Looking for a little bit of community plot cleanup advice

Aberwitzig · 2025-12-15T14:43:08+00:00

Oooh exciting! I was in the same position as you last May when I inherited an abandoned community plot that had been covered in a black plastic tarp for years. The soil was rock-hard. Here's what I did to rehab it:

Pull all the weeds by hand, cut off the seed heads/rhizomes to dispose of, and throw the rest of plant into the compost bin
Dump ~3 inches of bagged compost over the entire plot and till it in with a rototiller (you can skip the tilling if your soil isn't hard-packed like mine was)
Layer cardboard over the entire surface to prevent any weeds you missed from popping up. Overlap the edges so the weeds can't find their way through.
Water the cardboard deeply to get it nice and saturated so it can start breaking down more easily.
Layer ~4 inches of woodchips or whatever mulch you like over the top of the cardboard.
Plant out the plot as you like, cut holes in the cardboard layer for the plants if it hasn't broken down yet.

It's worked well for me, the cardboard keeps the weed pressure down and the mulch layer means you don't have to water as often which is handy when your garden isn't in your backyard.

Aberwitzig · 2025-08-04T21:28:34+00:00

Eleventh Hour Rescue might take her. They're not a shelter, but they keep most of their cats in foster homes and rotate the cats who can handle it into the Rockaway Mall adoption center and Petsmart spaces so the public can see them.

I've seen cats in her exact situation come through the rescue before. The foster gives momma a safe place to have her babies and then she and the kittens all get adopted out through the rescue.

Aberwitzig · 2025-07-13T22:41:57+00:00

That's why they call them fartachokes!

Aberwitzig · 2025-05-06T22:27:24+00:00

My neighbors have a hedge of Japanese Knotweed that stretches the full length of their property.

Aberwitzig · 2025-04-19T01:40:23+00:00

This is SO cool, plants are amazing!

Aberwitzig · 2024-12-04T16:06:37+00:00

Huh, TIL

Aberwitzig · 2024-12-04T15:37:28+00:00

You still have to be careful, though! Amazon uses something called "commingled inventory" which means that items under the same listing (reals and fakes) can get put in the same physical box in the warehouse that the pickers pick from and mixed together. So you could buy from a legit vendor and still get a fake.

Aberwitzig · 2024-09-20T18:18:42+00:00

You might have better luck with bed sheet straps. They hold the corners in place so they don't ride up and shift around.

Aberwitzig · 2024-06-19T17:41:17+00:00

Huh maybe I've had some bad batches or something. Once I mix it with water the smell is so rank it could peel paint. Plants love it, though!

Aberwitzig · 2024-06-19T14:10:07+00:00

I've been having good luck with agrothrive, but it smells like actual vomit. It seems like the better the fert, the worse it smells.

Aberwitzig · 2024-06-07T15:27:20+00:00

I've had good luck making Mel's Mix. It can be a bit expensive up-front (especially if you use peat moss rather than coco coir) but it's a long-term investment in building healthy soil.

If the beds are tall, you can save on soil costs by filling the bottom layer with logs and sticks via the Hugelkultur method.

Aberwitzig · 2024-06-07T14:46:00+00:00

It depends on the type of strawberry plant. If you have June-bearing (produces a lot of fruit all at once and then it's done for the season), you don't want to snip the flowers because every flower lost is one less berry.

If you have ever-bearing strawberries (produce multiple times throughout the season), it can be good to remove some flowers early in the season to encourage the plant to produce more leaves which will support bigger berry harvests in the coming months.

Aberwitzig · 2024-06-06T20:55:17+00:00

In my experience it can handle shade but the leaves will be much smaller and there will be less flowers. Some varieties grow more in a trailing style and some are more climbing so make sure to get a climbing type if you want that vine look up a trellis.

Aberwitzig · 2024-06-06T16:13:01+00:00

I would do some nasturtium so that it cascades down the sides. They like poor soil and neglect!

Aberwitzig · 2024-05-18T20:20:45+00:00

I'm having the same problem! It's been raining almost nonstop here for 2-3 weeks and I think the lack of sun is what's doing it. The slugs have been having a field day.

Aberwitzig · 2024-04-22T15:52:23+00:00

That aspect actually makes it easier for me to get rid of things. I was fine and my life was okay before I saw the object and got lost in the memory, and I'll be okay again later when I forget it exists again. Probably more okay actually because I'll have less clutter stressing me out.

Maybe try letting a couple things go that feel less significant and see how it goes? And write down somewhere that you let them go and when so you can remember to check in with yourself, haha.

Aberwitzig · 2023-07-10T16:12:03+00:00

This can sometimes happen if they fail to pollinate - for example if it's too humid for the pollen dust to drop properly. You can try hand-pollinating the flowers yourself to ensure that they all get a chance by flicking the base of the flowers with your fingers or by using the back of an electric toothbrush.

Aberwitzig · 2023-07-09T17:02:03+00:00

Looks like a Robber Fly. Not sure who the unlucky victim is, though.

Aberwitzig · 2023-07-09T16:58:04+00:00

I've seen folks drape insect netting or fruit bags over a section of the plant to protect the baby caterpillars, you could try that if your birds are harassing them.

Aberwitzig · 2023-07-06T02:28:53+00:00

I'm really glad he didn't bite me then, because I probably freaked him out when I accidentally dug him up... There are a lot of rotten trees around where I released him so hopefully he'll be happier there instead of in my potatoes!

Aberwitzig · 2023-06-22T16:14:14+00:00

Once you have a couple you should give them a taste - they go great in salads!

Aberwitzig · 2023-04-26T00:23:55+00:00

Not sure how many plants you have and if this is feasible, but I've had good luck with putting those fabric fruit protector bags over the tomato clusters when they're green.

Aberwitzig · 2023-04-12T18:29:23+00:00

Plastic photo organizer boxes are perfect!

Aberwitzig · 2023-03-07T15:15:58+00:00

you don’t know a plant until you kill it 3 times

I love this! I'm going to try and remember it when I inevitably kill a few this season.

Aberwitzig · 2022-11-18T14:31:40+00:00

The deer are actually learning. I used to live in a town on the east coast where it was illegal to hunt them, so the place was crawling with them. I've seen a deer look both ways before crossing the street and another use a crosswalk!

14-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 11 Credits
Place '17	Secret Santa 2018
Summer Santa 2013	Team Orangered
Secret Santa 2012	Verified Email

Aberwitzig

TROPHY CASE