"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

"FragileWarrior" wrote in message
...
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

"FragileWarrior" wrote in
message ...
I have a large area between our front walkway and the stockade fence
that
I'm tired of mowing. Since it is almost entirely in shade, I think
I'd like to turn it into a mint garden this year. I don't care
about spreading
because if the mint goes under the fence and into the yard it just
makes the dogs smell nice. I also have no objection to just mowing
it like lawn if it crops up where I don't want it.

What's the best way to make sure that I get garden there and not
mint sprinkled with regrown grass? I was going to rent a tiller
and turn up the
sod but then what? Do I remove the sod chunks or do I just chop
it, turn it under and hope it becomes green manure and not more
grass? Is it better
to remove all the sod and then replace the missing dirt with top
soil? If some grass sprouts up down the line, will the mature mint
plants smother it
out?

All opinions and experiences welcome.

Thx.


You're tired of mowing, so you want to plant mint. That's a great
plan, if your idea of fun is crushing your fingers in car doors
while having your hair set on fire and your leg attacked by a rabid
Doberman. Mint is invasive, so you'll be doing lots of work keeping
it out of where you don't want it.

I want it everywhere. I think we've had this conversation before.

Mowing will not be enough.

Don't care.

And,
there will probably be leftover grass popping up for a long time.
You'll need to deal with that on your hands & knees. Big fun.

I have a plan. When I trim the tops of the mint, I'll get the high
grass, too.


OK - then your motive is NOT that you're tired of mowing. You'll still
be mowing. Let me remind you that you are under oath. :-)

Actually, I *love* mowing. I hated mowing that section of lawn because I
had to LIFT the mower over there and then someone put a stinky little
circlular garden in that patch of grass the mower couldn't get around so
I had to come back with the trimmer to finish, etc. etc. For muss and
fuss, it took up 30% of the mowing time for 10% of the total lawn.


As far as making dogs smell good with mint, eliminate that thought
from your mind.

Why? It does. My Wolfhounds and Afghan Hounds always smelled
wonderful when they came in from the yard.

You never said it. The idea is gone right now.

Nope, still there.

Well, dogs will always stink.


Ah. You don't like dogs OR mint. Got it.


You'll only be masking it with mint, in
the same way cleaning products often have smells added to distract the
nose from the chemical smells.


You know dogs that smell like chemicals? Oh dear.


Oh, yeah, and I like all the insect life it attracts, too.

I agree. Better than attracting dogs.


You can never have enough dogs OR horses. - Or money, if you have
those.

len garden wrote in
:

g'day fragile warrior,

maybe you could sheet mulch/raised garden/lasagne the area to get
control over any grass that is there then plant the mint and in time
either mow it or use a whipper snipper to trim it.

we have ideas on raised gardens on our site that may give you some
ideas?

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:47:38 +0000 (UTC), FragileWarrior
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/


Thanks, len! Interesting site!

"FragileWarrior" wrote in message
.. .
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

"FragileWarrior" wrote in message
...
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

"FragileWarrior" wrote in
message ...
I have a large area between our front walkway and the stockade fence
that
I'm tired of mowing. Since it is almost entirely in shade, I think
I'd like to turn it into a mint garden this year. I don't care
about spreading
because if the mint goes under the fence and into the yard it just
makes the dogs smell nice. I also have no objection to just mowing
it like lawn if it crops up where I don't want it.

What's the best way to make sure that I get garden there and not
mint sprinkled with regrown grass? I was going to rent a tiller
and turn up the
sod but then what? Do I remove the sod chunks or do I just chop
it, turn it under and hope it becomes green manure and not more
grass? Is it better
to remove all the sod and then replace the missing dirt with top
soil? If some grass sprouts up down the line, will the mature mint
plants smother it
out?

All opinions and experiences welcome.

Thx.


You're tired of mowing, so you want to plant mint. That's a great
plan, if your idea of fun is crushing your fingers in car doors
while having your hair set on fire and your leg attacked by a rabid
Doberman. Mint is invasive, so you'll be doing lots of work keeping
it out of where you don't want it.

I want it everywhere. I think we've had this conversation before.

Mowing will not be enough.

Don't care.

And,
there will probably be leftover grass popping up for a long time.
You'll need to deal with that on your hands & knees. Big fun.

I have a plan. When I trim the tops of the mint, I'll get the high
grass, too.


OK - then your motive is NOT that you're tired of mowing. You'll still
be mowing. Let me remind you that you are under oath. :-)

Actually, I *love* mowing. I hated mowing that section of lawn because I
had to LIFT the mower over there and then someone put a stinky little
circlular garden in that patch of grass the mower couldn't get around so
I had to come back with the trimmer to finish, etc. etc. For muss and
fuss, it took up 30% of the mowing time for 10% of the total lawn.


As far as making dogs smell good with mint, eliminate that thought
from your mind.

Why? It does. My Wolfhounds and Afghan Hounds always smelled
wonderful when they came in from the yard.

You never said it. The idea is gone right now.

Nope, still there.

Well, dogs will always stink.


Ah. You don't like dogs OR mint. Got it.

I like mint, but I'm realistic about it. I know people who rue the day they
planted it, because now, it's everywhere in their yard and there's nothing
they can do to stop it. At the local farmer's market, I once asked an herb
grower about containing it. She said she had two concrete cisterns installed
in part of her property, just for mint and horseradish.

Dogs are another story. They train their humans to do antisocial or illegal
things.


You'll only be masking it with mint, in
the same way cleaning products often have smells added to distract the
nose from the chemical smells.


You know dogs that smell like chemicals? Oh dear.

You know what I meant. Dogs smell like dogs.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

Dogs are another story. They train their humans to do antisocial or
illegal things.

eYOW! Whatta bizarre statement.

My dogs are trained as Therapy Dogs and visit hospitals, nursing homes and
handicapped children. (And one of my horses is going to do the same soon.)
As for me, I've never even gotten so much as a speeding ticket. All in
all, my dogs and myself are pretty social and always law abiding, I think.

"FragileWarrior" wrote in message
...
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

Dogs are another story. They train their humans to do antisocial or
illegal things.

eYOW! Whatta bizarre statement.

My dogs are trained as Therapy Dogs and visit hospitals, nursing homes and
handicapped children. (And one of my horses is going to do the same
soon.)
As for me, I've never even gotten so much as a speeding ticket. All in
all, my dogs and myself are pretty social and always law abiding, I think.



Admittedly, my negative experiences are with people who walk dogs in my
neighborhood. Even the so-called "good dog owners" who clean up after their
dogs are idiots. Why do I say that? Look at the brief conversation below and
tell me what's wrong with it. Scenario: Dog, on leash, taking a leak at the
perimeter of a flower bed that is two feet from the street.

Me: Excuse me, would you please NOT let your dog use my property as a toilet
in the future?
Dog criminal: Why?


That's it. What's wrong with the conversation?

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:39:30 +0000 (UTC), FragileWarrior
wrote:

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

Dogs are another story. They train their humans to do antisocial or
illegal things.

eYOW! Whatta bizarre statement.

My dogs are trained as Therapy Dogs and visit hospitals, nursing homes and
handicapped children. (And one of my horses is going to do the same soon.)
As for me, I've never even gotten so much as a speeding ticket. All in
all, my dogs and myself are pretty social and always law abiding, I think.


Don't give the contrarian any ammo. If you want to have a test person
for your therapy horse, bring him/her here to me! I adore animals,
insects, worms, all living things. I would love to have room for a
few mules. They are so much more interesting to me than many humans.

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:47:20 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Admittedly, my negative experiences are with people who walk dogs in my
neighborhood. Even the so-called "good dog owners" who clean up after their
dogs are idiots. Why do I say that? Look at the brief conversation below and
tell me what's wrong with it. Scenario: Dog, on leash, taking a leak at the
perimeter of a flower bed that is two feet from the street.

Me: Excuse me, would you please NOT let your dog use my property as a toilet
in the future?
Dog criminal: Why?


That's it. What's wrong with the conversation?


Maybe you should move where there is nothing but you. That way, you
can determine every situation with great vigor.

"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:47:20 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Admittedly, my negative experiences are with people who walk dogs in my
neighborhood. Even the so-called "good dog owners" who clean up after
their
dogs are idiots. Why do I say that? Look at the brief conversation below
and
tell me what's wrong with it. Scenario: Dog, on leash, taking a leak at
the
perimeter of a flower bed that is two feet from the street.

Me: Excuse me, would you please NOT let your dog use my property as a
toilet
in the future?
Dog criminal: Why?


That's it. What's wrong with the conversation?


Maybe you should move where there is nothing but you. That way, you
can determine every situation with great vigor.


Need help figuring out what's wrong with the conversation? He

You hear an odd noise outside your front door. You look out the window and
see someone spray painting the door. You ask him to stop. He asks "Why?"

What's wrong with the conversation?

I Beg You...PLEASE DON"T PLANT THE MINT!

My neighbor planted some on his side of the fence years ago and it
crept into my yard. I mowed and mowed and it crept and crept
eventually into my roses and across the walk and...EVERYWHERE!!!
Arrghh!

I now have new neighbors and they dug up their mint and I spent THREE
DAYS digging up mine. I'm sure I'll see more this year as it will grow
from every piece of root I missed.

So I beg you...PLEASE STOP!!!

I can't wait till spring!

How about a lovely hosta garden, they will spread out and keep all the
weeds down around them.

Mike

"immike" wrote in message
ups.com...
I Beg You...PLEASE DON"T PLANT THE MINT!

My neighbor planted some on his side of the fence years ago and it
crept into my yard. I mowed and mowed and it crept and crept
eventually into my roses and across the walk and...EVERYWHERE!!!
Arrghh!

I now have new neighbors and they dug up their mint and I spent THREE
DAYS digging up mine. I'm sure I'll see more this year as it will grow
from every piece of root I missed.

So I beg you...PLEASE STOP!!!

I can't wait till spring!

How about a lovely hosta garden, they will spread out and keep all the
weeds down around them.

Now that's a good idea. Pachysandra, too. Spreads, but easy to whack when
necessary.

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"immike" wrote in message
ups.com...
I Beg You...PLEASE DON"T PLANT THE MINT!

My neighbor planted some on his side of the fence years ago and it
crept into my yard. I mowed and mowed and it crept and crept
eventually into my roses and across the walk and...EVERYWHERE!!!
Arrghh!

I now have new neighbors and they dug up their mint and I spent THREE
DAYS digging up mine. I'm sure I'll see more this year as it will grow
from every piece of root I missed.

So I beg you...PLEASE STOP!!!

I can't wait till spring!

How about a lovely hosta garden, they will spread out and keep all the
weeds down around them.

Now that's a good idea. Pachysandra, too. Spreads, but easy to whack when
necessary.

I'd stay away from Ajuga and Hops. Mint was never a problem here
easily pulled. Lemon Balm pops up here and there. Then again I have
black bamboo about.
Actually Chick weed and moss are getting my attention more these days.
Moss on our brick patio was not fazed by being limed. I just bought a
torch for deicing that can double as a moss slayer.

Bill whose front yard is nothing but Pachysandra and perennials.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade
http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid
This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:32:56 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Jangchub" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:47:20 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Admittedly, my negative experiences are with people who walk dogs in my
neighborhood. Even the so-called "good dog owners" who clean up after
their
dogs are idiots. Why do I say that? Look at the brief conversation below
and
tell me what's wrong with it. Scenario: Dog, on leash, taking a leak at
the
perimeter of a flower bed that is two feet from the street.

Me: Excuse me, would you please NOT let your dog use my property as a
toilet
in the future?
Dog criminal: Why?


That's it. What's wrong with the conversation?


Maybe you should move where there is nothing but you. That way, you
can determine every situation with great vigor.


Need help figuring out what's wrong with the conversation? He

You hear an odd noise outside your front door. You look out the window and
see someone spray painting the door. You ask him to stop. He asks "Why?"

What's wrong with the conversation?


I didn't question the conversation. I said if you don't want people
walking dogs where you live you can do one of two things;

Move to the country on huge property where people don't walk dogs.
Let it go.

On 27 Feb 2007 06:38:17 -0800, "immike" wrote:



How about a lovely hosta garden, they will spread out and keep all the
weeds down around them.

Mike

It greatly depends on where you live. We cannot maintain hostas in
Texas. No part of Texas with the exception of possibly Houston which
has acidic soil and is humid and rainy often.

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:56:56 -0500, William Wagner
wrote:

I'd stay away from Ajuga and Hops. Mint was never a problem here
easily pulled. Lemon Balm pops up here and there. Then again I have
black bamboo about.
Actually Chick weed and moss are getting my attention more these days.
Moss on our brick patio was not fazed by being limed. I just bought a
torch for deicing that can double as a moss slayer.

Bill whose front yard is nothing but Pachysandra and perennials.

I couldn't believe when I saw three varieties of moss at HOME DEPOT!
I bought a quart of each and just now divided them into 18 plants. I
did the same thing with pineapple sage, lysimachia, tomatoes, etc.
When I shop for plants I always make sure there is more than one plant
in each pot.

"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:32:56 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Jangchub" wrote in message
. ..
On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:47:20 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Admittedly, my negative experiences are with people who walk dogs in my
neighborhood. Even the so-called "good dog owners" who clean up after
their
dogs are idiots. Why do I say that? Look at the brief conversation below
and
tell me what's wrong with it. Scenario: Dog, on leash, taking a leak at
the
perimeter of a flower bed that is two feet from the street.

Me: Excuse me, would you please NOT let your dog use my property as a
toilet
in the future?
Dog criminal: Why?


That's it. What's wrong with the conversation?


Maybe you should move where there is nothing but you. That way, you
can determine every situation with great vigor.


Need help figuring out what's wrong with the conversation? He

You hear an odd noise outside your front door. You look out the window and
see someone spray painting the door. You ask him to stop. He asks "Why?"

What's wrong with the conversation?


I didn't question the conversation. I said if you don't want people
walking dogs where you live you can do one of two things;

Move to the country on huge property where people don't walk dogs.
Let it go.


You are illustrating the multifaceted problem for me. Thank you.

Facet 1: Some dog owners think everyone is supposed to love their dog. That
is incorrect.
Facet 2: Some dog owners don't understand the concept of private property.
If I tell you not to do something on my land, you have no legal leg to stand
on by refusing to obey.