Garden October 2021

Summer Garden List

TNG Continue to build cage

TNG Prepare strawberry bed

TNG Continue to work on pathway

TNG Continue weed management

TNG Work on water tower

TNG Replace weak posts

TNG Work on North fence.

TNG Work on tree cleanup

TNG Cleanup and mulch road area outside fence.

TNG repair street side fence.

UR Cleanup back yard

UR Start working on concrete block raised bed

UR Work on side yard cleanup

UR Clean up backyard Patio

UR Clean up Front yard Patio

Saturday October 9

The great potato experiment was a bust this year. The potato tower did not work. I bought the indeterminate potatoes that were supposed to produce potatoes up the dirt covered vine but it did not do that. The potato harvest was disappointing but I shouldn't be surprised because I literally just planted and walked away without weeding or watering during the summer heat. However, the potatoes that were produced were good size and taste awesome.

I've started using the mulch that Neighbor Dave got for me. This is the first of the mulching. I am deciding whether to just cut down the Rugosa Rose bushes and let them grow back through the mulch or just mulch around them as best I can. Several of the bushes died because I suspect Neighbor Tim sprayed roundup around them which drifted onto the bush as killed it. I did mulch this area some years ago but not deep enough. This time it will be at least four inches with maybe another layer within a year or two.

I'm slowly making some progress but the rough part is ahead of me. There's some big bushes and even a massive tree that has grow up over the course of the last three years. I'm almost convinced that the best plan is to just take the chain saw and cut everything down to ground level and start over.

Saturday, October 9

Another day of glorious mulching. The mulch is perfect for this project and I hope that I have enough to cover the whole frontage in front of the garden. I have convinced myself to cut down all the bushes with the other weeds and tree sprouts. If Rugosa Roses are as tough as I think they are they will regrow up through the deep mulch. If not, oh, well at least it will look nicer.

Thursday, October 14

I thought this would be a good idea for cutting down the brush but it was a bust. The trimmer did a better job than this blade. So the next thing I'll be trying is to use the chainsaw to cut the heavy top brush and the trimmer and pruners to cut the stubs down to the ground before covering with mulch. 

It's starting to look half way deceit. I still have a long way to go and I'm not sure that the mulch that I have will be enough to cover up the whole front area. The next three section of fence are the worst. It has a big tree in the midst of the Rugosa bush. 

The Rugosa bushes did really good but the bind weed just grows over them and smothers them. Many have died because of that. I'm cutting them all down to the ground and hoping that some will find there way up through the mulch to start over with all new growth. Perhaps I should trim them back every year and not just let them grow wild.

This was the total out of control part of the frontage road. I brought out the chain saw to cut down some actual trees growing there. Some were about three inches in diameter. The stumps are still there waiting for me to drill holes in them and fill them with roundup. In two or three years the dead stump with be rotted enough to just hit with a sledge hammer and they will com right out. 

This is the debris that needs to be hauled away from the front of the garden. I can't get back to do that until Monday afternoon. I'm hoping to be able to pack it down in one load to take to the landfill. If I can't get all in one load then I'll try to pack the rest in the back of the garden to compost down. There's still a lot of work to do. Hopefully the weather will hold for one more week.