Gardenfaerie's Non-420 Gardening Thread

GardenFaerie

New Member
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Oh my god! Thanks for showing me this, I am so in love with your garden. WOW, what a sanctuary! That pool is SO LONG and the way you have things set up it is such a nice little garden of eden you have there. I would be addicted to walking that garden. Wowzer, very impressed. You have so many different species growing in there, and some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen :circle-of-love:. I wonder what that leopard print looking flower was??

:circle-of-love: :bravo:
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Beautimous! Spectacular garden - full of life. Can't wait to see what the outdoor plants do. They are going to love the cocktail party atmosphere in your little Eden, GF.

Do you lay down a thick layer of newspaper under your mulched paths? I love mulched pathways.
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

You guys! I probably should lay down paper under the mulch, but a few years back the paths started to show signs of horseherb, which is a native ground cover and I just let it grow. If I do too much mulching in an unnatural way I fear I'll lose this horseherb. I'll show you when it comes in. The paths look so beautiful with it hugging the ground, can be mowed walked on lightly.

Here, this is my pool being built. There was nothing on the property but one mesquite tree. Hint. Shhh.


The pool is 50 feet long. I designed it.

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The flower you like is Dutchman's Pipevine aka Aristolochia
It really is a sanctuary out there. I couldn't garden for a few years...like three. Weeds got freaky big, but we had someone in to remove them. It was just too much work for me and M. I do love walking the garden. I go out a million times a day. I'm looking forward to taking the greenhouse down. It is one huge envelope which goes over the 10x20 frame. It is really a great unit. I bought it at least 14 years ago. As long as I get it out of the summer sun, it has lasted pretty well and cost about 750.00. Not terrible. Here's a picture of that.

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Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Yes please, I'd love to see the horseherb when it comes in. Natural pathways may seem like an odd thing to get excited about... I love them because they make me feel like I'm quietly exploring - lead to treading lightly and looking around. A couple of weeks ago I helped my friend pull up around a hundred yards of moss-rock pathways in his amazing garden to be replaced with mulched paths. We hauled the rock to a slope where some road work had been done recently and there was a steep slope that wasn't doing well after restoration. Me and his permaculture crew used the stone for terracing on the slope - planted some hardy fruit trees, and a bunch of other drought resistant plants. Unsolicited community beautification. :)
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

That's an awesome garden, in the old-school meaning of the adjective. :cheesygrinsmiley:

I can only imagine the sense of satisfaction and ownership it brings you. My god, such organic integrity in the design and habit! Ach, I love it!

:circle-of-love:
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Thank you for the compliments. It is a passion for sure. I used to be a plant collector. I had to have one of everything. We've been in severe drought so I did lose a lot of plants which were marginally prepared to withstand our summers.

Everything or most everything left are native plants or very well adapted, non-invasive species. The property is certified by both the parks and wildlife department in my state as well as the World Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. We also have two auto bird cams on the feeders and we move them around. I have a million videos at night of the raccoons hanging on the feeders! HUGE GIANT MONSTER RACCOONS. A family of four visit our yard every night. Lots of snakes, lizards, geckos, birds both local and migratory...it is great here. Like I said, on the corner of four distinct ecological regions so species not anywhere else in the area can be found nearby. It's interesting.

If you want to read some wonderful writing about how I came to develop my garden, a book called Noah's Garden by Sara Stain is brilliant. She too is a lover of paths and really it is necessary for some animals, especially ground birds. She calls herself an Un-gardener. I coined her when I was interview on a garden show where they came and filmed this garden back in 2004. I was so sick at the time. My god.

Anyway...I like what you did with the trees PeeJay. Nice going. I say if you plant only one tree, make it a fruit tree. If everyone grew one fruit tree and one vegetable we could stamp out hunger in a decade. We are so lazy as a society.

I'm glad you liked the garden. I can't wait to grow my cannabis outside in that perfect little bed I prepared. You can see it in the greenhouse photos. It is the bed right inside the rocks next to the greenhouse. Three or four plants in that bed and a few in containers. I hope it isn't too much. Do you think six outdoor plants is too much?
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

6 fully budding plants is my limit, so I try not to stray too high above that number... All depends on your local limits. The fellows up north can grow quite a bit more than us here down South. So I got to make my plants count, or do light deprivation for continual harvests. 6 plants right there sounds righteous though! Reminds me a little bit of my garden, although yours is way nicer :)
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

I dunno if six is too much. They are annuals. Plant six and cull if you see the need!

There are so many things to love about GF's garden. The sad thing is I know that pictures don't do it justice. The way she transitions from organized to more wild puts lead in my pencil. One of my best and oldest friends owns a wildly successful permaculture and water harvesting business. I've been working with him when I can for many years. I should dig up some photos of my folks old house - sold a few years back. It is an absolutely stunning example of using slope and water channeling to encourage native species on a lot that backs up to a wild canyon.

Pop did not level his lot like most of the neighbors did - instead he built a ranch style home with a flat roof that had multiple levels - not stories. He was obsessed with where the water went. If you drive along the pleasant residential road on the other side of the canyon you can see all the other houses, but not his. In the back yard there are impressive ponderosa pine, douglas fir, juniper, and pinon. Gamble oak, mountain mahogany, wild penstemon... All the native species thrived and he managed the transition from organized to wild with amazing patience and long-term goals.

I have pictures somewhere of a big black bear that came every year to eat apples off a big apple tree. When my son was young we set up a camera on a tripod with a remote control shutter release and borrowed a slave flash from our neighbor. We also installed a motion detector so when the bear came it would beep and wake me up. Me and Junior would then start hitting the remote to get pictures. HUGE BEAR that raided fruit trees in the area for a long time without ever getting trapped. He walked to town a couple of times a year to eat fall fruit and never disturbed the trash cans. The bear, we learned through the pictures, had a coyote who trailed him and ate the voluminous piles of bear feces full of half-digested apples...

Ground squirrels were a constant problem in the more organized areas of the property. They are major plague carriers. We had a humane trap and would re-locate them. We accidently trapped foxes on three occasions, as well as uncountable skunks. The hummingbird population was insane. I had a garden with hummingbird friendly plants back by the canyon edge, and we ran a couple of feeders. Total war zone! Dry years, the deer would eat even the most deer resistant plantings.

It's difficult for me where I live currently because I have no place to garden really. I just have container plants... I love a good garden, look forward to spending time with my buddy in some outstanding long-time managed organic landscape environments when I can over the summer, and get a huge woody looking forward to it.

Yep, GF's garden has it going on. Makes me want to play in the dirt.
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

I don't follow any rules. That helps. And plants can't read, so they don't know books say they need sun or heat or cool. I try not to push the edge on any plant any more. It isn't worth it. This year I have a whole lot of echinacea to plant as well as other very tough native perennials. Butterfly weed is mandatory to plant in my garden because the Monarch migrates through this corridor and they are running out of food on their way to Mexico. Farms and their GMO corn are killing everything, but they won't report that. It's only a Monarch butterfly. America is a turd sometimes.
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Hey.....hey baby OhhhhAhhhh......sorry, I digress :) Lester nailed it....your garden is indeed awesome and somewhere I WANT to chill :)
But, take you back a bit if I may?.......WE are going to fill the pool in and have THE biggest damned FLUX ever if you remember correctly :) Ohhhhh, and yes, I belatedly accept your "proposal" lol :) :love::green_heart:
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Hey.....hey baby OhhhhAhhhh......sorry, I digress :) Lester nailed it....your garden is indeed awesome and somewhere I WANT to chill :)
But, take you back a bit if I may?.......WE are going to fill the pool in and have THE biggest damned FLUX ever if you remember correctly :) Ohhhhh, and yes, I belatedly accept your "proposal" lol :) :love::green_heart:

Yes, I accept your proposal. Should anything happen to our beloveds, we're married, filling the pool and going for the world record. And hey, we can just all live here at my house and grow old...er.
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Emmas snoring......chloroformed rag at the ready lol :) I REALLY shouldnt jest like that lol :)
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Emmas snoring......chloroformed rag at the ready lol :) I REALLY shouldnt jest like that lol :)

Hahaha, yes you should. You're just joking. Shhhhhut it. Okay, so did you see the movie, This Is Fourty? See it. Very funny.
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Okkkkkkk, now it's on my bucket list....the film... NOT the chloro lol :)
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Garden update:

Here is the pond coming on now. I have two ponds, the other is in less sun so is a little later to start.
One photo of the ladybug is on my red potato plant. I'm looking forward to fresh potatoes.

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Rooster, here is a view of the plants from the side with all the CFL array! I need to get it set up if I'm to grow indoors. Right now it is only set up to keep my seedlings going till outside. Today it is windy, 40mph sustained winds, pouring, very cold under 50. I think that is somewhere around 11C. Tonight they predict a light frost. WHAT ???????

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Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

Garden update:

Here is the pond coming on now. I have two ponds, the other is in less sun so is a little later to start.
One photo of the ladybug is on my red potato plant. I'm looking forward to fresh potatoes.

w40.jpg


pond1.jpg


Rooster, here is a view of the plants from the side with all the CFL array! I need to get it set up if I'm to grow indoors. Right now it is only set up to keep my seedlings going till outside. Today it is windy, 40mph sustained winds, pouring, very cold under 50. I think that is somewhere around 11C. Tonight they predict a light frost. WHAT ???????

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WOW i am really loving your set-up....Indoor and Grow-house (your pool is nice and clean as well).

Ok so i went and got 26 new 40w globes i will put them up some time this week, thanks for this advice, i will also have a ChaT with LA to get more info, thanks again for the referral!!!

OK so now the thing i wanted to comment on, THE FISH POND. Your pond looks nice and happy the reason i bring this up is have you ever heard of a thing called aqua-phonics? in a nut shell you learn to grow with the water in your pond, see the fish punt into the water what the plants need and the plants take out what the fish don't need. I have a pond about the same size as yours and i am thinking of doing a Aqua-Phonics FLUX using the water from the pond and nothing ells.

Well again thanks for all the info..

A VERY Happy Grow and Smoke to you

:adore:
 
Re: Gardenfaerie Auto Fem/CFL to Greenhouse

I do know about aquaponics, but there are no fish in that pond. Only toads and frogs. It isn't large enough for fish, IMO. I do think a hydroponic set up is something I may be interested in, or something like the set up LA is running his for his next grow coming up here.

I just want it neat if it is inside. I have several ideas for winter growing, but I just can't wait to put plants in the ground...where they belong.
 
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