Kneeler with raised handles?
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (6)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Boulders for raised beds?
Comments (4)The trouble with sitting to garden is that you're 'side-on' to the work and cannot use your body fully. The problem with 12" high is that it doesn't come at a useful bendy bit of your body. Other than that - boulders do sink over time as you raise the soil level. They make lovely habitats for nibbling insects. Perennial weeds wiggle underneath and snigger as you try to root them out. If you were to think about a 'double wall' of rocks - even like a dry stone wall with a gap between for a soil infill, set so the inside space is about 3' across and set to catch the sun. About as high as where your legs join your body. That way you can lean against it while working. Table top gardening using something like glasshouse staging for growing the smaller versions of vegies. I've noticed that many of my senior gardener friends are growing more of the gourmet foods than the bulk 'feed the family' crops. Many of them don't need the sheer space required for crops such as potatoes. Cut and come again crops don't need vast space - just good soil, warmth and reliable water. Aside: if you think about installing a covered area and hard paths now you'll be willing to go out to garden for much longer, even when less agile than now. A glasshouse, or protected area, is wonderful for pottering and thinking and tinkering. Just be sure it's big enough to allow for a walking frame or seat. It probably won't need heating if you have it set to catch much of the winter sun. As soon as you're comfortable with the notion - look for ways to do your vegie gardening in 'unconventional' ways to get the crops you use the most. And, if you're planning to have fruit trees - think dwarf and espallier - and making them part of your landscaping layout as attractive, airy space dividers. Much easier to care for and harvest from....See MoreNeed Advice on Raised Beds & Preparation
Comments (4)I have the same clay crud you have. It takes about four or five years from starting to amend an untouched bed to getting workable soil, and it's always going to be a "heavy" soil, so you're not going to have a whole lot of success with things like blueberries, lilies, salvias or certain lavender species, all of which require sandy soil. If you absolutely must have these plants and don't want containers, you can always play gravedigger for a day and dig out everything to five or six feet deep and replace it all with topsoil, but that's not the most practical of solutions - and I do speak from experience! Here's what we did to deal with the clay: Year 1: Rototill beds and dig out any offending plant roots (you'd be surprised how much of this you'll have to do, especially if you have lots of trees or shrubs). Till in several bags of Clay Buster (a soil amendment you can get at most garden centers) and/or peat moss or pulverized pine bark (clay is also highly alkaline - ours tested out at pH 8.0 in places!) Add a 2" layer of composted manure on top of that and tamp down; mulch after planting. In fall, remove or till in dead plants and mulch. Add as many fallen leaves as you can rake up to beds. Year 2: Your bed should be double-diggable by this point, so you can avoid the Rototiller. Add several more bags of peat moss or pulverized pine bark (both are good soil looseners) and dig that in. Add more compost on top of that. Plant, mulch, add leaves and dig under in fall. Year 3: You'll probably want to pH test your soil before adding anything more acidic (unless you absolutely must have blue hydrangeas or other acid lovers). Otherwise, same procedure as the first and second years. Year 4: Don't do a lot of spring digging in this year unless you have to, as you're looking to build soil structure now. Just add a thick layer of compost to the top and tamp it down. Plant, mulch, dig under in fall. Year 5: Done! You'll want to add compost or your choice of organic matter yearly to maintain the beds, and of course, mulch is your friend! Hope this helps!...See MoreGarden Kneelers, Kneeling pad
Comments (6)I think my favorite knee pads are the ones that I bought in a specially-designed pair of gardening trousers--the knee pads fit into pockets at the knees of the pants (I think I got them through L.L. Bean on clearance). I get so grubby gardening that dirty pants knees are the least of my worries. The nice thing about in-trouser knee pads is that they don't slip, they don't bind, they don't have to be adjusted--they are just there and I can crawl all over the garden without worrying. Okay, so most of the time I crawl all over knee pads or no knee pads. And I wonder how I get dirty?...See MoreRaising the lintel over the garage door
Comments (8)Susan, First, of all raising the lintel will not bring down the house, maybe a couple rows of bricks and if supported correctly, that will not happen. Secondly, have you done this type of work? How do you know how much it costs? Please read the post again , I never said that this will be unpermitted work. Actually, I have a permit to close in the garage door. All I have to do is amend the to include the lintel. You might not, but I like to gain all the knowledge that I can on my projects. So I can asked the right questions. Not all not contractors are honest and pull permits. Thanks you for you time....See More
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
8 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
8 years agodowlinggram
8 years agohuckdog1
8 years ago
Related Stories
BARN HOMES12 Bar-Raising Barns
Homeowners make hay out of renovated, reclaimed and newly raised outbuildings
Full Story
KITCHEN CABINETSTop 6 Hardware Styles for Raised-Panel Kitchen Cabinets
Whether you're going for a furniture feel or industrial contrast in your kitchen, these pulls and knobs will put you on the right track
Full Story
MOVING5 Risks in Buying a Short-Sale Home — and How to Handle Them
Don’t let the lure of a great deal blind you to the hidden costs and issues in snagging a short-sale property
Full Story
LIFEHouzz Call: How Are You Handling the Record-Breaking Cold?
Share your tales, strategies and photos for everything polar vortex
Full Story
HOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: A New Dallas Build Handles Family Life Beautifully
An open family room, a smartly designed kitchen and walls of windows are built to suit a family of 5 in Texas
Full Story
GARDENING AND LANDSCAPINGRaise Backyard Chickens Without Ruffling Neighbors' Feathers
Before you build a coop in the backyard, follow these strategies to help keep your neighbors from squawking
Full Story
HOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: A 'Portlandia' Home Raises an Eyebrow
Cable TV came calling for this quirky home in Oregon, and it played its spaceship part to a T
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDES10 Solutions for Soggy Soil
If a too-wet garden is raining on your parade, try these water-loving plants and other ideas for handling all of that H2O
Full Story
MOST POPULARThe Not Naturally Organized Parent's Guide to the Holidays
This year get real about what you can and cannot handle, and remember the joys of spending time with the ones you love
Full Story
SMALL KITCHENSHouzz Call: Show Us Your 100-Square-Foot Kitchen
Upload photos of your small space and tell us how you’ve handled storage, function, layout and more
Full StorySponsored
Zanesville's Most Skilled & Knowledgeable Home Improvement Specialists
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)Original Author