The Root Battle and Garden Stretcher

GoDawgs · April 8, 2020

This morning I broadforked the bed where cukes will be planted. It’s up in the corner of the garden where there’s a crape myrtle tree and those roots are invading the bed.

The half of the bed closest to the crape was a pain to fork with lots of fibrous roots and some more substantial but The Beast (broadfork) did it’s job. Thank goodness it’s done. I hope the tomatoes do well on those pallets because that bed has been fallow about three years. By now it’s most likely solid crape and grape roots and good for nothing else but supporting pallets!

Meanwhile, the garden stretcher is at work again. Yesterday my sister Pickles tilled up one of two new planned beds with the Mantis.

Today she planted the first two of four Blue Suede (southern high bush) blueberries in the prepped bed and added some transplanted Sunday Gloves daylilies on the near end. The other bed will eventually be for the Conover’s Colossal asparagus plants I’ve grown from seed this spring and whatever else she decides to put in there. The area to the right of the back bed will be watermelon and spaghetti squash while the area to the right of the blueberry bed will be corn.

This is the only sage left of four that were planted in the spring of ’18. I’m amazed that it survived some nights in the mid and upper 20’s. It’s now blooming for the first time. I might have to take some cuttings of this one.

RayR · April 8, 2020

The Sage is blooming, so save the seeds when they're ready to harvest. Easy stuff to grow.

dmforcier · April 8, 2020

I'd like to see the broad fork. Is it a viscous roots eater?

GoDawgs · April 10, 2020

I call it The Beast. It's all steel, 16" tines and weighs almost 30 lbs. It'll really rip up roots. Can't remember were I ordered it from. Maybe some farm & garden tool place. I've had it a long time and now use it to loosen up the beds instead of running the tiller through them. It loosens the soil deep down but doesn't upset the soil structure too much.

It'll do a number on Bermuda grass in the beds too. It loosens deeply enough that when you pull a clump of Bermuda out, most all the roots come out too. If any pieces pop up later they come out easily because of the loose soil.

Who needs a gym membership when you work a garden and use a Beast?

April 8, 2020	#1
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	The Root Battle and Garden Stretcher This morning I broadforked the bed where cukes will be planted. It’s up in the corner of the garden where there’s a crape myrtle tree and those roots are invading the bed. The half of the bed closest to the crape was a pain to fork with lots of fibrous roots and some more substantial but The Beast (broadfork) did it’s job. Thank goodness it’s done. I hope the tomatoes do well on those pallets because that bed has been fallow about three years. By now it’s most likely solid crape and grape roots and good for nothing else but supporting pallets! Meanwhile, the garden stretcher is at work again. Yesterday my sister Pickles tilled up one of two new planned beds with the Mantis. Today she planted the first two of four Blue Suede (southern high bush) blueberries in the prepped bed and added some transplanted Sunday Gloves daylilies on the near end. The other bed will eventually be for the Conover’s Colossal asparagus plants I’ve grown from seed this spring and whatever else she decides to put in there. The area to the right of the back bed will be watermelon and spaghetti squash while the area to the right of the blueberry bed will be corn. This is the only sage left of four that were planted in the spring of ’18. I’m amazed that it survived some nights in the mid and upper 20’s. It’s now blooming for the first time. I might have to take some cuttings of this one.

April 8, 2020	#3
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	I'd like to see the broad fork. Is it a viscous roots eater? __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

April 8, 2020	#2
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	The Sage is blooming, so save the seeds when they're ready to harvest. Easy stuff to grow.

April 10, 2020	#4
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	I call it The Beast. It's all steel, 16" tines and weighs almost 30 lbs. It'll really rip up roots. Can't remember were I ordered it from. Maybe some farm & garden tool place. I've had it a long time and now use it to loosen up the beds instead of running the tiller through them. It loosens the soil deep down but doesn't upset the soil structure too much. It'll do a number on Bermuda grass in the beds too. It loosens deeply enough that when you pull a clump of Bermuda out, most all the roots come out too. If any pieces pop up later they come out easily because of the loose soil. Who needs a gym membership when you work a garden and use a Beast?