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| Author |
Message |
ball
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"And so it begins..."
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Feb 25 20:40 UTC 2009 |
It's a beautiful day: warm and sunny. I turned off the
furnace, opened some windows and headed out to tackle the
BigUgly Bush on the front lawn. I cut it back severely but
if last year's anything to go by it will interpret that as a
challenge to grow impossibly tall (and impossibly ugly)
before the next winter. I got some potentially useful pea
sticks out of it too.
While I was out there, I noticed some strong shoots from
bulbs planted along the dark, neglected East side of the
house, which adds to the false-sense-of-security feeling of
impending Spring.
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| 60 responses total. |
keesan
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response 1 of 60:
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Feb 25 21:07 UTC 2009 |
It is raining here and snow all over the place, with predictions of more cold
for Friday (about 5 above at night).
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ball
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response 2 of 60:
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Jul 1 01:34 UTC 2009 |
The small square plot where the Mulberry tree used to be
gained some perennials today. I planted a couple of Sea
Pinks and a Dianthus and Mrs. ball and I planted a few other
things. It will be interesting to see how they fare.
The 'big ugly bush' in the middle of the front lawn
turned out to be suckers from a buried tree stump. Every now
and again I dig down and beat it repeatedly with a hatchet
but not long afterwards, new suckers appear. A chainsaw may
be in order.
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ball
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response 3 of 60:
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Mar 14 16:42 UTC 2012 |
It looks as though we'll have two flower beds this year
(not counting the odd plants at the front of the house): the
(slightly) raised bed where the Mulberry used to be is about
2x2m and has a few survivors from last year. I'm thinking of
cone flowers and daisies for some height at the back with
medium stuff in the middle and perhaps some mounding or even
(slightly) trailing stuff at the front. Might see if Peonies
can give the bindweed some competition on the chain-link
fence along the side.
Elsewhere we have a plot that's roughly 3x3m where we
grew cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes and pumpkins last year.
Mrs. ball may have plans for that, probably annual flowers
though she may surprise me. I had hoped to build a veg plot
elsewhere, but we can't agree on a spot so I may have to
sneak one to two veggies in with the flowers.
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keesan
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response 4 of 60:
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Mar 14 20:09 UTC 2012 |
What do you mean 'build'? I dig my plots. With such limited
space as you have I would not try to grow pumpkins. Have you
grown lettuce or beans?
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ball
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response 5 of 60:
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Mar 15 02:28 UTC 2012 |
Last year the pumpkins grew out of the veg plot and ran
off across the lawn. I didn't complain, just mowed around
them. My daughter grew them from seeds that she'd scooped
out of her halloween pumpkin. She grew a row of lettuce
too.
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keesan
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response 6 of 60:
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Mar 15 04:42 UTC 2012 |
We grew pumpkins unintionally one year on the compost pile, where they got
plenty of nitrogen etc. and actually produced fruits that ripened. How old
is your daughter now?
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ball
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response 7 of 60:
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Mar 16 02:36 UTC 2012 |
She's six. Come to think of it, I think I put a scoop of
compost in the hole before she planted the pumpkin seeds. I
think I did it for the cucumbers too.
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keesan
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response 8 of 60:
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Mar 16 16:48 UTC 2012 |
I hope it was fully composted first. It is better to mix it with all the soil
so that the roots will not stay in one small hole eating the compost.
Spread a layer on top before you dig up the ground.
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