Gunny's Garden Update

That's the real one. my belly button one is in Feb. LOL

As some of you know I have a real problem with thorns from times past before we got this property and homesteaded it, thorns were cut from the mesquite trees and left on the ground or just covered up and left. Recently I bought a new pair of chucka style boots to wear when working out back. Those boots now leak like a sieve.

This is the bottom end of those boots with the thorns removed, but you can still see the holes.
Now all these thorns are located in and about this patch of arrow weed.

This view is looking at them from another angle. If you look at the base of the plants you can see old branches in there.

Well it took most of two days to clear the arrow weed. Had to dig down about a foot and a half to get to the rhizome and then had to use a hatchet to cut it out and a pribar to break parts off. But finally got it all out and I was left with this.

Now you can see all sorts of stuff here. the thin straight stuff is arrow weed and everything else are thornes.

After all the surface was cleared away I was left with the task of getting the buried thorns out and away from here so I could use the tree and area surrounding it for gardening and related projects plus storage for items that I will need further down the road.

Now all that was left to do was go over this area with a bow rake until I had most of it all raked to an outer perimeter.

Okay, I goofed this is just a larger view of the one above. Here's the one I wanted you to see.

You can see the brush pile in the back where the arrow weed and thorns all ended up. Going to have one big compost pile there with all that stuff underneath.
Now all I have left to do is sift that ring of rakings to separate the good stuff from the bad. What good stuff you ask? All those ity bity leaves that have been laying there for years, they'll make the horse manure happy to have some company. So Taking my handy dandy

sifter I started at one end of the perimeter row and worked my way to the other. You can see the leaves in the barrow and some of the thorn debris on top of the screen. Using 1/4 inch here as 1/2 inch lets to much fall through.
My reward after all that was this nice pile of leaves waiting to go into bin 1 when I turn it shortly.

Thank you all for following this through with me as I battled those killer thorns.
BTW, shortly after this I bought a pair of military knock offs only to find out that if I want something military like a pair of boots to go to the military to get the real thing. My foot is still sore from where a hidden thorn got me right in the ball of the foot. OUCH!!!

wow Gunny what amazing hard work you are doing ....here in the PNW.... i sit having a pity party over slugs taking hostages and Squirrels having early morning parties in our garden....

you have to deal with those THORNS..... oh my.....*ouch*....

hugs
rose

Wow Gunny, when you work at something, you work at something! I was wondering how you would make sure you got every single thorn until I read further. I sure wouldn't want to come across one of those thorns with my hands, let alone the ball of my foot through boots! It just goes to show the old addage of if you are going to do something, do it right! I am just so amazed at the amount of work you have put into all of this! Great job!

I have been trying to grow some slips for the past couple of month no success. I have had store bought sweet potato portions soaking in water. Have taken a sweet potato and halved it and soaked in water for the past three weeks with nothing but what looks like algae growing on the skins after becoming disgusted with the whole process and covering the the halves with water. Today when I was making my second cup of joe I happened to look at some sweet potatoes that were ready bakes with the plastic wrapper and saw the beginnings of little slips starting to emerge. YAE! I can still make my sweet potato window. I took the wrappers off and placed the whole potatoes in one liter plastic bottles with the tops removed and just for grins did the same with the two halves to see if they would sprout also. I have until mid May to get the slips planted so should have plenty of time to grow the slips. Then the long wait for

Part Two
(drat this thing can't get back to the end of the post to continue))
To wait for Fall to plant my major garden. Oh well, at least I have plenty of time to fabricate more boxes and prepare compost. With the summer heat I should be able to turn out a lot more.
My compost station has turned into a squash garden. I had thrown some butternut seeds into it and about three weeks ago had a lot of seedlings emerge and I am getting more every day, so I have been busy transplanting them all over the station. Have decided to make a giant three sisters garden there. Put some sweet corn seed in spots devoid of squash and when that gets up then will add the pole beans. Wont have to worry about fertility in that mix. Wow, am I excited again.

I found out by accident that I can direct sow tomatoes down here. I planted what I thought was sweet basil in one of my squares and low and behold up comes a tomato plant. Go figure. I guess buzzy seeds let their QC get lax. The packet came in one of those little grow kits that you see in the stores. Well at least another lesson learned for desert gardening.

That is wonderful what you are growing in your compost! Great job on the tomato without even trying to grow one, lol!

I've hauled produce for years and when CA stops producing, places like Yuma start. It is amazing to me what those people can grow in the desert...with enough irrigation. We're in Yuma right now, waiting to deliver. Happy Wednesday, Gunny!

And a Happy One to you too. I'm off US 95 at County 14th Street, just south of Yuma. Google where the Mrs. does her thing and you will see a map that shows us. I am at the top end of the property. Stop by for a cup of joe before you otr again.

Great pics, Gunny.  I'm going to see if I can post photos the way someone told you in the thread.  It is a cool 63 degrees here in Hawaii and we are all scuttling to find our warmies.

Gunny wrote:I have been trying to grow some slips for the past couple of month no success. I have had store bought sweet potato portions soaking in water. Have taken a sweet potato and halved it and soaked in water for the past three weeks with nothing but what looks like algae growing on the skins after becoming disgusted with the whole process and covering the the halves with water. Today when I was making my second cup of joe I happened to look at some sweet potatoes that were ready bakes with the plastic wrapper and saw the beginnings of little slips starting to emerge. YAE! I can still make my sweet potato window. I took the wrappers off and placed the whole potatoes in one liter plastic bottles with the tops removed and just for grins did the same with the two halves to see if they would sprout also. I have until mid May to get the slips planted so should have plenty of time to grow the slips. Then the long wait for

Just wanted to chime in on this - apparently, some suppliers, especially of sweet potatoes, will spray them with Bud-Nip (chlorpropham), a chemical designed to keep them from budding!

https://www.google.com/search?q=bud-nip+sweet+potato&rlz=1C1GGGE___US509US509&oq=bud-nip+sweet+potato&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.4528j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8