that’s how it happens in nature… 
should be ok.
So… Why is it that everything is always a frakking problem?
Tried to finish up the trellises, as I finally had one of my helpers come over (actually I had two, the little sister, who bless her heart, really wants to do stuff but is pretty much in the way). Lined up the first side of one of the trellises and, of course, the drills just didn’t have enough power, so after drilling one of the holes (after switching drills half way through) it looked like everything would need to go back into the garage. Then, helper #1 decided to go back home to see if helper #2 wanted to “help” only to come back 10 minutes later (keep in mind, it’s right next door) by himself, saying that both he, and his sister, had to go home.
Okay, so, after having just enough power to finish the last of the border pieces, for the area, I decided to at least get that done. So, I bring all three pieces into the backyard, sort of lay them out and start banging in the stakes of the first one. Now, logic would dictate that, being that you are going to “pound in” the stakes, you would put the top of the stake at the level of the top of the cross board. I guess that 4 years of Philosophy (of which LOGIC is an integral part) didn’t really sink in. I decided that I didn’t want to see the stakes so I would recess it an inch. Not a major malfunction, I grabbed a 2x4 to pound it in. That would have worked, except for the previous mention of FRAKKING PROBLEMS. Why, I do not know, the stakes don’t seem to want to go down into dirt, that has been tilled about 8 inches.
Needless to say, the hammer got thrown, the boards got kicked (I guess my toe will stop throbbing, eventually) and pretty much every 3, 4 or 5 letter word, usually not spoken in polite company, were said, at a volume where everyone within a 10 mile radius would have heard. I will have to either dig a 18ft, or so, long trough, or find a piece of metal pipe or rebar to pound in to make a hole. That will be tomorrow, because soon my plants are going to get too big for the flats and get root bound or die.
WHY DID I DECIDE TO GARDEN, AGAIN???
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Last year I bought a rubber mallet and a something jack (sorry, girly) anyway, makes pounding that shit into the ground mucho easy. Just a though. I think the mallet was 5 bucks 
You are sure going all out with these trellises. I just used a couple t-posts, zip ties and wire fencing. Voila 10 minutes
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You’ll understand it when you see it. I build something like this before and it work out great. The idea is that it will grow up one side, across the top and down the other. Will be almost 20 feet of linear growth. It also maximizes the growing area as instead of leaving a wide space between plants, I can grow one plant from the one side, shift over slightly and grow another from the other side. It also allows the veggies to grow “down” through the netting, giving them air circulation and stuff like cucumbers grow really straight. It also makes picking a breeze as everything hangs in the inside, you just walk down the center and get what you want. I also made it so if you wanted, you could easily take it down and/or move it. It is 16 feet long, took (16) 2x4x8’s and a handful of bolts, nuts and washers.
It’s made of regular 2x4’s so I will only get a few seasons out of it, but it will give me an idea of how it works out, and any changes I need to make and when I have to rebuild it, I will do PT wood and it will last years.
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cut ends at an angle.
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water the dirt the night before.
not mud, but softened.
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Slept to about 3pm today so didn’t really do anything today, though I broke out the drills and tried to attach the 3 pieces of border together. Had 2 FULLY charged batteries for the HF one. Both put in half a screw. The B&D charged all night and was okay (I guess). That is about it, but I got an email saying my new batteries and charger for the B&D will arrive on Tuesday. Still 12v, but double the mAH, so maybe I will get at least an hour out of them.
I just tilled it to about 8 inches so you would think they would go right in and they are already “V” on the bottom. It’s just me 
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I finally finished my trellises… WOO HOO!!!
Well not really. I finished drilling all the holes and am ready to put them together in the back, BUT I still need to attach the netting. Though I think I have lost my “little helpers” (I think mom found out I had a cold and freaked out, thinking I had the Covid) I recruited the only other person who could give me a hand… MOM! Hey, never count out a five foot nothing Hungarian… “She is strong, like bull”. Any way, all I need to do is finish prepping the area and set them up. Will try to get outside later and get the border in.
EDIT: Got the border in (well, it kind of leans so I just need to fill a bit) and I found out why it wasn’t going in, on one end… a 1ft x 2.5ft x .5ft rock about 2 inches below my till. Took about a half an hour, but I got it out (didn’t even need any help from mom 
), though now I am going to need at least a cuft of dirt to fill in the empty space. I was thinking of leaving the dirt on the other side and just frame out a raised bed (I am thinking corn) but now I may have to steal a fair amount of it for this section or go out and buy 3-4 cu ft of dirt or compost. Decisions… Decisions…
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A couple bags of garden soil is cheap. I’d go easiest option
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Did just that. Bought 2 bags (6 cu ft) of Kelloggs. Should have gotten a third, but $20 was enough. Had 4 bags of shit, so I spread them all around and it was fine.
TA DA DA DA!!!
The trellises are built (notice how I didn’t say done… no netting yet). So basically, what was once this…
Is now THIS!!! (Sorry about the perspective… really didn’t want to walk to the side of the yard)
I could use some suggestions though. They seem to be swaying, lengthwise. What would be a good way to stabilize them? My thought was to put a 2x4 on each side about half way up. Thoughts???
Now that that is done. it is time to work on here…
Corn, on the left end and sweet potatoes on the right.Gotta pull a shit load of weeds and put some border (on the left) as it is raised. This is where I was going to steal from, but didn’t.
Once that is done, this…
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
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Well, Finally, the plants are in the ground, or at least a good portion of them.
Will put up the netting (at least the first 5 feet) in the next few days, once the plants settle in. I need to regrow the beans, tabasco and jalapeno, and prep and plant the corn and sweet potatoes (have the slips starting and should be ready in 30 days). The lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower will be grown in bags, in the gutter (wicking). I also have to figure out what I am going to do with the peas (and inoculate them) and the brussel sprouts. Also just realized that I forgot the pumpkin (have to regrow). May build another small trellis for those, the beans and peas.
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A diagonal or “Z” brace… either way they’re in the way…
cut shorter pieces & make angle braces for top corners, 1x3"s would be fine if 2x4s seem excessive, keeps top weight ‘down’ 
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I took a picket and cut some 6" pieces from it and screwed two to each side, where the two units meet, in the middle. It still sways a little, but not nearly like before. The nice part is, the only way it could be “blown down” would be by a wind from either end, but there are wind breaks (the house on one and the trees on the other) so I think I am good. My idea was to have them to where I could take them easily apart (even the netting will just slip over nails in the side of the legs), so attaching corner braces at the top would mean screwing in, which is doable, but more time disassembling. If I find there is too much movement, it will definitely be the course of action. I actually didn’t think of doing that, so thanks.
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Pulled all the weeds from the corn plot. Need to pick up some more pickets and stakes tomorrow. Was hoping to just use one 6" picket, but the soil level is so high, I will need to double up to a full 12". Will work better, any way as it will give the corn more depth to root. The area is 2ft by about 24ft (laid out four pickets and it was just a little long). I figure I will either do (3) 8ft blocks or (4) 6ft blocks, about 2-3 weeks apart. Going to use scrap bricks, just stacking them to divide the corn are from the sweet potato plot (back end of the area). Dirt should hold them together.
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The corn plot is done…
So, here’s a question. I am going to block grow the corn, starting in the back (upper right corner of pic) and successive plant to the front. The plot is 2.5ft x 18ft (approx). Should I divide it into three blocks (2.5ft x 6ft) or four blocks (2.5ft x 4.5ft) and plant every two weeks or three?
The next area is going to be the other side of the yard:
Will have all the non-climbers and root stuff over here. Still have to figure out what to do wit the old compost bin in the back. May get it restarted.
Am going to bypass the area behind the corn plot as the slips have just started to sprout up, so about three weeks minimum. Am also going to have to reseed some of the “climbers” as about half of them look like they are about to die especially my pickling cukes.
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Was hoping to get the corn in, between showers today. No such luck. has rained non stop all day. Was also going to plant some carrots and radish on the far side of the bed as I wouldn’t be using it for a month or two. Gotta get the other plot done, as well, so I can get the other stuff started. Am going to plant the less heat tolerant plants towards the back and cover shield them with some shade cloth, but they need to be well established before the bad heat comes, or they won’t make it. There is always tomorrow…maybe.
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Got the first of the corn in the ground. I do think, however, I need to go back to 1st grade math. Have a section of 5 foot long and almost 4 foot wide and am going to put them 8 inches apart (row and column) so I should need 20 seeds (4 per row x 5 rows), right? Just like a typical man, thinking 8 inches are 12…
Also got some onions, carrots, radish, and leeks in as well. Hope to try to start prepping the other area this afternoon.
Update: The sunflowers died, AGAIN and sage just isn’t popping. Going to have to pop some SF seeds, for a third time, this time direct in the ground and reseed the sage. Will have to also reseed some of the stuff I already planted. A good amount of them looked like they were dead, but seem to have rebounded with all this rain, or just got over the transplant shock. Will look at everything tomorrow and see what is what.
Also got everything for Portobello mushrooms. Picked up a tub and shit yesterday. Am going to first try to drop the spores directly on the shit, but have some stuff to do syringes. Have to go back and read the 'sroom threads and get advise.
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Worked on the other plot today. Tilled it and got most of the border in (just have to connect it to the brick ones that go across the back by the trees). Was going to post a pic, but forgot to take one earlier and the one I just took was REAL dark.
Anyway, just have to level everything out and it will be ready for the “Bush Stuff”. Will do that tomorrow, as well as wash the dog, prune the lemon tree, replant the sunflowers, replant some of the climbers, plant the stuff in the new plot, check the corn and root stuff, and so forth, and so on… ad infinitum… IT NEVER END!!! 
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The plot for the “Bush Stuff” is now done…
I also took off a HUGE branch from the Meyers Lemon Tree that ran all the way to the corner…
In the process, I was able to uncover an old Rubbermaid Compost Bin I bought years ago.
Guess I am going to have to fire it up… at least after I figure out how to again.
Tomorrow is getting the seeds in the new plot and reseed the ones I need to.
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Okay, a quick update. Have not done much in the garden for a while. Back has been really bad and medicating has left me a bit too mellow, been able to water, but not a much else. That being said, things aren’t too bad. Most of the tomatoes are still doing well, as well as a few cucumbers and squash (a few yellow, spaghetti and little acorns.
Have most of the seeds to reseed and picked up some cucumber and pumpkin plants from the Despot yesterday. Will put them in tomorrow.
The corn is also doing okay. A bit more than half of the seeds sprouted and are going well.
Will soak seeds for the next section tonight so I can get them in tomorrow. I decided to do 4 smaller areas, though the next ones aren’t going to be as much time apart as the first and the second.
Also going to seed all of the “bushy” plants tomorrow as well (minus my Pepperoncinis… can’t decide to blame the PO or the idiots I am buying them from). Hopefully it isn’t too late to get them going before the brutal heat comes and stops most of them from producing.
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Trust me on this and prune all the suckers off the tomato plants now while they are small. They get out of control faster than a comet. Made that mistake last year. What a mess!
btw… peppers love heat. Get them out there, they will be fine
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