Claud The Backyard Farmer (self proclaimed)

[kingofnobbys]

Had to look up cantaloop ( only ever known them as rock melons ).

This might help you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EQPDoBfjWg

How are you going to support their vines especially when forming fruit - timber trellis between Y stakes or concreter's reinforcement wire mesh between Y stakes or …. ?
I expect they'll need a strong frame some kind to keep vertical.

 

[Claudiusx]

Freakin' rollie-pollies have eaten pretty much all of my sprouts... I actually saw like 30 of them on my watermelon plant.. I did not know they ate plants like that.

I've never used pesticides and I've always wanted them in my gardens because they are good for breaking things down and helping the soil.. but these little buggers are making me angry lol.

-Brandon

 

[Claudiusx]

Saw a post online about pouring some beer into some empty tuna cans and placing those around your plants. Apparently the pill bugs are attracted to the beer and will fall in and die....

Gonna try it and then replant my beans.

-Brandon

 

[kingofnobbys]

Try putting the melon fruits off the mulch / dirt . They will be living in the mulch / dirt will be deterred by having move away from it.

 

[Claudiusx]

They are eating the plants themselves, not the fruit or anything. These are all fresh seedlings that sprouted so very soft and tender still.

-Brandon

 

[kingofnobbys]

They are eating the plants themselves, not the fruit or anything. These are all fresh seedlings that sprouted so very soft and tender still.

-Brandon

https://www.epicgardening.com/pill-bugs/

Maybe try some homebrew white oil on the plant stems to deter them.
https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/diy-white-oil/9437342

 

[Claudiusx]

Garden is probably done for the season. My seedlings got destroyed and I just haven't had time to replant anything.

-Brandon

 

[beardie]

I dig it. … … see what I did there?

I spent last spring/summer building these (my wife is the gardener). This was after a spent a summer fixing the grade/level of the small yard. This past summer we enjoyed a good supply of tomatoes, though.

 

[AHBD]

That is really well done and is an attractive feature to your yard, nice job ! I love tomatoes , don't have a garden but some generous friends do.

 

[beardie]

@Claudiusx , I promise I won't hijack your thread too much more.

This was my big yard project this past spring... Before the path, it was just dirt like to the side of the path. All I can say is... Youtube is your friend! I'd never done anything like this, but I can say that I'm pretty proud with how it turned out. Certainly learned lessons where I'd do some things differently, but overall very happy with it all. And cutting/breaking flagstone... serious respect to the pros out there that do that well.

It's amazing how much dirt that digging down a mere 2-3 inches produces. That pile was only about half the total. It took a while to get rid of it all.

 

[AHBD]

Beautiful and impressive, you're very skilled !

 

[Claudiusx]

That's quite alright. My fall garden is ruined anyways thanks to a certain puppy.....

This thread is going to bed dead until spring most likely lol.

Good job on the backyard. DIY is the way to go!

-Brandon

 

[kingofnobbys]

Claudiusx .... I saw this in my news feed today Grocery stores struggle with empty shelves from food supply shortages
how are supermarkets looking in your neck of the woods ???
if it's happening in your area , bet you are glad you put in those raised beds now.

Are the restriction / rationing staples to concerve stock yet ?
There been a run on tissue paper and paper towel , mince , chicken pieces and cooking supplies there ?

The crazies are clearing the shelves here ( hot items in Jan2022 are RATs , surgical and N95 masks , chicken pieces, mince , snags, all manner of vegs , and yet the great dunnypaper run is on AGAIN ....

if it's happening in your area , bet you are glad you put in those raised beds now.

 

[kingofnobbys]

I dig it. … … see what I did there?

I spent last spring/summer building these (my wife is the gardener). This was after a spent a summer fixing the grade/level of the small yard. This past summer we enjoyed a good supply of tomatoes, though.

View attachment 64965 View attachment 64964

Very nice ..... and well built ... how big are they ?

 

[beardie]

Very nice ..... and well built ... how big are they ?

Each level is just 2 sq. ft. (2' x 1'), 4 levels each. Each tier adds 6"... so 6", 12", 18", and 24" depth. Total height is about 27-28"... width is about 30" or so, and the length is about 5-6'. I actually designed it out in SketchUp before building it. Commercial grade kitchen silicone caulking (which is food safe) is used instead of mortar, to give it a loose-lay look while still being reasonably strong for the level of use. The bricks are only half inch to an inch down from grade, so it's just on top of ground really. I have rebar regularly throughout, and that does go down about 12-18 inches into the ground to keep it all stable as well. Originally, I designed the drip watering system feed to run through the middle (there are breaks in the brick below soil level to allow water to flow and where I run the 1/2" line). Before out next planting season, I'll be taking out that main feed, and instead running the water system along the outer sides instead, just to make it easier to work with and change as needs change.