What have you done today in the Garden?

@Logan, are pot marigolds Calendulas? Do they have the same insect repelling / insect toxicity as Tagetes marigolds?

Here was today's project. Moles had undermined the corners of this raised bed. The sides splayed outwards and collapsed, and moles then tunneled through the bed. This fall I emptied out all of the soil, using it for a new raised bed. Today, I smoothed the base and laid down a layer of galvanized fencing, topped by a layer of plastic fencing, that I had on hand from old deer fences. I did have the cement corner blocks held in place with 2-foot rebar. Now they are held by 4-foot rebar, so they shouldn't splay outwards again. After installing the first two rows of boards, I ran galvanized wire from rebar to rebar, for more security, then added the top layer of corners and boards.

Bottom part


Finished


That's enough for today. Next will be sheet plastic liners, so the soil in the beds wont be in contact with the boards. Then I can fill the bed. I will also put in walkways, also with protection from moles.

There is no hurry - The main crop for this bed will be peppers, which I'll probably plant late May or early June. But I like for the soil to mellow, give the supplements I add a chance to meld with the soil, and if possible, grow a crop of late winter vegetables such as radishes, greens, lettuce, bush peas.

 

Cor Daniel, that's impressive - is there no end to your talents?

 

Blimey Well done @Daniel W

I've kept the moles at bay this year by putting a dead one back in their run, They don't like the smell of their deceased friends

 

Thank you @Tetters, so nice of you. These higher raised beds are a nod to my declining talents, or at least declining endurance, agility, and strength. They are so much easier on the gardener - once they are built. I hope they last a long time with minimal maintenance. The other thing they need is clean and repair the drip irrigation system. That can be done any time between now and, say, late June. After the soil is in, of course.

Thank you @Zigs! I didn't know that about using dead moles.

 

Daniel yes they are and I don't know if they work as insect repellent, but I might try it with the Chillies next time.

Looks great at what you're doing, we don't have trouble with moles in our garden but some do.

 

Today I filled the completed raised bed about 1/4 full. It looks fuller but will settle. I have to fill it one bucket at a time.

The mole community had spent the summer partying, and thoroughly mixed the soil from below with the path wood chips above, in the walkways. So I removed that top layer and used that mixture as the bottom layer of the raised bed - about 6 inches deep of the 18 inches total. The rest will be better quality soil. That's enough for today!

Next year the walkways will have some kind of barrier. This year was too much!

 

Nothing today.

 

We are expecting severe cold (for here) soon - down to about 11F (-12C) by current predictions. That doesn't happen often here. I turned off the well water line to the garden faucet, left the garden faucet open, covered it with insulation and downturned rubbish can. The well head is covered with multiple layers of insulation and a tarp, and the well house and hen house have heaters.

I've been adding soil to the last raised bed, and a layer of leaves to feed earthworms and fungi.



The seeds from the Pink Banana Squash are dried out now, so they went into a paper envelope.



The last squash for saving seeds will be a Fordham Zucchini. It's still in the garage and is mostly still green.

 

Hauled another fifteen bucket of soil for the final raised bed, then quit.


My goal is six to ten buckets a day but I'm not disciplined about stopping at six or even ten. Still, at this rate, the bed will have time to settle and mellow and be in use in plenty of time.

There was a deer family behind the woodshed.


They grow so nice and beautiful, and healthy, eating my apple trees down to bare sticks, and other plants!

 

Nothing nearly as ambitious as Daniel W!
We had cleaned out the zinnia bed and tilled it lightly, but hadn't hauled off the spent zinnias. I stood there looking at all those seed heads and thought, "What the heck, if they grow, they grow." I whacked the stems over the hoe handle and shook seeds all over the bed. We may end i[ with a variety of zinnias, or a LOT of pink ones!

 

I did a bit today.

Pruned off all the dead wood on our two acer palmatums.







There's always a lot, as well as "dead ends" on living branches. This might concern some but it's what always happens, every year. Some of the lower branches partially, or completely die off. But they are always replaced by new branches at the top. there's also plenty of new buds forming on the rest of the branches.










Both acers will need a bit of help "balancing" out of the distribution of the branches to achieve the uniformity I like. I'll do this with some garden wire

I pruned our seven wisterias, back to between two to four buds.



The fence behind this one is in a poor state and really needs replacing. but I won't be doing anything with it at the moment as it's covered by next door's creeping ivy which is destroying it. Until they wake up and accept that it's what's causing the damage it can stay as it is. The wisteria is supported on wires stretched between the concrete posts. So doesn't need the wooden panels.
Whilst up on the ladder, I noticed the pergola over the French windows needs one new 6ft cross beam as one is starting to rot. Not a big job. The rest is sound.

 

@Doghouse Riley, your wisteria must be amazing in bloom. I'm doing apple espalier but nothing so elegant.

No garden work here today!

 

I went out to the lottie to check for wind damage and fed the birds. The Bride stayed at home and finished off the peppers. No sneezing for me then.

 

I forgot to say, Daniel how much my Bride liked that foto. She longs for a big snow like that.

 

I have a son who yearns for snow. Makes me wonder why he decided to live in Queensland Oz??