{"id":9616,"date":"2021-07-06T10:19:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T14:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=9616"},"modified":"2021-09-09T07:26:09","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T11:26:09","slug":"episode-382-gardening-with-black-plastic-tarpaulins-and-old-tires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=9616","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 382 GARDENING WITH BLACK PLASTIC (Tarpaulins) AND OLD TIRES…"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 382      GARDENING WITH BLACK PLASTIC AND OLD TIRES…
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<\/div>\n
Alan skeoch<\/div>\n
July 2021<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Gardening is a sport that we always seem to lose.   Our weeds race vertically<\/div>\n
faster than our garden plants.  Eventually we give up and either<\/div>\n
abandon the garden to the winning weeds or decide to get revenge<\/div>\n
by driving the John Deere lawn mower over everything.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We usually have a bit of joy as the race begins.  Like our<\/div>\n
row of Zinnias this year and our cosmos jungle where the<\/div>\n
weeds cannot  get a foothold.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
There is a solution.  A pathway to victory. Not pretty.  First let\u2019s look at the<\/div>\n
gardens on July 1\u2026before the weeds\u2026.just to see if the race is worth the effort.<\/div>\n

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Zinnias are treasures<\/div>\n



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\n
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Gardens spotted here and there make skeins of shorn grass interesting.

Pond gardens require no work at all



Cosmos know how to beat weeds\u2026crowd them\u2026feed the weed their elbows.




Nest year we are planning a whole garden of zinnias\u2026alongside the cosmos.



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\n
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strawberries are an early crop\u2026B.W. (before weeds)
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\u201cAlan, did Marjorie grow these berries?\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cTruth be told.  No.  We bought them but thought they<\/div>\n
looked good in this story.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCan we trust other stories then?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAllow for a little padding now and then\u2026but, yes,<\/div>\n
I try to keep the stories honest\u2026buttressed by pictures that do not lie.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThose strawberries are a picture.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRight.  That\u2019s why I am being honest.  So you can trust my stories.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you  grow strawberries?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes\u2026as you will see.”<\/div>\n

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\n
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We grow strawberries in a giant plastic tub\u2026only way they can win.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dasies know how to make an ancient dump rake look like a fine carriage\u2026daisies come<\/div>\n
to bloom early\u2026no help needed.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
There has to be some kind of reward for wild tiger lillies.   When tender flowers<\/div>\n
fail, Tiger Lillies come to the rescue and bloom longer.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
EXPERIMENT:   Will the hand seeded Sweet Clover suppress the weeds.<\/div>\n
We will keep you informed.  This crop was planned to help the bees\u2026am I<\/div>\n
misled?<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
Some weeds I love. <\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Find three gardens here\u2026two with the weeds starting to dominate.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
why not let the weeds dominate…<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
This garden looks good right now but the weeds are poking through\u2026.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And now for the big experiment.  Ugly for sure\u2026..<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
we spread big sheets of black plastic sheeting… covered the ground. \u201cLet\u2019s deny the weeds light\u2026<\/div>\n
no chance for photosynthesis.   Then cut holes to plant<\/div>\n
our prize corps.   The weeds were being denied sunlight. Death in the dark under the tarp.<\/div>\n


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<\/div>\n

In other case we planted beets in a big wooden  crate\u2026three feet above <\/div>\n
the ground.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n


<\/div>\n
And then we gathered old rubber tires to hold the tarp down and provide nests for<\/div>\n
the cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, gourds to thrive.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Pretty?   Not very.  Some late germinate cucumbers in a truck tire fortress.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Old cattle troughs with garish bedsteads are homes to red onions and yellow bush beans.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And big plastic bins on movable skids are growing places for parsley, thyme, oregano,<\/div>\n
celery, tomatoes, peppers\u2026etc.etc.   When the weeds get too big we will pick <\/div>\n
up the skids with the bob cat and settle the pots where weeds have been mowed.<\/div>\n
Sounds stupid, I know.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Where did I  get the idea?  From our son Andrew who has constructed his garden<\/div>\n
in such a way that the plastic sheet is not ugly and the old car and truck tires<\/div>\n
are clothed in edible plant life.  Then he harrows the periphery with the tractor.<\/div>\n
Father copying son.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Coming soon\u2026Part 3 of indigenous contacts\u2026The story of Moses Lord\u2026a father<\/div>\n
figure working for a 22 year old \u2018boss\u2019.  Must have been hard to  take but Moses kept<\/div>\n
things cheerful.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 382      GARDENING WITH BLACK PLASTIC AND OLD TIRES… Alan skeoch July 2021 Gardening is a sport that we always seem to lose.   Our weeds race vertically faster than our garden plants.  Eventually we give up and either abandon the garden to the winning weeds or decide to get revenge by driving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}