2018 Gardening, Landscaping, and Plants

Looks good Legion12. How many bags of the store bought soil did it take? What is the soil consistency as compared to Miracle Grow's regular potting soil? Guess the little strip of grass along the fence is weed eater stuff.
20 bags at first , let it settle for a week ,yesterday I added 2 more bags. The raised bed soil is much
Looks good Legion12. How many bags of the store bought soil did it take? What is the soil consistency as compared to Miracle Grow's regular potting soil? Guess the little strip of grass along the fence is weed eater stuff.
The raised bed soil is much richer and much heavier, I used 20 bags , let it settle for a week then added 2 more yesterday.
 
The raised bed soil is much richer and much heavier, I used 20 bags , let it settle for a week then added 2 more yesterday.
I saw another brand at Ace Hardware (raised bed soil). but have not seen Miracle Grow brand yet. I swear by Miracle Grows Potting Soil mix for house plants and my outside flower planters. I want to try it out. 22 bags is like a pickup load. But it is sort of a one-time kind of thing. Your raised garden bed looks great and makes me want to do one like it. There is a space issue in my yard or I am hesitant to kill all the turf grass that I have tried to make grow better and thicker for the last few years.
 
That's funny!! Didn't mean for you to go to so much trouble. You added more plants too.

Looks like tomatoes and peppers from your photo. I see the tomatoes are lined up on the outside which I consider smart as they will likely get big and encroach into the other plant space.

The only thing I am likely to add to my garden are some crook necked squash (te yellow ones). I still have room for them and we use them. That is the thing about these smaller gardens, I only grow what I use during the prime growing season. I have four tomato plants in the garden and two on the deck in big pots. They will likely produce more than we can use. But I can usually give away tomatoes. Everyone likes the real vine ripened tomatoes.
 
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News! First hummingbird arrived yesterday, May 6. So tiny, so iridescent green. Now I wonder if the hummingbirds will be happy in such close proximity to the larger grackles, doves, squirrels and chipmunks that frequent the maple tree feeders ... quite a hopping place. Should I single out the hummingbird feeders in another location? Perhaps even higher off the ground? I've always in past fed them from feeders hanging singly from the eave of the house and there was always lots of scrapping just amongst the hummingbirds themselves.

Tent is back up and looking fine ... grateful for that.

I was able to drive around that fallen tree. A lot of pickups here carry chainsaws, so I would expect that that tree would be bucked and loaded for firewood within in a half hour or so. Because I frequent the forestry roads locally where fallen trees can often be an issue, in the van I always carry two saws. One is an average pruning saw for small work and the other is my camp saw - trailblazer - a break down buck saw that I've used for over 25 years to process wood for the campfire etc. I also keep a second one of these by the woodburner inside just to shorten those overly long pieces for the fire.

Daisy thinks the "tufts" of wild grass on the lawn kind of look like her punkinhead topknot ... and she can't understand why I am attacking them leaving massive divots. Not only digging them but turning them roots up to die on top of other grass that I want dead also. Grass wars.

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The pups like the green grass. They haven't had any for months and you're removing it. On the hummingbirds, I would just add another feeder somewhere where you think might be a good spot and not fill them up as much with nectar until they start drinking up a significant portion before replacing with fresh. I am pretty sure that squirrels are trouble for nesting hummingbirds as I know they eat the bird eggs. Have had the same concern with larger birds, especially the ones that are fairly territorial. Don't really have a strong opinion.
 
Spring has finally arrived! (maybe?)

This is no water, no fertilizer: just cut and dry. Shrubs and trees will fill in until all you see is forest.IMG_0333.jpg IMG_4299.JPG
 
I'm a pepper nut. Growing Bhut Jolokia, Red and Yellow Moruga Scorpion, Bishop's Cap, Garden Salsa variety, Pequin, Serrano, Jimmy Nardello, Black Cobra, Cayenne, Tomatoes, corn.
 
The pups like the green grass. They haven't had any for months and you're removing it. On the hummingbirds, I would just add another feeder somewhere where you think might be a good spot and not fill them up as much with nectar until they start drinking up a significant portion before replacing with fresh. I am pretty sure that squirrels are trouble for nesting hummingbirds as I know they eat the bird eggs. Have had the same concern with larger birds, especially the ones that are fairly territorial. Don't really have a strong opinion.

Oh yes, the muddy-footed grassrollers have my deepest sympathy :rolleyes:

Good suggestions. I will relocate one hummingbird feeder to the North side in the shade where they won't be intimidated by the bigger critters and only put out what food they can use up quickly in the summer heat.

Most of the plants went outside yesterday into the trailer. Frost overnight but I'm hoping that the 2 tarps laid over would have saved them.

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Beautiful ... and encouraging for properties of 'a lesser grass' :D That's one sweet shot of the bunny too.
Thanks. I wanted to make sure not to take the credit! Between the water draining down the hill and the underground water supply, this grass won't quit. We learned after one attempt at cutting that we had better buy 10 goats or hire a professional.

Over the years we've attempted (feebly) to grow tomatoes and other things in the backyard and eventually we decided we like the look of open green. The wooded hill behind goes up quite a ways, and when people come over they pause for a few minutes to enjoy the serenity and can't believe they are in the city! (Not quite like your actual forrest.:)). I bet your grass will catch up; it looks like you are a month or two behind in the temps.
 
...I bet your grass will catch up; it looks like you are a month or two behind in the temps.
You know, back when I was "chasing wildflowers" for photo reasons, I could just head north if I find a good area and enjoy spring all over again. It's kind of wonderful. My favorites have always been the early ones and in my area things are starting to feel like summer..... yeah, when Memorial Day hits, it's summer to me.
 
You know, back when I was "chasing wildflowers" for photo reasons, I could just head north if I find a good area and enjoy spring all over again. It's kind of wonderful. My favorites have always been the early ones and in my area things are starting to feel like summer..... yeah, when Memorial Day hits, it's summer to me.
I bet you have some amazing photos!
 
I bet you have some amazing photos!
I got some nice shots of Pink Lady Slippers two weeks ago in the Smoky Mts. Was thrilled to find them. I have thousands of slides of wildflowers and they all pretty much just went into "storage" never to be looked at again after the digital age hit. I resisted the auto focus thing at first with film cameras. Then resisted the digital formats. Got a cheap point & shoot digital camera for work stuff and started to see the light. The DSLR's came later. I use Sony stuff now rather than the Nikon stuff I used with film. Been really pleased overall with Sony cameras.

Added: I used to go to great lengths to take interesting pictures (art), and now I pretty much "just take pictures". It just isn't the same for me anymore. My interest has primarily focused on nature and the natural world rather than people or man-made scenics. My older brother has gotten "into" bird photography and THAT is a whole different ball game. Maybe I need to give that a try.
 
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That's one sweet shot of the bunny too.
Here's our other friend (I think he has a family). It took over a year to convince myself I wasn't imagining it. (I was the only one claiming to see something moving out there, and every time I thought I saw something moving, it disappeared!)
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Groundhogs can be destructive in a turf area. I would just prefer they stay in the fence rows and fields rather than my yard.
 
I got some nice shots of Pink Lady Slippers two weeks ago in the Smoky Mts. Was thrilled to find them. I have thousands of slides of wildflowers and they all pretty much just went into "storage" never to be looked at again after the digital age hit. I resisted the auto focus thing at first with film cameras. Then resisted the digital formats. Got a cheap point & shoot digital camera for work stuff and started to see the light. The DSLR's came later. I use Sony stuff now rather than the Nikon stuff I used with film. Been really pleased overall with Sony cameras.

Added: I used to go to great lengths to take interesting pictures (art), and now I pretty much "just take pictures". It just isn't the same for me anymore. My interest has primarily focused on nature and the natural world rather than people or man-made scenics. My older brother has gotten "into" bird photography and THAT is a whole different ball game. Maybe I need to give that a try.
Changing technology is a real issue. I just struggled with what to do with old recordings: reel-to-reel; LPs from the 40's; VHS; DAT; cassette...so I feel your pain. IMO, while digital has advantages, it's not the best quality compared to high-end older options. And like you, the question becomes, "will I ever look at (or listen to) that again if I haven't in the last 20-30 years?"

You seem to have a calling to photograph things--I do not. IMO, if it brings you pleasure, give it a try with the birds.

Maybe someday you can put together a collection of your favorite photos and have it self-published. I did this for a friend. I reviewed 10 years of his photos (international travel), and organized them by location and year. It is a wonderful remembrance and documentation of that decade. (Lucky for me, photos are time/date stamped, and I could look up some of the locations on the internet as I have never been to all of these countries!) Also, a book is something to be shared with friends and family.

Groundhogs can be destructive in a turf area. I would just prefer they stay in the fence rows and fields rather than my yard.

I would agree, although I don't think there is much I could do to control these guys, and I haven't noticed any problems. They mainly stay away from the house and run along the back fence or the back half of the yard.
 
I guess I'm about $2000-$3000 away from having a reasonable bird photography capability. Basically I need a new lens; probably something around 500mm (faster the better, and fast jacks the cost up to about $10K). Then I have to put in the time searching for birds that interest me. Stuff at the bird feeder is okay, but real pictures have to have a more natural look to them. My brother does a really good job. He sells his stuff and generates enough side income that he can write off all his equipment. He occasionally will ask me for deer or bear photos to use. I have a fairly big library of those. The Smoky Mt National Park is an amazing resource to have within normal driving distance for a day or two when I have the time. He doesn't make the drive because it is often a coin toss whether or not you have a good day from a wildlife photography point of view.
 
Check out the photos in W&C. The Random Pic thread. Lot's of very good bird pics.

Going on the road again, so the summer projects are all on hold. I like my job, but sometimes it's frustrating to make plans and then watch them get put off.
 
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