Health Update: Right now I am waiting on a CT scan to be scheduled. Last appointment with the surgeon he said everything looked great and he expects after the CT scan the drain will be removed. I asked about recovery time once the drain is removed and he said no restrictions. I’m sure I will be fairly sore for a while, but, I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym and doing a lot more around the property.
Tonight I was getting dressed after a shower and the drain tube got caught on my leg and I yanked it really good. Right now it is EXTREMELY sensitive. I’m hoping for that CT scan and drain removal…..SOON!
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A lot of work in the garden over the weekend.
I’ve mentioned before that I’ve not had any luck starting seeds indoors. When I was down South I tried using grow lamps and think I gave the plants too much light. Once brought outside they died. The reality is with the long growing seasons in South Carolina starting seeds indoors really wasn’t needed. I tried starting seeds indoors here in Maine and made the mistake of leaving them exposed when the temps dropped below freezing. Yup. Dead.
I’ve said it before gardening is not something you can just store some seeds and expect to be able to grow tons of food whenever needed. I’ve learned by screwing up. and the time to learn is now before depending on food from a garden is needed.
Here’s a recent video update on the garden:
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Has anyone else noticed that whatever the Socialist Left accuses the Constitutional Patriotic Right of doing is actually what they are guilty of?
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Not sure if I’ve shared this before and if I did, well, whatever. I was lucky enough to be given two used large aluminum truck toolboxes. These have seen a lot of use but they shut and can hold supplies. Right now I have them stashed behind our garage where it is shady ALL day. I decided to store extra propane tanks and metal fuel cans.
I’m planning to pick up a few more of those 5-gallon metal gas cans as well as more propane tanks. Currently, We’ve got 10 propane tanks and plan to get more. We also have a 420-pound tank for our propane heater which I’d love to add another. They are not cheap!
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Have a good week everyone!!
Rourke
With seeds , as they develop, I leave a fan on so they get stronger before hardening off outside slowly bringing them in every night over about 2 weeks . But every environment is different we have moved and where we are now the growing season is completely different from our old city where I was successful, feeling like I’m starting from scratch all again .
yea, gardening is far from simple as a person can get. it all depends on where you live and the soil, its a trial and error thing for at least a few years to find out what works and what does not. going to church and meeting the older people in an area will help a lot. ask for advice and it will be freely given, but just remember that they don’t care how you did it ” back there ”
offer them help on their place and they will show you what works for gardens and the lifestyle in your area. they love to show people who are interested. those old people are a wealth of information and community contacts. it worked for me when i moved from the south mohave desert to where i am now 45 yrs ago. every Saturday morning they would come to my house at 5am and ask if if i was going to sleep all day, nope, guess not. i truly miss those old folks here, i could tell ten thousand stories about them. i guess im the old man now.
i had never eaten a homegrown tomatoe or anything from a garden until i was eighteen, really : ) i was hooked, i didn’t know that food could taste that good. i wanted to go back and burn the Safeway down!
im wishing you a quick recovery and don’t push yourself to hard, let things heal first. its not worth having to go through the tube again, yea i know.
Glad to hear you are coming back strong JR. Hey there’s tons of info about killing Horsetail out there but I can’t post links here but here’s an excerpt of one I just visited: Oh, and don’t bother removing all that soil. Way too much work. Cover it and starve it for light while growing in your box beds. After a couple years you can remove the cover and grow in the ground. Oh also the crap likes acidic soil so you can use wood ash or lime to raise the PH. Anyway, here’s the tidbit that I copy / Pasted. Much more out there with simple searches.
Prevent It From Getting Light
Like other plants, horsetail uses the process of photosynthesis to create energy for it’s growth and spread. To do this, it needs access to sunlight.
If you can prevent it from seeing the sun you can control it and eventually cause it to die off.
One way to do this is to cover it in black tarp. This is practical for a small area. But it might not be possible if you have a large area to control.
Cover the area and pin the black tarp down. Then leave it for at least two years to exhaust the plant.
12 months usually isn’t enough to kill horsetail weed. And when you remove the tarp the plant will start to regrow.
A drawback of this weed control method is that it’s only practical in areas where you don’t mind killing all the plants and starting again.
It’s very difficult to use if the horsetail is growing in the middle of your garden with plants you want to keep.
Another way of preventing the plant from photosynthesising is to keep cutting it down at the stem whenever it starts to grow. This weakens the plant over time, eventually causing it to die
But it does take a lot of work. And you need to constantly look out for the new shoots as they grow. And it still takes a couple of years to completely get rid of the horsetail.
An alternative option for denying the plant light is to plant taller plants alongside it. Thick shrubs, big perennials, and tall ferns, are all useful.
Horsetaill thrives in full sun. And it also grows in partial shade. But it doesn’t like deep shade and will weaken over time. It may take two or three years, but eventually it will disappear.
Dig And Sift
If you’re happy to start from scratch in the infested area you can try to kill horsetail weed by digging and sifting.
This is another method that’s most suitable for localized infestations. But it’s not as practical over large areas.
It involves digging up all the horsetail weeds that you find, trying to remove the roots and rhizomes at the same time.
Next remove the soil to a depth of around 1 foot. Put it through a soil sifter with approximately ¼ inch holes in the mesh and take out any leftover bits of rhizomes. Then place the soil back in the area.
Horsetail has a deep root system, so tubers that remain will occasionally sprout. But if you keep an eye out for new plants you can get rid of them before they have a chance to produce rhizomes.
Killing Horsetail With Fire
Killing horsetail with fire can be an effective method. But similar to cutting the plant down, it requires commitment to the process over a period of time.
Using a propane weed torch you can burn and kill the part of the plant that’s above ground.
It won’t stop it from regrowing. So you need to do it whenever you see new shoots appear. Over a few years, you can weaken the plant sufficiently to kill it off.
oops. Forgot to click the little box to see comments and replies. 😉
Love the garden and glad you’re improving! I envy you the blueberries, but unless those are low-bush or wild (if you said, I didn’t hear it; sorry!), you might want to move them before they get any bigger. High-bush blueberries are going to need a bare minimum of 3′ on each side, preferably a bit more than that. To keep the animals away, you’re going to want to sink 4×4’s in the ground, topped with 2×4’s, and then add strawberry netting each Spring on the sides AND the top. Fix a permanent hinged door to one end. Three full-grown bushes are going to need a space at least 8′ wide, 12′ long, 6′-8′ high, if you intend to move around inside the “cage” to pick them. A few birds will manage to get through the netting, but I think it’s still cheaper than rabbit wire or window screen.
Anything the left accused the right of doing they are the ones doing it and this has gone on for years. Good news on your health
i have used cardboard to smother areas before. it worked for me. a person can usually find scrap cardboard at places like hardware stores, they will always rather give it away than deal with it, i get mine from a local Tractor Supply.
PS, the worms love it.