What I do with the area by your little table is like what you've done with the other black clothed areas. I put black plastic under the chips and then just cut a hole if I want to plant something later.
I only chipped over the fabric one time... I wasn't happy with it in our climate. I find that the soil heats better with it on top - and I can pull it up at the end of each season and make it last a bit longer for me. I love hearing about other peoples successes though! Thanks for sharing! Your way certainly would keep weeds out longer.
It took me so many years of trial and error to get good starts. I've learned several things that really help. Here is a video I did on things I changed to get better starts. Hope it helps! Iruclips.net/video/gUfyyafUT84/видео.html
I’m in zone 4 as well, in Wisconsin though. So excited to see all the stuff that is possible for our zone! I live in town so I don’t have a ton of space, just an 1/8th acre for the whole property, but I’m trying to get as much growing as I can. Especially perennials. Thanks for sharing what you’ve got! I’ll be doing a video of mine soon too once I figure out what’s going on with my phone storage 😂❤
That's wonderful!! You can do so much in a tiny space. I think sometimes small spaces are more productive because your work efforts are concentrated on one space and not spread out. So much can be grown in this kind of climate. Its incredible! How exciting!!! (pro tip for phone storage go into the settings and make sure you permanently deleted all the things you've deleted. That used to be my issue. Hope you get it sorted soon!!) Happy gardening to you!
Google says a 1/4" wire mesh will keep out voles. 12-18" high and 6-10" in the ground. At least in a wide circle around the trees if encircling the garden would be too costly. Though no more than the cost of raised beds, I'd presume.
1/8th inch is better. I wouldn't risk it with 1/4". I've talked to a lot of locals that deal with them. Those little stinkers are not cool. I'd totally wrap the entire garden in the stuff hahahahaha!
@@EsthersEden Like you said at the end....losing all those trees was just devastating. Broke my heart. Especially when I know the cost of having to buy online.
Really enjoyed seeing all that you have going on. I'll say that it's a lot and don't kill yourself trying to keep up with it all. I wonder if you tarp some problem areas and let the sun solarize the vegetation so that you aren't having to constantly dig the invasive grasses. The vole issue would drive me crazy. There's got to be a way that you can combat them effectively so that you aren't losing so many of your plants and trees. Currently I work one full time and one part time job and I can barely keep up with all that I have going on plus I've taken to canning and presevering as much as possible. Keep up the great work. You're very inspiring and I loved the dirt smudge on your check. Take care my friend.
HaHaHa. I was just thinking the same thing. It IS a lot....I have lots of tarps planned I just have to move perennials that I do want to keep first. That's half the battle is the grass is so mixed into the good stuff... about to release a video on that topic. It's been a good life lesson as well as lesson in the garden. Voles. UGH. I need to do some canning but haven't had the time yet. I'm betting it's gonna be some late nights for me to get it done. While all of this is a lot, it's a good life. I'm gonna fill my time somehow it might as well be doing something wonderful like homesteading. The dirt sure made me laugh during editing. And it just kept getting worse. LOL! Whoops. Blessings to you as you garden, can and work this week.
Check out buying green mountain potato onions. They're considered a "perennial" bunching onion since you can replant the smallest bulbs every season like you do garlic. They get about the size of a quarter to a silver dollar.
Such a frustrating thing, but I just keep thinking how amazing it will be when one day I finally succeed and have more food than I know what to do with. Another thing I just learned is that if you start apples from seeds they are hardier!
It looked like there was rabbitbrush in the beginning by the tree where you said you were going to make a veg bed. Don't get rid of the rabbitbrush; a native for pollinators and butterflies, especially the Monarchs. I'm in Boise. What town or area are you closest to? Oh, I have a half acre in the city. Cottage and food forest gardening. 3 hens...but they don't allow me roosters. There are some close by but an acre is required.
No rabbitbrush here. I garden for pollinators and have lots of things planted just for them. We have swallowtails but I've not seen monarchs in my garden yet. I'm not sure if they come this far north. I haven't looked. LOL. I'm near CDA. Love it! I adore little gardens in the city. Refuge spots for city dwelling wildlife.
@@EsthersEden Yes, I like the wildlife except for the raccoon living in my silver maple that killed my first chickens. And then there's a mountain lion that's been coming around at night ever since I put the pond in. Look up on YT, "Boise mountain lion". They actually still come into the city.
Are the voles chewing the bark or the roots? The bark is an easy fix and I've heard of small windmill looking things that vibrate the ground to deter root eating but I don't have any experience as to whether they actually work or not. I deal with squirrels that my neighbor FEEDS 😡 and she tears down anything I put on the fence to keep them out.
Oh gosh! Im sorry that sounds awful. The voles chew up the entire root system... and sometimes just pull entire plants under ground. They suck. And non of the vibrating things work. I've tried a lot of them. I'm connived the best way is to plant things they don't like and hardscape. Every garden has its challenges.
@@EsthersEden How does hardscaping work? It doesn't seem like it'd be deep enough to deter them. I think I'd get so sick of the voles that I'd try turning a hose on in the tunnels and pop them off as they come up. Or I'd get some ferrets and turn them loose out there. 😆
hahah! I did try the hose method... I doesn't work in our soil. The voles never surface and the water just drains quickly into the soil. Our water level is below 1000ft in some areas. Its crazy. Hardscaping: concrete, buildings, paver pads etc... it seems to do the trick. I've checked out many other gardens and where there is hardscaping there are no voles. I even have a friend who had hundreds of tulips between two buildings and the only things between the voles and them was a concrete sidewalk. Voles on one side and not on the other.... It was like that for at least 20 years. So I know it's effective.
@@EsthersEden Weird. It must be because they get tired of bumping their heads coming up. They're too stupid to know it isn't concrete everywhere, I guess.
You've done a LOT of work. FANTASTIC JOB!!
Subbed.
Thanks so much! Welcome to the community.
What I do with the area by your little table is like what you've done with the other black clothed areas. I put black plastic under the chips and then just cut a hole if I want to plant something later.
I only chipped over the fabric one time... I wasn't happy with it in our climate. I find that the soil heats better with it on top - and I can pull it up at the end of each season and make it last a bit longer for me.
I love hearing about other peoples successes though! Thanks for sharing! Your way certainly would keep weeds out longer.
Your starts look so much better than mine!!!! I’m in Hayden. We don’t have a greenhouse yet. I started them inside with grow lights.
It took me so many years of trial and error to get good starts. I've learned several things that really help. Here is a video I did on things I changed to get better starts. Hope it helps! Iruclips.net/video/gUfyyafUT84/видео.html
I’m in zone 4 as well, in Wisconsin though. So excited to see all the stuff that is possible for our zone! I live in town so I don’t have a ton of space, just an 1/8th acre for the whole property, but I’m trying to get as much growing as I can. Especially perennials. Thanks for sharing what you’ve got! I’ll be doing a video of mine soon too once I figure out what’s going on with my phone storage 😂❤
That's wonderful!! You can do so much in a tiny space. I think sometimes small spaces are more productive because your work efforts are concentrated on one space and not spread out. So much can be grown in this kind of climate. Its incredible! How exciting!!! (pro tip for phone storage go into the settings and make sure you permanently deleted all the things you've deleted. That used to be my issue. Hope you get it sorted soon!!) Happy gardening to you!
Google says a 1/4" wire mesh will keep out voles. 12-18" high and 6-10" in the ground. At least in a wide circle around the trees if encircling the garden would be too costly. Though no more than the cost of raised beds, I'd presume.
1/8th inch is better. I wouldn't risk it with 1/4". I've talked to a lot of locals that deal with them. Those little stinkers are not cool.
I'd totally wrap the entire garden in the stuff hahahahaha!
@@EsthersEden
Like you said at the end....losing all those trees was just devastating. Broke my heart. Especially when I know the cost of having to buy online.
Exactly. I've learned so much gardening out here.
Really enjoyed seeing all that you have going on. I'll say that it's a lot and don't kill yourself trying to keep up with it all. I wonder if you tarp some problem areas and let the sun solarize the vegetation so that you aren't having to constantly dig the invasive grasses. The vole issue would drive me crazy. There's got to be a way that you can combat them effectively so that you aren't losing so many of your plants and trees. Currently I work one full time and one part time job and I can barely keep up with all that I have going on plus I've taken to canning and presevering as much as possible. Keep up the great work. You're very inspiring and I loved the dirt smudge on your check. Take care my friend.
HaHaHa. I was just thinking the same thing. It IS a lot....I have lots of tarps planned I just have to move perennials that I do want to keep first. That's half the battle is the grass is so mixed into the good stuff... about to release a video on that topic. It's been a good life lesson as well as lesson in the garden.
Voles. UGH.
I need to do some canning but haven't had the time yet. I'm betting it's gonna be some late nights for me to get it done.
While all of this is a lot, it's a good life. I'm gonna fill my time somehow it might as well be doing something wonderful like homesteading.
The dirt sure made me laugh during editing. And it just kept getting worse. LOL! Whoops.
Blessings to you as you garden, can and work this week.
Check out buying green mountain potato onions. They're considered a "perennial" bunching onion since you can replant the smallest bulbs every season like you do garlic. They get about the size of a quarter to a silver dollar.
Oh my goodness how funny you mention these! My friend just gifted me some!!! woo!!
Great work! How do you keep deer from eating all your plants in your raised beds?
Thanks! I have a 7' fence around my entire garden.
I’m tired of our fruit trees dying too. I didn’t know getting the standard size can help that.
Such a frustrating thing, but I just keep thinking how amazing it will be when one day I finally succeed and have more food than I know what to do with. Another thing I just learned is that if you start apples from seeds they are hardier!
It looked like there was rabbitbrush in the beginning by the tree where you said you were going to make a veg bed. Don't get rid of the rabbitbrush; a native for pollinators and butterflies, especially the Monarchs.
I'm in Boise. What town or area are you closest to?
Oh, I have a half acre in the city. Cottage and food forest gardening. 3 hens...but they don't allow me roosters. There are some close by but an acre is required.
No rabbitbrush here. I garden for pollinators and have lots of things planted just for them. We have swallowtails but I've not seen monarchs in my garden yet. I'm not sure if they come this far north. I haven't looked. LOL.
I'm near CDA. Love it! I adore little gardens in the city. Refuge spots for city dwelling wildlife.
@@EsthersEden
Yes, I like the wildlife except for the raccoon living in my silver maple that killed my first chickens. And then there's a mountain lion that's been coming around at night ever since I put the pond in.
Look up on YT, "Boise mountain lion". They actually still come into the city.
Oh my!!! If you plant it they will come. hahah! Sounds like nothing short of an adventure there on your little plot.
Are the voles chewing the bark or the roots? The bark is an easy fix and I've heard of small windmill looking things that vibrate the ground to deter root eating but I don't have any experience as to whether they actually work or not.
I deal with squirrels that my neighbor FEEDS 😡 and she tears down anything I put on the fence to keep them out.
Oh gosh! Im sorry that sounds awful.
The voles chew up the entire root system... and sometimes just pull entire plants under ground. They suck. And non of the vibrating things work. I've tried a lot of them. I'm connived the best way is to plant things they don't like and hardscape. Every garden has its challenges.
@@EsthersEden
How does hardscaping work? It doesn't seem like it'd be deep enough to deter them. I think I'd get so sick of the voles that I'd try turning a hose on in the tunnels and pop them off as they come up. Or I'd get some ferrets and turn them loose out there. 😆
hahah! I did try the hose method... I doesn't work in our soil. The voles never surface and the water just drains quickly into the soil. Our water level is below 1000ft in some areas. Its crazy.
Hardscaping: concrete, buildings, paver pads etc... it seems to do the trick. I've checked out many other gardens and where there is hardscaping there are no voles. I even have a friend who had hundreds of tulips between two buildings and the only things between the voles and them was a concrete sidewalk. Voles on one side and not on the other.... It was like that for at least 20 years. So I know it's effective.
@@EsthersEden
Weird. It must be because they get tired of bumping their heads coming up. They're too stupid to know it isn't concrete everywhere, I guess.
Is the the elderberry from up on the hill???
Yes! The one by the raspberries/chicken run is. Woo!
Sorry, it's rainy here today so I'm stuck in the house YouTubing. 😁
hehehe. binge away. I love it. 🥰