What did you do in your garden today?

Sean Regan

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Have to get certain things ready for the frost. Empty fountain etc. bring in potted plants. etc.

That's reminded me. Our fountain and all the lights in the garden are controlled by four switches behind the lounge curtains. I need to isolate the fountain from its switch by turning off its plug in the garage. In case I accidentally turn it on when it's freezing.
I've an acer palmatum Taylor in a pot on the patio. I will put this in the room in the garage which houses two back-up freezers as I did last year. We had two before this, that didn't survive the winter in a pot on the patio.
 

Esther Knapicius

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That's reminded me. Our fountain and all the lights in the garden are controlled by four switches behind the lounge curtains. I need to isolate the fountain from its switch by turning off its plug in the garage. In case I accidentally turn it on when it's freezing.
I've an acer palmatum Taylor in a pot on the patio. I will put this in the room in the garage which houses two back-up freezers as I did last year. We had two before this, that didn't survive the winter in a pot on the patio.
Today, I will insect spray all pots that need to come inside/
 

Oliver Buckle

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Watered, pruned Rose's, cut back some plants.

Helped my wife get Electric into the Greenhouse.

big rockpile
Sounds like you are recovering well. May I recommend taking a regular walk? Pottering about doing stuff is all very well, but I find actually striding out and purposefully covering a mile or two does me a lot of good. And it is pleasant if you don't overdo it.
 

cntrlwagdnr

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Nice to see ya friends.
Is your nickname "Breezy Willie" by chance?

World Naked Gardening Day Celebration is on Sat, May 4, 2024

Hope to be participating myself except I might be limited to a thong around here.
Not quite sure I understood the first comment. Was it like "It's nice to see you, as friends with a common interest." Or more like "It's nice to see your friends sans textiles." I trust it is the first one - the second is not really what it's about.

No, that gentleman is not not me. Bit of an inappropriate nick name for a serious nudist.

Not sure about naked gardening. If the gardening activity was just incidental, that's only natural of course (sorry about the pun). But I don't really see the point of doing it for the sake of it. Can't do it at home anyway, the garden is outside our privacy screen (no wish to upset neighbors, plus some of them have kids) - and we have lots of thorny plants. It's not really something just the two of us do much at home, other than relax on our loungers with a cocktail in the sun and keep the tan lines at bay. It's more of a social activity - purely social, nothing more. Helping out with the plant maintenance and mowing at one of the resorts we go to is fine, but again, the gardening part is purely incidental. However that does sometimes require textile protection.
 

cntrlwagdnr

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Me WANTS! ME WANTS!
I was writing a reply and it vaporized before I was finished! Second try:

Well, you can have one if you have some basic handyman skills. I designed it on a 3D CAD system. I think I have a self executing Edrawings file of it somewhere I could send you if you want it. No software required. You can view and manipulate the 3D model assembly and detail parts as well as print views of it and take measurements. It's not technically a "structure", it's "portable" - so no property taxes, around here anyway. I did move it recently when the house was painted. This is useful for anyone needing to move heavy things around indoors or out. Got a set of heavy duty moving corner plates with casters with brakes on line. The bar weights in at almost 900 lb and it's very rigid. The pry bar lifter thing in the kit was useless for this, but I used a toe jack. It moved very easily and smoothly, almost a one finger job! Laid a sheet of plywood on the lawn and rolled it on there for the 3 days.

The thatch is hand knotted natural palm and comes in 30in x 60ft rolls (other sized too but that's what I used). plus there's a top ridge cap strip. You just cut and staple it on. One roll was enough for this. Got it on line - there's a bunch of suppliers. It's certified 94V-0 flame retardant and self extinguishing. You can get stuff to reapply that, but my annual tests showed it was still good as long as the thatch lasted, but we don't have very high annual rainfall. I re-thatched it after 7 years and we have high winds around here including 75mph gusts. I'm 74 - next time I'm not going up there to re-thatch again - gonna use corrugated glass fiber roofing and make it look like old Caribbean iron roofing. (It took longer to remove the old staples than do the new thatch!)

The split bamboo edging and paneling came from the same place. But this year I redid the bar top edge with 3x1 clear pine because the bamboo was starting to make splinters. So I suggest that's good idea from scratch. Actually looks nicer too. The thatch and other products are great for indoor use or outdoor use in the yard or garden.

The fake water barrel is a real home booze aging barrel (Freedomoakbarrels.com). Ran a waterline through it with a brass faucet. It's suppled by an RV water hose. The bar sink drain just goes onto the crushed rock round the house - its only used for water and rinsing glasses, etc.

The couter top is ceramic floor tiles. Wanted a one piece granite top, but the price was prohibitive for that purpose. Just remember for outdoor use to use sanded silicone grouting, so it sticks to the wood and doesn't shrink away and let water in. (Which will freeze and push the wood away - trust me!)

Inside the floor and shelves are lined with vinyl flooring "stone tile" patten (leftover stuff in my case.) But you have to remember to seal all the edges with silone/latex caulking for outdoor use or it will start peeling back.

I reapply a coat of water based polyurethane matt clear coat to all the bare wood each year.

All good techniques for outdoor projects, by the way.

I'm afraid you would have to go to Jamaica for some of the decor... but I highly recommend it! It is all attached with 3M Command Strips and taken down over the winter. Those things are freakin' magic - especially the heavy duty black ones. No holes in the walls in our house!

Hope that's helpful information for patio bars and other projects in the backyard and garden.
 

big rockpile

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Well scattered Wheat in my garden.

Seen my light had came on early in the Greenhouse. No problem reset the Timer.

Got up on a Step Stool to see it better. Fell off knocked a Screen out with my head. My Son got me up.

big rockpile
 

Ernst

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I was writing a reply and it vaporized before I was finished! Second try:

Well, you can have one if you have some basic handyman skills. I designed it on a 3D CAD system. I think I have a self executing Edrawings file of it somewhere I could send you if you want it. No software required. You can view and manipulate the 3D model assembly and detail parts as well as print views of it and take measurements. It's not technically a "structure", it's "portable" - so no property taxes, around here anyway. I did move it recently when the house was painted. This is useful for anyone needing to move heavy things around indoors or out. Got a set of heavy duty moving corner plates with casters with brakes on line. The bar weights in at almost 900 lb and it's very rigid. The pry bar lifter thing in the kit was useless for this, but I used a toe jack. It moved very easily and smoothly, almost a one finger job! Laid a sheet of plywood on the lawn and rolled it on there for the 3 days.

The thatch is hand knotted natural palm and comes in 30in x 60ft rolls (other sized too but that's what I used). plus there's a top ridge cap strip. You just cut and staple it on. One roll was enough for this. Got it on line - there's a bunch of suppliers. It's certified 94V-0 flame retardant and self extinguishing. You can get stuff to reapply that, but my annual tests showed it was still good as long as the thatch lasted, but we don't have very high annual rainfall. I re-thatched it after 7 years and we have high winds around here including 75mph gusts. I'm 74 - next time I'm not going up there to re-thatch again - gonna use corrugated glass fiber roofing and make it look like old Caribbean iron roofing. (It took longer to remove the old staples than do the new thatch!)

The split bamboo edging and paneling came from the same place. But this year I redid the bar top edge with 3x1 clear pine because the bamboo was starting to make splinters. So I suggest that's good idea from scratch. Actually looks nicer too. The thatch and other products are great for indoor use or outdoor use in the yard or garden.

The fake water barrel is a real home booze aging barrel (Freedomoakbarrels.com). Ran a waterline through it with a brass faucet. It's suppled by an RV water hose. The bar sink drain just goes onto the crushed rock round the house - its only used for water and rinsing glasses, etc.

The couter top is ceramic floor tiles. Wanted a one piece granite top, but the price was prohibitive for that purpose. Just remember for outdoor use to use sanded silicone grouting, so it sticks to the wood and doesn't shrink away and let water in. (Which will freeze and push the wood away - trust me!)

Inside the floor and shelves are lined with vinyl flooring "stone tile" patten (leftover stuff in my case.) But you have to remember to seal all the edges with silone/latex caulking for outdoor use or it will start peeling back.

I reapply a coat of water based polyurethane matt clear coat to all the bare wood each year.

All good techniques for outdoor projects, by the way.

I'm afraid you would have to go to Jamaica for some of the decor... but I highly recommend it! It is all attached with 3M Command Strips and taken down over the winter. Those things are freakin' magic - especially the heavy duty black ones. No holes in the walls in our house!

Hope that's helpful information for patio bars and other projects in the backyard and garden.
I will be doing something.
I have in mind something akin to a Buddha shack.
A place to burn incense and meditate. Also to remember those who have past away.
However, it's down on the list of to-dos so I will enjoy yours vicariously.
Thank you for the reply.
 

Ernst

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Well scattered Wheat in my garden.

Seen my light had came on early in the Greenhouse. No problem reset the Timer.

Got up on a Step Stool to see it better. Fell off knocked a Screen out with my head. My Son got me up.

big rockpile
Had some setbacks here my friend but I want to be scattering too. Gotta till a lot more. New job so maybe Saturday. Hope you are better and stay that way!
 

Steve @ Celtic Farm

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Propagated some Lavender ;)

Propagating lavender
 

Ernst

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Ryan Hall the Y'all guy from YouTube says it going to rain a lot for Southern Illinois shortly.
I need to check out the slope and drainage of the work thus far in next years plot.
Tilling more might be a bad idea?
The area was part low spot where rain pooled.
I just might do well to dig a small ditch parallel to the end of the plot this weekend.

+Opinions> Welcome.
 

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