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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
That looks like it. After you gave me the name I did some research and it is considered a deep shade perennial. The way it was coming up is what had me concerned it was more a noxious weed. Under a walnut tree we moved the pavers off to side, the several dozen plants have come up through the cracks in the pavers. I had also assumed the garden was done for the year and hit it was a heavy dose of 10-10-10 fertilizer as I expect to add compost/woodchips before spring. Everything that was in the garden died off due to the heavy dose of the fertilizer. Then these guys popped up all over. I will try to get some better pictures, especially how they are coming through the pavers. If it's the wood chip decomposition you were worried about sucking N out of your soil, you'll still have to add some in the spring after the wood chips, because N leaches really quickly. Also...the deep shade perennials tend to like compost, but not heavy doses of fertilizer. In my experience, they'll do better with really light applications, and they respond well to liquid. I dilute Miracle Grow (or it's commercial equivalent, down to about a quarter of its normal application rate if I add any at all. |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
| My approach, which may not be the best way, is to assume the current ground has not had any type of fertilizer or compost added to it for years and that I need to build a good base. So starting with what I have there I added the 10-10-10 plus some 30-0-0; both of which will be covered by organic matter. My father did tell me that as wood chips break down they absorb nitrogen the first year, which is why I added the extra nitrogen. I've been swamped lately and if all I can do is cover the garden in wood chips I will be happy. The nitrogen already there should help offset what is absorbed. I would like to get a nice layer of compost put down as well but it might be spring before that happens. Then in spring, if I plant anything I can add plant specific fertilizer when I put them in the ground. There are all sorts of plants that are established and just grow, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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About a month ago I posted a message indicating that something slight significance was in the works. I can now make the official announcement. The 3.15 acre project/investment property just grew by 0.64 acres! There was another wooded area next to property. It was landlocked, no easements, split by the creek, and encroached on by another lot. The only real access to it is by the bridge on my property. The previous owner had tried for years to acquire it but was never able to. Early November I received a letter in the mail stating that the estate of the previous owner was seeing if anyone neighboring lot owners were interested in purchasing it. I reviewed my situation and made an offer that night. I offered enough that I hoped they would accept it close quick, as to not get into any type of bidding war or offer/counter offer situation. The property is wooded and overgrown with brush but it creates a very nice buffer between my place and all of the neighbors. The worse case scenario that I thought of was the bad neighbors getting it and causing problems all the way down my property line and with my bridge. One of the expensive houses could have wanted it to extend their back yard, clear everything out, and destroy the buffer zone I had. The price was cheap enough, although there isn't much you can with the land other than enjoy walking through the woods and feel as if no one else is around. My strategy worked and I was able to acquire it. The blue area is the addition. The creek splits it and the small section on the other side of the creek is useless as the lost the green steel building is on filled in their lot to level it all the way to their property line let the berm encroach on the other lot. The hill rises about 15 feet over a 20 foot span but steeper in some areas. Since that happened 20 years ago and under previous owners there is nothing I can legally do about it. Still the extra wooded area is nice to have. 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
My strategy worked and I was able to acquire it. The blue area is the addition. The creek splits it and the small section on the other side of the creek is useless as the lost the green steel building is on filled in their lot to level it all the way to their property line let the berm encroach on the other lot. The hill rises about 15 feet over a 20 foot span but steeper in some areas. Since that happened 20 years ago and under previous owners there is nothing I can legally do about it. Still the extra wooded area is nice to have. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/prop_addition.jpg |
I got screwed in the butt department. -OnlineAllTheTime
I can't imagine being so utterly clueless and then thinking you have a valid point to make in a public forum. -Lumpy196
I can't imagine being so utterly clueless and then thinking you have a valid point to make in a public forum. -Lumpy196
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Originally Posted By MEDIKEIGHTED:
blue area? did i miss a pic? Originally Posted By MEDIKEIGHTED:
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
My strategy worked and I was able to acquire it. The blue area is the addition. The creek splits it and the small section on the other side of the creek is useless as the lost the green steel building is on filled in their lot to level it all the way to their property line let the berm encroach on the other lot. The hill rises about 15 feet over a 20 foot span but steeper in some areas. Since that happened 20 years ago and under previous owners there is nothing I can legally do about it. Still the extra wooded area is nice to have. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/prop_addition.jpg |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
|
Originally Posted By SWIRE: The area outlined by the blue line is the addition. Previously the area outlined by the red line is what I owned. i understood that part, i'm just not seeing a pic with red and blue lines. is it on a previous page or is firefox doing something wonky? never mind. sorry, ghostery wasn't playing nice |
I got screwed in the butt department. -OnlineAllTheTime
I can't imagine being so utterly clueless and then thinking you have a valid point to make in a public forum. -Lumpy196
I can't imagine being so utterly clueless and then thinking you have a valid point to make in a public forum. -Lumpy196
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What an awesome get!
Good timing, when they were wanting to sell, too. Is that an actual old feed mill beside you across that dead end street? |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
|
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Is that an actual old feed mill beside you across that dead end street? |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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. Most of the original belt driven wooden frame milling equipment is still in place. 
|
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
|
This cold snap took me by surprise and the house was definitely not ready for it. I am not running any heat in the house other than in one room. I did turn the water line off at the road, covered the pipe in the yard, and used an air compressor to blow out the lines in the second story. I did not blow out the lines in the first story but I did open all the faucets. Not sure what things will look like when things thaw out. I had turned off the water in the in the one toilet that was used and flushed it empty but the remaining water in the tank and bowl is frozen solid now. I planned on replacing that toilet anyway so not a big deal if it cracks other than water leaking and having to do that project sooner than later. I also forgot that I had left the tank sprayers in the sun room. They are empty but I'm sure there is some amount of residual water in them. Maybe I will get lucky but I might have blown out seals. On a slightly positive note, there is a rumor that the bad and crazy neighbor has moved his stuff out of the building he was leasing/using. I really hope that is true. No more crazy guy waving his gun around or strong chemical smells being vented straight into my back yard if this turns out to be true. |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
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Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Hey, y'all snowed under up there? One of the schools 
Downtown Georgetown looking north 
The house. 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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A couple of updates are coming. Here is a hint of something that should be happening soon. Anyone want to guess? @Kitties-with-Sigs 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
|
I plan to running some experiments with the walnut soil, to see if there is anything that i can do to neutralize the juglone.
The first step is gathering some test soil. This spot should do the trick...  It is located right under a walnut tree. 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
|
The big project that I thought I would have done back in November is mostly complete and might be done for the year depending on how I feel and the remaining weather.
I've always wanted to something in the dirt between the stone wall and sidewalk in front of the entire property. I started on it last year, just to see what I would be working with. As expected I knew it would be full of rocks and bricks making it difficult to dig. Here are pictures from last spring. I had extra tulip bulbs and threw just threw them into the ground to see what happened. For just throwing them in the ground in December they came out really well.  This is a tulip patch with early, mid, and late tulips. Mainly as a test to see how they looked and if they bloomed at different times. It did provide a lot of color all spring but I was really not that happy with it. The early bulbs grew short plants and they looked off. The last bulbs started growing greens at the same time as mid bulbs but then produced smaller flowers after the mid-spring bulbs. So both early and late seem like a waste.  The plan was to plant red tulip bulbs the entire length of the wall. That was before I learned tulips originated up in the mountains and multiply like crazy, to the point you have to dig them out and replant them every 2 to 3 years or they will choke themselves out and not flower. Here I thought I was creating a relatively maintenance free solution but instead gave myself a lot more work. I wanted to cancel the plans but I had already purchased the bulbs. So off to digging I go. Starting on the north side of the wall.  Digging about 6 inches deep.  Added 10-10-10 fertilizer.  Added an inch of compost.  Spacing the bulbs.  Some of the rocks dug up from just that section.  The north wall after it was planted.  Then I started on the south wall. The first step was digging up the 20 tulip bulbs I planted last year. That is where how fast they multiply became apparent. Those 20 bulbs turn into 50 or so smaller bulbs. No one they choke out after 3 years and don't flower.  I wanted to stop right there and just let the north side have flowers. But I still had the bulbs. So off to digging I went. Well trying to dig. There was about 10 times the amount of rock on the south side compared to the north side. Look at the mountain of rocks on the stone wall.  This section of dirt is wider than the north side so I changed the pattern up and put 3 rows of bulbs instead of two. Staggering the bulbs to help it looked filled.  Where I ended up finishing on the south wall. I made it to the trees. I doubt tulips will do well in nearly 100% shade. I still have bulbs and might try planting them anyway. 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
|
When I was digging the south wall I got to the section where the waterline crosses as it comes from the street. There are two meter connections at the street but only one is used. At one point the house was rented to two different people, the two story was one unit and the single store was the other. They had separate water and natural gas lines run to each side.
Since I knew the water line needed to be replaced I wanted to see what I would be working with near the street. Apparently after they stopped renting the house as two units, the owner got rid of one meter and put a T in the remaining line. This is news to me. I have no idea where the other pipe leaving the T goes. It is also galvanized pipe and can leak at any time as well. As if this house project didn't have enough work already without trying to track down where a mystery water pipe goes. If I replace the entire pipe to street I can just cut it out and not worry about it...but I'm still curious as to where the pipe goes. Below is a picture of the water line as it comes out from under the sidewalk. The pipe at the street is copper and I know they put about a 4 foot pipe on it. I am hoping that second white pipe sleeve that goes under the sidewalk is a compression fitting to that copper pipe. If so I can dig around it and will not have to tear out the sidewalk to connect to it. 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
|
One the back side of the house I've been trying to clear out the honey suckle and other brush.
From the back of the house this is what it looked like when I bought the place.   It is winter now so the leaves are gone which will make it look less full but it is still possible to tell how much of the yard has been cleaned up.  Then down by the fire pit I'm clearing out brush next to it all they way down to the creek. I know I have more pictures on that project. I'll post another update when I can find them and get more of the area cleaned up. 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
|
Originally Posted By Nykus:
Subscribed. This is an awesome thread! |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
The big project that I thought I would have done back in November is mostly complete and might be done for the year depending on how I feel and the remaining weather. I've always wanted to something in the dirt between the stone wall and sidewalk in front of the entire property. I started on it last year, just to see what I would be working with. As expected I knew it would be full of rocks and bricks making it difficult to dig. Here are pictures from last spring. I had extra tulip bulbs and threw just threw them into the ground to see what happened. For just throwing them in the ground in December they came out really well. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/spring_2017.jpg This is a tulip patch with early, mid, and late tulips. Mainly as a test to see how they looked and if they bloomed at different times. It did provide a lot of color all spring but I was really not that happy with it. The early bulbs grew short plants and they looked off. The last bulbs started growing greens at the same time as mid bulbs but then produced smaller flowers after the mid-spring bulbs. So both early and late seem like a waste. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/front/tulip_patch_spring_2017_4_05.jpg The plan was to plant red tulip bulbs the entire length of the wall. That was before I learned tulips originated up in the mountains and multiply like crazy, to the point you have to dig them out and replant them every 2 to 3 years or they will choke themselves out and not flower. Here I thought I was creating a relatively maintenance free solution but instead gave myself a lot more work. I wanted to cancel the plans but I had already purchased the bulbs. So off to digging I go. Starting on the north side of the wall. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips1.jpg Digging about 6 inches deep. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_6inch.jpg Added 10-10-10 fertilizer. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_fertilizer.jpg Added an inch of compost. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_compost.jpg Spacing the bulbs. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_bulbs.jpg Some of the rocks dug up from just that section. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_rocks.jpg The north wall after it was planted. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_wall.jpg Then I started on the south wall. The first step was digging up the 20 tulip bulbs I planted last year. That is where how fast they multiply became apparent. Those 20 bulbs turn into 50 or so smaller bulbs. No one they choke out after 3 years and don't flower. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/tulip_bulb_multipy.jpg I wanted to stop right there and just let the north side have flowers. But I still had the bulbs. So off to digging I went. Well trying to dig. There was about 10 times the amount of rock on the south side compared to the north side. Look at the mountain of rocks on the stone wall. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_southwall.jpg This section of dirt is wider than the north side so I changed the pattern up and put 3 rows of bulbs instead of two. Staggering the bulbs to help it looked filled. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_southwall_pattern.jpg Where I ended up finishing on the south wall. I made it to the trees. I doubt tulips will do well in nearly 100% shade. I still have bulbs and might try planting them anyway. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/frontwall/prepping_for_tulips_southwall1.jpg They will be up and the foliage will gather sun enough before the trees put out, to give you blooms. No, not as many as the full sun, because tulips build their builb AFTER the bloom, with the foliage that is still there. Also, depending on your weather each year, you may want to know that, at least HERE, tulips get treated like an annual, because the summer heat happens so early that the tulips can't build the bulb, so eventually they peter out. So you get a two-fisted hit. They do multiply quickly, and require taking up and dividing now and then. But also, they need six weeks of relatively cool weather AFTER the bloom fades, to build the bulb for next year. You know that here in Kentucky we don't always get that. Still, I suspect Lexington is better than we are. You're at least half a zone cooler than down here I *think*. Tulips are worth it, to me. There is nothing like that glory in spring, after a long winter. I, for one, would vote for exactly what you did in the big bed with the early, mid, and late tulips. If you want to be happier with that, try mixing in some other bulbs like allium, snowdrops, crocus, and mid to late blooming narcissus varieties. That will help give more interest in the big bed of "I'm done already" foliage as the season moves along. If you want suggestions for other cottage garden-type "old-fashioned" flowers that would be in keeping with your house age and style, you can holler. I think, honestly, you've got this, though. Your planting method is excellent, by the way--staggering the bulbs that way. Far, far better than lining them up like little soldiers, which never looks natural. ETA: Tulips do pretty well under walnut trees, btw. They won't last too long, but they'll give you a couple of seasons if you rake and mulch with something else. I was surprised at how tolerant they are. Some varieties are more tolerant than others. Daffodils (narcissus) however, are your dear, dear friend when it comes to juglone. As are iris, and I have some other tolerant varieties of perennial when you're ready to plant. |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
When I was digging the south wall I got to the section where the waterline crosses as it comes from the street. There are two meter connections at the street but only one is used. At one point the house was rented to two different people, the two story was one unit and the single store was the other. They had separate water and natural gas lines run to each side. Since I knew the water line needed to be replaced I wanted to see what I would be working with near the street. Apparently after they stopped renting the house as two units, the owner got rid of one meter and put a T in the remaining line. This is news to me. I have no idea where the other pipe leaving the T goes. It is also galvanized pipe and can leak at any time as well. As if this house project didn't have enough work already without trying to track down where a mystery water pipe goes. If I replace the entire pipe to street I can just cut it out and not worry about it...but I'm still curious as to where the pipe goes. Below is a picture of the water line as it comes out from under the sidewalk. The pipe at the street is copper and I know they put about a 4 foot pipe on it. I am hoping that second white pipe sleeve that goes under the sidewalk is a compression fitting to that copper pipe. If so I can dig around it and will not have to tear out the sidewalk to connect to it. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/plumbing/waterline_at_sidewalk.jpg |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
A couple of updates are coming. Here is a hint of something that should be happening soon. Anyone want to guess? @Kitties-with-Sigs http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/equipment/hint.jpg |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
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Originally Posted By FZJ80:
Is that pretty typical for a Kentucky winter? Snow wise, or lack of? This past snow, for us, was what I'd call a "medium" snow--4-6" here. Not sure what Swire got. He is about 2.5-3 hours northeast of where I live. Some years what we get is a lot of thick ice. We've been spared that down here (Bowling Green area) in recent years, but I think Swire's area in Lexington has gotten bad ice since we did. I'd rather have the deep snow, because the trees can handle that. The heavy, thick ice is devastating. |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
|
Originally Posted By FZJ80:
Is that pretty typical for a Kentucky winter? Snow wise, or lack of? Most winters I can count on near 60 degree days between Christmas and New Years or fairly close to that period. Not this year. We had about a week of 20 or below which I've never seen before. I run a heat pump for heat and it can keep up when temps are 40 or higher, starts loosing ground between 30 and 40, and really doesn't do anything below 30. Most winters the day time temp will hit 40 and the house will be warm by the afternoon and then dip cooler over night providing a little supplemental heat. This year I had to turn the heat pump off and ran the gas furnace for 10 days straight. But snow fall is typical this year. |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
No clue. Though you were talking about some kind of skid steer or hoe I think, weren't you? Is it that? Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
A couple of updates are coming. Here is a hint of something that should be happening soon. Anyone want to guess? @Kitties-with-Sigs http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/equipment/hint.jpg |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
|
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Tulips are worth it, to me. There is nothing like that glory in spring, after a long winter. I, for one, would vote for exactly what you did in the big bed with the early, mid, and late tulips. If you want to be happier with that, try mixing in some other bulbs like allium, snowdrops, crocus, and mid to late blooming narcissus varieties. That will help give more interest in the big bed of "I'm done already" foliage as the season moves along. If you want suggestions for other cottage garden-type "old-fashioned" flowers that would be in keeping with your house age and style, you can holler. I think, honestly, you've got this, though. Your planting method is excellent, by the way--staggering the bulbs that way. Far, far better than lining them up like little soldiers, which never looks natural. ETA: Tulips do pretty well under walnut trees, btw. They won't last too long, but they'll give you a couple of seasons if you rake and mulch with something else. I was surprised at how tolerant they are. Some varieties are more tolerant than others. Daffodils (narcissus) however, are your dear, dear friend when it comes to juglone. As are iris, and I have some other tolerant varieties of perennial when you're ready to plant. Can daffodils be planted with tulips? It seems like they would compete for the space. Ideally I would like something relatively maintenance free between the wall and sidewalk. I thought bulbs might be answer, at least for spring time but now it seems they might not be. The crocus failed and I planted allium as well with poor results. I might just follow what Louisville does and plant cold weather annuals very early in the spring and then plant a different set in early fall. What other tolerant perennials do you suggest? The big tulip patch is in the middle of the front yard, there should be minimum if any juglone in that soil. Yet all but the mid-season tulips did poorly. The big tulip patch will get moved eventually. There was a dead tree strump there that had mostly rotted and created a hole in the yard that was difficult to mow, so I filled it in with extra bulbs. |
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
What Kittie said. I've been here 17 winters, most we get 1 - 3 inches of snow when it snows and it melts completely in 2 to 3 days. A couple winters in a row recently we were getting 10 and 12 inches of snow, which melted completely about 10 days after. That was rare. Some winters where the snow doesn't even stick. This year the temperature has been 12 degrees colder than normal but not much snow; however, wet roads with very cold temperatures creates ice that doesn't melt until it warms. That closes businesses and schools. We've had a few bad ice storms over those years but other than 2002 nothing too terrible. Most winters I can count on near 60 degree days between Christmas and New Years or fairly close to that period. Not this year. We had about a week of 20 or below which I've never seen before. I run a heat pump for heat and it can keep up when temps are 40 or higher, starts loosing ground between 30 and 40, and really doesn't do anything below 30. Most winters the day time temp will hit 40 and the house will be warm by the afternoon and then dip cooler over night providing a little supplemental heat. This year I had to turn the heat pump off and ran the gas furnace for 10 days straight. But snow fall is typical this year. I also remember another, a few years earlier, when it did that. I was ten I think, and I could walk on top of the snow pack because the crust was so hard. My dad would break through. We'd go to feed the cows and I still remember the look on his face as he'd crunch-drop through, crunch-drop-through with each step, while I was skating along on top of the whole thing, laughing because I had the advantage by being so little (I was always small for my age.) My mom turned 90 in October. Interestingly enough, she told me once that she can remember three of these "cold/deep snow winter cycles in her lifetime. She says it lasts a few years, then it warms back up, then we get the cold cycle again. I've seen two already in my life. It was nearly always cold and snowy from mid-december through the end of the year when I was a little kid. Then when I was a teenager, it got to where it would be 70 at Christmas, which everybody thought was really weird. then in college, the cold winters hit again, and we had those for a few years running. Lately we've had what I call warmer winters up until the last four or five, when it's gone back to the "yeah, we get a few snows each year and two or three weeks of deep cold." Because you never realize you're in "a cycle" until much later, I can't remember precisely how long they lasted, and my mom's memory is not that sharp now either. |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
I could use some input on what would work with tulips. The tulips from last spring existed because I was in a Home Depot and they had bulbs 50% off. I bought them to throw them in the ground to see how they do and for a bit of color. There was zero planning, other than learning the bulb spacing. I did plant crocus in the big tulip patch. Either the squirrels got most of them due to be planting a few inches deep or they just failed to produce. The few crocus that I did see seemed to have flowers teh size of a nickle and the plants were about 1 inch tall. Very disappointing. Can daffodils be planted with tulips? It seems like they would compete for the space. Ideally I would like something relatively maintenance free between the wall and sidewalk. I thought bulbs might be answer, at least for spring time but now it seems they might not be. The crocus failed and I planted allium as well with poor results. I might just follow what Louisville does and plant cold weather annuals very early in the spring and then plant a different set in early fall. What other tolerant perennials do you suggest? The big tulip patch is in the middle of the front yard, there should be minimum if any juglone in that soil. Yet all but the mid-season tulips did poorly. The big tulip patch will get moved eventually. There was a dead tree strump there that had mostly rotted and created a hole in the yard that was difficult to mow, so I filled it in with extra bulbs. |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
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Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Do you mean between the house wall and the walk to the front door? Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
I could use some input on what would work with tulips. The tulips from last spring existed because I was in a Home Depot and they had bulbs 50% off. I bought them to throw them in the ground to see how they do and for a bit of color. There was zero planning, other than learning the bulb spacing. I did plant crocus in the big tulip patch. Either the squirrels got most of them due to be planting a few inches deep or they just failed to produce. The few crocus that I did see seemed to have flowers teh size of a nickle and the plants were about 1 inch tall. Very disappointing. Can daffodils be planted with tulips? It seems like they would compete for the space. Ideally I would like something relatively maintenance free between the wall and sidewalk. I thought bulbs might be answer, at least for spring time but now it seems they might not be. The crocus failed and I planted allium as well with poor results. I might just follow what Louisville does and plant cold weather annuals very early in the spring and then plant a different set in early fall. What other tolerant perennials do you suggest? The big tulip patch is in the middle of the front yard, there should be minimum if any juglone in that soil. Yet all but the mid-season tulips did poorly. The big tulip patch will get moved eventually. There was a dead tree strump there that had mostly rotted and created a hole in the yard that was difficult to mow, so I filled it in with extra bulbs. In the imaginary world in my mind, one type of flower would come up late winter, tulips would then take over, then either a different type of foliage or flower would be there during the summer, and something else comes up in the fall. That way there would be something visually there but changing all year. Since the space is tight I don't see how this would be possible and look good. The only way I see it working would be treat all the bulbs as annuals like you said, and completely replant them in sequence every year and plant annuals in between. I might get to that point some day when I have the time to work the flower bed that much. Right now if I could get 2 or 3 of those working together I would be happy. For example the crocus seem like they should work with the Tulips but I had terrible results. Is there a shorter cold weather flower that I can plant above the tulip bulbs that fill in the late winter/very early spring time frame like crocus were supposed to do? There are Daffodils the come up in the back yard on their own late winter but they would get planted at same depth as tulips and compete for the space. Is there something that would come up after the tulips had bloomed and the foliage died off? Planting annuals would probably be the easiest route but I have no experience growing them in mass quantities and buying them in mass quantities would be expensive. |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Anyone notice anything different in the back yard? My latest acquisition to help with my projects. A 1986 John Deere 850 loader tractor with a model 8 backhoe. It has 2,100 hours and looks like it was used by a utility company. I was really wanting a 4 wheel drive but this is only a 2 wheel drive with a 25hp diesel. One night last week I was bit bored and pulled up Craigslist to browse when I saw the tractor. It has what I wanted, other than 4 wheel drive, and the price was almost too good. I looked at it the next day and put a deposit down on it. I picked it up 2 days later and the guy said he had a list of people wanting to buy it if I backed out. Projects like moving that huge black cherry log in the middle of the back yard and digging up the water line in my front yard are now possible. The guy also had a 1050 with 4 wheel drive. That tractor would run the backhoe a lot better. However, that tractor is bigger and a lot louder. I needed a balance of power and size, something that didn't tear up the yard and could get into tight spaces around the house. The 850 met that the best.   
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
Anyone notice anything different in the back yard? My latest acquisition to help with my projects. A 1986 John Deere 850 loader tractor with a model 8 backhoe. It has 2,100 hours and looks like it was used by a utility company. I was really wanting a 4 wheel drive but this is only a 2 wheel drive with a 25hp diesel. One night last week I was bit bored and pulled up Craigslist to browse when I saw the tractor. It has what I wanted, other than 4 wheel drive, and the price was almost too good. I looked at it the next day and put a deposit down on it. I picked it up 2 days later and the guy said he had a list of people wanting to buy it if I backed out. Projects like moving that huge black cherry log in the middle of the back yard and digging up the water line in my front yard are now possible. The guy also had a 1050 with 4 wheel drive. That tractor would run the backhoe a lot better. However, that tractor is bigger and a lot louder. I needed a balance of power and size, something that didn't tear up the yard and could get into tight spaces around the house. The 850 met that the best. http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/equipment/tractor_850.jpg http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/equipment/tractor_850_front.jpg http://www.afterhourtechs.com/millspring/equipment/tractor_850_backhoe.jpg 
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RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
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Crud.
Swire, I just realized that you are just now planting bulbs. You may get reduced performance from anything planted after about the first of December. Sometimes you get lucky. I've had wonderful luck some years with Narcissus. But sometimes the bulbs blast (It's actually called that, bulb blast) if you wait too late. When I said go ahead and plant the rest...well...you have them, so unless you plant, you're for certain not gonna get anything. But tulips are already coming up, so you may or may not get a yield on those, and only you can decide whether it's worth the labor to try. I'm sorry Im' slow on the garden thoughts for that big bed. I'm running pretty hard and that'll take some actual brain power on my part. I suspect you'll go with the way it is for this spring anyhow, and get the pretty blooms out of it. But next fall you can renovate pull those bulbs, have some for other spots, and redo that bed with tulips, daffodils and lots of other stuff. |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
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Originally Posted By jake-cutter:
So when do you start digging up the water line? |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Crud. Swire, I just realized that you are just now planting bulbs. You may get reduced performance from anything planted after about the first of December. Sometimes you get lucky. I've had wonderful luck some years with Narcissus. But sometimes the bulbs blast (It's actually called that, bulb blast) if you wait too late. When I said go ahead and plant the rest...well...you have them, so unless you plant, you're for certain not gonna get anything. But tulips are already coming up, so you may or may not get a yield on those, and only you can decide whether it's worth the labor to try. I'm sorry Im' slow on the garden thoughts for that big bed. I'm running pretty hard and that'll take some actual brain power on my part. I suspect you'll go with the way it is for this spring anyhow, and get the pretty blooms out of it. But next fall you can renovate pull those bulbs, have some for other spots, and redo that bed with tulips, daffodils and lots of other stuff. Any predictions for the spring? Skunks are just now coming out to mate, normally that happens mid-January here. That suggests a late spring. But birds are migrating north already. The damn vultures are back and ducks/geese are flying north west. Birds are dumb though; I trust the skunks more. So I'm hoping 6 more weeks of cold and then it flips to a spring that stays consistently warm. |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
| Meanwhile on the garden front, I just bought some lumber to build racks for my seed trays and grow lights. I try to get seeds going by March 1st, which is probably too early but some years I do get delayed. I also want to run my experiments on juglone soil, so I need to a decent setup. I will post pictures of that once I get it going. |
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
Yeah, the bulb planting is not ideal. I bought them back in October but work was crazy September through December and I had not time for projects, then we had 10 days were it never got above freezing. The bulbs were exposed to the cold temps though, which is supposed to be what is needed to shock/trigger them into blooming. I do have them, so I'm just trying to get them in the ground. If there is 6 more weeks of cold I think they will turn out ok. If March is warm then all bets are off. Any predictions for the spring? Skunks are just now coming out to mate, normally that happens mid-January here. That suggests a late spring. But birds are migrating north already. The damn vultures are back and ducks/geese are flying north west. Birds are dumb though; I trust the skunks more. So I'm hoping 6 more weeks of cold and then it flips to a spring that stays consistently warm. It's skunk season here too---just started. I've smelled two so far that have been hit so they're moving. Heard geese flying north last night here. Saw a couple of bunches the other day when we were on the road to Chattanooga. Some years geese stay around here pretty much all winter. While I agree on a lot of birds being kinda dumb, I actually think those particular birds are not dumb at all, but they take cold a lot better than I do.
Saw a bluebird in the yard a couple of weeks ago--but honestly, it's time they usually start nesting--February. Hard to believe it's freaking FEBRUARY. 
I am so behind I can see my own ass. |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
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The tulips have been planted in front of the entire stone wall. From the last count I had it was 1,600 tulip bulbs. Some of the bulbs were not looking very good, so I'm not sure what type of results I will get. The bulbs I planted the other week looked good going in the ground and the couple that I dug up had already sprouted some nice roots. If there is an early spring I would expect poor results from the ones I just planted.
I still have some bulbs from another variety that I want to get in the ground. They will go above and just behind the stone wall. It should be fairly easy to get those in the ground. I also used the tractor for something tonight. The large black cherry tree that I had cut down a little over a year ago had one end touching the dirt which is known to be full of termites. I hoped they would stay away given the minimum contact. Tonight I used the bucket to lift it up and put some stone blocks under it. Of course termites were the first thing I saw in the dirt where the tree had been. There is no telling how much of the log they got into. It is just a matter of time before they build a tunnel up the side of the rock to get back to the log. But hopefully that will buy me a bit of time. I'm actually hoping that I can borrow a friends trailer as soon as it is dry and get the log to a local mill and have it cut. I'm not sure if the wood will be good enough for anything, half the middle was deteriorating before I had it cut down.   Also the buzzards are back. 
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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See if you can find someone with one of those portable sawmills that could come to your place. Also, seal the ends of that log if you haven't already. Helps prevent cracking because the ends dry quicker than the middle. |
"You know how butt ugly people are said to have hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree.
Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
Well, the dumbass tree done drilled you in the butt and laid eggs in ya." -RJinks
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Originally Posted By rcav8r:
See if you can find someone with one of those portable sawmills that could come to your place. Also, seal the ends of that log if you haven't already. Helps prevent cracking because the ends dry quicker than the middle. There is a lumber mill maybe 5 miles away. I'm not sure one of the portable setups would be able to handle as big of a log that I have. The bucket on my tractor couldn't pick up the entire log. I have a friend with a trailer that I should be able to side it on and get to the mill. |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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So spring might be here early and I may be screwed on my tulip bulbs. I walked through the yard today and noticed that Daffodils in the back yard are about 4 inches tall now and then I checked the tulip patch in the front yard and noticed the early variety tulips are about 3 inches tall. The square tulip patch in the middle of the front yard. That section is the early spring tulips.  In the back yard I had a few minutes to show my brother around and we checked out if the backhoe on my tractor would be able to dig out the huge black cherry tree stump. It is about 36" in diameter at the base. It looks like the backhoe will be capable of doing the job. It busted out a root that was 2.5" in diameter. This backhoe is a lost stronger than the one on the Teramite that I rented. It will still take effort but a few hours and I should be able to have the stump out. There was a 36" bucket for that backhoe on eBay for only $300 and I missed it. It would cost $250 to $300 more to get it shipped to me. I hesitated because of the freight shipping and missed out. To move dirt I really need a bucket like that. I have several projects that could utilize that size of a bucket but they aren't immediate projects. So I have time to find another one. 
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Don't give up on the tulips.
Even "early" tulips, planted late, can still come up--later--and give a good show. You may not get years and years out of them, but that's okay. The definition of "garden" is "never stop learning" for most of us. To me, this is the normal time for daffs and tulips to emerge, but that's a lifetime of watching for those heads to poke out of the ground. As long as the bud is tight, they can take a good freeze. Not down to zero, but maybe we won't get that again this season. |
RIP Mauser1
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.~~The Lorax
|
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Don't give up on the tulips. Next up is getting some seeds started for other flowers. Some of those are about 6 weeks late in getting planted already. After I get some of the seeds planted I need to build a shelving system for plants and lights. |
Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.