Radogast's Non-420 Garden Creation Thread

[Radogast]

Taking down garden ornaments, ad hoc altars, etc. has provoked multiple spiritual and animal encounters.
Yesterday was a day for snakes (6). The bullfrogs, mallards, bumblebees, and groundhog also made an appearance.
After breakfast, there were 4 deer in the yard for about an hour. Laying down to rest as well as munching leaves and grass.

3 deer out the window

Some tulips bloomed

 

[36Gr0w]

Are you going to continue gardening and posting after the move Rado?

I got ducks this year to combat slugs and an extra manure source for the compost. They love bugs too!

 

[Radogast]

There will likely be a small bit of flower gardening, 3-4 tomato plants outdoors, and an herb garden.

Indoors, we plan to grow herbs. Focusing on mints (including chocolate mint again), Rosemary, and tea herbs

- - -

Massachusetts stores aren't selling ducks this year.

2 years ago it was a minimum of 1 dozen ducklings.

Last spring it was a minimum order of 2 dozen ducklings.

This year, no ducklngs for sale. - I guess they discovered small farms don't want to buy 2 dozen at a time.

General Laws

Section 80DLiving rabbits, baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl; sale, barter or gift

Section 80D. No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or give away as premiums living baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl under two months of age.

No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter, display or give away living rabbits, chickens, ducklings or other fowl which have been dyed, colored or otherwise treated so as to impart to them an artificial color.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the sale or display of baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl under two months of age by breeders or stores engaged in the business of selling for purposes of commercial breeding and raising; provided, however, that prior to May first in any year, such ducklings may be sold or purchased only in quantities of twenty-four or more.

This section shall not prohibit, however, the sale or donation of such chickens, ducklings or fowl to schools for use in classroom instruction.

Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.

I'm leaving this nanny state.

 

[36Gr0w]

That is just ridiculous to hear Rado. I buy 6 birds at a time, and sometimes they are half off in stupid small cages because they are old stock(2 weeks at the feed store). No minimums. Today my landlord told me I should build portable runs around my gardens for the birds. I let her think it was her idea and not one I've been planting for months.

I love your style and ability to find, capture, and describe beauty in nature better than most. There have been a few times I've been in the woods and thought to myself, "Rado would like this flower here, or these trees falling a certain way.

Selfishly, I hope you have time after you move for more journals.

Any tips on growing mint?

 

[Tead]

Any tips on growing mint?

I find these words odd. I "grew" mint. It shot off runners yards out under my lawn. It was horribly invasive and hard to get rid of.
So.... yea... I kinda find the words a bit odd. Surprising might be a better word.

 

[36Gr0w]

I find these words odd. I "grew" mint. It shot off runners yards out under my lawn. It was horribly invasive and hard to get rid of.
So.... yea... I kinda find the words a bit odd. Surprising might be a better word.

Ha ha I figured it to be a dumb question. I've grown it in pots, but never in the ground. I noticed my applewood mint spreading runners, but not the other 4 varieties so far. I guess I was looking for pruning and management tips, as well as multiplying plants. I'll have a veggie garden thread up soon, I hope you both will check it out.

 

[Tead]

I would suspect that my "pruning tips" might include much more destruction than you intend. No doubt someone with better mint-tentions (tee hee!) than I will wander in.
I've grown it in a pot since... but never in the ground. It was my bane for quite a while.

 

[36Gr0w]

36Grow's Veggie Garden - Year 2

Hope you don't mind me posting a link to my veggies Rado.

 

[Radogast]

That is just ridiculous to hear Rado. I buy 6 birds at a time, and sometimes they are half off in stupid small cages because they are old stock(2 weeks at the feed store). No minimums. Today my landlord told me I should build portable runs around my gardens for the birds. I let her think it was her idea and not one I've been planting for months.

I love your style and ability to find, capture, and describe beauty in nature better than most. There have been a few times I've been in the woods and thought to myself, "Rado would like this flower here, or these trees falling a certain way.

Selfishly, I hope you have time after you move for more journals.

Any tips on growing mint?

I find these words odd. I "grew" mint. It shot off runners yards out under my lawn. It was horribly invasive and hard to get rid of.
So.... yea... I kinda find the words a bit odd. Surprising might be a better word.

Ha ha I figured it to be a dumb question. I've grown it in pots, but never in the ground. I noticed my applewood mint spreading runners, but not the other 4 varieties so far. I guess I was looking for pruning and management tips, as well as multiplying plants. I'll have a veggie garden thread up soon, I hope you both will check it out.

I would suspect that my "pruning tips" might include much more destruction than you intend. No doubt someone with better mint-tentions (tee hee!) than I will wander in.
I've grown it in a pot since... but never in the ground. It was my bane for quite a while.

That's my tip!

Grow in a pot so it can't escape. On a deck or a patio is even better both to prevent escape to the wild lands and to keep mosquitos away from where you are sitting

Treat any herb with a square stem as a mint

 

[Tead]

keep mosquitos away from where you are sitting

Really?!?!
I live in a swamp full of them. Perhaps I'll toss some in a pot.

 

[Radogast]

Really?!?!
I live in a swamp full of them. Perhaps I'll toss some in a pot.

Well -not completely keep mosquitos away, but they help.

For plants, Lemon Thyme (you can crush the leaves and rub the smell on arms) and catnip have worked best for us.

Our best overall mosquito solution was to install a 'corduroy road', a walking path/dam of cut logs and dirt, to form a pond. Bullfrogs moved in within 2 days. Dragonflies took about 2 months to move in.


Corduroy road

Pond, formerly swamp, created by the corduroy road.

 

[Radogast]

Today I removed the armature wire I was using to shape the two Holly trees out front - The robins were not amused

 

[Radogast]

Yesterday we identified a new backyard bird visitor . A yellow shafted Northern Flicker


Yesterday was also perfect weather for staining the deck.

I only stained the horizontal surfaces, but am proud of not staining much of the raspberry vine.

The Realtor (we listed the house and took photos yesterday) could only see a mess of stuff in the yard, mostly stuff taken off the deck.

I however, saw a chipmunk, gray squirrels, and a woodchuck

 

[SweetSue]

Ahhhh..... Your life along the ledge is drawing to a close Rad. Do you have a moving date yet? I'll miss that little slice of Paradise. I've been enrapt from the first season. I assume that wherever you relocate to this process will begin anew?

 

[SweetSue]

Oh yeah.... Your eyes had the advantage of knowing where those little critters were located in the vast expanse of your yard. I saw one grey squirrel. The notable thing is that I looked, really, really hard.

 

[Tead]

Me too.
Tho I see a rock or a log in the bottom of the upper right quadrant that might be a woodchuck.... just to the right of the white square pole thingy.

 

[Radogast]

Ahhhh..... Your life along the ledge is drawing to a close Rad. Do you have a moving date yet? I'll miss that little slice of Paradise. I've been enrapt from the first season. I assume that wherever you relocate to this process will begin anew?

It really all depends. Right now my wife is viewing a 3 story 3,000 square foot w/1000 sq ft basement - with a u-shaped wrap around porch (enclosed for one 8x35 ft arm) and 17 rooms. If we buy that one we will spend all our time indoors and redecorating We probably will choose someplace wit more birds and critters.

I opened the bulkhead today and flushed a great blue heron. Those massive wings make a lot of noise during a rapid takeoff!

Oh yeah.... Your eyes had the advantage of knowing where those little critters were located in the vast expanse of your yard. I saw one grey squirrel. The notable thing is that I looked, really, really hard.

The chipmunk is a blur on the corner of the terracotta colored planter - facing the grey squirrel. This would have been a much more fun photo if it weren't so blurry.

Me too.
Tho I see a rock or a log in the bottom of the upper right quadrant that might be a woodchuck.... just to the right of the white square pole thingy.

Nice try - that is a shadow in a dry pool. The woodchuck is in the back of the photo behind the cut log wood pile, in a line between a dark pile of pole-sized long branches and a tree with a dark inverted V base - one of those blurry bumps is the woodchuck. I also startled the woodchuck today, right where you identified a potential woodchuck in the photo


I spent a few hours with my new weed whacker today. I'll try to get a photo of the paths tomorrow.

One showing at 6PM today - one at 5:15PM Friday - one at 9:15AM Saturday - one at 3PM Saturday.
First day of the published MLS listing - we have interested buyers.

 

[Tead]

I opened the bulkhead today and flushed a great blue heron. Those massive wings make a lot of noise during a rapid takeoff!

Yikes. The herons have been nesting in the trees along our "tree lined streets". They're large birds with very active digestive tracks. One has to watch where one parks!

 

[Radogast]

Yikes. The herons have been nesting in the trees along our "tree lined streets". They're large birds with very active digestive tracks. One has to watch where one parks!

Ihave seen the Louisiana Heron down there but I didn't realize you had the Great Blue Heron - nesting in street trees - Yikes indeed!

 

[Tead]

An example I ran across on my daily run...

It's hard to tell from the photo... but there are many chunky bits present.
One nest.... one of many along Esplanade. You see it more across the river over in Algiers. It's in the inside of the river bend and tends to have more wetland area between the river and the flood protection.