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4/19/2019 9:17:37 AM EDT
[#1]
Quote History
Originally Posted By rcav8r:
I guess you could dig them up, toss the small bulbs and replant the bigger ones. Lot of work though.
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Yeah lots of work.  I would like to get soil worked to the point that it is rock free and loosely bound.  That would make it a lot easier to dig everything out.  My first pass through required a pick ax just to break the soil up.
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.
4/19/2019 9:19:20 AM EDT
[#2]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Ah, shoot.  It faded.

Those pieces would make gorgeous clocks, if you found a way to keep them red.
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Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Ah, shoot.  It faded.

Those pieces would make gorgeous clocks, if you found a way to keep them red.
I pulled the logs up near my house.  I will play around with it to see if can find a way to get the color to stay.  It might just be the sun UV rays that faded it.  A UV protective coating might be all that is needed.
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.
4/19/2019 9:20:32 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote History
Originally Posted By 13starsinax:

That wood you cut, if you wet it does the color come back?
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That red color is gone and nothing will bring it back.  That piece was exposed to direct sun light all day long though.
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.
4/19/2019 7:57:25 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:

That red color is gone and nothing will bring it back.  That piece was exposed to direct sun light all day long though.  
View Quote
Red is known to fade as a a rule, so your theory of UV may be exactly right.
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day in the cool of the pool, he was splashing ~~Dr. Seuss
4/21/2019 9:54:17 PM EDT
[Last Edit: SWIRE][Edited] [#5]
My skills with my tractor, loader, and backhoe are improving.  I'm able to remove small trees with one or two bucket movements now, instead of 10 or so like I was doing.  I also figured out how to use the loader to remove honeysuckle bushes.

The area pictured below is an area of the property that I've only been through once because the brush and honeysuckle were so thick that it was miserable to try to walk through it.  That problem is now solved.  I still have some more clean up work to do but it is a huge improvement.  I could actually feel the wind blowing through the area afterwards.  This should make a huge dent in the mosquito population.

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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.
4/22/2019 8:31:51 AM EDT
[#6]
Been following your thread for a long time SWIRE.
You folks have done an amazing amount of work!!
The more you open it up the drier it will be.
This will help with 'skeeters and general comfort.
Great Job!! Enjoy the updates. Thanks..
The 12 year old you take shooting today will VOTE in 6 years.
So will the one that doesn't shoot so do the right thing
4/22/2019 12:39:00 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote History
Originally Posted By FN64GR:
Been following your thread for a long time SWIRE.
You folks have done an amazing amount of work!!
The more you open it up the drier it will be.
This will help with 'skeeters and general comfort.
Great Job!! Enjoy the updates. Thanks..
View Quote
Thanks for following along and the positive comments.  Initially I was using a chainsaw to cut out each Honeysuckle bush and then dragged it by hand to brush pile.  That worked but took a long time.  Initially I wasn't able to get the loader bucket to get the bushes out of the ground.  I could knock them over but that was it.  Now I've learned how to knock them over and then have the bucket catch part of the roots on the second pass.  It has been really wet the past year which probably helps.

The next new task that I will be working on is buying a roofing harness and at least patching the second story roof.  The existing shingles were made cheap, many have broken off, and the grit just slides right off.  It is to the point that any step on the roof is met with the grit coming off and turning into little rollers that cause me to slide down the roof.  I also need to buy some roofing jacks to work off of.   I will start with patching and see how that goes.  Then I might come back and slap another layer of shingles down over the existing layer.  Most of the sheeting is in good shape.  The shingles suggest that 20 year shingles were put on it about 30 years ago.
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.
4/24/2019 9:09:12 AM EDT
[#8]
Very cool man.
4/25/2019 11:43:19 AM EDT
[#9]
Good work!  That needed cleaning out.

I am envious of your new skill with the backhoe.
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day in the cool of the pool, he was splashing ~~Dr. Seuss
4/25/2019 10:51:23 PM EDT
[#10]
An example of walnut tree roots.  The distance between the new fruit trees is 14 feet and the one root covers that distance.  The roots for walnuts are very thick, about 2/3 the size of the trunk and very long.  I still have two more walnut trees to cut down.  One is smaller than this one but one is a little bit larger.  Once those are down I can finally plant the 2 apples trees that I've had in containers for 2 years now.

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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.
4/25/2019 11:01:43 PM EDT
[#11]
Another project that I have been working on is getting a tree out of the creek.  A medium size tree snapped off, trunk still hanging on to where it broke, and the top branches leaning on the other side of the creek bank.

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There were several branches that required inching out on the log over the waterfall and cutting, hoping that the tree wouldn't shift when I did.  You can see several of the cuts in the picture below after I got the log out of the creek.

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A side shot to show the length of the log.

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This set wouldn't be complete without a shot of the waterfall .  The days of the honeysuckle in the picture are numbered.

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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.
4/28/2019 9:39:48 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote History
Originally Posted By lokt:
This is particularly timely as I was reading the thread Friday night, had a bed prepped to seed on Saturday with a bunch of coneflower and black eyed Susan seeds my dad gave me.  Will follow this and plant after scarifying.
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Quote History
Originally Posted By lokt:
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
The yellow flower that grows on the property is variety of Rudbeckia.  From what I could find there are close to 50 varieties.  One website shows what the seeds look like.  That puts the closest match as either "Rudbeckia maxima" aka Great Coneflower or "Rudbeckia laciniata" Wild Golden Glow.  Since the flowers grow in the shade my seeds could be smaller due to that or it is another variety.

I still have had near zero luck getting the seeds to germinate.  From what I have been reading the seeds are not supposed to be covered with dirt, just pressed into the surface and exposed to light to germinate.  I've done that and got nothing.  I also buried them at multiple depths and nothing.  I've kept them in a humidity dome and I've left them open but got nothing.  I have two containers that something sprouted in but I didn't label it so I don't know.  Looking at seedlings for Rudbeckia they look similar.  There was one batch of seeds that I put through a cold stratify process.  These might be those seeds.  Researching more I found that it is recommended to cold stratify Rudbeckia seeds or at least scarify and soak them before planting.  The process is supposed to be done for 30 days but the batch I did was only in the refrigerator about 5 days.

A great article on cold stratifying seeds with a couple ways to do it.  https://www.americanmeadows.com/blog/2018/03/07/how-to-cold-stratify-seeds/

The seeds from my flowers.
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/flower_seeds_jpg-872119.JPG

Great Coneflower
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/great_coneflower_JPG-872120.JPG

Wild Golden Glow

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/wild_golden_glow_JPG-872121.JPG
This is particularly timely as I was reading the thread Friday night, had a bed prepped to seed on Saturday with a bunch of coneflower and black eyed Susan seeds my dad gave me.  Will follow this and plant after scarifying.
@lokt

I did a germination test based on different ways of stratifying and scarifying.  I was surprised that the best result was simply putting the seeds in a moist medium and leaving them in the fridge with no scarifying.  I tried it with and without, using a apple cider vinegar acid batch, sand paper, cycling them between the freezer and the fridge, hot water bathes...etc.  The results speak for themselves, just keep them moist and cool for a minimum of 4 weeks.  None of the shortcut methods seem to work well.

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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.
5/6/2019 2:18:47 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
Another project that I have been working on is getting a tree out of the creek.  A medium size tree snapped off, trunk still hanging on to where it broke, and the top branches leaning on the other side of the creek bank.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/tree_creek_jpg-924873.JPG

There were several branches that required inching out on the log over the waterfall and cutting, hoping that the tree wouldn't shift when I did.  You can see several of the cuts in the picture below after I got the log out of the creek.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/tree_creek_out_jpg-924874.JPG

A side shot to show the length of the log.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/tree_creek_side_jpg-924876.JPG

This set wouldn't be complete without a shot of the waterfall .  The days of the honeysuckle in the picture are numbered.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/waterfall_jpg-924877.JPG
View Quote
Apple/Rosaceae family  is one of the most sensitive to Juglone.

I'm just saying that you may want to wait a bit before planting anything that costs any amount of significant money.

No reason to reinvent the wheel if you already know that Rose family plants (apple) will die from contact with juglone.

Maybe give it a couple of years to wash out of the soil?
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day in the cool of the pool, he was splashing ~~Dr. Seuss
5/6/2019 8:36:31 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:

Apple/Rosaceae family  is one of the most sensitive to Juglone.

I'm just saying that you may want to wait a bit before planting anything that costs any amount of significant money.

No reason to reinvent the wheel if you already know that Rose family plants (apple) will die from contact with juglone.

Maybe give it a couple of years to wash out of the soil?
View Quote
There are still so many walnut trees around the area that it isn't going to matter.  The approach I took was to add new soil on top of the old soil and put the fruit trees in that.  I will be adding more soil around them.  If that doesn't work then nothing will and I will have to give up on the goal to have an orchard of my own.  Better to know now and crush that hope sooner than later.

This project has lost a lot of appeal due to bad neighbors, walnut trees, and a plan that was drafted by the city to take 2/3 of the land and turn it into a park.  The city is nowhere close to being able to follow through on their plan, they would need to buy a dozen houses up on the side street first before they got to my property.  But the idea that the city wants to take my land at some point and put a parking lot and public area in my backyard really kills any desire to improve the land.  I'm not giving up on it yet.
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/6/2019 8:48:12 AM EDT
[#15]
The last 2 small walnut trees that I am cutting down.  This one was about 4 inches in diameter.  With these two trees removed the central area should be free from walnut trees but the land slopes towards the center and everywhere else there are still large walnut trees.  It is probably a fools errand to try to put an orchard here it is the best spot that I have.

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Then like a fool I cut the tree up from the wrong side and covered the new dirt in walnut sawdust.  I promptly scraped off all the sawdust and remove it.

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5/6/2019 9:01:12 AM EDT
[Last Edit: SWIRE][Edited] [#16]
Another fools errand is growing tomatoes anywhere on the property.  Last fall I picked up the few tomatoes that were actually produced, let them deteriorate, removed the seeds, and then planted the seeds earlier this year.  I knew I had some heirloom varieties in the garden but I don't remember which ones or if they produced.  The plants that grew from the seeds took all different forms.  The goal is to find a variety that is more tolerant of juglone than others.

Some of the plants looked odd.  The leafs were almost round instead of the typical tomato leaf.  When I went to plant it I got stuck by thorns.  It has to be a tomato plant as I only picked tomato fruit, kept it separate from everything else, and planted only tomato seeds.  It has to be one of the parents of a hybrid that I planted last year.  I'm assuming the thorny variety is the part that provides better disease resistance.

Here is one of the plants. It looks a little odd but some varieties of tomatoes have oblong potato leaves.  You can sort of the see the thorns but they don't look that bad.  Let me get closer and adjust the lighting.

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The main stem looks like a tomato plant but nothing else does.

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Some close ups of the thorns.

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Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/6/2019 6:33:35 PM EDT
[#17]
How is that Deere 850 with the loader?  I've got a 750 (no loader), but I'm looking to get a 950 or 1050 with a loader this summer.

That backhoe would get me into trouble.
"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

L.P. Hartley
5/6/2019 11:40:55 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote History
Originally Posted By FZJ80:
How is that Deere 850 with the loader?  I've got a 750 (no loader), but I'm looking to get a 950 or 1050 with a loader this summer.

That backhoe would get me into trouble.
View Quote
@FZJ80

It is my understanding the 750, 850, and 950 all have the same hydraulic pump.  With the 1050 they put in a stronger pump and larger hydraulic lines.  The one forum said I would need to run my 850 at near PTO rpms to get the power the 1050 has at low rpms.  The 850 is perfect for my few acres.  That said I'm maxing out the functionality of it.  The hydraulics might be able to lift 2,000 pounds in the bucket.  I have a 12' log that is 32" in diameter, some days the bucket can lift one end a couple feet and some days it can't.  I've been trying to move it but it is putting a severe strain on the tractor.  The bucket itself seems way too small at least compared to what I grew up with.  If you want power, lifting capacity, and a larger bucket the 1050 is the better model.

If I take the backhoe off I have almost zero traction due the turf tires and bucket being heavy on the front.  You would need some type of weight on the back of a 950 and probably the 1050 to safely haul heavy loads in the bucket.  I went with turf tires because I have a relatively small area to work and didn't want to chew up the grass with tractor tire treads.  The turf tires work well for sparing the grass but they have very limited traction and I wouldn't recommend them for any type of real work.  I barely made it up the hill in my back yard the the other day and that was with the differential lock engaged.

The backhoe is great.  With the smaller hydraulic pump it doesn't have as much power as I would hope for but it is still decent. Right now it is about a 50/50 split on using the loader bucket or the backhoe to clear the land.  I found out the loader bucket cannot get me unstuck, it just doesn't have the power to push the tractor.  The backhoe bucket curl power is strong enough to move the tractor around and get me unstuck.
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/7/2019 7:42:58 PM EDT
[#19]
@swire

Does the 850 have power steering?  The 1050 I'm looking at does not, I'm sure I could get the parts needed from a donor tractor at some point.
I think you can upgrade to the larger hydraulic pump, I was digging around probably the same forums as you and I think in 1984 they went with a bigger pump, but maybe that was just the 1050's.
"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

L.P. Hartley
5/7/2019 9:54:53 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote History
Originally Posted By FZJ80:
@swire

Does the 850 have power steering?  The 1050 I'm looking at does not, I'm sure I could get the parts needed from a donor tractor at some point.
I think you can upgrade to the larger hydraulic pump, I was digging around probably the same forums as you and I think in 1984 they went with a bigger pump, but maybe that was just the 1050's.
View Quote
Yes my 850 has power steering.  It was made in 1986.  I'm not sure if the loader and backhoe came with it or if it was put together that way after the years.
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/8/2019 10:23:27 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
Another fools errand is growing tomatoes anywhere on the property.  Last fall I picked up the few tomatoes that were actually produced, let them deteriorate, removed the seeds, and then planted the seeds earlier this year.  I knew I had some heirloom varieties in the garden but I don't remember which ones or if they produced.  The plants that grew from the seeds took all different forms.  The goal is to find a variety that is more tolerant of juglone than others.

Some of the plants looked odd.  The leafs were almost round instead of the typical tomato leaf.  When I went to plant it I got stuck by thorns.  It has to be a tomato plant as I only picked tomato fruit, kept it separate from everything else, and planted only tomato seeds.  It has to be one of the parents of a hybrid that I planted last year.  I'm assuming the thorny variety is the part that provides better disease resistance.

Here is one of the plants. It looks a little odd but some varieties of tomatoes have oblong potato leaves.  You can sort of the see the thorns but they don't look that bad.  Let me get closer and adjust the lighting.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/spine4_JPG-936149.JPG

The main stem looks like a tomato plant but nothing else does.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/sping0_JPG-936143.JPG

Some close ups of the thorns.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/spine1_JPG-936144.JPG

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/spine2_JPG-936146.JPG

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/spine3_JPG-936147.JPG
View Quote
It will be interesting  to see what that turns out to be.  I have my doubts that it will end up being a tomato, but I'm certainly no expert on tomato genetics, so....watching for the end game.
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day in the cool of the pool, he was splashing ~~Dr. Seuss
5/9/2019 9:33:46 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:

It will be interesting  to see what that turns out to be.  I have my doubts that it will end up being a tomato, but I'm certainly no expert on tomato genetics, so....watching for the end game.
View Quote
I was able to get the plant identified.  I sent an email and pictures to a seed company Totally Tomato that I have used in the past and they sent it to their sister company Jung Seed.   https://www.jungseed.com/

Daniel S. Goodspeed a horticulturalist there responded back and provided the answer."...examples of what is called Horse Nettle.  Solanum carolinensis - It is in the same family as cultivated tomatoes but all parts of this plant are poisonous.  It is commonly found all over KY and most of the U.S.  They can spread by underground rhizomes as well as from seed. It will make greenish-yellow round fruits but they are very toxic."

So technically it is a tomato, just a wild growing poisonous one. I still have one big remaining question, which is how did I end up with the plants growing indoors in a seed tray with fresh potting soil?  Either one of the plants grew and produced fruit last year in the 10 sqft area that I collected tomatoes for seed last fall or it is a hybrid resulting from cross pollination between horse nettle and a tomato.  My plants have round smoothed edge leaves, at least right now.  The pictures I see of horse nettle have jagged edge leaves.  I've destroyed all but 2 of the plants.  The two remaining I want to see what the plant looks like after they grow a bit larger.

Meanwhile I will be keeping an eye out for any horse nettle on my property.  I do not recall ever seeing a plant like that on the property.
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/9/2019 9:10:40 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:

I was able to get the plant identified.  I sent an email and pictures to a seed company Totally Tomato that I have used in the past and they sent it to their sister company Jung Seed.   https://www.jungseed.com/

Daniel S. Goodspeed a horticulturalist there responded back and provided the answer."...examples of what is called Horse Nettle.  Solanum carolinensis - It is in the same family as cultivated tomatoes but all parts of this plant are poisonous.  It is commonly found all over KY and most of the U.S.  They can spread by underground rhizomes as well as from seed. It will make greenish-yellow round fruits but they are very toxic."

So technically it is a tomato, just a wild growing poisonous one. I still have one big remaining question, which is how did I end up with the plants growing indoors in a seed tray with fresh potting soil?  Either one of the plants grew and produced fruit last year in the 10 sqft area that I collected tomatoes for seed last fall or it is a hybrid resulting from cross pollination between horse nettle and a tomato.  My plants have round smoothed edge leaves, at least right now.  The pictures I see of horse nettle have jagged edge leaves.  I've destroyed all but 2 of the plants.  The two remaining I want to see what the plant looks like after they grow a bit larger.

Meanwhile I will be keeping an eye out for any horse nettle on my property.  I do not recall ever seeing a plant like that on the property.
View Quote
Where did you get your potting media?
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
On the 15th of May, in the Jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day in the cool of the pool, he was splashing ~~Dr. Seuss
5/9/2019 9:56:20 PM EDT
[Last Edit: SWIRE][Edited] [#24]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:

Where did you get your potting media?
View Quote
I thought about that too.  It is the commercial grade bag types of seed starting mix.  I've mixed different varieties this year but it should have been a combination of coconut fibers and potting soil from Walmart.  No other seed tray had those grow.  That pretty much rules out contaminated potting mixture.

For the seeds I collected them in the fall putting them in a clean plastic bucket and bringing them indoors.  I let them rot and later pulled out the seeds.  Then into the fresh potting soil and under my indoor grow lights.  Possible ways of contamination are very limited.  It could be the wild plant grew there and I had no idea and picked up a fruit from it.  If that is true then the plant should be back this year.
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/14/2019 10:12:11 PM EDT
[#25]
An update on my seed cold stratification attempts for a variety of Black Eyed Susan's.  The best results came from simply adding the seeds to a moist medium and storing them in a refrigerator for 6 weeks.   I have several more trays of plants now and the additional testing also shows the process above to yield the highest germination rate.

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Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/19/2019 11:36:27 AM EDT
[#26]
2019 strawberries are starting to ripen.

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The wild black raspberries are fully loaded this year.  I will have to get netting installed over them soon or the birds will make quick work of them as soon as they ripen.

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Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/20/2019 4:00:59 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
2019 strawberries are starting to ripen.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/strawberries2019_1_jpg-950418.JPG

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/strawberries2019_plants_s_jpg-950419.JPG

The wild black raspberries are fully loaded this year.  I will have to get netting installed over them soon or the birds will make quick work of them as soon as they ripen.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/blackraspberries_s_jpg-950420.JPG
View Quote
your strawberries look great!

And yes, we have blackberries growing on our steep bank.  I get two or three a year.  The birds get them before I can.
Green wood is a bendy thing~~Grendel_J
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
5/24/2019 3:50:49 PM EDT
[#28]
I have netting in place over the black raspberries now.  Brambles and mesh netting do not mix.  It is going to be a pain trying to remove the netting.

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Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/27/2019 5:28:38 PM EDT
[#29]
Cleared out some more honeysuckle.  This area is the path down to the creek.  It's difficult to get a sense of the depth, to put things in perspective the two buildings are about 50 feet wide.

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A side view of the brush and building.

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I still have a pile of brush to clean up.

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Get Active or Get Disarmed!
5/27/2019 5:31:43 PM EDT
[#30]
I was having a problem with the chain on my chainsaw coming off.  I finally figured out the cause.  The drive sprocket was worn out.

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Get Active or Get Disarmed!
6/2/2019 9:06:41 PM EDT
[#31]
A better view of the trail I cleared of honeysuckle.

It wasn't a bad trail but I did have to go around the bushes and the turn starts right over the big rocks which makes it very difficult.

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Now I have a straight shot up the hill and should be able to get my 2 wheel drive truck up it if things are dry.  Clearing the brush removed the "we are in the middle of a forest" feel as you can now see the neighbors buildings.  But it lets me use my own land.

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All the brown dirt is where the honeysuckle had been.

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Get Active or Get Disarmed!
6/2/2019 9:27:53 PM EDT
[Last Edit: SWIRE][Edited] [#32]
Cleaned up more brush and took advantage of the higher winds to get a hot a fire going.  Picking up sticks and clearing brush is an never ending job.

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By the old chicken coup there is a nice small Maple that had a walnut tree branch in it.  The walnut tree is blocking access to the chicken coup and was a very crooked tree.  The only problem was the base of the walnut tree was on one side of the maple and the top on the other side.  If I cut it down it was going to fall and damage the maple.  I used the bucket of my tractor to get as high as I could in the walnut tree, threw a recovery strap over a branch, connected that to my chain, cut the tree it started to slightly move, and then used the tractor to yank it down and away from the maple tree.  The plan worked.

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Pulling Down A Poor Quality Tree Keeping It Away From Another
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6/2/2019 9:37:12 PM EDT
[#33]
A sneak preview into the making of what everyone says is a bad idea.  Yet another poor quality tree leaning over a good quality red maple tree.  The tree on the right is a hackberry tree that is very crooked, has knots everywhere, and is not a nice tree to look at.  The walnut tree is also crooked with knots everywhere, just not as bad as the hackberry.  I have a plan for taking them down and protecting the maple tree from damage but people say I shouldn't try it.

Attached File
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6/7/2019 8:59:22 AM EDT
[#34]
This came across my FB feed:

Jugalone tolerant plants
"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
6/7/2019 2:25:27 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote History
Originally Posted By rcav8r:
This came across my FB feed:

Jugalone tolerant plants
View Quote
Thanks.  I will be going through the list of perennials and picking things out to add.

Rudbeckia spp. Black-eyed Susan is on the list.  My post above about cold stratification and scarification of seeds was done with Black-eyed Susan seeds that I harvested from part of the garden last fall.  I will be planting a couple different patches of them now that I have more of the ground cleared.
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6/7/2019 9:01:05 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs][Edited] [#36]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:

Thanks.  I will be going through the list of perennials and picking things out to add.

Rudbeckia spp. Black-eyed Susan is on the list.  My post above about cold stratification and scarification of seeds was done with Black-eyed Susan seeds that I harvested from part of the garden last fall.  I will be planting a couple different patches of them now that I have more of the ground cleared.
View Quote
I have a couple of juglone tolerant species, proven in my own garden, if you want some of it.  I can bring you some when I come through your AO, if it's a growing season at all.

Tradescantia Virginiana (Virginia Spiderwort)

And Aquilegia Vulgaris.  The one I have is pink.  It will spread all over your property in a few years via seed, but it is not invasive at all.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aquilegia_vulgaris-pink.jpg

I have found daffodils to be very resistant, and old-fashioned hyacinths to be not affected at all.  Can't speak for any newer varieties.

Lily of the Valley was on a list of NON-tolerant plants I used long ago, but I have found it to be pretty darn tough.  (And it CAN be invasive but in a rustic property is okay, and the scent is SO worth it.)
Green wood is a bendy thing~~Grendel_J
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
6/11/2019 10:52:28 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:

I have a couple of juglone tolerant species, proven in my own garden, if you want some of it.  I can bring you some when I come through your AO, if it's a growing season at all.

Tradescantia Virginiana (Virginia Spiderwort)
View Quote
If you are in my area I would be happy to get some of your juglone tolerant plants.  I still owe you a tour whenever you get up this way.

Did the Virginia Spiderwort just start blooming?  I have some plants that just put out blue flowers in the last week and they look very similar to them.
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6/11/2019 10:55:49 PM EDT
[Last Edit: SWIRE][Edited] [#38]
Some updates.
The bird netting is working.  The berries under the net are not being touched.  Another smaller patch that I don't have a net over has red berries by the black ones always disappear before I get to them.

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I came across this guy guarding the berry patch for me.

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Berries from one side of the patch.

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Lilies are out.

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Peach trees are doing well so far

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6/11/2019 11:03:36 PM EDT
[#39]
More berries today.  I had helpers today, they were instructed to pick only the black berries and as you can see they picked red berries as well.  Still happy to have the help though.

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What I'm not happy about is in this picture.  We dug out a new garden patch with the backhoe, added compost and other items to the soil to enrich it, and then planted about 30 tomato plants.  I came back from a 4 day trip and found every single plant chewed down.  I'm pretty sure it is the ground hog that I've seen.  I put a trail camera up on the garden to find out for sure. Every single plant in the new garden looks like this.

Attached File
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6/11/2019 11:09:27 PM EDT
[#40]
Tag. Good luck op! Looks like one hell of a project
6/13/2019 10:08:05 PM EDT
[Last Edit: whollyshite][Edited] [#41]
Quote History
Originally Posted By FZJ80:
How is that Deere 850 with the loader?  I've got a 750 (no loader), but I'm looking to get a 950 or 1050 with a loader this summer.

That backhoe would get me into trouble.
View Quote
Me too.  
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free
State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be
infringed.
6/13/2019 11:11:25 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs][Edited] [#42]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:

If you are in my area I would be happy to get some of your juglone tolerant plants.  I still owe you a tour whenever you get up this way.

Did the Virginia Spiderwort just start blooming?  I have some plants that just put out blue flowers in the last week and they look very similar to them.
View Quote
Take pics of yours!

Spiderwort has been blooming here for a bit, but it varies by microclimate, and generally keeps blooming off and on through the summer.

Takes it a bit to get going in the spring, and in shade it tends to fall over a little, but I like it anyway.
Green wood is a bendy thing~~Grendel_J
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
6/13/2019 11:14:13 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:

More berries today.  I had helpers today, they were instructed to pick only the black berries and as you can see they picked red berries as well.  Still happy to have the help though.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/more_berries_jpg-976981.JPG

What I'm not happy about is in this picture.  We dug out a new garden patch with the backhoe, added compost and other items to the soil to enrich it, and then planted about 30 tomato plants.  I came back from a 4 day trip and found every single plant chewed down.  I'm pretty sure it is the ground hog that I've seen.  I put a trail camera up on the garden to find out for sure. Every single plant in the new garden looks like this.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/tomatoes_eaten_jpg-976989.JPG
View Quote


Maybe groundhog, but maybe something else.  Never had a groundhog attack tomatoes, but doesn't mean they won't.

I HAVE had tomato hornworms eat them to that point.
Green wood is a bendy thing~~Grendel_J
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
6/15/2019 3:42:38 PM EDT
[#44]
Here is the blue flower that I'm not sure of the identity.  I have two different groupings of them.

Attached File


Attached File
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6/15/2019 3:46:40 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:

Maybe groundhog, but maybe something else.
View Quote
There are a couple small rabbits around but I can't see them eating that many tomato plants.  I also just found out that I don't just have a ground hog, I have a ground hog infestation.  Since the garden was destroyed I have removed 2 juvenile ground hogs, possibly eliminated 2 other juveniles with carbon monoxide bombs after chasing them into their holes, and there is another juvenile running around.  There still has to be 2 adults but I have not seen them lately.
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
6/15/2019 11:02:57 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs][Edited] [#46]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
Here is the blue flower that I'm not sure of the identity.  I have two different groupings of them.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/plant_jpg-980569.JPG

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/plant2_jpg-980571.JPG
View Quote
Yes.  That is Tradescantia virginiana.  Virginia Spiderwort.

Named after a guy named Tradescant.

THIS GUY was the dad.  His son was the Tradescant who actually discovered the flower that now blooms in your yard (and mine), and took it from Virginia to England in something like 1629.

So royalty in England was Oooooo-ing and Aaaah-ing over the flower in your yard in the mid 1600s.

I think that's cool cuz I'm a nerd like that.
Green wood is a bendy thing~~Grendel_J
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
6/15/2019 11:04:17 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:

There are a couple small rabbits around but I can't see them eating that many tomato plants.  I also just found out that I don't just have a ground hog, I have a ground hog infestation.  Since the garden was destroyed I have removed 2 juvenile ground hogs, possibly eliminated 2 other juveniles with carbon monoxide bombs after chasing them into their holes, and there is another juvenile running around.  There still has to be 2 adults but I have not seen them lately.
View Quote
Well then I'm guessing they ate your tomatoes.

Sad day for the groundhogs at the Swire Project.  
Green wood is a bendy thing~~Grendel_J
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
6/16/2019 10:09:07 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Yes.  That is Tradescantia virginiana.  Virginia Spiderwort.

Named after a guy named Tradescant.

THIS GUY was the dad.  His son was the Tradescant who actually discovered the flower that now blooms in your yard (and mine), and took it from Virginia to England in something like 1629.

So royalty in England was Oooooo-ing and Aaaah-ing over the flower in your yard in the mid 1600s.

I think that's cool cuz I'm a nerd like that.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
Here is the blue flower that I'm not sure of the identity.  I have two different groupings of them.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/plant_jpg-980569.JPG

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/680/plant2_jpg-980571.JPG
Yes.  That is Tradescantia virginiana.  Virginia Spiderwort.

Named after a guy named Tradescant.

THIS GUY was the dad.  His son was the Tradescant who actually discovered the flower that now blooms in your yard (and mine), and took it from Virginia to England in something like 1629.

So royalty in England was Oooooo-ing and Aaaah-ing over the flower in your yard in the mid 1600s.

I think that's cool cuz I'm a nerd like that.
That is pretty cool.  The previous owner said he got plants from all over to have gardens that bloomed all year long and were full of native plants.

Do you have any tips on splitting up the clusters so that I can spread them out or when/how to collect seeds?  Right now the spiderwort and lilies are the only thing blooming.  I need to expand the number of spiderwort plants.  Any other recommendations for flowers that start blooming right now at the end of spring?
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
6/16/2019 10:19:16 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Well then I'm guessing they ate your tomatoes.

Sad day for the groundhogs at the Swire Project.  
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By SWIRE:

There are a couple small rabbits around but I can't see them eating that many tomato plants.  I also just found out that I don't just have a ground hog, I have a ground hog infestation.  Since the garden was destroyed I have removed 2 juvenile ground hogs, possibly eliminated 2 other juveniles with carbon monoxide bombs after chasing them into their holes, and there is another juvenile running around.  There still has to be 2 adults but I have not seen them lately.
Well then I'm guessing they ate your tomatoes.

Sad day for the groundhogs at the Swire Project.  
Previously I would just see one large groundhog in the yard.  I would occasionally lose a couple of plants and just shrugged it off.  Other than the hole and pile of gravel that I found by the neighbors garage there wasn't too much damage being done.  There are now at least 6 different holes, one inside my shed and one close to well platform.  The final straw was the destruction of the 30 plants that I spent months growing from seed.

In addition to the time I had invested, I was able to get my wife's daughters, age 10 and 13, to get outside and help me plant that section of garden.  They spent 4 hours out there with me building the new garden bed, digging in the dirt to get everything planted and evening running the backhoe.  They were tired, dirty, and chewed up by mosquitoes but seemed to enjoy it and it was a way for me to spend time with them.  So the meaning of the garden goes well beyond just growing some vegetables.
Get Active or Get Disarmed!
6/18/2019 10:40:32 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote History
Originally Posted By SWIRE:
That is pretty cool.  The previous owner said he got plants from all over to have gardens that bloomed all year long and were full of native plants.

Do you have any tips on splitting up the clusters so that I can spread them out or when/how to collect seeds?  Right now the spiderwort and lilies are the only thing blooming.  I need to expand the number of spiderwort plants.  Any other recommendations for flowers that start blooming right now at the end of spring?
View Quote
Ah, shoot.  I just dug up a 5' diameter clump and dumped it.

They are not hard to split/transplant.  How big are your clumps right now?

Can you take pics further back so I can see how well established they are?

Once I see that, I can give better advice.
Green wood is a bendy thing~~Grendel_J
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe

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