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[Mini Horses]

I see the weed barrier used in many of the U-pick strawberry fields in my area. Weeds are a real PIA. I'm not looking forward to "that" part of my garden. I've read that we should till, let the weeds start, till again.....they assume all will go ahead and start up in a week or two. Well, we know those rascals wait and join us again & again! Can see where it would help but, how many times?? I'm still thinking double till and newspaper, wet and go.

Had a neighbor once who said till it 2 times, plant and hill slightly, then don't move the soil again. Jus sharpen the hoe like a knife blade and scrap it along the soil, cutting the weed/grass. His always looked good.

@Hinotori hope you are better and it won't have long lasting issues for your asthma. Some things just aren't fair!

I've never had a flu shot and not planning to. So far, no flu either.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

@Hinotori , I hear you re: flu and asthma. Any time I get sick, it settles HARD in my lungs. Even when I'm well, I can plan on being junked up every morning and evening. A fact of life for me. My health has been better during the winter since I stopped getting the flu shot.

 

[Hinotori]

Thanks for the get wells. I am getting much better. I know this will linger as usual. I think most people with asthma have this issue. Hubby understands as he's seen it enough and it's turned into bronchitis several times needing the doctor. He kept checking up on me on the worst day to make sure I was still breathing.

We carry sanitizer in the truck and my purse and use it a lot during cold and flu time. I swear adults are worse than any kids and I don't want to catch anything from them.

 

[baymule]

Sorry about the flu, that stuff is nasty. I have never had a flu shot. It’s last years strain anyway .

My garden is 100’x70’ getting enough cardboard is a chore. Stripping off tape, laying it down, covering with mulch is another huge chore. Only to see the weeds take over anyway, is disheartening. I’m going to buy 2 rolls of weed cloth and try it. I won’t mulch over the top and I’ll roll it up in the fall. It’s been 5 years and I’m not getting anywhere. It will either be a colossal failure or a colossal success. I can handle failure, I’m there already.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Enjoying my coffee this morning and contemplating my plans for the day. Outside chores or a trip to town?

I'm going to use cardboard this year too. But, I feel your pain @baymule... just storing the cardboard until using it is a pain. I'm finding that it attracts vermin/bugs if you keep it inside and attracts moisture and breaks down if you keep it outside.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Cold and flu season is surely upon us. Yesterday, I was BLASTED by a wet sneeze from the gal sitting behind me at church. YUCK!!! Good reminder to self: I'd be wise to do a few days of zycam nasal swabs after that sneeze mist.

 

[flowerbug]

Thanks for the get wells. I am getting much better. I know this will linger as usual. I think most people with asthma have this issue. Hubby understands as he's seen it enough and it's turned into bronchitis several times needing the doctor. He kept checking up on me on the worst day to make sure I was still breathing.

We carry sanitizer in the truck and my purse and use it a lot during cold and flu time. I swear adults are worse than any kids and I don't want to catch anything from them.

i wash my hands when i come back from being out in public. this really helps. along with the constant reminder to keep my hands away from my face. it's a hard habit to break, but worth it IMO.

i hope you recover soon and feel better. never fun being sick.

 

[flowerbug]

Enjoying my coffee this morning and contemplating my plans for the day. Outside chores or a trip to town?

I'm going to use cardboard this year too. But, I feel your pain @baymule... just storing the cardboard until using it is a pain. I'm finding that it attracts vermin/bugs if you keep it inside and attracts moisture and breaks down if you keep it outside.

it makes really good worm bedding material and mice love it for shredding and keeping warm too. to me that means it's the perfect garden material. we don't store it that much because we tend to use as much of it as we can get. when we do have to store it we stand it up on the edge and stack it along the wall of the garage to keep it dry. have not noticed any particular vermin problem doing it that ways. we used to keep a lot of large sheets of it for using as spacers and cushion between stepping stones when Mom was making them by the hundreds. the mice would sometimes nest in those stacks as that was like making a mouse motel as far as i was concerned. since she got out of that hobby the garage has been much more peaceful and also nice to have the space back. it was always hard to have to work around a few extra pallets of things in the way. kinda like having a whole new garage! we can even get things in there now besides the car.

 

[flowerbug]

Sorry about the flu, that stuff is nasty. I have never had a flu shot. It’s last years strain anyway .

My garden is 100’x70’ getting enough cardboard is a chore. Stripping off tape, laying it down, covering with mulch is another huge chore. Only to see the weeds take over anyway, is disheartening. I’m going to buy 2 rolls of weed cloth and try it. I won’t mulch over the top and I’ll roll it up in the fall. It’s been 5 years and I’m not getting anywhere. It will either be a colossal failure or a colossal success. I can handle failure, I’m there already.

i would go smaller and just for the things you like so much that you know you will have enough motivation to get out and get it done. the rest turn into rotational graze for the sheep and chickens. all IMO @baymule as i think it is much better to follow your desires and inclinations than to fight something you're not keen about. you like your animals and pets and so pay more attention to them and work on the pasture aspects. that is enough like gardening. no reason to make things harder for yourself or to feel stressed about it....

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Bay, 70 x 100 is huge! I agree with FB, size it down. Maybe even cut it in half.

My garden footprint is 32 x 48. This space includes raspberries. In the spring, I'm changing things up. The front half (48 x 16) has been turned into 6 raised beds including one for herbs, and 2 for strawberries/asparagus. I've found that the original 32 x 48 was hard to keep up with, and a lot of food went to waste. The back half has a raspberry bed, The remaining 36 x 16 will have a chicken coop built in the middle, with chicken run/garden space in a 2 year alternating pattern from side to side. Squash will continue to go in HK mound. I planted some veggies in my flower garden this year, and really liked that option.

I'm hoping that by forcing myself to "garden smaller", I will also garden smarter. It's my goal to harvest and use all that I produce, without having any of it rot in the garden. It will be helpful having the chickens right there to clean up the leftovers. Of course, along with downsizing my garden, I'll be downsizing the chicken flock, with the intent of adding a couple ducks. Coop design and stocking density will be such that we can go away for a weekend, and leave them shut in the coop if need be.

An incredible amount of food can be grown even in a 16 x 48 space. More than the two of us will ever eat. There will be plenty to share with family and neighbors. The CP fence provides great opportunity for vining crops, and can even be used to trellis tomatoes.

Have you considered growing green manure crops, or underplanting your veggies with an "intentional" weed? Perhaps white or micro clover? The clovers will fix nitrogen. But... beware... they will also spread. God never intended the soil to be naked. He always clothes it with something: whether it's your veggie crops, fallen leaves, last year's composting vegetative matter, or a crop of weeds. The soil demands to be covered. So...

Re: storing cardboard: I just dump it flat on the ground in an out of the way spot, where I'm hopeful for some weed control. The cardboard gets soaked, which dissolves the sticky on all of the tape. So, when I go back to use the cardboard in the garden, the tape is oh so easy to peel off. As long as I use the cardboard within a year, it does not break down too badly to transport with a wheelbarrow. And mice will not nest in wet cardboard. But, the worms sure will! Only down side to this, IMO: slugs also like wet cardboard. So, I just flick them off when I'm loading my WB. My favorite place to collect cardboard is at an appliance warehouse. But, most recently, I go to the local "Dollar Store". Their truck day is Friday, so I can go on Saturday, and load all the cardboard my car will carry. The boxes are smaller, but that's great for doing the space between my raised beds.

When I'm in "mulch the garden" mode, I am shameless in my pursuit of an easy load of cardboard. At the grocer: I'll snag it off the stock boy's carts before they can take it out back to the dumpster. Then, I have my groceries boxed up, instead of bagged.