tunafish

On 5/3/2025 at 7:47 PM, jbenedet said:

Thanks for the tip. That’s the way I was leaning. I’m really not a fan of using weed killers. I’m pretty much a get it out by the root only on weeds. But I couldn’t go this route because the whole area was basically infested. 

Last year, we had a large area we were transitioning from 100% grass/weeds to rougly 75% shrubs and perennials and 25% grass.

-Sheet mulched (Mow grass as low as possible.  Lay overlapping cardboard, wet it, then top with compost, soil) the entire area late July last year.

-Planted shrubs and perennials in the September. 

-Put down winter or "dormant" grass seed in late October. 

The grass seed just started sprouting a weeks ago. First time trying it, we'll see how it comes in.

But essentially no weeds. I'm convinced sheet mulching is the most effective at turning grass/weeds into new plantable space, with minimal weed regrowth. 

In 6 warm seasons we've turned about 2/3 of the half acre lot from grass into plantable soil.  Lot of work but better for us, pollinators, environment, and property value.

On 4/26/2025 at 12:02 AM, dendrite said:

Heh I didn’t do it on purpose…our old mower broke. That was the first run on the new one. Usually I will let it get a little long so that the clover flowers and reseeds itself, but not like the pic above. I wonder if any of that grass that went to seed will germinate this spring.

That's my threshold - once the clover flowers, I mow - probably 2nd/3rd week here.

This year I am pulling Dandelions, taproot and all, as I see them flower.  Pollinators get a day or two.  Not the ones getting choked out by grass or clover (I juat get the flower before it seeds), just the ones that are dominant flora in their space.  They've claimed too much territory for my liking.

Tried corn gluten for the crabgrass this year.  It's been time in the past, but I want clover and grass taking over the dandelion space, not crabgrass.

3 hours ago, Damage In Tolland said:

80’s and dews. Enjoy getting up and having to call 911 to remove your sheets from ass 

The wussification of America.  Sad!

45 minutes ago, NW_of_GYX said:

You have 6” more than me. We’ll see how this finishes but it’s a rare season where your area outperforms mine. 60” is pretty close to an F here. Only season with less in my time here was 15-16

The fact that PWM is only 7" short of your total is telling.

1 hour ago, dendrite said:

Toss the 10:1

50 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Another dog food weekend inbound.

Gotta love watching your 401k, Roth IRA etc etc, tank in real time. So much winning.

 

happy Friday 

You're young.  Don't look.  Not worth doing to yourself.

Is there data for the climo sites on days between measurable snow (within D/J/F/M)?  I think we were at 35 days 2/16-3/23.  Prob not a record but feels damn impressive.  

2 hours ago, dendrite said:

That’s a steady line of precip moving in there, but it should move northward with time. I assume he’s around 29°. Can’t rule out some spotty outages up there. How much glaze does he have so far?

Yes he's at 29°, couldn't convince him to go check the glaze, but he said precip had been light.  He's got a big dumb white pine over a 200 year old farmhouse so ice (and wind for that matter) is always a concern.  Parent in-laws in Henniker are at 600 ft, 31° and they've been in that steady band, not sure if heavier rates will mean more accreciation though.

2 minutes ago, dendrite said:

High terrain of SW NH looks screwed.

My BIL is just above 1K on an east facing hill in Deering.  How siggy ice is he in for?

1 hour ago, Lava Rock said:

Was 4" for us. Tomorrow looks shitty

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk
 

Tough realization of how early it is in the Spring season.

3.4" will do it for PWM as we're over to a spitting mix.

I heard the first Spring Peeper as it started to snow at 05z last night.  Dumb thing is now in a vernal slush.

13 minutes ago, OceanStWx said:

This is a teachable moment for the neighborhood. They all pulled up the driveway stakes 3 weeks ago, and ran the gas down on the snowblowers.

Well the resident meteorologist did not pull up the driveway stakes.

 

They'll learn eventually. It took several years but now I have my neighbors trained. 

They follow my lead w/r/t driveway stakes, parking cars in garage, clearing right after the changeover to rain, not sweeping the sand off the sidewalks and driveway on 3/15, etc.

2.1" new at 12z for PWM.

First flakes and 40/13 in PWM.

24 minutes ago, dryslot said:

May have too, Looks like garbage weather into monday.

I have gas left in my tank.  I'm not above using the snow blower on 3" of junk in late March.

Chemtrails.

27 minutes ago, metagraphica said:

Did ya'll Mainiacs forget how to drive?

Ha, well, in Southern Maine this is the first measurable snow since 2/16.  That's long enough of a stretch for people to forget, even here. 

On 3/21/2025 at 7:50 AM, jbenedet said:

I’m trying to do a solid mix of hardy shrubs/small trees with a carpet of grass in the front. 
 

Grass is overrated for many reasons but I also think the fact you lose the green in winter is another big negative. I really enjoy maintaining color in the darkest and coldest periods of winter which is why I’m looking for various shrubs/coniferous small trees to take up a lot of the grass area. 
 

Year round Color/hardiness (very low maintenance)/water absorption; has been my ongoing project in the front.

 

You guys have any good recommendations? I’m in an urban setting so deer and varmint threats are non-existent. 

Red dogwood.

1 minute ago, Lava Rock said:

Pounding good 28F at home

Pretty cool the Mrs is on board with that.

Here too.  Will grab an observation at 18z.  This'll be the first measurable snow all month which is wild.

CC has the mix line washing out Rochester over to Wells.  See how long that holds.

I don't think any short-range models had us starting as snow in PWM, but here we are at 35° (off a high of 39°) between SN and SN-.

30 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Oh man you have legit rats?

I’ve got tons of tunnels in the snow and ground from the voles. Hopefully they haven’t girdled any of my fruit trees this season. They got a galarina apple last year.

Sucks.  That was always my fear with voles, especially when we woodchipped everything.   We haven't lost anything to girdling yet, thankfully. 

Yeah legit brown rats.  They're small, but there's a lot more of them than the Fall.  I really don't want to use rodentcide.  I'm making a half dozen bait stations and going to see what I can do with my home mix.  I only had one last year so hoping this is more effective.

48 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Nothing looks worse to me than an unnatural, OCD, monoculture green lawn. Screams cookie cutter suburbs and keeping up with the Jones’s. But we don’t have to go down that path again this year.

But I’m not going to hijack your lawn thread this year with anti monoculture lawn posts. I’ll just stick to my trees and plants. 

Oh alright, I guess I'll give it a rest, too.

Now that the snow has mostly melted I can see the brown rats I tried to eradicate with traps last year had a prosperous winter.   Tunnels under the snow and grass throughout the raised beds, fruit trees, and cedars.  Under the shed too.

No obvious food source - chicken feed is in a galvanized bin.  Compost pile has been limited to coffee and coop waste for the past 7 months.  Bastards ate a bunch of my carrots last Fall.  Hoping they haven't hit my garlic yet.  I'd cry.

No sign of them within 15 yards of my coop or run.  Keeping them from free ranging until the migratory waterfowl have mostly passes, anyway, but I don't need them interacting with rats.

Tried trapping and baiting (equal parts sugar, Cornmeal, baking soda) last Fall and it made a dent, but it doesn't matter now - they've taken over.

I think my only option is bait stations as far away from the run as possible. 

Unless anyone else here has had success using a different method.