George Shirley wrote:
....
Weeds are much hardier than grass. We are pestered with dandelions and
nut grass, takes patience and finger strength to get the !@#$% things
out of the ground. Wife enjoys it so I let her take the lead on weed
pulling. She lived further out in the country than I did before we
married. G

hahaha...

we have areas where we've never weeded. the rabbits seem
to selectively eat the weeds and leave most of the grass
alone. we just mow it once in a while with a mulching mower
so there is no raking involved.

there is a few areas that are crab grass invaded but those
are all patches that exist because Ma sprays herbicides and
it leaves bare soil that the crab grass will get going in
too easily. i try to keep them weeded if i can, but i can't
always keep up so it's just what it is. if i stay longer
term all the grass will be turned into gardens and the
mower will go away. i can trim some areas with the hedge
trimmer or a string trimmer (with a cutting blade) as needed.

alfalfa is a good crop for green manure (free N fertilizer).


songbird

On 4/19/2016 7:59 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote:
...
Weeds are much hardier than grass. We are pestered with dandelions and
nut grass, takes patience and finger strength to get the !@#$% things
out of the ground. Wife enjoys it so I let her take the lead on weed
pulling. She lived further out in the country than I did before we
married. G

hahaha...

we have areas where we've never weeded. the rabbits seem
to selectively eat the weeds and leave most of the grass
alone. we just mow it once in a while with a mulching mower
so there is no raking involved.
We haven't seen any rabbits yet. Wouldn't mind seeing one in the
evening, break out the air rifle with the suppressor and the scope, runs
at about 1250 fps and should take out a rabbit for dinner.

A flock of white Muscovy ducks landed on the retention pond this
afternoon. They're not native so they're free game. Unfortunately there
were people walking around the pond. Dang!

there is a few areas that are crab grass invaded but those
are all patches that exist because Ma sprays herbicides and
it leaves bare soil that the crab grass will get going in
too easily. i try to keep them weeded if i can, but i can't
always keep up so it's just what it is. if i stay longer
term all the grass will be turned into gardens and the
mower will go away. i can trim some areas with the hedge
trimmer or a string trimmer (with a cutting blade) as needed.

alfalfa is a good crop for green manure (free N fertilizer).


songbird

We got a truck load of spoiled alfalfa many years ago for free and
another truck load of spoiled plain grass hay. Big storm east of us and
caught some truckers without cover. Friend of mine who was dealing with
them had them come over to our old place with 10 acres and the unloaded
on us. Stacked the bales around the big garden up to about eight feet
tall and the tomatoes and peppers made fruit all winter. Gradually it
all rotted away, pulled out the strings and scattered over a place we
wanted to turn into a bean field. Had lots of beans and other veggies
for several years.

Haven't seen any hay truck but once since then. Don't think we had any
droughts for a long time either.

No rain today, maybe tomorrow. Gardens and other plants got so much
water this past week we're having to fertilize again.

George

On 04/19/2016 06:12 PM, George Shirley wrote:
On 4/19/2016 7:59 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote:
...
Weeds are much hardier than grass. We are pestered with dandelions and
nut grass, takes patience and finger strength to get the !@#$% things
out of the ground. Wife enjoys it so I let her take the lead on weed
pulling. She lived further out in the country than I did before we
married. G

hahaha...

we have areas where we've never weeded. the rabbits seem
to selectively eat the weeds and leave most of the grass
alone. we just mow it once in a while with a mulching mower
so there is no raking involved.
We haven't seen any rabbits yet. Wouldn't mind seeing one in the
evening, break out the air rifle with the suppressor and the scope, runs
at about 1250 fps and should take out a rabbit for dinner.

A flock of white Muscovy ducks landed on the retention pond this
afternoon. They're not native so they're free game. Unfortunately there
were people walking around the pond. Dang!

there is a few areas that are crab grass invaded but those
are all patches that exist because Ma sprays herbicides and
it leaves bare soil that the crab grass will get going in
too easily. i try to keep them weeded if i can, but i can't
always keep up so it's just what it is. if i stay longer
term all the grass will be turned into gardens and the
mower will go away. i can trim some areas with the hedge
trimmer or a string trimmer (with a cutting blade) as needed.

alfalfa is a good crop for green manure (free N fertilizer).


songbird

We got a truck load of spoiled alfalfa many years ago for free and
another truck load of spoiled plain grass hay. Big storm east of us and
caught some truckers without cover. Friend of mine who was dealing with
them had them come over to our old place with 10 acres and the unloaded
on us. Stacked the bales around the big garden up to about eight feet
tall and the tomatoes and peppers made fruit all winter. Gradually it
all rotted away, pulled out the strings and scattered over a place we
wanted to turn into a bean field. Had lots of beans and other veggies
for several years.

Haven't seen any hay truck but once since then. Don't think we had any
droughts for a long time either.

No rain today, maybe tomorrow. Gardens and other plants got so much
water this past week we're having to fertilize again.

George

Texas rains can be something to behold!

I can grow carp. Well except weeds. Maybe I can coax my purslane
to choke out the weeds. It hasn't come up yet this year.

On 4/20/2016 7:17 PM, T wrote:
On 04/19/2016 06:12 PM, George Shirley wrote:
On 4/19/2016 7:59 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote:
...
Weeds are much hardier than grass. We are pestered with dandelions and
nut grass, takes patience and finger strength to get the !@#$% things
out of the ground. Wife enjoys it so I let her take the lead on weed
pulling. She lived further out in the country than I did before we
married. G

hahaha...

we have areas where we've never weeded. the rabbits seem
to selectively eat the weeds and leave most of the grass
alone. we just mow it once in a while with a mulching mower
so there is no raking involved.
We haven't seen any rabbits yet. Wouldn't mind seeing one in the
evening, break out the air rifle with the suppressor and the scope, runs
at about 1250 fps and should take out a rabbit for dinner.

A flock of white Muscovy ducks landed on the retention pond this
afternoon. They're not native so they're free game. Unfortunately there
were people walking around the pond. Dang!

there is a few areas that are crab grass invaded but those
are all patches that exist because Ma sprays herbicides and
it leaves bare soil that the crab grass will get going in
too easily. i try to keep them weeded if i can, but i can't
always keep up so it's just what it is. if i stay longer
term all the grass will be turned into gardens and the
mower will go away. i can trim some areas with the hedge
trimmer or a string trimmer (with a cutting blade) as needed.

alfalfa is a good crop for green manure (free N fertilizer).


songbird

We got a truck load of spoiled alfalfa many years ago for free and
another truck load of spoiled plain grass hay. Big storm east of us and
caught some truckers without cover. Friend of mine who was dealing with
them had them come over to our old place with 10 acres and the unloaded
on us. Stacked the bales around the big garden up to about eight feet
tall and the tomatoes and peppers made fruit all winter. Gradually it
all rotted away, pulled out the strings and scattered over a place we
wanted to turn into a bean field. Had lots of beans and other veggies
for several years.

Haven't seen any hay truck but once since then. Don't think we had any
droughts for a long time either.

No rain today, maybe tomorrow. Gardens and other plants got so much
water this past week we're having to fertilize again.

George

Texas rains can be something to behold!

I can grow carp. Well except weeds. Maybe I can coax my purslane
to choke out the weeds. It hasn't come up yet this year.
To be a decent gardener you have to understand your climate, the rain
patterns, what the soil is made of, and, even then, you can lose. Think
of it as something fun to do and you won't go completely bonkers.

George Shirley wrote:
....
To be a decent gardener you have to understand your climate, the rain
patterns, what the soil is made of, and, even then, you can lose. Think
of it as something fun to do and you won't go completely bonkers.

i agree, some crops you may not succeed with some years,
but it helps to pay attention and read what you can on
soils/plants/biology/botany/etc.

what i've noticed here is that planting diversity helps
keep me more interested too. that even if some patches
don't make it some others might.

i really don't mind weeds and untidyness in the gardens.
i'd much rather have something growing in a spot than having
bare dirt. to me weeds are free energy collectors and free
worm food. when i do need a space i dig a hole and bury the
weeds and then plant over them. by the time the seedlings
get their roots down very far the worst of the fermentation
has happened and the worms are in there doing their thing.

only a few select weeds survive this kind of treatment and
their roots need to be dried out before they get buried (sow
thistle, thistles in general, dandelions, queen anne's lace,
chickory, potatoes).


songbird

T wrote:
....
I can grow carp. Well except weeds. Maybe I can coax my purslane
to choke out the weeds. It hasn't come up yet this year.

put a few carp in your zuke mounds! at the bottom. best
fertilizer ever.

purslane grows well here too. starts too late to be a
good ground cover (grows here as an annual). mixed with
other things it's ok. see if you can get some alfalfa
going.


songbird

On 04/21/2016 10:38 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
I can grow carp. Well except weeds. Maybe I can coax my purslane
to choke out the weeds. It hasn't come up yet this year.

put a few carp in your zuke mounds! at the bottom. best
fertilizer ever.

A few of the local fishing pons have goldfish (ugly carp) in
them from individuals that forgot to flush them. They mess up
the pond pretty bad. Haven't figured out how to catch
them yet.



purslane grows well here too. starts too late to be a
good ground cover (grows here as an annual). mixed with
other things it's ok. see if you can get some alfalfa
going.


songbird


I just found my purslane sprouts coming up yesterday!

There is a huge debate around these parts that zukes do
better without mounds. So far the flat earth crown is
winning with a higher yield. What are your thoughts?

Also, in my garage, I was going to pot my tomatillos
and zukes next week. We will have freezing nights
still till June. So I put my little pots over by
my garage windows and take them out side during the
warmth of the day (~65-75F), then take them back in a
night. Your thoughts?

Thank you for helping me with this!

On 4/22/2016 7:07 PM, T wrote:
On 04/21/2016 10:38 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
I can grow carp. Well except weeds. Maybe I can coax my purslane
to choke out the weeds. It hasn't come up yet this year.

put a few carp in your zuke mounds! at the bottom. best
fertilizer ever.

A few of the local fishing pons have goldfish (ugly carp) in
them from individuals that forgot to flush them. They mess up
the pond pretty bad. Haven't figured out how to catch
them yet.



purslane grows well here too. starts too late to be a
good ground cover (grows here as an annual). mixed with
other things it's ok. see if you can get some alfalfa
going.


songbird


I just found my purslane sprouts coming up yesterday!

There is a huge debate around these parts that zukes do
better without mounds. So far the flat earth crown is
winning with a higher yield. What are your thoughts?
We've never planted any zukes, etc. on a mound and they always produced,
some years heavy, some not.

Also, in my garage, I was going to pot my tomatillos
and zukes next week. We will have freezing nights
still till June. So I put my little pots over by
my garage windows and take them out side during the
warmth of the day (~65-75F), then take them back in a
night. Your thoughts?

Thank you for helping me with this!

We live where it's hot most of the year so have never had to do that.
Sounds like it would work though. If taking the plants out for a walk
kills them don't do it anymore. G
I am really glad we live where we do, even if we do get Biblical floods
occasionally. I DO NOT like cold weather. Had a company in Alaska ask me
to come visit and get a job with them. I was there in the winter of 1958
so just said no thank you for that one.

On 04/22/2016 06:24 PM, George Shirley wrote:
I am really glad we live where we do, even if we do get Biblical floods
occasionally. I DO NOT like cold weather.

Hi George,

I can't help that I like the snow. Means trout fishing. It
is pretty too.

I was stationed in Texas for about a year. You forgot
to mention the Biblical sized cock roaches (Water bugs)
and the chiggers (don't walk on the grass!).

I remember being on guard duty in the dead quiet of the
night and one of those Texas sized cock roaches flying
at me. Sounded like a helicopter! (Roaches do to fly!)
Good thing they didn't give me a gun. :-)

I also remember the folks in Texas. Holy crap there are a
lot of nice folks living in Texas. Great steak houses too.
One or two ass holes, but they may have been military.

Tip: ask a Texan to pronounce Bexar, as in Bexar County,
and can tell the military apart from the natives.
My marriage license is from Bexar County. (For
those who don't know what I am talking about, it is
pronounced "Bear", as in "Smokey the Bear".)

Texans also talk r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w.

-T

Oh, and don't ever, never never never ever stomp a Texas
cockroach with your boot. You will wake up in the morning
with about 200 of the cannibalistic *******s all our your
shoe! :'(

T wrote:
....
There is a huge debate around these parts that zukes do
better without mounds. So far the flat earth crown is
winning with a higher yield. What are your thoughts?

i don't grow them. if you have a hot
climate and no wind break then they will likely
do better down lower. if your soil is rock
hard and has no water holding capacity and i
don't know how deep your soil is that you're
planting into... well, it's not something i
can say much for sure.

if it is all sand, add some clay and organic
materials. you don't need much clay for it to
help.


Also, in my garage, I was going to pot my tomatillos
and zukes next week. We will have freezing nights
still till June. So I put my little pots over by
my garage windows and take them out side during the
warmth of the day (~65-75F), then take them back in a
night. Your thoughts?

we usually get our plants in the middle of May and
plant shortly after that. so sounds ok as long as you
remember to bring them in if there is danger of cold
overnight.


songbird

On 04/25/2016 09:28 PM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
There is a huge debate around these parts that zukes do
better without mounds. So far the flat earth crown is
winning with a higher yield. What are your thoughts?

i don't grow them. if you have a hot
climate and no wind break then they will likely
do better down lower. if your soil is rock
hard and has no water holding capacity and i
don't know how deep your soil is that you're
planting into... well, it's not something i
can say much for sure.

if it is all sand, add some clay and organic
materials. you don't need much clay for it to
help.


Also, in my garage, I was going to pot my tomatillos
and zukes next week. We will have freezing nights
still till June. So I put my little pots over by
my garage windows and take them out side during the
warmth of the day (~65-75F), then take them back in a
night. Your thoughts?

we usually get our plants in the middle of May and
plant shortly after that. so sounds ok as long as you
remember to bring them in if there is danger of cold
overnight.


songbird


Thank you.

You do realize the poor dears have made slaves out of us!

On 4/25/2016 11:28 PM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
There is a huge debate around these parts that zukes do
better without mounds. So far the flat earth crown is
winning with a higher yield. What are your thoughts?

i don't grow them. if you have a hot
climate and no wind break then they will likely
do better down lower. if your soil is rock
hard and has no water holding capacity and i
don't know how deep your soil is that you're
planting into... well, it's not something i
can say much for sure.

if it is all sand, add some clay and organic
materials. you don't need much clay for it to
help.


Also, in my garage, I was going to pot my tomatillos
and zukes next week. We will have freezing nights
still till June. So I put my little pots over by
my garage windows and take them out side during the
warmth of the day (~65-75F), then take them back in a
night. Your thoughts?

we usually get our plants in the middle of May and
plant shortly after that. so sounds ok as long as you
remember to bring them in if there is danger of cold
overnight.


songbird

Ours was planted in mid-march, green tomatoes on the bushes about the
size of a baby's fist, sweet chillies about six inches long, baby cukes
on the vines, figs are the size of the end of my little finger and the
pears are about three quarters of an inch in diameter. Move south. G

George