Your 2020 Garden “Build thread”

[Markos]

Did the drip irrigation and planted our first set of crops. Should be ready to harvest in May.

This stuff is stupid-easy to work with and it makes watering manually or on a timer a snap.

The main piping for drip irrigation is 1/2” thin-wall plastic tube. Easy to cut with scissors or your cutter of choice. You punch holes in it with the purpose built tool, that costs $7 or so. You use little rubber plugs to mate the 1/4” tubing with the 1/2” tubing. If you make a mistake or reconfigure, you install a solid “goof plug”.

Here is the hole punch:

Here is a connector with 1/4” tubing. These
simply pop into the punched holes:

Other fittings include micro valves:

The 1/4” tuning can be solid to be used as extensions for sprinklers, misters, drippers (many types). Or you can buy drip line with weep holes and check valves in it.

The 1/2” hose can hook up to valves, T’s, butt connectors, and garden hose fittings:

Installed. The plastic cutlery is to make the garden less hospitable for the neighborhood cats:

 

[lafngrvy]

We are just starting bud break in the vineyard so now our work really begins.

Fortunately I had finished building Mary some new raised beds for her veggies and berries. I stlll need to finish installing the deer fence as those beasts can devastate a garden in a single night.

 

[Markos]

Fortunately I had finished building Mary some new raised beds for her veggies and berries. I stlll need to finish installing the deer fence as those beasts can devastate a garden in a single night.

Those beds look fantastic! I’ve been wanting to cap my blocks for several years now but it has been low priority. It looks so much better, especially for non-square blocks.

 

[lafngrvy]

Thanks Markos. They look better filled with plants. ;-)

In this case blueberries and raspberries.

 

[lafngrvy]

BTW, this is my other garden. Drink lots of Oregon Pinot so I can keep racing please. ;-)

 

[Stan]

BTW, this is my other garden. Drink lots of Oregon Pinot so I can keep racing please. ;-)

View attachment 90251

Any particular brand? I like Siduri’s pinot

 

[lafngrvy]

Any particular brand? I like Siduri’s pinot

Stan,

We sell fruit to Evesham Wood, Remy Wines, Division Wines, Craft Wines, Bow & Arrow, and Civic Wines, to name a few. They all make wonderful wines and are online so you can order directly from them.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

This is kinda' my first year for a garden. I grew tomatoes last year but only got a couple. If this works out I'll expand in 2021

 

[Markos]

Look how big the marigolds are now. Shame their sole purpose is to be eaten by slugs! The beans are popping up. I forgot to snap a pic.

 

[steve in reno]

Our snow has let up and my garden is outside now.
My Tom's are 1.5 ft tall. Cabbage doing well. 3 types of lettuce, and chard, good.
I have bird net over my small ground plants until larger. Too many sparrows next to garden...hawks don't seem to hunt close to home.
I will till up my other 2 beds this week for more plants. Successive planting will give us vegs until Oct. My 2nd batch is nearly ready to remove from grow tent,
These beds have many leaves and cow manure tilled in, in fall, so ready to produce.

You
Chicken manure can be used in spring, but very hot in nutrients, and smelly. Caution!
I love watching things grow.
I have lines with small holes and also sprinklers. I like the lines better, but not for larger areas.

 

[Markos]

Nice job @steve in reno. Even at your altitude and cooler Nevada weather, you are still a good 2 months ahead of me on crops. I could make a personal salad with our current spring crop. Things are progressing very nicely. The soil conditioning that we did was critical.

 

[steve in reno]

Markos. If you are having issues with the neighbor hood cats in your garden boxes.. sprinkle some ground red pepper, and be liberal, onto the surface. Cats love to do their business in soft soil. But they also love to groom themselves by licking their fur.
But they are smart, and will stop using your facilities.
Pepper wont hurt plants.
It is early spring and we will have a good snow, or 2, before summer arrives. It takes 2-3 minutes to cover with plastic, and the hoops keep the structure snow proof.
For any freezing temps that might come. I use a infrared critter lamp to heat a pan and a small clamp fan to distribute to hoop house entirety.
It starts at 42 degrees and works very well into 20's.. It justs need to keep it above 32 for a little while. Only the toms need protecting now.

 

[Markos]

Slow and steady...

than

 

[Fredomatic]

Cool! It looks like your channeling a little Buckminister Fuller. There’s a tensegrity tower in your future.


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[dave v. in nc]

Since the lock-down, and no dining in, I have missed my Wendy's forks and knives...also great for scrambled eggs with a non-stick skillet, but you have to be quick. Their old cream-colored ones were more durable than the black...

 

[Fredomatic]

Just completed a screen box for the top of my folks straw bale garden box. They have issues with raccoons and coyotes eating their vegetables. I’d do most anything for my folks but after 4 half days away from my own projects, I need back at it. My espresso machine is still on the work bench and the new gasket arrived yesterday. I’m slacking.

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[HB Chris]

My wife’s garden has just finished producing artichokes but we usually have tomatoes as well. The back yard has been taken over by wildflowers, her specialty.

 

[Haseeb]

It's honestly really nice seeing what you guys have built, you guys all did a great job! I am kinda interested in making a greenhouse. I'm not the biggest DIY guy but I want to try to become one and build a greenhouse for my mom. One idea I have is to pickup an old shed from craigslist, put it into our backyard, and just cut out some of the roofing and wood and just replace it with glass/fiberglass. If anyone has any other ideas let me know lmaoo

 

[Nicad]

It's honestly really nice seeing what you guys have built, you guys all did a great job! I am kinda interested in making a greenhouse. I'm not the biggest DIY guy but I want to try to become one and build a greenhouse for my mom. One idea I have is to pickup an old shed from craigslist, put it into our backyard, and just cut out some of the roofing and wood and just replace it with glass/fiberglass. If anyone has any other ideas let me know lmaoo

You can buy some pretty neat greenhouse kits. My Dad put one in a few years ago. It is probably 8x 15 feet or so.

 

[Markos]

Since it happens to be warm enough to show them in operation, here is a pic of the pistons on my greenhouse. They operate on expanding wax and allow you to have a temp controlled greenhouse without electricity. You turn the knob to control how much the window moves. My greenhouse is all plastic so the doors are very light. A glass/wood house would need a bigger piston or two.