Gardening / landscaping thread.

[mbasic]

The C19 thing has really sparked a gardening bug in my wife ....

....for the last 7 weekends, I've pretty much worked outside non-stop fulfilling her honeydoos and my own little projects.

- Almost done with the gutters and rainwater harvesting tank. (320 gallon cube tote tank)
- Planted 2 papaya trees (I may have over watered, they might die now)
- Got some blackberries from three bushes I planted 6 months ago.
- A lot of squash, lettuce, bell peppers.
- Built a small trellis for a loofah vine....loofahs?
- Got a good crop of oranges, made orange juice.
- Pomergranites are coming along nicely.
- Birds ate the few peaches we got....got to get those plastic net bags I guess.
- Avocado tree did not fruit. It about 8 tall now. Been in the ground 2 years.
- 7 chickens. Shitton of eggs.

Working on some other top secret shit .....

[Allentown]

Might dig a big hole in my back yard to hold water after big rains.
Does that count?

[alek]

I’ve gotta build lots of new retaining walls. I think we’re gonna use block to replace the current landscaping timbers. Any one have any pointers?

ETA

[Hanley]

Might dig a big hole in my back yard to hold water after big rains.
Does that count?

Plant a willow tree

[5hout]

I’ve gotta build lots of new retaining walls. I think we’re gonna use block to replace the current landscaping timbers. Any one have any pointers?

Block looks really bad after a few years unless you do it right by building proper footers. Not hard to do, but time consuming and annoying to do for an already built up planter. My lazy person's pointer would be to replace the wood with new wood to avoid this project.

EDIT: Upon re-viewing, it appears there is already a slab to build in. Full steam ahead!

[Manveer]

Started growing peppers a couple of months ago. I don’t know what I’m doing.

Yellow jalapeños and chile de árbol are growing well. Don’t see any fruit on the bubblegum pepper plant yet.

[Skander]

Got some plants, left them out to get sun, forgot them, that night was randomly cold, half died. Doh!

[DoctorWho]

You guys must live in sunny places.

[iamsmu]

Are the CHAZ farmers trying to use cardboard as a weed block? I put down some paper bags in the bottoms of my raised bags to help stop weeds. They were 12" deep and will decay by the time any roots get down there. But this cardboard is thick and only a couple inches below the surface. Looks like it will just interfere with the root systems of the plants. They'll all have to grow in about 3 inches of dirt. If the cardboard ever softens, the roots are going to be looking at dense, compacted soil. I fear that the CHAZ garden isn't going to be very successful.

[alek]

I’ve gotta build lots of new retaining walls. I think we’re gonna use block to replace the current landscaping timbers. Any one have any pointers?

Block looks really bad after a few years unless you do it right by building proper footers. Not hard to do, but time consuming and annoying to do for an already built up planter. My lazy person's pointer would be to replace the wood with new wood to avoid this project.

EDIT: Upon re-viewing, it appears there is already a slab to build in. Full steam ahead!

Yeah, looks like I’ll be starting this project in two weeks; I’ll update with updates.

[mbasic]

Are the CHAZ farmers trying to use cardboard as a weed block? I put down some paper bags in the bottoms of my raised bags to help stop weeds. They were 12" deep and will decay by the time any roots get down there. But this cardboard is thick and only a couple inches below the surface. Looks like it will just interfere with the root systems of the plants. They'll all have to grow in about 3 inches of dirt. If the cardboard ever softens, the roots are going to be looking at dense, compacted soil. I fear that the CHAZ garden isn't going to be very successful.

I think I've seen a similar strategy where the cardboard is just a mulch....you plant in the ground, let the crop-stalk come up between the edge's of two or three pieces of card board. The grass dies and decomposes in place. Then you put mulch like wood chips/pine needles/straw on top of the card board, but not soil. It looks like they put some really primo potting/garden soil ontop in that picture....which ya, makes no sense.

[iamsmu]

I think I've seen a similar strategy where the cardboard is just a mulch....you plant in the ground, let the crop-stalk come up between the edge's of two or three pieces of card board. The grass dies and decomposes in place. Then you put mulch like wood chips/pine needles/straw on top of the card board, but not soil. It looks like they put some really primo potting/garden soil ontop in that picture....which ya, makes no sense.

Hmmm. Maybe they punched through the cardboard and planted in the ground below. The dirt on top might just be to keep it from moving. I need to find more pictures.

[mbasic]

More importantly, that will never be enough food for anyone for any amount of time ... that amounts to anything. In my estimation, you would need about a 1/2 to an acre for a family of four to eat year round. You would need green houses/poly tunnels to have crops year round. Chickens....maybe some other kind of livestock. Small orchard. Good water supply. Agrarian knowledge would have to be level 9000. Would have to know how to, and have the infrastructure to store, can, jar, etc. the food crops as well.

[mouse]

More importantly, that will never be enough food for anyone for any amount of time ... that amounts to anything. In my estimation, you would need about a 1/2 to an acre for a family of four to eat year round. You would need green houses/poly tunnels to have crops year round. Chickens....maybe some other kind of livestock. Small orchard. Good water supply. Agrarian knowledge would have to be level 9000. Would have to know how to, and have the infrastructure to store, can, jar, etc. the food crops as well.

This might come as quite a shock to some of us... but I'm not sure the people who set up the CHAZ know what they're doing...

Been a couple years since I bothered with a vegetable garden. We did it for a while... I got decent at growing tomatoes... not as great at growing peppers... not very good at growing potatoes hahaha... might get back into it as my wife has a sudden interest...

Currently dealing with the trauma that is having my oldest son's guinea pigs destroying my front yard in 4x4' patches after I finally got it back to a baseline 'decent' from the destruction our dogs caused. I can't win.

[broseph]

I’ve gotta build lots of new retaining walls. I think we’re gonna use block to replace the current landscaping timbers. Any one have any pointers?

"Landscape timbers" are not chemically treated to the extent that "ground contact" 4x4's or 6x6's are. So they only last a couple years. Railroad ties can last a loooong time.

@iamsmu I use cardboard as a single-season weed block in landscaping. That way I can get away with only a couple inches of expensive bark mulch, which then only need a top dressing the following year.

[Cinic]

I’ve gotta build lots of new retaining walls. I think we’re gonna use block to replace the current landscaping timbers. Any one have any pointers?

Block looks really bad after a few years unless you do it right by building proper footers. Not hard to do, but time consuming and annoying to do for an already built up planter. My lazy person's pointer would be to replace the wood with new wood to avoid this project.

EDIT: Upon re-viewing, it appears there is already a slab to build in. Full steam ahead!

Yeah, looks like I’ll be starting this project in two weeks; I’ll update with updates.

You using the interlocking blocks? I think those to pretty well for short walls with minimal subgrade prep. But there's a ton of considerations (freeze/thaw, drainage, retained soil type) that all play into long term performance of retaining walls.

[alek]

I’ve gotta build lots of new retaining walls. I think we’re gonna use block to replace the current landscaping timbers. Any one have any pointers?

Block looks really bad after a few years unless you do it right by building proper footers. Not hard to do, but time consuming and annoying to do for an already built up planter. My lazy person's pointer would be to replace the wood with new wood to avoid this project.

EDIT: Upon re-viewing, it appears there is already a slab to build in. Full steam ahead!

Yeah, looks like I’ll be starting this project in two weeks; I’ll update with updates.

You using the interlocking blocks? I think those to pretty well for short walls with minimal subgrade prep. But there's a ton of considerations (freeze/thaw, drainage, retained soil type) that all play into long term performance of retaining walls.

I’m gonna use the ones with the lip on the back to gradually move the wall back as it rises. I liked this video the most—seems pretty straightforward.



The local quarry recommends 3/4” gravel for the base and 1” rock for drainage. I’m gonna do 6” of base gravel and at least 6” of drainage backfill for all the walls.

I think I’ll also use adhesive on the top 2-3 layers of each wall.

[DoctorWho]

There used to be a technique of putting down newspapers (maybe cardboard too) or black plastic to kill weeds, then cut a hole for the plants then mulch on top. Not sure if this is what they are doing.

My driveway is a on a little uphill slope. My neighbors have beautiful curved, short walls that look great and make the planting better. I think if I try it DIY, I'd over-design it in some ways and there would be a detail that I'd screw up. I hope that somebody can explain it here. Has to be natural stone, pretty much uncut with mortared joints. The lawn above it is about 5 feet high, so the wall should be about 3 feet high so the grade isn't so steep. Curved to open into the street.

[alek]

Got the first section of wall done. 2 days’ work.

[Skid]

I've built quite a few retaining walls over the years. Wood is a waste of time. The most important step is to have a thick layer of compacted 3/4 minus gravel under the blocks for drainage and to prevent frost heaving, and to have the first course dead level. I use an optical level to dial the first row in.

My advice, use the biggest blocks you can find. My last retaining wall project used 4200 pound interlocking concrete blocks - http://www.lockblock.com/# - After I dialled the gravel base in level I used my neighbor's crane to place them as the B trains brought them in my yard. Put up 600+ feet of 5 foot high wall in a few hours (not including the gravel work).