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2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
+2
yolos
ralitaco
6 posters
Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Hello SFG friends!!!
Hope all is well with everyone. Maybe this year I will be more productive on this forum and in the garden.
Hope all is well with everyone. Maybe this year I will be more productive on this forum and in the garden.
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Hello Ralitaco, glad to see you back.
yolos-
Posts : 4152
Join date : 2011-11-20
Age : 73
Location : Brooks, Ga Zone 7B/8A
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
My crystal ball says this will be our best year ever!ralitaco wrote: Maybe this year I will be more productive on this forum and in the garden.

Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
countrynaturals wrote:My crystal ball says this will be our best year ever!ralitaco wrote: Maybe this year I will be more productive on this forum and in the garden.
"A garden is never so good as it will be next year." ~Thomas Cooper
"In short, the soil food web feeds everything you eat and helps keep your favorite planet from getting too hot. Be nice to it." ~ Diane Miessler, "Grow Your Soil"
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Thank you all for your encouragement. I ALWAYS tell folks we have THE BEST PEOPLE on this forum.
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
We are an optimistic group.
When will you be starting the seedlings, or will you be purchasing starts this spring?

When will you be starting the seedlings, or will you be purchasing starts this spring?
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Well first I have to thin out or completely pull up my strawberries and weeds. then I will most likely use starts
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Having table top beds has got to make it a lot easier for you to weed/thin.
Table Top Plywood bottom update
I was looking at my pictures and saw that I had built my 4x4 tabletop with an untreated plywood bottom back in April 2015. I lined it with 6 mil plastic.



Here is a photo of the underside from today:

For the most part it still seems solid. I did not get a chance to inspect it as long as I wanted because my DW's Frenchie saw me on the ground and thought it was time to play

Anyway, I thought this might help answer the question of "how long does the plywood last in a tabletop?"
So...5 years and counting.



Here is a photo of the underside from today:

For the most part it still seems solid. I did not get a chance to inspect it as long as I wanted because my DW's Frenchie saw me on the ground and thought it was time to play


Anyway, I thought this might help answer the question of "how long does the plywood last in a tabletop?"
So...5 years and counting.
Last edited by ralitaco on 2/9/2020, 6:42 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : changed photos)
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Weeds
I have neglected my SFG beds for pretty much the last 2 years, with the occasional weeding of the major growth. One of my 2x8 beds is covered in what the PlantNet app suggests is Chickweed. These buggers have sprouted throughout the entire bed and when I try to pull them up they break off at the soil or pull up clumps of the soil.
Here are my questions
1. Just out of curiosity, is this chickweed?
2. How should I get rid of it so it won't come back.
a. Pull it out as best I can
OR
b. Cover the bed with some Black plastic to kill it off.
OR
c. Roll it into the existing soil
If the answer is B, do I just secure the plastic and leave it for a month or so? I know this may be a silly question, but I know if I have something laying in the yard like a doormat, there will be new growth under it. I want to be sure I get rid of this so I can plant something yummy.




Here are my questions
1. Just out of curiosity, is this chickweed?
2. How should I get rid of it so it won't come back.
a. Pull it out as best I can
OR
b. Cover the bed with some Black plastic to kill it off.
OR
c. Roll it into the existing soil
If the answer is B, do I just secure the plastic and leave it for a month or so? I know this may be a silly question, but I know if I have something laying in the yard like a doormat, there will be new growth under it. I want to be sure I get rid of this so I can plant something yummy.




Last edited by ralitaco on 2/9/2020, 6:54 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : forgot the pictures.)
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
2x8 Before and After
I did take some time today and cleaned up one of my 2x8 TT's. This bed used to be our herb garden. Over the years, we pulled them out or they died off or were broken by storms. When my Strawberries multiplied, I used this bed to plant some of the offshoots.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

I forgot I had planted some tulip bulbs in a couple of squares. My DW had gotten some in a pot as a gift and when they died off, I just stuck them in the open squares. Truthfully, I did not think they would grow, but the Mel's Mix is something else...



BEFORE:

AFTER:

I forgot I had planted some tulip bulbs in a couple of squares. My DW had gotten some in a pot as a gift and when they died off, I just stuck them in the open squares. Truthfully, I did not think they would grow, but the Mel's Mix is something else...



ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
lvanderb likes this post
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Nice! I love having a few flowers mixed in. It turns gardening into a celebration. Hmm, I guess it really is, anyway. During the Depression and WWII, the Victory Garden must have really been a blessing to those who lost so much. 

Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Unfortunately, since the Chickweed has been able to go to seed, it is going to be very difficult and time consuming to get rid of it. Since it is a very shallow root plant, the easiest way to get rid of the plants is to use a fork (not a shovel) to loosen the soil and pull the plants out without breaking the roots. They have a lot of runners, and the runners will pull up with the plants. After the plants are out, work through the soil with your fingers to find any missed pieces of root and pull them out.
Over time you will see young plants start from the seeds that were left behind. Pull them out as soon as they are spotted, while the roots are small.
Over time you will see young plants start from the seeds that were left behind. Pull them out as soon as they are spotted, while the roots are small.
"In short, the soil food web feeds everything you eat and helps keep your favorite planet from getting too hot. Be nice to it." ~ Diane Miessler, "Grow Your Soil"
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Once I pull them out, can I cover with Black Plastic to heat the soil to kill the seeds? If so, how long should I leave them coveredOhioGardener wrote:Unfortunately, since the Chickweed has been able to go to seed, it is going to be very difficult and time consuming to get rid of it. Since it is a very shallow root plant, the easiest way to get rid of the plants is to use a fork (not a shovel) to loosen the soil and pull the plants out without breaking the roots. They have a lot of runners, and the runners will pull up with the plants. After the plants are out, work through the soil with your fingers to find any missed pieces of root and pull them out.
Over time you will see young plants start from the seeds that were left behind. Pull them out as soon as they are spotted, while the roots are small.
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Strawberry Beds, Forever
A few years ago (maybe 2018) I planted a half dead, free strawberry plant in my original 4x4 TT. That year the one plant sent out runners, and
I had several plants - about 4 per square. They produced small to medium berries that were so-so on the sweetness.
Those plants sent out runners the next year, etc., etc. and this is what I ended up with:

I pulled them all out. Then I replanted the largest, healthiest looking ones 1 per square:

I am hoping that by having only 1 per square, the plants will grow bigger, produce larger, sweeter berries.
So, now what do I do with a few leftovers. I planted about 50 in the ground (I know, I know)

I had several plants - about 4 per square. They produced small to medium berries that were so-so on the sweetness.
Those plants sent out runners the next year, etc., etc. and this is what I ended up with:

I pulled them all out. Then I replanted the largest, healthiest looking ones 1 per square:

I am hoping that by having only 1 per square, the plants will grow bigger, produce larger, sweeter berries.
So, now what do I do with a few leftovers. I planted about 50 in the ground (I know, I know)

ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Nice, Ralitaco. We'll have to start calling you the strawberry whisperer. Mine haven't done a thing in over a year. 

Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
I sure hope someone can answer this question. If they are eggs, clear plastic for solarizing may help if they are eggs.ralitaco wrote:So this week I got my hands dirty and cleaned up my other 2 beds.. . . When I pulled a clump I noticed some small round orange balls.
I am wondering if they are seeds, eggs or something to do with nematodes?
Any thoughts?
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Those are not Root-Knot Nematode, since they are not encasing the roots themselves. They look a lot like earthworm cocoons, but I suspect they are a fungi that is breaking down organic material.
"In short, the soil food web feeds everything you eat and helps keep your favorite planet from getting too hot. Be nice to it." ~ Diane Miessler, "Grow Your Soil"
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
countrynaturals wrote:Nice, Ralitaco. We'll have to start calling you the strawberry whisperer. Mine haven't done a thing in over a year.
That’s funny. I just ignored them and they flourished. Of course the plants I fret over all die. But que sera.
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
me too.sanderson wrote:I sure hope someone can answer this question. If they are eggs, clear plastic for solarizing may help if they are eggs.
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html
I think I’m gonna buy some clear plastic like the article says.
Hey then I’ll have it to make a hoop house.
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
Thanks OG. The only reason I thought they might have something to do with nematodes is because I had issues with them in that end of the bed.OhioGardener wrote:Those are not Root-Knot Nematode, since they are not encasing the roots themselves. They look a lot like earthworm cocoons, but I suspect they are a fungi that is breaking down organic material.
If they are worms then I just relocated them to a hole I was filling in the yard
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
ralitaco-
Posts : 1312
Join date : 2010-04-04
Location : Hampstead, NC
Re: 2020 SFG Adventures in Hampstead, NC
That is a lot of bins. How deep are they????
yolos-
Posts : 4152
Join date : 2011-11-20
Age : 73
Location : Brooks, Ga Zone 7B/8A
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