Ducks ALIVE in 2025!

[flowerbug]

I also liked her video on beginner gardening. She thoroughly explains Hügelkultur without naming it.
I am going to see if I can do this where my tomatoes go this year. I certainly have plenty of sticks and will soon be sawing off saplings, and I can put a layer of 4 mo used stall bedding on the bottom layer. I have dug out 3 ft pits in my big garden many years ago. We'll see what I can do...

it's just a way of using up chunks of wood without having to chip them or burn them. i consider it an ok technique, but there are some common sense things about using the method based upon your overall climate. and of course most people are using very small ones and that doesn't work that great for some areas because of heat and dry spells.

you want enough size and thermal mass that your plant roots don't dry out and get fried in the heat and if they are too small they'll get washed down by the rains.

raised beds with edges are not what the people who did hugels to start with were talking about. instead they were dealing with mostly large pieces of trees and burying them with several feet of dirt and making a ridge on contour to create an effective moisture barrier and erosion control that they could then plant into.

tiny pieces of wood in a raised bed covered by a relatively small amount of dirt just isn't the same thing and isn't going to get the same results.

in an arid climate you want those chunks of wood buried below grade because you do want the hugels to collect and retain moisture (to help the plants out but also to help rotting those chunks of wood). in the more wet eastern part of the USoA you can put the wood up higher as there are usually enough rains to keep things moist enough. but still you do have to keep an eye on the hugels and water them from time to time just like any other garden if the plants get too dry.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

When we lived in Amarillo Tx in the early 60's, most people were building fall out shelters in their backyard, due to the Cold War. I'm sure they are now tornado shelters, if they are still around.

 

[Marie2020]

When we lived in Amarillo Tx in the early 60's, most people were building fall out shelters in their backyard, due to the Cold War. I'm sure they are now tornado shelters, if they are still around.

We have no shelters whatsoever here. It seriously worrying.

Especially with all that is going on in our world today being weather changes and I'll put it this way. Difference of opinions

 

[ducks4you]

We are having truck troubles--both batteries are dead on the 2007 Dodge Cummins douley.
I had the snowblower parked in back of it in our garage, but there was still some gasoline from February.
I opened up the suction gadget that I bought at Harbor Freight last year ($12 investment), and I was able to pull out about 1/2 a gallon.

The snowblower is electric start with a pull. I started it up and ran the gasoline remains out--took about 10 minutes--then got it back to it's summer storage spot under the scaffolding and in front of my car.
We have a much more expensive and bigger transfer pump but it is for diesel and we use it all year to fill up our tractor. You do not want to mix up diesel and unleaded, so the smaller one's box is labeled.
I may pick up one more of these for moving water for gardening this summer, but I think I will keep that one in the Rubbermaid garden shed in back of the tool shed.
THIS smaller one wasn't long enough to reach from the snowblower to my riding mower, so I transferred the gas to a one gallon gas can that I came upon looking for something Else in our garage cabinets, then to my riding mower. When the fumes dry out I plan to store the one gallon gas can in my trunk.
I even read and Followed the instructions for the small pump, to remove the two "D" batteries when I was done.
**Ducks pats herself heartily on her back for this**

 

[ducks4you]

I want to mention that right now my laptop is not plugged in bc I have it downstairs and there isn't a storm surge suppressor.
I am trying to be careful bc a storm fried my previous laptop, so I am writing on battery power, then I'll shut down until tomorrow. I still have 3/4 charge, of the 4 hour battery.

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Ducks I have been using that battery op transfer for awhile. If comes in handy especially when you consider how heavy gas is and those batteries that hold a charge can hook up to computers are great when power is out. I also use those blow up solor lights and solar lights for the garden work well. Especially good to mark the way in black out conditions.
Stay safe Ducks I’ll be keeping an eye on you.

I’ve been looking at a elec transfer for gas from a 55 gal barrel to a 15 gallon . They were over $300 …I think I’ll stick to the hand pump for now as long as my shoulders hold out. I’ve been using it for years. It works well and keeps the arm mussels strong with zero spinish needed.

 

[baymule]

Stay safe!

 

[ducks4you]

I was there. Dunno How he did it, but the tow truck driver pulled this out of the garage, didn't hit the other truck or the garage, lined it up and got my RAM doolie on the back and to the garage for battery service.

 

[ducks4you]

Dunno about the 3rd rose next to the garage, but I was worried about my yellow knockout rose. Last year, the year of almost NO Duck gardening, I let those stupid, good-for-nothing blackberries bramble all over two of them.
I looked this morning. The red rose furthest east is in great shape!
The knockout in the middle is wick and has tiny leaf growth.
Gotta cut down the brambles to see about the red one furthest east.
It's been so warm this early spring, that things are maybe growing a little bit too fast.
At least the rotten blackberries aren't growing very fast.
GOOD THING they are rooted to the ground and cannot run away from me!!

 

[ducks4you]

Went to the Post Office to check my box last night. SeedsNow Purple Majesty potatoes were there!
I posed them on a dinner plate after slicing 5 seed potatoes into 12 pieces to dry first, then plant tomorrow.
I cleaned out a dinner take home styrofoam container to keep them safe for travel to the garden tomorrow, since many sprouts are significant.

Package arrived with two free samples, Cucumber Ashley, and Tomato Beefsteak Pandora Red.