A few weeks ago, I planted some cucumbers along the fence in my front yard,
where lawn used to be but where it is mainly weeds. I am not even bothering
with grass this year; I have most of the lawn planted in corn, with vining
things along the fence.
So I just dug into the soil a little, didn't till anything, let all the old
leaves and stuff stay there, and planted my cucumbers. A few days alter, I
saw a few little sprouts coming up.
A week later, I saw no sprouts. On close examination, I found several
little stems. I guess bugs must have eaten them. The grass along the
fence, though clipped close or pulled, still is messy, and I suppose it
houses many bugs.
So today I tried something new. I bought some disposable cups, and cut the
bottom off of them so they made a cuff about two inches tall. Put one cuff
under each of the drip-holes in my hose. Filled each cuff with some wet
potting soil, and planted the cucumber seeds in them.
I figure that this way, they will be up off the ground a little, protected
by the cup. The roots will go down into the yard soil, and when the sprouts
are sufficiently high I can remove the cups and just let them grow on their
little soil mound.
Has anyone ever tried this, and if so, will it work? Should I put a little
smear of Vaseline around the outside of each cup to further discourage bugs?
--S.
Re: Chickens on the run! ... I don`t think they get disturbed, i think it is the lure of the farmland that has be left to nature until they move in to build new houses!And the green grass next door, i must admit the area they are in is a bit boring,all soil .I was thinking of sowing a wildflower seed mix in spring but would mean moving the hens,which is problematic. ... I have now put up a temporary mesh fence until the developers clear the back and put a fence? ... Now I don't know how suitable this will be for you, and I'm sure mine would be off to find more interesting greens if it weren't for the big fence, but one thing I've been doing is putting shrub and hedge prunings in. ... If you can get wire mesh crates, heavy duty so chooks won't bend them to the ground, you could sow whatever greens grow best in your conditions and leave the protection in place so the birds graze whatever pokes through instead of demolishing the whole plants. ... (sci.agriculture.poultry)
Re: Chickens on the run! ... I have now put up a temporary mesh fence until the developers clear the ... would be off to find more interesting greens if it weren't for the big ... the ground little greeblies breed in the soil and the slowly-rotting woody ... If you can get wire mesh crates, heavy duty so chooks won't bend them to ... (sci.agriculture.poultry)
Re: Suitable plants for covering a new fence ... We have just taken down 7 conifers which was a nightmare trying to ... and had a new fence erected the fence is 21 feet long ...soil first with a bonemeal from the garden centre and then put down ... Will it cling to treated wood?... (uk.rec.gardening)
Re: Plants for fence? ... Well, I'm certainly to consider rhodos on the other side of the fence,... a big big and bushy for the two strips above. ... moisture in the soil"....Hedera would be fine provided it didn't start clasping itself ... (uk.rec.gardening)
