Recent Activity
It has deep roots which bring up minerals but afaik merely growing it doesn't enrich the soil. It needs to be cut and either left on the surface as a mulch, turned into liquid fertiliser or composted. The type usually recommended for organic gardening is Bocking 14 which is sterile so you can't buy seeds.
In an orchard I can't see it performing any specific function by simply growing, apart from attracting pollinators and conserving the soil. You'd need to regularly harvest it for use as above for it to make any difference to the trees' nutrition.
Btw Comfrey liquid absolutely stinks. Don't brew it near the house!🤢
^^ Good to know, thanks for the info.
Hi, I have a similar problem. My wife fell a few weeks ago, I'm thinking to install a grab bar between the doors so we have something to hold on to as we step down.
Just an Idea,
Good Luck Woodbutcher
.
I think what has to be done is to put a layer of concrete in front of the aluminum door sill to make the sill even from the back to the front, so I can step my foot on it squarely and not have to twist it to the side like I have to do now. Then have the porch level raised up with a layer of concrete and then maybe a layer of nice pavers, like I did on my side porch. The steps would have to be adjusted in height so I wouldn't have a huge step up to the porch. It will cost money, but it seems the best way to have a safe door and safe step down.
Here's my side porch.
The porch was raised about 4 or 5" with first concrete and then a layer of 2" pavers and bricks. The sides still have to be painted. The gap between bricks around the back rail is already fixed.
Follow-up on 28 degrees: I didn't have time to deal with garden at all, due to having to deal with contractor door woes. Now I found out that the matching high-end storm door was shipped without the hydraulic closer, so it can whip around in the wind. Closer supposed to be arriving this week. The HOSTAS and other plants seemed to make it through the low temp night just fine. They are pipping like rockets. My only garden setback this past week was the guy I had weeding my garden (one of my prescriptions gives me painful vertigo when I bend over and then straighten up) was overly thorough and also pulled up and discarded my Polemonium reptans Jacob's Ladder (already replaced), my pulmonaria plant (if anyone has a sprig they'd like to send me, let me know!), a very pretty carnation, and a fourth plant I can't remember.
Ouch Esther, that sounds like eventful days. Despite setback door looks nice installed, am sure you are very relieved.
We are going into cold and snow again too.
It's cooler here, too. Thankfully, it's just in the 40's (It was 80 degrees here on Sunday.) Everything I have is fully leafed out.
Glad your hosta are doing OK.
bk
While it is true that the person who weeded my garden was not that knowledgeable about plants, he did a very thorough job of removing the actual weeds all around the garden and my rose garden. I did point out to him what was a desirable plant and not a weed, but I guess he got confused. He also did a very good job of transplanting my columbines from the raised bed they were completely taking over to some large pots. He is actually interested in plants and always welcomes my explaining stuff to him. Meanwhile, I found a very nice Polemonium reptans "Stairway to Heaven" at my local nursery for a reasonable price and a very healthy pulmonaria at my local Home Depot (they even reduced the price for me, as I'm a good customer) which might actually be a "Spot On". If it's not a Spot On, it's something very similar. Now I'll have to wait for that pretty amber carnation to pop up somewhere to replace what was lost.
I gave up on Pulmonaria long ago. Always a mildew-y mess. In fairness, I gave up something like 20 years ago, maybe the newer cultivars are resistant to mildew. Can anyone comment on that?
Hi! Welcome to the world of raised planters! You're right, there are definitely advantages beyond avoiding backaches. Here's a breakdown of both wood and plastic:
Wooden Planters:
Pros:
Teak is a great choice for a wooden planter due to its weather resistance. However, if minimizing maintenance and weight are priorities, a high-quality plastic planter might be a better fit.
No matter what you choose, drainage is crucial. Ensure your planter has drainage holes or add them yourself for both wood and plastic options.
Happy planting!
Easier access, especially to us retired folk, is a big advantage to raised beds. Mine are made of cedar, which has natural oils rendering it good for withstanding weather. No one has mentioned soil quality yet, so I will. My area's soil is like pure clay, with horrible drainage. Using my wooden raised beds allows me to fill them with much higher quality soil with much better drainage. My plants seem to be thriving beautifully in the raised beds, and that's including las summer's veggies. My raised beds have no bottom, so I tacked 1/4" hardware cloth to the bottoms before installing them, to prevent access by voles and other root nibbling pests.