& More extension....

[AbbeysDad]

In addition to my passion for tropical fish, I've been an avid gardener for many years. I bought a Troybilt 8hp Horse tiller back in 1982.
Now gardening can be a chore and with weather, insects, and animals it can be almost daunting. I remember a cartoon I saw many years ago with two rabbits in the foreground and a gardener toiling in the background...the one rabbit says to the other "ya know, ya gotta wonder...what's in it for him?!" lol

Anyway, I decided to extend my website/blog to include some aspects of yard and garden. I invite my fish friends to have a looksee...
http://mjvaquatics.com/blog-yard-&-garden/

 

[connorlindeman]

. I bought a Troybilt 8hp Horse tiller back in 1982.

They dont make stuff like they used to

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I love it! Just read about "big red", wow! All that garden space, beautiful! Totally agree that they don't make things like they used to, and even at 40 years old, a tiller like that will still be a super useful piece of machinery that does the job it was meant for! Not some cheap electric thing that breaks after a few years.

I also agree that deciding to grow veg and stuff can be daunting... I'm feeling that! But I know it's rewarding, and I enjoy the work involved, usually! I'd love to follow along and really enjoy your ramblings. I'm delighted to be able to learn from someone with your experience, thank you for sharing with us!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

@AbbeysDad Just read the blog about raised beds, you talk about "hilling" potatoes and tomatoes - what does hilling mean?

 

[Colin_T]

Raised garden beds are simply garden beds that have been built up higher than the surrounding area so you don't have to bend or kneel down as much. It also provides better drainage for plants so they don't have wet feet (roots in water). You can simply pile up the dirt or use a framework to raise it up.

We used old railroad sleepers to make raised beds. Just bolt them together in a rectangle shape and have them 3 or 4 sleepers high. Fill the shape with soil/ potting mix and put the plants on top. It allows you to work in the garden without bending over or kneeling down and you can simply sit on the edge of the raised bed and play happy gardener.

You can also build them out of limestone blocks, bricks, and even buy them from hardware stores or nurseries. The prepack models are usually colourbond tin and in an oval shape about 3 feet high.

An advantage of these types of raised garden beds is people in wheelchairs can go and work in them if the beds are made at the right height.

 

[AbbeysDad]

@AbbeysDad Just read the blog about raised beds, you talk about "hilling" potatoes and tomatoes - what does hilling mean?

Potatoes grow above the planted eye so hilling up soil around the plant promotes more potatoes. Tomatoes can be planted much deeper than the seedling was grown. Hilling up soil around the plant allows for a greater root system.

 

[Oblio]

Had a neighbor years ago (c.a. 1985) with a Troy Built tiller that I would borrow at times. Built SOLID, it was amazing at what it could do. Awesome piece of engineering!

 

[davros]

Interesting to drill down, Troy Bilt is part of MTD which is now part of Stanley B&D.