Hope I don't get a rash. UNfortunately, a pretty wild rose and some purple iris are going to have to be dug up that are in the same bed as the poison ivy. I will them both until I can be sure that I don't also pot the poison ivy or seeds and all poison ivy thrown away, NOT burned, which is my favorite vegetation disposal method. If you are allergic and breathe in the smoke, your LUNGS will be irritated, which is FAR more dangerous that a skin rash, so you HAVE to throw them away to land up in a landfill where they will be buried and probably never see the light of day.
Whew...I'm tired now and my back aches.Last Sunday I took a stab at digging up saplings along my 50 feet long old cattle fencing by the street. I got about 2/3 of the way down the INSIDE of the fencing. Some of the trees came up after being urged by my shovel. Others were too big to dig, BUT, I dug down and found roots and cut them underground. This east section of fencing will be up until after growing season (late October). I am saving up to replace it with this new wooden fencing posts and 2' x 6' horizontals, that and the south section, falling down, but between the best neighbor I have ever had. HIS tree did the most recent damage, but, like I said, BEST NEIGHBOR EVER, so he is cleaning up gradually, on HIS side, I am cleaning up gradually on MY side.
ReGARDless, the saplings have to go, but I can't poison them right now because I am planting vegetables there! I CAN keep cutting them back with my pruners as I harvest, thus keeping them under control this year. I will be harvesting okra on the other side of the fence, so I will be there a LOT.
There are several big saplings, which keep growing back suckers every year, almost ALL of them are Tree of Paradise. I'm going to try killing them by drilling a few holes and carefully pouring in vegetation killer, covering with a plastic grocery bag after treating and topping with a brick. If that kill them, I WON'T need to ever dig them up. If you didn't know, vegetation killer only works for about one year, so it isn't like nuking your soil forever!
On Sunday I also tilled some 2 1/2 feet next to the fencing it and planted sugar snap peas...except I didn't notice until Tuesday that I had planted 2016 Little Marvel peas. Not a BIG problem, since I started some of those indoors and the most of the seeds sprouted indoors. I will finish the rest of the fence bed with Sugar Snap Peas. They are 3-6 inches from the fence and I will help train them to climb it. SEE why I need the fencing this year?
This morning I dug two small trenches with my hand trowel toward the inside of the front yard. I planted lettuce in one and spinach in the other, again about 2/3 of the way down the inside of the fencing. Tomorrow I will be planting the next row inside with radishes. When they are spent it will be time to put tomatoes there, too, so I have something to tie them to.
I plan to finish this side of the fence this weekend. I have to be careful the last 7 feet because some stupid bird dropped a poison ivy seed and it grew and spread last year, but not too far. I noticed that our local farm supply store sells had soap to clean it off, and I may put on my oldest rubber gardening gloves when I dig it out, soap at the ready for both the gloves and me.
.
I think, the last ..
. of the tomato seed went in the soil mix.
The early ones came up well. Those and the first sown peppers, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, and, of course, the onions and leeks -- are all spending the daylight hours in the greenhouse. Oh, and the snapdragons are out there, in fact, DW transplanted them to 6-packs today. Everything else is in the South Window except what's still in the warmth of the kitchen, unsprouted ... and, now joined by that tomato seed
Steve
