Landscaping/Gardening Thread.

[troutman]

Bought this Owl for $20 to keep the sparrows from crapping on my patio furniture. Seems to be working so far if I move it around a couple of times per day. Any other suggestions?

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by troutman

Bought this Owl for $20 to keep the sparrows from crapping on my patio furniture. Seems to be working so far if I move it around a couple of times per day. Any other suggestions?

Buy a clock mechanism from lee valley tools with the longest arbor you can get. Drill a hole for the arbor in a small piece of plywood. Screw the plywood to the owl. Now the owl will spin 360 every hour", bird sees it moving and then go poop on your neighbors car..... profit??

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by surferguy

Buy a clock mechanism from lee valley tools with the longest arbor you can get. Drill a hole for the arbor in a small piece of plywood. Screw the plywood to the owl. Now the owl will spin 360 every hour", bird sees it moving and then go poop on your neighbors car..... profit??

Or make it spin like crazy and freak everyone out.

[troutman]

Any advice on reel mowers?

https://www.artofmanliness.com/artic...sh-reel-mower/

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/cat...wn-mowers.html

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by troutman

Any advice on reel mowers?

https://www.artofmanliness.com/artic...sh-reel-mower/

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/cat...wn-mowers.html

I have a Lee Valley reel mower:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/p...,51170&p=10190

My yard isn't that big, so I figured a gas powered mower was too much. It probably takes me 15-20 minutes with the reel mower to do the whole lawn. I never use the basket thing either.

Good:
1) Low maintenance - no oil / gas of course and I've only had to sharpen the blades once since I've owned it (going on 4th season now)
2) Natual mulching keeps the lawn pretty healthy and seems to require very little extra water - normal rainfall seems sufficient
3) Better for environment

Bad:
1) It's a bit of a work out pushing it around, but that could be a plus if that's something you're looking for
2) Raking the lawn in the fall and spring is a pain, but required to avoid massive thatch
3) Cannot let the lawn get too long or the mower can't handle it. I cut my grass pretty much every week with the reel mower with no issues though. Two weeks would be pushing it

I like it because it is a bit of a workout and its very hassle free. I can do my whole lawn, including edging in less than 30 minutes so its easy to fit in as I pretty much have to do it every weekend. My lawn seems to do well compared to other lawns around me, but not sure if that is the mower or just the fact that I fertilize. and actively try to keep out the crabgrass and dandelions.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by calf

Fair to say if I needed to pick up a few rolls of sod, don't waste my time going to Sunnyside?

Correct. The bulk bins were all empty.

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by troutman

Any advice on reel mowers?

https://www.artofmanliness.com/artic...sh-reel-mower/

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/cat...wn-mowers.html

I have a Fiskars reel mower, it's worked great for me so long as I don't let the grass get excessively long. Easy to push, quiet and the lawn looks good. It does leave a bit more edge trimming work than most powered mowers though.

[metallicat]

I had a reel mower for years and just last year I got sick of it. I thought it was cool that I was helping the environment and getting a workout...those things suck. The happiest day of my life was when I bought a gas mower and a new jerrycan full of wonderful gasoline.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by metallicat

I had a reel mower for years and just last year I got sick of it. I thought it was cool that I was helping the environment and getting a workout...those things suck. The happiest day of my life was when I bought a gas mower and a new jerrycan full of wonderful gasoline.

Yep. I bought a reel mower a few years ago right at the beginning of spring, and then it rained for two months straight. Reel mowing wet grass is a huge PITA, and when it rains so much, the grass grows beyond reel mowing capabilities pretty quickly.

Also, the reel mower does a really inconsistent job. The wheels push down some grass that the reel doesn't pull back up on the next pass, on top of general unevenness. If you have even the slightest hint of ADD, you'll hate the reel mower for all the extra passes you'll have to do to make a simple mow look like it was done by an adult instead of a brain damaged monkey.

If you're the type that wants to go outside every 2-3 days and do a quick pass on your lawn, then it's good. If you mow once a week because the stupid grass keeps growing, you'll hate it.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by calf

Fair to say if I needed to pick up a few rolls of sod, don't waste my time going to Sunnyside?

Their sod was awful anyway. If it wasn't fresh it was cooking.

[Engine09]

About to place an order with Eagle Lake for 2,000 sq feet of sod and topsoil.

How does their quality compare to Manderley or Burnco? Thanks!

[Madman]

Originally Posted by Engine09

About to place an order with Eagle Lake for 2,000 sq feet of sod and topsoil.

How does their quality compare to Manderley or Burnco? Thanks!

Always had fantastic results from Chinook.

http://www.chinooksodfarms.com/

[wooohooo]

Anyone into vegetable gardening? I'm reading more into this square foot gardening and it's intriguing. What kind of soil mixes are you guys using?

How about building raised beds? I built mine out of regular framing lumbar as I figured it's cheaper to just replace it when it rots out in a few years time.

I started planting from seeds about a month ago so I'm just itching to transplant them this weekend.

[Fuzz]

I build my raised beds out of cedar decking as it is more rot-resistant. It still rots, but takes longer.

Just planted most of our stuff Monday night, but the taters have been in for awhile.

I grabbed a yard of fresh soil from Blue Grass on the weekend, they have a garden mix that is mostly organics, so blended 50/50 with their loam. We compost everything we can so I add that in once a year.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I build my raised beds out of cedar decking as it is more rot-resistant. It still rots, but takes longer.

Just planted most of our stuff Monday night, but the taters have been in for awhile.

I grabbed a yard of fresh soil from Blue Grass on the weekend, they have a garden mix that is mostly organics, so blended 50/50 with their loam. We compost everything we can so I add that in once a year.

For your raised bed, did you have to lay down any cardboard or that weed fabric? Any issues with grass or weeds growing through?

[Madman]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Anyone into vegetable gardening? I'm reading more into this square foot gardening and it's intriguing. What kind of soil mixes are you guys using?

How about building raised beds? I built mine out of regular framing lumbar as I figured it's cheaper to just replace it when it rots out in a few years time.

I started planting from seeds about a month ago so I'm just itching to transplant them this weekend.

I always dig in a bag of peatmoss and some compost and the soil remains fantastic every year.

As for raised beds, I agree on the cedar, don't use treated.

[Fuzz]

Weed fabric is pretty pointless. Crab grass grows right through it. Well, it grows through everything, really. All my experiments with fabric have failed. I used some extra heavy duty garbage bags kind of around the inside, and put the dirt on top, while leaving the centre area bare grass. This in theory prevents grass from creeping in the sides, but allows water to drain and worms to get in. Mine are fairly deep, at least a foot so that killed the grass on its own. I haven't had much for problems, but it has only been in place a year like this. I'd call it a success though.

[calgarygeologist]

I used a fabric barrier in my raised beds and it hasn't been optimal. I've read that a better solution is a layer of sand.

[GreenLantern]

So I planted 11 cedars, looks like 1 isn't going to make it. All brown, even the green on the backside is brittle.

How long do you give it till you call it and plant a new one?

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Anyone into vegetable gardening? I'm reading more into this square foot gardening and it's intriguing. What kind of soil mixes are you guys using?

How about building raised beds? I built mine out of regular framing lumbar as I figured it's cheaper to just replace it when it rots out in a few years time.

I started planting from seeds about a month ago so I'm just itching to transplant them this weekend.

The problem with replacing the wood isn't the expense. It's the fact that there is at least a foot or so of soil on the other side of the wood that is pushing against it. As soon as you remove the rotting wood, that soil is going to spill outwards. So then you pile the soil higher, to get another frame around the outside, but it just doesn't quite fit the way you like, so you have to hammer and shove and push it around, and the screws you put into the vertical posts keep popping out - cause that's the first part that goes, not to mention replacing the wooden spikes in the corners if you set them deep in the ground like you should, and you realize it's a heck of a lot more work than paying the extra $30-$40 you need to do it right the first time.