fuzzi's "Gardens and Chickens...and Goats? Oh My!" Journal and More Thread

[fuzzi]

The elderberry plants arrived today!

And while it hasn't rained, yet, I'm hopeful.

Off to the yard I went!

I gathered my supplies, including three produce boxes, a utility knife, shovel, bag of peat moss, bag of potting soil, garden carts (2), empty coffee canisters, my garden knife, and a tote full of water.

I removed the marker stakes and the pots full of moistened yard clippings...look at the pill bugs!

I dug a hole under each pot, cutting through roots...but about 5-6" down I hit dry soil

Roots and dry soil

I broke up the soil as best as I could. Into the hole I added the wet yard clippings from the pot, a canister of peat moss, a canister of water, and mixed it with my garden knife. Then I added the soil from the hole on top, so it was mounded.

I cut a hole in the bottom of the produce box, approximately the same size as the transplant hole

And put it over the planting hole

I mixed 5 canisters of peat moss and 5 canisters of potting soil in a garden cart

Poured it in the box

Then I poured about three canisters of water into the soil mixture, cutting it with my garden knife to mix it well.

I repeated the process for box #2 and box #3.

I'll transplant closer to sunset.

 

[Baymule]

Look at all the work you are doing! You have it looking so good, pat yourself on the back !

 

[fuzzi]

Look at all the work you are doing! You have it looking so good, pat yourself on the back !

Thank you!

I did transplant them before dark.

Lying awake here I realized I'd not cat-proofed them yet! I'll do that as soon as I get outside.

 

[fuzzi]

Nothing but brief sprinkles last night.

We need rain badly.

Backyard, yesterday.

 

[GLENMAR]

Uggg. I have gotten quite a bit of rain the last 24 hours.

 

[fuzzi]

Still no rain here, though it's cooler. There's also a breeze.

Cat deterrents added to elderberry transplants...

I finished trimming the ditch by the road, and went back over a few spots on the slope that were still showing green. It was mainly honeysuckle vines that were missed on the first attempt.

Speaking of vines, wisteria was bridging the gap between the woods and Coop Deux. I used the walk behind trimmer initially, but most of the pruning had to be done by hand.

No before photo, you'll have to imagine what it looked like based upon the piles on the ground.

I also cleared the neighbor's board fence, which was covered by thorny vines. Some of them originated on his side, but I cut down all on my side.

Now there's more air flow to the coop, and no longer a hiding place for predators.

 

[fuzzi]

We're getting some light showers. And I just heard a tree frog singing.

 

[fuzzi]

My left hip's been seizing up after I sit for a few minutes, and I'm getting pain on the outside of the thigh. Did a little research online, symptoms point toward a muscle or tendon strain. Yep, I can see that happening after yesterday's slope trimming, and moving heavy/awkward stuff behind the coop. DMSO gives me almost immediate pain relief, which is a huge blessing. I'm going to probably just putter around the house this afternoon, sort stuff, go through receipts, keep moving.

Besides, it's hot and humid outside.

 

[drstratton]

My left hip's been seizing up after I sit for a few minutes, and I'm getting pain on the outside of the thigh. Did a little research online, symptoms point toward a muscle or tendon strain. Yep, I can see that happening after yesterday's slope trimming, and moving heavy/awkward stuff behind the coop. DMSO gives me almost immediate pain relief, which is a huge blessing. I'm going to probably just putter around the house this afternoon, sort stuff, go through receipts, keep moving.

Besides, it's hot and humid outside.

Hope it gets better soon. I could barely walk for almost 3 years (during covid), because of lower back issues, that caused pain and mobility issues into my hip. Finally got into PT. She had me do lower body strengthening exercises, which I had been doing before, but the key exercise was what is called a nerve glide exercise. Now when my lower back and hip start giving me issues, I can do that simple exercise and it frees up the nerve.