Re: Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting.

mollyhespra 8/9/2019, 8:49 pm

Thanks, Suz. Another 4x2 area cleared. Still more to go!

**AtlantaMarie** 8/9/2019, 9:04 pm

Woo-Hoo! Go Molly! (And if you have nothing else to do, you can come down here to MY garden..... ;-) )

**Kelejan** 8/9/2019, 9:08 pm

mollyhespra wrote:Yes, that's an awesome plan, Kelejan! You go girl!

Oh, and P.S.: did you happen to notice the black rectangular thing in the earlier pictures? It's an old "step" from when "step aerobics" was the rage. It's just the right height to sit at and be able to weed at ground level. I found it at a thrift shop. Something to consider for your back?

I have one of those step-thingy things so that's a good idea to use it for a seat. Not too low or too high and broad enough to be comfortable to sit on. Very Happy

Or I can put a pad on it and kneel on it.

mollyhespra 8/9/2019, 9:23 pm

AtlantaMarie wrote:Woo-Hoo! Go Molly! (And if you have nothing else to do, you can come down here to MY garden..... ;-) )

Lol, thanks (but no thanks) for the invite! Wink

mollyhespra 8/9/2019, 9:27 pm

Kelejan wrote:
I have one of those step-thingy things so that's a good idea to use it for a seat. Not too low or too high and broad enough to be comfortable to sit on. Or I can put a pad on it and kneel on it.

Hey, good idea about adding a pad, though I'm not sure I'd use it for kneeling. Might be at an awkward height. But sitting! Great idea to sit on! Thanks! Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 3170584802

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 3170584802

**Kelejan** 8/10/2019, 1:15 am

mollyhespra wrote:
Kelejan wrote:
I have one of those step-thingy things so that's a good idea to use it for a seat. Not too low or too high and broad enough to be comfortable to sit on. Or I can put a pad on it and kneel on it.

Hey, good idea about adding a pad, though I'm not sure I'd use it for kneeling. Might be at an awkward height. But sitting! Great idea to sit on! Thanks!

Mine is a three-layer so I could use the top layer as a single layer.

**AtlantaMarie** 8/10/2019, 6:28 am

mollyhespra wrote:
AtlantaMarie wrote:Woo-Hoo! Go Molly! (And if you have nothing else to do, you can come down here to MY garden..... ;-) )

Lol, thanks (but no thanks) for the invite!

Dang! (insert snapping fingers here...)

mollyhespra 8/10/2019, 2:49 pm

Half-day update: Saturday the 10th of August.

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 20190815

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 20190816

DH felt up to coming outside and helped out for a half hour pulling up the taller, larger weeds between the beds while I kept making progress with the hand-weeding of the ground-level plants.

**Kelejan** 8/10/2019, 3:59 pm

I was able to spend a total of two hours weeding; four sessions of half an hour each.

Now the weathermen and women are proving their forecast of storms and rain reaching us today, as I see the dark clouds down the valley obscuring the mountains and the wind is blowing i my direction so it is only a matter of time so I kept going until I had had enough even though there is still time to pull a few more of those danged weeds. But I feel satisfied that I ahve made quite a bit of progress, and after my five weeks away in England, I have finally meshed into our Pcific time slot. Everyone kept telling it it is harder to travel back to British Columbia than it is go to England, I do believe they are right.

The wind is picking and the apples are falling from the tree in droves so tomorrow there will be another pick-up session. Some of them are now edible so I will be able to process them so not all of them will be lost. I really must cut the crown out of that tree so that the rest are more accessible for next year.

mollyhespra 8/10/2019, 5:35 pm

Good job, Kelejan! A little at a time adds up!

We're getting some rain now, and some fierce little micro bursts of wind, so I too am throwing in the trowel for today.

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 20190817

That's some horseradish you see in the bed there with some Jerusalem artichokes behind them. I planted those knowing they'd take over that bed, so maybe I'll just mulch them really well and leave them be.

mollyhespra 8/10/2019, 5:46 pm

Oh, and I found a little surprise among the weeds...

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 20190818

A little Robin's egg that must have failed to hatch.

**Kelejan** 8/10/2019, 7:38 pm

mollyhespra wrote:Oh, and I found a little surprise among the weeds...

A little Robin's egg that must have failed to hatch.

mollyhespra 8/10/2019, 9:08 pm

Yes, made me feel sad, too. The Robins are smart, though. When an egg fails to hatch they drop it far from their nest so as to not give their real location away.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/11/2019, 10:04 am

I love robins! I had a family of them on my downspout under the eave by my pool this summer, they all fledged

. Your garden is lookin good, Molly! Keep on truckin’!

mollyhespra 8/12/2019, 2:01 pm

Thanks, SR. We've had multiple generations of Robins off and on nesting on the beams of our open porch. We love watching as the babies get bigger and bigger and finally fly off one day.

As to my weeding progress. This is what the main aisle looks like after about 2 hours this AM. Now the sun has claimed the area and anyway I have work-work to do, so that's enough for one day.

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 20190819

mollyhespra 8/12/2019, 2:25 pm

And a before/after of the work so far:

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 20190822

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 20190820

**Kelejan** 8/12/2019, 2:55 pm

I can see some improvement, Molly. Just keep going like I am. I have the advantage that mowing my overgrown lawn gives it great boost; now I am nibbling at the beds themselves here and there. And picking up those darned apples.

One thing about winter, it does take the vegetation down so that I can easily cut the stalks. The best time being before spring. My worst part now is the back that people cannot see and I am the only one that knows what is back there that is trying to take over the house. Sad

RJARPCGP 8/12/2019, 7:10 pm

mollyhespra wrote:And a before/after of the work so far:

On the second one, I see echinacea purpurea!

mollyhespra 8/12/2019, 8:59 pm

Kelejan wrote:I can see some improvement, Molly. Just keep going like I am. I have the advantage that mowing my overgrown lawn gives it great boost; now I am nibbling at the beds themselves here and there. And picking up those darned apples.

One thing about winter, it does take the vegetation down so that I can easily cut the stalks. The best time being before spring. My worst part now is the back that people cannot see and I am the only one that knows what is back there that is trying to take over the house.

Thanks, Kelejan. I'm feeling better about getting the garden tamed before the snow flies. It helps to be able to see the aisles again. Very encouraging.

Turns out that the first bit that I did at the entrance was the hardest to pull. The aisles are turning out much easier so far.

The taller weeds get pulled first, which loosens the mulch underneath, then the smaller plants get yanked. Since the aisles haven't seen any foot traffic for 3 summers, the mulch is fairly loose which makes pulling the weedy undergrowth easier.

The exception to the above is a patch of blackberries which has invaded not only the aisle but also the far end of the sfg bed next to it. Some of the canes are as thick as my pinky finger. I took the clippers to it but couldn't hand pull the roots out. I'll need to get some serious leverage to pry them up. I'd like to get as much of the roots out as I can to discourage regrowth.

But back to you. Are you feeling better at all about what you've accomplished? It sounded like you were making great strides!

mollyhespra 8/12/2019, 9:04 pm

RJARPCGP wrote:
On the second one, I see echinacea purpurea!

Good eye, RJ. Yes, the poor things were hidden by the taller weeds. I bet they're happier now that they can get more sun!

yolos 8/12/2019, 10:11 pm

mollyhespra wrote:

The exception to the above is a patch of blackberries which has invaded not only the aisle but also the far end of the sfg bed next to it. Some of the canes are as thick as my pinky finger. I took the clippers to it but couldn't hand pull the roots out. I'll need to get some serious leverage to pry them up. I'd like to get as much of the roots out as I can to discourage regrowth.

This is what I use when I have a very tough weed or a weed with stickers.
Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 Channellock-all-trades-tongue-groove-pliers-440-64_1000

Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting. - Page 2 Channellock-all-trades-tongue-groove-pliers-440-64_1000

**Kelejan** 8/12/2019, 10:38 pm

mollyhespra wrote:
Kelejan wrote:I can see some improvement, Molly. Just keep going like I am. I have the advantage that mowing my overgrown lawn gives it great boost; now I am nibbling at the beds themselves here and there. And picking up those darned apples.
Thanks, Kelejan. I'm feeling better about getting the garden tamed before the snow flies. It helps to be able to see the aisles again. Very encouraging.
- - - - - - -

But back to you. Are you feeling better at all about what you've accomplished? It sounded like you were making great strides!

Yes, I am feeling better, just wish I could go on longer but I am realising there are limitations as the years go by.

Thanks for the encouragement. okay

**sanderson** 8/17/2019, 2:48 am

Congrats to both of you, KJ and Molly. One weed at a time, one lawn at a time.

Yolos, niffy trick!

OhioGardener 8/17/2019, 8:19 am

mollyhespra wrote:The exception to the above is a patch of blackberries which has invaded not only the aisle but also the far end of the sfg bed next to it. Some of the canes are as thick as my pinky finger. I took the clippers to it but couldn't hand pull the roots out. I'll need to get some serious leverage to pry them up. I'd like to get as much of the roots out as I can to discourage regrowth.

Those things are nearly impossible to stop! Our neighbor allows them to grow wild in his back 40, and the roots of them have come across into our property. I tried keeping them mowed off, but they kept encroaching inward onto our pasture area. I finally resorted to using brush killer to control them as soon as I see them on our side of the fence.

countrynaturals 8/17/2019, 10:52 am

OhioGardener wrote:
mollyhespra wrote:The exception to the above is a patch of blackberries which has invaded not only the aisle but also the far end of the sfg bed next to it. Some of the canes are as thick as my pinky finger. I took the clippers to it but couldn't hand pull the roots out. I'll need to get some serious leverage to pry them up. I'd like to get as much of the roots out as I can to discourage regrowth.

Those things are nearly impossible to stop! Our neighbor allows them to grow wild in his back 40, and the roots of them have come across into our property. I tried keeping them mowed off, but they kept encroaching inward onto our pasture area. I finally resorted to using brush killer to control them as soon as I see them on our side of the fence.

We have a nice patch of them in our pool area. I'm determined to tame them, rather than try to kill them, which is probably a battle I would lose, anyway.

I saw a neat video on Youtube about weaving baskets from blackberry cane. I may try getting crafty with those puppies this winter. Cool

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