Garden Thread

[pro1driver]

i too had a slope in my front garden area. but i built a wall using pressure treated 4" x 4"s and then i drove rebar into the ground and secured that to the timber using U-clamps, then i lined the inside of that timber with a sheet of rubber. but my wall is much shorter in height than yours....this work was done about (a little less than)10 years ago.....and the front yard is way different now than in these pics....

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[Deleted member 5115]

Okay, that figures. It didn't really need it. but I figured it would be something nice to set it off and match the deck color since I have a couple gallons of that color sitting around.

I started four blue berry plants a while back and they really started producing in the third year making me wish I had planted more. Better late than never and I have all the time it takes.

The bare, skinny tree up the hill is one of two pear trees I planted this past spring. Again, should have done it years ago. I have two peach trees out front that produce nicely. I end up giving away half of them to neighbors but it's still worthwhile to me.

A nice little home orchard is hard to beat. Fresh pears and peaches from a tree are awesome. I have odd soil conditions and the apple trees that came with my house fell over, as if the deer eating them wasn't enough.

 

[RickyRicardo]

A nice little home orchard is hard to beat. Fresh pears and peaches from a tree are awesome. I have odd soil conditions and the apple trees that came with my house fell over, as if the deer eating them wasn't enough.

I know all about deer. Not as bad since they plowed down about 30 acres of woods nearby that the owner sold to a developer who filled it up with condos. I'd rather have the deer and rabbits. I live on the outer edge of a neighborhood that was on the outer edge of civilization 30 years ago but everything grew in this direction.

 

[RickyRicardo]

i too had a slope in my front garden area. but i built a wall using pressure treated 4" x 4"s and then i drove rebar into the ground and secured that to the timber using U-clamps, then i lined the inside of that timber with a sheet of rubber. but my wall is much shorter in height than yours....this work was done about (a little less than)10 years ago.....and the front yard is way different now than in these pics....

That as some good work, Pro 1. I like it.

 

[Road Dust]

i too had a slope in my front garden area. but i built a wall using pressure treated 4" x 4"s and then i drove rebar into the ground and secured that to the timber using U-clamps, then i lined the inside of that timber with a sheet of rubber. but my wall is much shorter in height than yours....this work was done about (a little less than)10 years ago.....and the front yard is way different now than in these pics....

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It looks nice, but I wouldn't want to grow edible foods near pressure treated wood, even if only a slight risk. I try to be as organic as possible, even though I know it's not always possible.
It's an often debatable topic
Does Pressure-Treated Wood Belong in Your Garden? - Fine Gardening Article

 

[pro1driver]

i never even heard of the pressure treated wood as a danger, in the garden. but, like i did mention earlier, i have a rubber liner which goes from one end to the other, and from there, if there is any seepage, it goes under the wood, and onto the sidewalk. so frankly, i am not sure if the water builds up in the area or drains out, as i can only surmise it drains.

but, other than an extra toe and facial lesions, and the occasional cough, i think that..........

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but, these from the article you linked to:

"But as USDA heavy metals expert Rufus Chaney points out, what constitutes an acute toxic dose isn’t really relevant to gardeners."

and this

"Before you get alarmed, remember this is inorganic arsenic we’re talking about, not the organic types predominant in our diet."

 

[Road Dust]

i never even heard of the pressure treated wood as a danger, in the garden. but, like i did mention earlier, i have a rubber liner which goes from one end to the other, and from there, if there is any seepage, it goes under the wood, and onto the sidewalk. so frankly, i am not sure if the water builds up in the area or drains out, as i can only surmise it drains.

but, other than an extra toe and facial lesions, and the occasional cough, i think that..........

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but, these from the article you linked to:



and this

Yeah, its often been a heated debate for years, on whether or not there is a danger to having it near gardens. Also, rubber tires that some grow potatoes and other veggies in are continually in the hot seat.

 

[RickyRicardo]

That is PT wood I have as a barrier down at one end, but it is a very old plank that has been laying up for years. Notice the green color has faded out, so I'm hoping the chemical concentration has weakened to the point there is little or no danger it's emanating anything to harm good bugs and worms.

 

[pro1driver]

Yeah, its often been a heated debate for years, on whether or not there is a danger to having it near gardens. Also, rubber tires that some grow potatoes and other veggies in are continually in the hot seat.

well, tires i can see as well because they are made from oil, and over time, in the hot sun, the rubber breaks down, and the oils seep into the ground....http://www.goodyear.com/cfmx/web/corporate/media/news/story.cfm?a_id=792

we had a huge area here, that a guy let people dump tires, and it was very close to the drinking water supply for the state...

At Heart of Dispute, Tires by the Acre - NYTimes.com

but that was a massive amount of tires, that would cause problems, one or two planters, i cannot see all that much trouble.

it took several years and the EPA Super Fund to clean up all these tires...

 

[Road Dust]

well, tires i can see as well because they are made from oil, and over time, in the hot sun, the rubber breaks down, and the oils seep into the ground....Goodyear Corporate | Newsroom | News Releases | Goodyear Discovers Soybean Oil Can Reduce Use of Petroleum in Tires

we had a huge area here, that a guy let people dump tires, and it was very close to the drinking water supply for the state...

At Heart of Dispute, Tires by the Acre - NYTimes.com

but that was a massive amount of tires, that would cause problems, one or two planters, i cannot see all that much trouble.

it took several years and the EPA Super Fund to clean up all these tires...

Like with the pressure treated wood though, there are studies that claim there is no danger from the tires. All you can do is research it and decide for yourself, one way or the other. Probably not anything or anywhere here on earth that isn't contaminated in one way or another, lol.

 

[pro1driver]

Probably not anything or anywhere here on earth that isn't contaminated in one way or another, lol.

ain't that the truth.

my "backyard" former neighbor, used to "junk cars" for a living. he'd take the engines and transmissions into his backyard and dismantle them.

long before he had done this, i actually thought of buying the house, to extend my property, then grow a garden in that area, as it gets sun all day long. but a shortage of money derailed my plans.

now, if i "were" to buy that house..??

i'd bulldoze the house, and pave it all over for parking.....i'd not want to try and grow veggies in a known pit....(as i'd still want to extend my property and make my re-sale even higher, as off street parking is at a premium in my area.)

 

[Road Dust]

ain't that the truth.

my "backyard" former neighbor, used to "junk cars" for a living. he'd take the engines and transmissions into his backyard and dismantle them.

long before he had done this, i actually thought of buying the house, to extend my property, then grow a garden in that area, as it gets sun all day long. but a shortage of money derailed my plans.

now, if i "were" to buy that house..??

i'd bulldoze the house, and pave it all over for parking.....i'd not want to try and grow veggies in a known pit....(as i'd still want to extend my property and make my re-sale even higher, as off street parking is at a premium in my area.)

I wouldn't pave it over. There are ways to make it good again. I have read about folks working with once toxic land, and the earth has a way of curing itself over time, if allowed. Not sure what they did but maybe you could search and find the info. If nothing else, I would clear it off and plant grass and pretty shade trees.

 

[pro1driver]

I wouldn't pave it over. There are ways to make it good again. I have read about folks working with once toxic land, and the earth has a way of curing itself over time, if allowed. Not sure what they did but maybe you could search and find the info. If nothing else, I would clear it off and plant grass and pretty shade trees.

that is a viable thought, to plant trees.

but as of right now, i am not able to even make an offer on the property, so when that can happen, is when i will re-consider the alternatives.

thanks

 

[autocar65]

I have to admit that when I was still living in Oklahoma, we did a lot of gardening. Where I am living at the moment near Rhome Texas, we have about 2 inches of top soil and after that it is all rock and shale. So any gardening I do will have to be done in boxes with top soil.

I just don't have enough time or energy to do that so this is what I am going to do and will encourage others to do. 1. Try a community garden and if you still don't have time for that 2. Support a local family farm. I don't think you can beat growing it yourself but as I get older I am more inclined to be community minded. Gardening is hard work! I made a living once tilling gardens in Roosevelt Oklahoma.

 

[Road Dust]

I have to admit that when I was still living in Oklahoma, we did a lot of gardening. Where I am living at the moment near Rhome Texas, we have about 2 inches of top soil and after that it is all rock and shale. So any gardening I do will have to be done in boxes with top soil.

I just don't have enough time or energy to do that so this is what I am going to do and will encourage others to do. 1. Try a community garden and if you still don't have time for that 2. Support a local family farm. I don't think you can beat growing it yourself but as I get older I am more inclined to be community minded. Gardening is hard work! I made a living once tilling gardens in Roosevelt Oklahoma.

It is very hard work, especially in the hot sun about mid summer! Community gardening is an excellent idea, as is supporting your local community. I sometimes stop in at a local veggie stand and pick up a few things that I, either did not grow, or was not successful growing.

 

[Road Dust]

My cousin who lives in Ohio sent me some wild plum seeds, butternut seeds, hollyhocks, and some lavender colored 4 O'clocks and red and white daisys. I need to plan for where to plant them. I will be looking forward to growing the plums to make some plum jelly.

 

[pro1driver]

i have been getting seed catalogs.

last year, i bought a small package of these little red peppers, "sweety" i believe was the name. they were good, grew prolific, but i will not be growing them again this year.

in fact, it was a rare occasion for me to even buy the seeds, as i prefer to just go to the green house and buy the plants already started.

what is annoying, is that when you buy something from one seed catalog, they sell your name to all the others, then you get a barrage of catalogs.

my garden this next season, will not have as many tomato plants as last year, all i will really concentrate on will be eggplants, italian green peppers, sweet corn, basil, parsley, and scallions. i may, put in up to 2 tomamto plants, one would be the cherry or grape variety, the other may be early girl or jetstar..

 

[Deleted member 5115]

I usually by my seeds from Burpee Seed. They have my E-Mail address and notify me in Feb. about free postage for all orders for one or two days. Soon I will take inventory on what's left from last year and what I want from them. While I would prefer to just buy plants (they are like $.50 or $.75 each here) I got burnt with the wrong kind of plant too many times. I am working on a hot sauce recipe so I'll do more in peppers this year and I'll probably have about a dozen tomato plants of different varieties. Have to plant extra to allow for deaths and animal intrusions. For sweet corn I get 'Yellow Bodacious' from my local feed store. It's a very sweet yellow corn, I prefer yellow corn. Last year I got burnt on my string bean seeds. Bought bush bean seeds and got some kind of pole beans that had horrible strings on the beans making them sickening to eat with that string that had to be pulled out of the mouth. Makes me wonder what they're doing.

 

[pro1driver]

I need some help here, if anyone can..??

I have a 15 x 15 garden.. or 17 x 17 if i go beyond the Arborvitae tree's...

i will be buying a soil tester, brand, model, cost is of not a concern

i will be testing the pH level in the soil

all i get is how much lime or fertilizer for a 1,000 square foot garden, but at 15 x 15, all i have is about....225 sq. feet...(give or take an exact measurement.)

so even if at 250/300 sq feet, how much lime would i need to use..???

thanks in advance to all that help/respond..

 

[Road Dust]

I need some help here, if anyone can..??

I have a 15 x 15 garden.. or 17 x 17 if i go beyond the Arborvitae tree's...

i will be buying a soil tester, brand, model, cost is of not a concern

i will be testing the pH level in the soil

all i get is how much lime or fertilizer for a 1,000 square foot garden, but at 15 x 15, all i have is about....225 sq. feet...(give or take an exact measurement.)

so even if at 250/300 sq feet, how much lime would i need to use..???

thanks in advance to all that help/respond..

I'm not good at math, and anything involving numbers shuts down my brain, but this sounds like a ratio math problem if I am correctly understanding what you are asking. How much does it say use for 1,000 sq ft?