Tag Archives: Garden

White Picket Fence

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The fence I had previously was not very attractive and didn't do a good job of keeping small critters out. This fence won't be much better for rabbits but it will be more attractive.
I installed the fence, first I dug a small trench around the edge of the garden. Since I try not to walk in the garden the ground isn't very packed and this was relatively simple. I set the fence about 4 inches below finished grade. The fence was pretty easy to fit to corners. I thought it might be troublesome but, no. Even at the seam between the two gardens I was able to slide up one of the slats out of the way. I might trim it at some point.


I filled the dirt back in around the fence and packed it in by stomping the dirt down. It took three rolls for my garden. I want to do something for a gate. I want something that won't be too much trouble to install but will be sturdy enough for use. For now It's not too tall to step over.

Rain Barrel

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This 55 gallon rain barrel collects and stores water for watering. I had trouble finding one of these used. I didn't want to pay for a new one, $80 just isn't in my price range. Finally I friend had this lying around in his woods so he gave it to me. I can't really beat free.

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There was some patching required, notably almost the entire base was cut out and in the top was missing it's screw in plug. To fix the missing plug I used a disc cut from a plastic paint can lid on each side and silicone gel to hold it all together.

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The large square hole is covered with netting to keep out mosquitoes and debris.

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Here's the current setup. The gutter system captures less than a quarter of my roof area but even an inch of rain fills the barrel. I think I have space to add an additional barrel if I could find one on the cheap.

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Garden #2

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When I left my last company they gave me the second of my two weeks off with pay so I used it to dig this plot.

I used four 7' landscape logs to border the garden; I notched the ends of each and drilled a hole so that I could drive a nail through them to hold the corners in place. The next thing I did was probably over kill. To inhibit weed growth while waiting for spring I dug foot wide sections of the yard about 18″ deep and turned them upside down in place. To help get the clay of my yard ready for planting I buried some items destined for the compost pile a few inches deep.

Currently the plot is covered with christmas trees to keep the soil somewhat warm and hopefully also help keep weeds from growing. When it comes time to till I will mix in some pine needles and fresh soil.

Concerns:

The location of this plot is adjacent to the lowest spot in the yard. I am afraid that this will cause the roots to rot. My hope is that the summer months will be hot enough to prevent the soil from staying soggy.

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Here is the current view.

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Spring Again

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It’s that time of year again. In North Carolina Spring has come pretty early. This year I am expanding my backyard garden space. Doubling in fact. I purchased 6 more 8’ timbers and am adding a section immediately next to the existing garden.
You may recall that when I did the original section I turned over the top foot of soil, tilled and added a garden mix from my local supplier and tilled again. I also had a week off from work which I don’t have this year. This time I cut the grass as low as my mower goes and am covering with a couple layers of newspaper. After I get the timbers cut and in place I will get another load of garden mix.
I’m ditching the metal fencing this time around. I can admit it was pretty ugly, and didn’t do that great a job. It was something nice for plants to grow up though, so it’ll be missed in that regard. I found a nice white picket fence that’s not too expensive, something like this fence.