Devonviolet Acres

[ninnymary]

Steve is that really your picture that you took or are you cheating?

Mary

 

[digitS']

@Devonviolet and @ninnymary ,

I'm cheating all around .

First of all, I leave the spellchecker on ... and it changes Crater to Carter ... the dang thing!

And, it's a US Department of Interior photo. Their Twitter feed has the most amazing pictures from our national parks.

Steve
who has swung by Crater Lake several times as he traveled between here and his olde Oregon hometown of Medford

 

[so lucky]

I was there in May and it was still cold and snowy. No mosquitoes, though.

 

[Devonviolet]

I know I have been absent since last Sept. But, have been thinking of coming back to let you all know what we have been up to, in the garden.

Putting the 6 mil plastic on the Bermuda grass didn't really work, to kill all the roots. Sometime in Sept., we had 65 mph winds, which shredded the plastic. Then, the rain, that followed, helped the grass to start growing back in. So, we decided to find another way to kill it off, once and for all.

DH, took our flat nose shovel, and skimmed off about 1-1/2" of sod, to see it anything would grow back. Five months later, nothing has grown there, except for Bermuda runners, that came from outside the area.

The original area, that we laid the plastic on was 20×40'. I know it's probably a bit over zealous. But, the new area is going to be about 40'×80'. Here's the "before" shot:

However, the thought of cutting off that much sod, didn't appeal to either of us. So, I started calling around, to find an equipment rental, that rents sod cutting machines. I found one, fairly close by (20 minutes away), and I reserved it for the next weekend (which costs the same as a one day rental). But, the day before we were supposed to pick it up, they called saying it didn't work, so they had to order the part. They assured me that they would call when it was fixed.

Fall came and went, and then the holidays came and went. But, no call came from the equipment rental place. So, about three weeks ago, I called them. It turns out they got the part & put it on the sod cutter, but that didn't fix it. So, they decided they would wait until Spring to buy a new sod cutter. Nice of them to tell me they weren't going to have one available after all!

Back to square one . . . I found another equipment rental, that rents a sod cutter. If I rent ove the weekend, I get Fri. (3:00) through Mon. (9:00 AM), for the cost of a one day rental.

So, we picked up the Sod cutter last Friday, and have worked our tails off, cutting sod. The machine must weigh about 300 pounds, so is not easy to maneuver. We worked out a method, whereby I ran the machine, from behind, and DH looped a web dog collar to the handle, in front, and pulled it around corners. The cutting blade is 12" wide, so it took a lot of passes, to get an area that big cut.

Realistically speaking, I know we probably won't get it all planted this year. But, the sod cutter is expensive, and I wanted to get as much done, as possible, while we have it, so I don't have to pay, to rent it twice.

So, any thing that isn't planted, will be seeded with some sort of "cover crop" to keep weeds down & start building the soil. We will keep it mowed at the highest setting.

This is Monday morning, and the sod cutter goes back. Here is the area we got cut. If you look closely, you can see the cut marks:

Gotta go feed the animals & return the sod cutter.

Edit: I meant to put a comment by the pic of the dog & goat, but forgot it was there when I had to leave for the equipment rental.

This is a shot my DH got, of our new LaMancha doe, getting to know Deo (day-oh), our Maremma LGD male. We just got 2 does & have to quarantine them 30 days, before putting them with our other 4 goats. In the mean time, I put a leash on them & walk them up to the gate, so they can sniff & get to know each other.

 

[Carol Dee]

WOW @Devonviolet that was a lot of work! Now to keep it out of the cleared area. Also love the photo of the Dog and Goat. They look like buddies.

 

[thistlebloom]

You have my deepest sympathy for all that bermuda grass. That really was a lot of hard work!
I battled it for years then decided it was just easier to get several states away. Worked like a charm, haha.

Best wishes for a terrific garden, it looks like a great spot!

 

[Devonviolet]

WOW @Devonviolet that was a lot of work! Now to keep it out of the cleared area. Also love the photo of the Dog and Goat. They look like buddies.

Yes, the trick is to keep the Bermuda grass out of the cleared area. We plan to cut in a border of flat, 6 inch galvanized steel. That will prevent the roots from spreading under ground. Then, we need to make sure the above ground runners stay clipped, so they can't spread over the top. I'm also planning to keep at least a mower's width of cover crop/grass inside the garden fencing, so we can keep it mowed, and weed free.

I'm glad you like the photo of our dog & goat. I added an edit on my post, to explain the photo.

 

[Devonviolet]

You have my deepest sympathy for all that bermuda grass. That really was a lot of hard work!
I battled it for years then decided it was just easier to get several states away. Worked like a charm, haha.

Best wishes for a terrific garden, it looks like a great spot!

I knooow! Bermuda grass (aka coastal hay) can be a good thing - we feed it to our goats. Or, it can be a PITA, if trying to grow a vegetable garden. Last year we tried clearing a 15×15' area for vegetables. Very quickly, the Bermuda grew back. We figure the best way to get rid of it is to cut below the roots & move the sod out in the back pasture, to fill all the holes the previous owner left, when they pulled out trees.

I am really hoping this will take care of it.

 

[baymule]

All that hard work!! Looks great, I expect to see lots of yummies growing in your garden!

 

[ninnymary]

I can't tell by the picture, but did you finish the entire 40x80?

Mary