Cheerleaders needed, please. This is daunting.

Hi, all.

I checked in a few months ago after quite the hiatus due to some pretty serious medical issues with DH.

I had high hopes of being able to tame the garden after (now) 3 summers of neglect,  but ongoing issues have prevented me from doing more than covering one of the beds with black plastic and planting a few potato onions. 

Summer is almost over now.  FF is in about a month.  All I want at this point is to pull the weeds out of the lanes between the beds and lay some plastic on the remaining beds to kill the weeds and hopefully return some nutrients into the soil by composting the weeds in place,  as it were. 

I worked for about 5 hours yesterday and got an area roughly 10 x 5 cleared out.  I learned goldenrods have tenacious roots. 

Anyway,  I do better when I set a goal and have some accountability for it, so I'd like to ask you all for help.  Just be my cheerleaders, if you're willing. 

My poor garden and I thank you.

What my garden used to look like: 

What it looks like now in glorious panoramic mode: 


 
Those weeds are taller than I am. They just LOVE the mm.

First of all, how is Hubby doing?

2nd -- any chance there's something edible in all that? Maybe volunteers from previous years? If so, harvest what you can and brag about it, here.

After that, I'd be happy to watch and cheer for whatever you do next.  

Finally, throw in some radish seeds or something to prove to the weeds that you won't be defeated.

Good to see you! I have already for weeks and weeks, IIRC, been under an AWOL warning issued by me.   (because of you being gone for weeks and weeks, IIRC)


 

Hey!  Welcome back, Molly!!!!  

OK, get an attack plan together.  We know we can’t get this happening over night.  So:

1.  Do you want to get anything in this year?  Like CN suggested, do you want to put in a couple squares of radishes and lettuce to get you back, or skip it?  

2.  You have all year.  Actually, the timing is good.  Cooling off.  Decide what your priorities are.  

3. Make it what you need today.  No need to resurrect the former glory; just make it something workable.  

4.  You will have to nourish the MM, decide how you want to do it.  I would suggest doing it as cheaply as possible to get it back in shape for next spring.  If you don’t have compost, I would look into purchased or bone and blood meal.  

Glad you are back, missed ya!

countrynaturals wrote:First of all, how is Hubby doing?

2nd -- any chance there's something edible in all that? Maybe volunteers from previous years? If so, harvest what you can and brag about it, here.

After that, I'd be happy to watch and cheer for whatever you do next.  

Finally, throw in some radish seeds or something to prove to the weeds that you won't be defeated.

Hi, Suz! Thanks so much for the support and advice!

DH isn't doing so well right now. Just got home after almost 3 weeks in hospitals and rehabs due to a very bad series of seizures that left him pretty loopy, not to mention deconditioned from being in bed for so long. But in typical form, he's hopeful that he'll recover quickly, so we'll see. So in the meantime I just don't have it in me to plant or take care of anything other than him and the cat (oh, and me, lol).

Also, part of the problem with the garden is that there is or at least was stuff in there I was hoping to save, which is why it didn't all just get covered in plastic at the start of the season.

At this point, I'm ready to just pull it all out and start fresh next year if I can at least get it weeded.

P.S. I'm not used to the (new to me) forum. What's with the plus and minus signs? I thought I was making the font smaller and it looks like I somehow downvoted your post? Sanderson? Can you fix my boo-boo?

RJARPCGP wrote:Good to see you! I have already for weeks and weeks, IIRC, been under an AWOL warning issued by me.   (because of you being gone for weeks and weeks, IIRC)


 

Hi, RJ. Thanks for the welcome back and for putting out at AWOL warning. I'm fine, just crazy busy dealing with things. I see your lillies are beautiful! Are you still growing your hibiscuses?

Scorpio Rising wrote:Hey!  Welcome back, Molly!!!!  

OK, get an attack plan together.  We know we can’t get this happening over night.  So:

1.  Do you want to get anything in this year?  Like CN suggested, do you want to put in a couple squares of radishes and lettuce to get you back, or skip it?  

2.  You have all year.  Actually, the timing is good.  Cooling off.  Decide what your priorities are.  

3. Make it what you need today.  No need to resurrect the former glory; just make it something workable.  

4.  You will have to nourish the MM, decide how you want to do it.  I would suggest doing it as cheaply as possible to get it back in shape for next spring.  If you don’t have compost, I would look into purchased or bone and blood meal.  

Glad you are back, missed ya!

SR! Good to "see" you too! Thanks for the welcome back!

Good point about making it what I need today. I think that what I need is to get the garden to not taunt me every time I drive by, go outside, or look out a window. Right now all the weeds are blowing raspberries my way. The garden used to be my happy place. Now it's not so much.

I'm also finding that the summers of neglect have also created a great places for snails and slugs to multiply. Boo. And I'm sure the beds are full of grubs as well since I've not been around to apply the usual beneficial nematode treatments, so I don't see the point of trying to grow anything under these conditions. It would just add to my dismay.

And you're right about the MM needing replenishing. Fortunately my beds are deep, but I can see where the weeds have really "eaten" down the MM quite a bit. I could just get some cow manure and then cover the beds? Or maybe just cover now to kill the weeds and then top-dress with cow, even if it's not perfectly composted, the winter will take care of that. Thoughts?

mollyhespra wrote:

Hi, RJ.  Thanks for the welcome back and for putting out at AWOL warning. I'm fine, just crazy busy dealing with things.  I see your lillies are beautiful!  Are you still growing your hibiscuses?

Sadly, don't have one ATM. That was before I even moved, which was on February 24, 2018.
Been here for 17 months now...

Hi, Molly, Welcome back. You have a beautiful SFG set up. Just those darn weeds.

What about leaving the weeds in the isles or a pile somewhere so their seeds aren't introduced into the beds. Partial solarization* may help the beds, that is, pull out the weeds, wet, cover with clear plastic for a couple weeks to force germination of seeds. Then, clean those out, top dress with lots of cheap compost like Gardner's chicken manure or the cow manure and cover with old sheets. That will keep new seeds from blowing in until next spring but allow rain water into the bed.

For the isles, cut or pull weeds. Top with a couple layers of cardboard for the winter. Come spring, you may have a relatively clean area to start fresh.

* http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html

Hey Molly!!! Great to see you!

You've gotten some good advice. Just start in one corner. That's all you have to do right now. Even if it's just one square at a time.

Hi,  Sanderson!  Hey,  thanks for that link.  Interesting article though I'm afraid I've probably missed the window of opportunity up by my little northern garden.  That being said,  a modified version of that plan might work. Like you said,  use clear plastic to encourage germination and then smoother those damnable weeds, lol!  Thanks again!

Hi, AM!  Yep,  that's what I'm doing.  Just trying to limit it to one section at a time.  I'm hand- pulling the weeds.  Something I actually enjoy doing. I find it oddly satisfying and therapeutic.  Here's where I left off on Sunday:



That little section took me about 5 hours and resulted in 2 huge cart loads of greens into the compost pile. 

It'll be a few days before I'm able to get out there's again,  unfortunately. Too many Drs appointments,  etc.

Good start.  Baby steps, you gotta make this bite sized or it will overwhelm you.  I like what you have done, just glad to see ya!  

Thanks, SR!  We just got home from a long day at Drs. appointments but there was still enough light for me to do this much more:



I would have kept going but the skeeters found me.  Oh well.  Half of a 5 gallon bucket qualifies as baby steps, right?

Mosquitoes! Especially post-July, they're dangerous! Increased risk of the eastern equine virus, which is too well known for encephalitis!

Get encephalitis, then you will be lucky to know how to walk and remember the things you learned from before the exposure.
It does look like seizures are likely with the virus.

In some cases, even the far more usual West Nile virus, can cause encephalitis!

mollyhespra wrote:Thanks, SR!  We just got home from a long day at Drs. appointments but there was still enough light for me to do this much more:



I would have kept going but the skeeters found me.  Oh well.  Half of a 5 gallon bucket qualifies as baby steps, right?

Awesome!  It’s more than yesterday...keep on truckin’

Just started to read this thread and feeling encouraged to get on with my huge weeding problem after being away for at least five weeks then finally getting all the long grass mowed and looking presentable.

I have almost managed to clear one 6x3 bed completely and hope to plant lettuce and radish seeds.  In the past I have made too many beds, and as a single person really do not need heaps of vegetables that only have to be given away.  Also age has a way of creeping up on you and one can never do as much as ten years ago. I need to downsize my efforts and get back to enjoying what I do.

Thanks for the encouragement,  SR! 

Hiya,  Kelejan!  Here's another picture of the glorious weed garden, just for you.  Don't think of cutting back on the extent of your garden as "downsizing" but more "appropriate sizing" which sounds more positive.   We're starting to "downsize" in many respects, too, especially after DH's accident.  I just can't manage it all and still maintain some semblance of enjoyment. For me,  I've found that saying no to things that take more energy than they return have to go,  though it's hard. Anyway,  I'm happy to share the encouragement to get your garden weeded!  



Oh, almost forgot to update:  I didn't get any additional weeding done yesterday.  Too muggy and no time between work and DH's appointments.  Today it's raining, plus need to get work done,  more appointments, etc. I may be able to get just a little more weeding in at the end of the day.  I don't mind working in the rain. We'll see!

Thanks for the encouragement and the picture, MollyH.  It is now 7:45am and still cool enough to do half an hour's weeding.  I have learned not to do things until I have dropped.  After half an hour I will do something else that needs a different action such as not bending down, such as standing up and clipping some branches off shrubs etc.

Then I will stop and take a break and check my emails etc.  Keep doing that until it gets too warm then stop until it gets cool in the evening.  Most of all, not to get uptight about I am unable to do today. It will still be there tomorrow.

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?

Thanks, Molly.  

Ok, so I was able to get about an hour in just before twilight.  I'm finding all sorts of lost pots among the weeds,  lol!

WOW! Molly, lots of potential, there.