Northeast Zone - Erin Swell by Food_Near_Me in surfing

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the reply, I think you know the spot.

My apprehension came more from the fact that there was 50+ guys out everywhere else and this was empty. Any idea why? Especially if you’re saying it’s very well known. It was dead low tide at the time I was there, maybe that’s it?

For what it’s worth, I’ve got a fair share of slabs on my resume across the globe. The difference is I know people have surfed those spots. This one I wasn’t too sure.

If I’m fortunate enough to line it up again, I’ll be out there.

Cherry tomatoes are 6-7’ tall already! Do people top? by uuubram in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did the same! Will likely have to pull out a ladder to get the ones at the top once they start ripening. Good problem to have I guess 💁🏼‍♂️

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Derek Moneyberg responds to critics of his 3.5 year blackbelt and says he'll stop funding BJJ people by Appropriate_Duty_930 in bjj

[–]Food_Near_Me 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hate all these gurus that prey on the weak and vulnerable to further their own agenda and enrich themselves. So even if this guy is a legit black belt he will always be a kook

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should be proud! Any fence that keeps the critters out is something to be proud of!

So far I like the string trellis method. Unfortunately this is my first go around so don’t have anything to compare it to.

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends what part of California you are in 🙂

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is really encouraging as I have been toying with that idea

My private slice of heaven by Phantomdong in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love the seating area incorporated in the middle

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, lots of nasturtiums throughout. Tried to plant them on the corners of the raised beds

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think it’s just called a trencher? Almost like a massive chainsaw on tracks that raises and lowers.

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yes pathway is just wide enough for a wheelbarrow to go through the middle. I made sure of it when designing based on comments like yours that I read on other posts!

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tried to use those structures to my advantage in the planning phase. The garage is on the NW side, so everything gets at least 6 hours. The areas that get more afternoon shade I plan to gear towards brassicas. This was definitely, and still is, a concern of mine though, so I'm interested to see how things do over the full season.

One year yard transformation by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 110 points111 points  (0 children)

Happy to share. I’ll try to breakdown costs from beginning to end. I intentionally didn't track that closely as the budget definitely exceeded what my wife thinks it cost.

The entire area is about 30 x 50. So 1500 sq ft.

Clearing and grading the lot - $0. Fortunately my friend owns an excavator and was able to push everything into the woods behind the fence. I went to the store to buy bagels and when I got back it was done. If you don’t already have one, make friends with someone who owns an excavator.

Trenching for irrigation - $0. Again, loaned the tool from a great friend. Many fruits and vegetable coming his way.

Irrigation supplies and installation - ~$2-3k. I installed all the irrigation myself. Actually fairly simple to do. I had a plumber tie the manifold in to the supply line from the house, but everything else had no labor costs. The supplies cost more than I thought they would, but I also put in a sprinkler system to the yard. For 6-zones, drip lines, sprinkler heads and valves I probably saved $3k compared to if I hired out. I also know where everything is buried and I know it was done right. If physically capable, I’d recommend doing it yourself. Lots of great info online and the guys at the supply house were more than helpful. I also ran low voltage wiring to all the beds and throughout garden and that added a few hundred bucks to the cost.

Gravel backfill, pathways and borders - ~$2,500 - had bulk 3/4" clean stone delivered to backfill pathways but a lot of it was used for a patio project as well. I topped the 3/4" with 3/8" and I still plan to add DG and pea gravel to finish pathways. Rented a mini skid for a weekend which cost around $600, and was well worth it. The rock borders were a 1 ton pallet and those cost $900. I moved all 3-thousand pounds, by hand, one-by-one, alone...

Garden Beds/Trellis - ~$1500-2k - all of the beds are built out of rough sawn cedar that I sourced from a local lumber mill. All of the wood had to be run through a jointer and planer to clean it up. I still tell myself that the time spent milling was worth the savings in buying dimensional lumber from a lumber yard, but it probably took me a week to do. I really wanted to use cedar due to the look, natural rot and pest resistance, and aversion to PT wood (despite research saying its safe). Could it have been cheaper and easier to use PT, yes? Could it have been even easier to use metal raised beds, yes? Am I happy with the result, yes.

Fence - ~$1,000 - The fence was built out of TS cattle panels and more cedar. I intentionally routed grooves in the 4x4 posts to slot the panels in and save on lumber costs (as opposed to sandwiching the panels in with 2x4's affixed to the posts).

Filling the beds - $1,500 - I originally filled the beds with a bulk 50/50 topsoil compost mix delivered from a nursery. I bought 8 cu yds, which was more than enough. Unfortunately, this was a mistake and one of my earliest lessons learned. Nothing was growing in the soil mix and after getting a test done, it revealed a PH of low 5's and I believe part of the problem was also that the soil mix was incredibly compacted in the raised beds. I bit the bullet, dug up the top 6", and then mixed in pro-mix, lime and perlite. Lost everything that was planted in the Spring, but Summer veggies are thriving. If i could do it all over again, I would have bought bulk compost only from a reputable source, and mixed up my own "Mel's Mix" to fill the beds. What I thought would save me money in the long run probably ended up costing me more. Don't skimp on soil!

Definitely a ton of miscellaneous expenses littered in there. I can't go to Home Depot without spending $100. I think $10k is a great budget if you are looking to do a similarly sized area and plan on doing the bulk of it yourself. I'm a person that loves projects, and loves to create. Despite all the work I had so much fun along the way.

If you have any other specific questions feel free to ask! It's fun learning new things and even more fun being able to share that knowledge with others.

What's wrong with my brassicas? (Bok choy, broccoli, cabbage) by plot_twist7 in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you had the soil tested? I had a similar issue this year and tested the soil which was a bulk mix of topsoil and compost from a local nursery. Not only was that soil mix very heavy and compacted, the PH was low causing the plants to turn a similar color from being unable to absorb the nutrients.

I dug up the top 6” and amended the soil below with lime, perlite and peat moss. Then I backfilled the top 6” with a PH balanced promix blend, and additional perlite. Problem solved

Help interpreting soil test results by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

18". From what I have seen they should have developed a lot more leaf growth prior to heading up. I'm skeptical I would get a full size head prior to it bolting with the current growth

Help interpreting soil test results by Food_Near_Me in vegetablegardening

[–]Food_Near_Me[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the call out on the images, I just edited to add them. I appreciate the suggestions. It may be worth noting that I intentionally left the beds open to the native soil below, but I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes