TO LINK BACK TO THE MAY 5 - MAY 12 2023 WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD CLICK ON THE PRAYING MANTIS SEARCHING FOR HER MATE ! ( ITS SNACK TIME! WHERE CAN HE BE!)
Posted on 05/13/2023 6:07:30 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Great job! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
The bed equals 48 square feet for those doing Square Foot Gardening. This bed would have really pleased Mel Bartholomew.
TO LINK BACK TO THE MAY 5 - MAY 12 2023 WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD CLICK ON THE PRAYING MANTIS SEARCHING FOR HER MATE ! ( ITS SNACK TIME! WHERE CAN HE BE!)
https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/beneficial-nematodes
That looks great. I was going to rebuild my composite raised beds with something more sturdy. I was going to go with concrete boards like they use for tile (3’ x 5’) and reinforce them but this looks cheaper and just as durable. Have you thought about going 2 or 3 panels high? That’s probably what i would be looking at.
Saw containers of live ladybugs at Lowe’s the other day. Once, years ago, we bought some and turned them loose in our garden. Within five minutes they had all departed for parts unknown, and we didn’t see a one in the garden after that.
Initially I thought the one foot height was too short but after filling them, I realized higher sides would need more bags of soil/humus/manure so the higher sides would cost more and cost more to fill.
I did get humus/manure 2 cu ft bags at Walmart for $1.88 earlier this year and was able to fill this bed, but that price no longer available...
I have been composting a huge hill of fallen leaves and grass clippings from last year. I’ll try to fill the two new beds with that. I’ll put tomatoes, cukes and sweet potatoes in them this week.
I have a huge compost pile of leaves and vegetation. Also a person can line the bottom with logs/limbs of trees in the fall for filler. I saw this on a YT channel and when he moved the beds the next year all of the logs were dissolved in one years time. I wouldn’t have believed it but he showed it on camera. Also I can buy compost by the trailer load at bulk rate.
There’s also a site called *Nature’s Good Guys* which is cheaper than Arbico.
https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/
I bought 4 galvanized beds on sale from Northern Tool a couple of years ago, each 3’ x 6’. They had larger ones, but when I calculated sale price per square foot, the smaller ones were the better deal. I have used them for herbs & flowers, but this year, 3 of the 4 are in onions, peppers & radishes & the 4th is still in herbs.
The corners on mine look like yours. They are deeper than my wooden beds which I like. I think I paid $39.99/ea., regular $69.99/ea. Yours is a REAL deal!! Wish I had a spot for one that big, I would get it in a flash 😀
A cactus that big would make it easy to implant a tracking device, if police were serious about it.
Depends on where you live. In Michigan we plant garlic in October and November. We plant cloves deep at least 6 inches and they slowly grow through the winter. They won’t do well in a pot. Just deep well drained soil, they grow a lot of roots. Our are about 14 inches tall. We harvest in October so in a year we get nice big heads. Hope some of this helps.
Yes full sun and about 4” apart at least.
I know everyone says that garlic and potatoes from the grocery store won’t grow well, but that has never been my experience. Whatever sprouting inhibitor is supposedly used must wear out fast.
I plant garlic cloves point-up, with the top just a little below the surface of the soil. For big bulbs, make sure the soil is loose and soft, and keep them at least 4 inches apart (I recommend 8 inches, but 4 is the minimum). If you don’t care how big or small the bulbs are, you can plant them closer. I grow for scapes, so sometimes I don’t even separate the cloves when planting.
For container growing, I’d look for a pot that’s at least a foot deep, with good drainage.
They definitely like full sun. After they get a few inches tall, I suggest a good layer of mulch to control weeds.
Harvest is usually late summer to early fall. You’ll know it’s time when the plants turn yellow and dry up. Pull or dig the whole plant if possible, so you can use the above-ground parts for hanging the bulbs with.
Garlic is generally planted in the fall, so save your best ones and replant before the weather turns cold.
Where I live it is plumerias - because they grow so slowly and the larger ones are very expensive.
I have several that are small tree sized that were grown 3” cuttings that a friend gathered from a street after several were cut back by city workers (they are now 25 years old). I’ve seen plumerias the size of the ones I have going for $1500. All but one are behind a fence.
Last year, our NextDoor app was full of plumeria thefts - plenty of them. Dug up within minutes and hauled off.
I met a nice elderly couple at the fair last year who told me they had a beautiful large plumeria that was behind a chain link fence - someone came during the night cut it through the fence and then pulled the pieces through the chain links to get it out. It was entirely gone in the morning. They were heartbroken. I had a small one stolen from my school years ago, but none since.
I have a large, beautiful golden barrel cactus that I inherited from someone who retired and left it at our school. It was near dead when I brought it home - it literally came back from the dead and is now healthy and thriving. I was shocked to see one that size go for around $600 at Home Depot. It’s in the back in a pot.
In my area it is plumerias - I heard about a $1200 small, valuable palm tree that was stolen - planted that day, gone overnight.
My sister-in-law said they steal fountains out of front yards in her area.
I love Zinnias! Haven’t grown them much - my sister-in-law sent me a packet of seeds for my birthday that came from the .99 cent store - scattered them about - I got the most beautiful zinnias I had ever seen from those seeds.
Time to re-plant. They seem able to take our heat.
And as a Added Bonus, I am making Rhubarb Sauce to go over Vanilla Ice Cream as a Seasonal-only TREAT tonight! :)
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