Three 5' x 12' beds left to till. Tomorrow, I've got to get my ancient Oh, Deere! lawn tractor going, and mow the lawn. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. [2½ hours of kidney bruising effort]
Bob
Bob
Deluxestogie Grow Log 2023
- Thread starter deluxestogie
- Start date
I just drove 4 miles round trip to the nearest gas station to purchase 2½ gallons of gas for the lawn tractor, so that I can waste a portion of my life mowing my lawn (with the sole purpose of fooling my neighbors into thinking that I value a groomed lawn). Polling suggests that the bees do not approve.
Bob the Uncivilized
Bob the Uncivilized
GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
You’ve got it backwards Bob. You are Landed Gentry! As a member of the aristocracy you are showing your neighbors that you are rich enough to use your land for frivolous purposes instead of growing crops.
I am both King of my Farm House, and its one and only serf. I am its washerwoman, its cook, and its housekeeper. I issue my own royal proclamations, and plunge my own royal toilets.
Bob
Bob
Bob Gets an A+ for Effort
My half-mown lawn.
Oh, Deere! started right up, on the first try. Amazing. I noticed it glanced back at me with a smirk on its grill. The overgrown grass was nicely dry in the sun and breeze. After mowing about 2/3 of the lawn, while climbing a gentle slope, my rear tires lost traction in the dampish soil, and slid backwards at an angle. They slid only about a foot.
Phooosh!
The right rear tire had encountered a smooth, round tree root, just barely showing above the ground. The tire rim and the hefty (mostly buried) root were parallel to one another. The gentle impact (and the momentum of the lawn tractor) popped the tire's bead free of the wheel rim. The sound it made was identical to the time when my van hit a pothole on a 65 mph highway.
I gave a Fix-a-Flat a try, but zero effect. There's just no seal onto the rim. The lawn tractor is far too heavy for me to push it under Bob power, back to the shed. [I used to be able to do that.] I tried to roll it backwards, but was thwarted by that same root, now oriented parallel to the wheel axle. So, there it will remain for the night.
It knew. Somehow, that sneaky Oh Deere! had conjured a plan, and had executed it to perfection.
In returning to the house, I noticed a few scalped patches of grass in unusual locations. So, in retrospect, that tire (appearing well inflated when I first began today) had been slowly deflating for at least 10 minutes, before it was nudged off the rim.
Bob
My half-mown lawn.
Oh, Deere! started right up, on the first try. Amazing. I noticed it glanced back at me with a smirk on its grill. The overgrown grass was nicely dry in the sun and breeze. After mowing about 2/3 of the lawn, while climbing a gentle slope, my rear tires lost traction in the dampish soil, and slid backwards at an angle. They slid only about a foot.
Phooosh!
The right rear tire had encountered a smooth, round tree root, just barely showing above the ground. The tire rim and the hefty (mostly buried) root were parallel to one another. The gentle impact (and the momentum of the lawn tractor) popped the tire's bead free of the wheel rim. The sound it made was identical to the time when my van hit a pothole on a 65 mph highway.
I gave a Fix-a-Flat a try, but zero effect. There's just no seal onto the rim. The lawn tractor is far too heavy for me to push it under Bob power, back to the shed. [I used to be able to do that.] I tried to roll it backwards, but was thwarted by that same root, now oriented parallel to the wheel axle. So, there it will remain for the night.
It knew. Somehow, that sneaky Oh Deere! had conjured a plan, and had executed it to perfection.
In returning to the house, I noticed a few scalped patches of grass in unusual locations. So, in retrospect, that tire (appearing well inflated when I first began today) had been slowly deflating for at least 10 minutes, before it was nudged off the rim.
Bob
Brown Thumb
Well-Known Member
You need some new hoofs on old Deere.Bob Gets an A+ for Effort
My half-mown lawn.
Oh, Deere! started right up, on the first try. Amazing. I noticed it glanced back at me with a smirk on its grill. The overgrown grass was nicely dry in the sun and breeze. After mowing about 2/3 of the lawn, while climbing a gentle slope, my rear tires lost traction in the dampish soil, and slid backwards at an angle. They slid only about a foot.
Phooosh!
The right rear tire had encountered a smooth, round tree root, just barely showing above the ground. The tire rim and the hefty (mostly buried) root were parallel to one another. The gentle impact (and the momentum of the lawn tractor) popped the tire's bead free of the wheel rim. The sound it made was identical to the time when my van hit a pothole on a 65 mph highway.
I gave a Fix-a-Flat a try, but zero effect. There's just no seal onto the rim. The lawn tractor is far too heavy for me to push it under Bob power, back to the shed. [I used to be able to do that.] I tried to roll it backwards, but was thwarted by that same root, now oriented parallel to the wheel axle. So, there it will remain for the night.
It knew. Somehow, that sneaky Oh Deere! had conjured a plan, and had executed it to perfection.
In returning to the house, I noticed a few scalped patches of grass in unusual locations. So, in retrospect, that tire (appearing well inflated when I first began today) had been slowly deflating for at least 10 minutes, before it was nudged off the rim.
Bob
Attachments
GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
Oh deere, you have my kinda luck. Last year when I went to commence my inaugural first spring mowing I wound up having to replace my mower, weed eater, and blower. I’m now 100% battery powered and love it. Of course I don’t have the acreage you do to maintain.
The good news is that I have a completely mowed path from my front porch to each of my garden beds. And all the area around the beds has been mowed. I'm old enough to easily relinquish control, and call the tractor place in the morning. "My tractor got a booboo. Please make it better." ... "Sure. Three weeks from now would be just fine." I have officially resigned my membership in the "Just jack up the axle, and then..." club.
Meanwhile, I've brought out my Lowe X-Large backpack cover (which I have not used for over a decade) and covered all the delicate parts of the Oh Deere!
Bob
Meanwhile, I've brought out my Lowe X-Large backpack cover (which I have not used for over a decade) and covered all the delicate parts of the Oh Deere!
Bob
Bob- what spacing are you planting the Xanthi? I’ve read you’ve grown it with large spacing, to the detriment of flavor, but I haven’t found any results from you trying a closer spacing.
Curiously, the plants that end up the most petite by the end of the season are the Xanthi Yaka 18a. The Corojo 99 usually grow the tallest.
The tobacco starts have been clipped three times. I will likely have to clip one final time, before they go out to the garden—perhaps next week. Roughly half my garden beds have been re-tilled, with the others planned for tilling tomorrow and the following day. I have yet to add my 10-10-10 fertilizer to any of the beds..
Bob
I’m attempting some Xanthi in small window planter boxes, mostly because I have limited space, but, am also hoping it preserves varietal character.
Here is my current garden layout plan (Oh! Deere is stranded between Shanghai's Mint Patch and the herb bed):
Xanthi-Yaka 18a is near the center. I intend to place 36 plants into that 5' x 6' (30 square foot) bed.
Things change. Years ago, my bed measurements were fairly accurate. Over the years, with tilling and re-tilling and grass intrusions, etc. all the beds are slightly smaller than shown on my layout map. If the Xanthi-Yaka seem like they will not all fit, then I will be perfectly happy with any number between 25 and 36.
Bob
Xanthi-Yaka 18a is near the center. I intend to place 36 plants into that 5' x 6' (30 square foot) bed.
Code:
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x xThings change. Years ago, my bed measurements were fairly accurate. Over the years, with tilling and re-tilling and grass intrusions, etc. all the beds are slightly smaller than shown on my layout map. If the Xanthi-Yaka seem like they will not all fit, then I will be perfectly happy with any number between 25 and 36.
The ideal location for them would be outside your window. But direct sun, close spacing, while avoiding over-watering and over-fertilizing, will give you your best Xanthi.
Bob
Excellent! That’s exactly what I’m doing. The windows in Germany open inwards, and the ledge outside is big enough for 6-8” wide planter boxes. I have a bunch of 6” models, so that’s what I planted in, at 6” centers, but 3” from the ends.Here is my current garden layout plan (Oh! Deere is stranded between Shanghai's Mint Patch and the herb bed):
Xanthi-Yaka 18a is near the center. I intend to place 36 plants into that 5' x 6' (30 square foot) bed.
Code:x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Things change. Years ago, my bed measurements were fairly accurate. Over the years, with tilling and re-tilling and grass intrusions, etc. all the beds are slightly smaller than shown on my layout map. If the Xanthi-Yaka seem like they will not all fit, then I will be perfectly happy with any number between 25 and 36.
The ideal location for them would be outside your window. But direct sun, close spacing, while avoiding over-watering and over-fertilizing, will give you your best Xanthi.
Bob
Be sure to anchor the box to the ledge somehow. Once the plants are taller, a sudden wind gust will likely tip the planter box.
Bob
Bob
How tall could they get in such a small container? I’ve done container gardening before, but it was hydroponic, not soil.
Anyone have some averages for strains and container size?
I would expect them to reach about 3 feet (1 meter) in height.
Bob
EDIT:
from 2012, planted at 6" spacing
Bob
EDIT:
from 2012, planted at 6" spacing
Last edited:
I grew Prilep last year in one gallon grow bags. I'm growing Virginia in three gal. bags this year. @wruk53 has been growing in containers for years.
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Thanks!I would expect them to reach about 3 feet (1 meter) in height.
Bob
EDIT:
from 2012, planted at 6" spacing
My wife is probably gonna be annoyed when the light has been blocked out from all our windows, but, my 2 year old loves to garden with papa, so I have an excuse.
With Oh! Deere! stuck out in the yard, I mentally rehearsed my excuse for why I, as an old codger, could not assist the John Deere dealer's guy, who would arrive this morning, with the task of leveraging and pushing the broken lawn tractor toward his truck's tow cable. It turned out that the driver of that truck, and the only person in the truck, appeared to be older and more rickety than me.
Together, we liberated Oh! Deere!, and pushed it (flat tire and all) from the far reaches of the sloped, upper garden, all the way to his truck. Having pushed it that distance alone in the past—and with all 4 tires intact, I was surprised at how effortlessly it moved along, when two people (albeit elderly people) were working together.
Oh! Deere! should be back home again in a few days, maybe. I don't care.
I capped off the morning by tilling another bed. Two more remain to be tilled. With a frost tomorrow morning, I'll put in some of the veggies tomorrow afternoon. I may or may not transplant some of the tobacco (Xanthi-Yaka 18a is first in line.) before three days of biblical rains start on Thursday, two working days from now.
Bob
Together, we liberated Oh! Deere!, and pushed it (flat tire and all) from the far reaches of the sloped, upper garden, all the way to his truck. Having pushed it that distance alone in the past—and with all 4 tires intact, I was surprised at how effortlessly it moved along, when two people (albeit elderly people) were working together.
Oh! Deere! should be back home again in a few days, maybe. I don't care.
I capped off the morning by tilling another bed. Two more remain to be tilled. With a frost tomorrow morning, I'll put in some of the veggies tomorrow afternoon. I may or may not transplant some of the tobacco (Xanthi-Yaka 18a is first in line.) before three days of biblical rains start on Thursday, two working days from now.
Bob
These Xanthi-Yaka 18a will likely go out to their new garden home today. This morning, I clipped them for a final time, to reduce evaporation from the leaves, following the root disruption of transplantation.
There is a ruler in the photo. Below, I've magnified that portion. These transplants average between 5 and 6 inches above the dirt in the 1020 cells, and will be planted at least an inch lower within the garden bed.
Bob
RoperLegacyWoods
Well-Known Member
(With great respect) You remind me of my grandpa. He’s 83 and still gardening, building dressers for his great grandkids, and teaching me about gardening. Last summer, he would frequently be found climbing ladders and doing house repairs for my mother.
I finally completed the second tilling of all my garden beds today. Fertilizer will wait until next week, after the expected heavy rain has passed. (I'll need a few Jedi mind tricks to do this again next year.)
The Xanthi-Yaka 18a is in the ground.
Looking out my bathroom window, I am able to see a thermometer that I mounted on the back of my curing shed. It's only about 3 feet from the window. A clever, Eastern Towhee figured out that a nest built on the thermometer bracket is completely shielded from falling rain.
I've seen the bird resting on the nest. I'd need a mirror to look into the nest, but I won't bother. Maybe I'll be able to walk into my bathroom in a few weeks, and snap a photo of baby birds in the nest.
Bob
The Xanthi-Yaka 18a is in the ground.
Looking out my bathroom window, I am able to see a thermometer that I mounted on the back of my curing shed. It's only about 3 feet from the window. A clever, Eastern Towhee figured out that a nest built on the thermometer bracket is completely shielded from falling rain.
I've seen the bird resting on the nest. I'd need a mirror to look into the nest, but I won't bother. Maybe I'll be able to walk into my bathroom in a few weeks, and snap a photo of baby birds in the nest.
Bob
