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2019 Mid Atlantic Lawn, Garden, Pool, etc. Thread


Eskimo Joe
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29 minutes ago, showmethesnow said:

Just starting to see pumpkins now? Did you plant late or is this where your handy tip comes into play? :lol:

I planted on time, but lost a week of feeding/weeding for a small vacation.  That tip was for everyone else because there's nothing more exciting than watching pumpkins grow and making fresh pie from them.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/23/2019 at 5:45 PM, FXW176 said:

#notamonarchftw

 

so I'm thinking next year i will forego the veggie garden and just make an annual butterfly garden. i have a 10x10 space to work with. suggestions on what i can plant? 

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19 hours ago, Eskimo Joe said:

Pulled 13 bags of hedges and old bushes off the lawn this weekend.  I just dont have the time this year for lawn maintenance so I opted for TruGreens reseeding, aeration and feeding program this year.  I hope it bolsters the lawn.

I hear rock/gravel lawns are easy to maintain.

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On 8/26/2019 at 12:52 PM, mappy said:

so I'm thinking next year i will forego the veggie garden and just make an annual butterfly garden. i have a 10x10 space to work with. suggestions on what i can plant? 

Mappy! Been awhile, hope you and yours are doing well! 

My prob four fav plants in the butterfly garden are the swamp milkweed (Asclepias Incarnata), Pentas, Lantana, and Celosia.

Only the milkweed is an perennial of the four, but doubles as a nectar and host plant for the monarchs. (And for some random critter I haven’t been able to id yet.)

The others are annual nectar plants with the Pentas attracting the most butterflies, the Lantana a great all around pollinator attractor, and the Celosia being the bee magnet. Results may vary...

The pic of that swallowtail cat came from the dill, rue, fennel, and parsley containers I have in the b garden. New addition this year and have never raised those cats before. Now I’m caring for a dozen. P cool.

Are you looking to provide a habitat or raise a few? Regardless, it’s waaay fun. :)

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13 hours ago, FXW176 said:

Mappy! Been awhile, hope you and yours are doing well! 

My prob four fav plants in the butterfly garden are the swamp milkweed (Asclepias Incarnata), Pentas, Lantana, and Celosia.

Only the milkweed is an perennial of the four, but doubles as a nectar and host plant for the monarchs. (And for some random critter I haven’t been able to id yet.)

The others are annual nectar plants with the Pentas attracting the most butterflies, the Lantana a great all around pollinator attractor, and the Celosia being the bee magnet. Results may vary...

The pic of that swallowtail cat came from the dill, rue, fennel, and parsley containers I have in the b garden. New addition this year and have never raised those cats before. Now I’m caring for a dozen. P cool.

Are you looking to provide a habitat or raise a few? Regardless, it’s waaay fun. :)

hey! thanks for the reply! we are good, hope you and the family are well too! 

So, to be honest, I'm just lazy hahaha. I get so excited to grow a veggie garden every year, and it does well, but then halfway through the season i just stop checking it as often and it gets overgrown and then i'm just like "f-it". :lol: 

so i thought maybe for next year to grow a butterfly garden instead. we have bee balm and other flowers near the house that attract lots of nectar loving animals, but i have a really great space in the yard i can contain really well and would hate for it to not be utilized. and who doesn't love butterflies!? 

appreciate your list of suggestions! i'll have to remember to check back next year when the time comes to get the garden ready. 

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On 8/28/2019 at 7:39 AM, mappy said:

hey! thanks for the reply! we are good, hope you and the family are well too! 

So, to be honest, I'm just lazy hahaha. I get so excited to grow a veggie garden every year, and it does well, but then halfway through the season i just stop checking it as often and it gets overgrown and then i'm just like "f-it". :lol: 

so i thought maybe for next year to grow a butterfly garden instead. we have bee balm and other flowers near the house that attract lots of nectar loving animals, but i have a really great space in the yard i can contain really well and would hate for it to not be utilized. and who doesn't love butterflies!? 

appreciate your list of suggestions! i'll have to remember to check back next year when the time comes to get the garden ready. 

Ditto on the Lantana and Milkweed recommendation.  Also, put a hummingbird feeder on a pole there with a 3:1 (water:sugar) ratio and you'll have some great bird action all summer and into mid autumn.

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2 minutes ago, Eskimo Joe said:

Ditto on the Lantana and Milkweed recommendation.  Also, put a hummingbird feeder on a pole there with a 3:1 (water:sugar) ratio and you'll have some great bird action all summer and into mid autumn.

We have a hummingbird feeder closer to the house. lots of red throats around earlier in the spring. 

and I always thought it was 4:1 ratio? 

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Just now, mappy said:

We have a hummingbird feeder closer to the house. lots of red throats around earlier in the spring. 

and I always thought it was 4:1 ratio? 

Some purists say a 3:1 during the start and end of the season for the higher sugar content, then taper to a 4:1 during the "normal" summer.  I have kept a little harem of birds around for 2 years with my 3:1 ratio.

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3 minutes ago, Eskimo Joe said:

Some purists say a 3:1 during the start and end of the season for the higher sugar content, then taper to a 4:1 during the "normal" summer.  I have kept a little harem of birds around for 2 years with my 3:1 ratio.

I'll have to try 3:1 next year. they've already moved on in my area, plus the raccoons are little shits and get into the nectar at night. 

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40 minutes ago, Sparky said:

I always use 4:1 in my hummingbird feeder and get the birds all summer, I still have them around now.   My feeder is on a hook attached to the railing of my deck and I have never had any racoon problems with it.  Plus it is a good 15 feet above ground as well.

so ours too is attached to a hook off the deck. hadn't had raccoon problems in years past, but this summer and late last summer, couldn't leave the feeder out overnight otherwise it was empty in the morning, with lots of signs it was messed with. 

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On 8/29/2019 at 10:43 AM, Sparky said:

I always use 4:1 in my hummingbird feeder and get the birds all summer, I still have them around now.   My feeder is on a hook attached to the railing of my deck and I have never had any racoon problems with it.  Plus it is a good 15 feet above ground as well.

We always hooked ours into the soffit under the eaves on the back of the house, near a window so we could watch. About 20 foot off the ground, no problems from animals, but bees LOVED them. They drained one in about 2 hours one day, you couldn't see the container from the mass of bees on it. 

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Yesterday, we took out 50 sq ft of river rock that bordered one part of the patio we had put in a couple years ago and replaced it with sod. Painful process, but it looks so much cleaner now. Hopefully our kids (with the help of the neighborhood kids) don't destroy it.

My hands hurt today.

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1 hour ago, mappy said:

did my last harvest in the garden over the weekend, lots of peppers. didn't tear it down though, took down one side of the chicken wire and will let the deer have their way with it before it comes down for good. 

Wow...already?

I'll be harvesting tomatoes until at least mid-October. I want to get every last fruit off the vine that I possibly can. I have a ton of maters and jalapenos that are still maturing - I'd hazard that I'll harvest 10+ lbs of tomatoes of various variety between now and then.

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1 hour ago, mattie g said:

Wow...already?

I'll be harvesting tomatoes until at least mid-October. I want to get every last fruit off the vine that I possibly can. I have a ton of maters and jalapenos that are still maturing - I'd hazard that I'll harvest 10+ lbs of tomatoes of various variety between now and then.

My garden is shot too, just the pumpkins, beets and collards are left.

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1 hour ago, mattie g said:

Wow...already?

I'll be harvesting tomatoes until at least mid-October. I want to get every last fruit off the vine that I possibly can. I have a ton of maters and jalapenos that are still maturing - I'd hazard that I'll harvest 10+ lbs of tomatoes of various variety between now and then.

Yeah my garden didn't do great this year. I also wasn't nearly as diligent on taking care of it as i should have been, which is probably why it didn't do well. Oh well. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was walking barefoot through the yard today and it’s bone dry and hard as rock. I’ve been waiting over a month for a good deluge so I can aerate and overseed, but I think I’m finally going to pull the sprinkler out. Hopefully I can get it at least wet enough before early next week so that any rain with the frontal passage will soak in so I can aerate and seed midweek.

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On 8/29/2019 at 8:51 AM, mappy said:

We have a hummingbird feeder closer to the house. lots of red throats around earlier in the spring. 

and I always thought it was 4:1 ratio? 

Early April 3:1

May-Mid Sep 4:1

Mid Sep- end of Oct  3:1

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  • 2 weeks later...

My Stihl trimmer is nearing 20 years old and it’s been puttering and stalling for the past year or two making it a real chore of cutting the grass. I thought it was water in the gas, bad lines, or a dirty fuel filter, but changing all of those just brought on a temporary fix. Finally did a little research and thought what the heck, let’s try changing the carburetor. Holy crap, what a difference. It feels brand new. Starts fast, idles well, and the trigger is super responsive. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed working on the landscaping.. I’ve just finished cutting what’s left of the burned up yard, and now I’m going to aerate and seed. Next spring will be here before we know it (ie, January 20th or so).

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