'm turning my front lawn into an orchard. That's something I've thought about too. Pecans are popular here. We're pretty close to apple territory. I could easily do blueberries and grapes.
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Mar 16, 2021 19:39
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Yarrow makes decent lawn too. A chunk of my lawn at my last house was yarrow and chives and it was always a treat to run mower through there.
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Mar 16, 2021 19:58
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Fitzy Fitz posted:That's something I've thought about too. Pecans are popular here. We're pretty close to apple territory. I could easily do blueberries and grapes. Yeah, the big plan is maybe 6+ trees, and planting tons and tons of spring bulbs under the canopy because the trees won't leaf out until the bulbs are done anyway. Since I won't have to mow, the leaves of those bulbs can stay out longer and have a much better chance of coming back the next spring.
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Mar 16, 2021 20:01
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wooger posted:You think insane HOA rules are somehow the fault of Britain? - where we don’t even have HOAs. No, just well manicured grass lawns being the "in" thing to do. HoAs are just worse on top of that. TBF, it's not really the in concept for gardening in England anymore if I understand correctly, and was really just a thing the rich did anyway. But it certainly did spread. I'd think the rich/royals in France were also to blame, but I don't know much about historical French gardens.
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Mar 16, 2021 20:11
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wooger posted:I remain to be convinced that Hugelcultur isn’t a worthless gimmick. Certainly using freshly cut wood rather than pre-rotted is a bad idea for the nitrogen related reasons noted above. I haven't really done hugelkultur, but I have bulked out raised beds with dead branches and it's worked out - or possibly it's worked out despite the branches? Having said that, the best spot in my garden is the place where a 20 year old flowering pear tree died a few years ago. I attributed that to the gradual rotting of the roots, but maybe it's just a coincidence? I'm working on a plan to replace most of the grass in my small front yard with other plants. I've got lemongrass thriving in the back and it seems to like the climate here. I've got a few seedlings I can plant as well and at some point I'll break down and buy a citrus tree.
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Mar 18, 2021 17:45
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Two ID requests..! I moved into a new place last November and the garden area was covered in weeds. I pulled everything up and have been doing my best to keep plucking out any new seeds that pop up but in one corner recently I had these things come up all over the place. I can usually at least kind of guess what a sprout might be but no idea about this one. Weed? Flower? Anything possibly worth keeping around? Too early to tell? Also could this be anything besides a squash of some sort? There were a few leaves popping up when I first started cleaning up the garden after moving in and had pretty much ripped it all out but despite spending time buried under snow it has continued to grow slowly through the winter which I wouldn't typically expect from any sort of squash.. 
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Mar 20, 2021 00:58
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The first could probably be a lot of things, but I'm going to guess Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis). It's easy to pull up, but it can get really weedy if you don't stay on top of it.
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Mar 20, 2021 01:32
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Appreciate the reply! It looks like that there are some native (or possibly invasive) wildflowers here that are either that specifically or in the same family so that is probably a good guess. I'll leave a couple of the sprouts that are further towards the back to see what they end up doing. edit: and it was suggested that the squash-looking things are most likely hollyhocks which also makes sense since I have seen them a lot around here. I'll be keeping those where they are. guri fucked around with this message at 02:05 on Mar 20, 2021 |
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Mar 20, 2021 01:46
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What are the chances that I can pull up these ancient rhododendrons? If I hook up a chain to them and pull with a truck, do you think I’ll be able to pull them out? 
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Mar 20, 2021 23:42
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Bloody Cat Farm posted:What are the chances that I can pull up these ancient rhododendrons? If I hook up a chain to them and pull with a truck, do you think I’ll be able to pull them out? Nah, that will break them off. You need them to go up some. I typically pull stuff like that out with the bucket of my tractor and a chain, but I've seen people pull posts and stuff by putting the chain down at the base of them near the ground and then putting the chain over a steel wheel/rim and pulling away. Maybe that would work?
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Mar 20, 2021 23:52
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