Tootfinder

The nasturtium's in fine form this morning.
#BloomScrolling #gardening

My Sisyphean battle with the squash bug has begun. I face this battle with resignation in my heart. On the plus side though, there are blackberries. #oklahoma #gardening 🌱

Der ich vorstellen: Jörg unser #Garten #Frosch
#biodiversity #gardening

Exhibit A for the "plant basil around your yard to repel mosquitoes" assertion. #mosquitoes #basil #gardening

Princess pumpkin watch continues.
#oklahoma #gardening

#Gardening question:
Leaf - blowers: good or bad?
Removing dead leaves from alleyways or lawn: good or bad?
If removing the leaves is good but leaf-blowers are bad: are there good alternatives? 🙏
Edit (hopefully that won't change poll results) - thanks for the votes and comments so far!
People are suggesting using a rake as an alternative, which sounds good but apparently …

Starting to get a little spicy in the garden. Squash bug war is heating back up, but still no plant casualties. 4 adults tonight, but 2 in flagrante delicto.
#gardening #oklahoma

#garden #garten #gardening

I've been #gardening this morning, mainly seeing to the veg plus feeding the olive tree. The garden is really putting on a show. It's a shame Mum's not here to see it, as she's the one behind it all. The sage flowers are in reality a glowing violet colour, just gorgeous. #bloomscrolling

My men are working in the garden.
#Grandparenting #Gardening #Canberra

A diurnal firefly on my parsley - #wildlife #gardening

This feels very much like a Fediverse thing…I’m looking to re-wild my backyard.
Anyone know someone in Metro Vancouver who could help me?
Boost for each please.
#gardening #rewilding #vancouver

Weeded the front flower beds in the hot sun while listening to the latest Murderbot installment from Martha Wells. Lost a little blood during an engagement with several thornless honeylocusts that had hacked their programming and in fact had plenty of thorns (don’t get me started). #murderbot #books #gardening

I love a huge harvest as much as the next guy, but I really enjoy the variety picks during the seasonal transitions. Finding little surprises hidden around the garden is a such pleasure.
Had some storm damage, may have lost a zucchini, but I never regret rain in Oklahoma.
#gardening #Oklahoma

Give your friends a zucchini; give your enemies two.
#AncientGardeningProverbs #gardening

one more!
we have had this tall lilly on our outside deck for 5 or 6 years.
it is also tubors so we split it into 3 clumps.
#pandemicPond #PoolPond #diy #gardening #pondlife

Bu ağacı bahçeme yabani armut (ahlat) diye ektim ama sanırım o değil. Ne olduğunu bilmiyorum. Bilen varsa ve yardımcı olursa bakımını ona göre yapayım
#garden #gardening #garten

I recommend getting an #aronia shrub.
• you don't have to do anything about it most of the year
• after a few years it gives enough fruit to add to ice cream the whole year round
• the fruits come in large bunches and have relatively tough skin, so it's easy to collect
• most of people are prejudiced against it, so you have it all to yourself
#gardening

One of my earliest memories is collecting cherry tomatoes in my shirt, then walking around the garden eating them. Never gets old. #tomatoes #gardening

I'm sitting outside with a coffee, amid the garden Mum planted so skilfully, and which I maybe didn't appreciate while she was alive, and the various things we've stuck in pots - walnut, fig, olive etc - and have just ordered a hazel tree and a cherry tree from The Woodland Trust. Mum had several big ceramic planters that are now empty or full of scrub and they're just right for young trees that are just a twig and a leaf 🌿

And the garden lord said, “And this is my most important commandment. Thou shall not get dust out of one’s eye immediately after harvesting tabasco peppers.” 🌶️👁️🔥😭
#gardening

2nd #poolpond pump is back up and running!
Spliced in a new (old) extension cord.
But I actually think the previous one was OK as well and I had just misconfigured the controller and didn't know how to reset it because of the --shall we say-- less than English instruction manual 😂
all good.
Onward!!
Main job now: Finish levelling the whole backyard dirt pile and start landscaping!
#diy #backyardProject #gardening #pondlife

We lost a few sunflowers in last night’s storm, but the Zinnias seem to have loved the rain. Don’t worry, we have plenty of sunflowers left. 🤣
#bloomscrolling #gardening #oklahoma

If anyone needs a gift for a vegetable gardener, I just love my folding Opinel harvesting knife. It's especially useful when the zucchini plant is crowded with stems, flowers, and fruit. #garden #gardening #allotment #zucchini

I make dark light of my battles with the squash bugs but on mornings when I head out and find such lovely vegetables, it makes it all worth it.
#gardening #oklahoma

finally, we had a small hasta underneath the rhododendron that needed a new home as it was being out competed by two others.
So I removed the whole thing but was surprised to find that it was essentially only growing on top of the fabric! Amazing it was doing as well as it was.
I left behind I little baby it must have just propagated this year and split the rest of the tubar up into 3 to plant in the bog filter. 2 are visible in the picture in the orevious post, this is the third, beside the tall plant and with a new hasta we bought this year.
#pandemicPond #PoolPond #diy #gardening #pondlife

We sadly missed an egg pod on our avocado squash. We killed a bunch of adults and nymphs, but we will see if the ones we missed can kill it. In the mean time, we harvested all that we could plus some zucchini and blackberries.
#gardening #oklahoma

Backlit corn silk to show off the feathery surface that helps snag falling pollen grains. The stigmatic lobes can grow over an inch per day. #corn #maize #pollen #botany #gardening #allotment #pollination #pollen #stigma

Squash Bug War Report:
3 adults, 2 egg pods, 10 nymphs. Total: 15.
Yes, I killed them. The adults were soldiers. The egg pods were weapons caches. The nymphs? The tribunal calls them children. I call them future war criminals in soft exoskeletons.
. . .
#gardening #oklahoma

it's a #pandemicPond and #PoolPond crossover day!
I am splitting some of the established plants from the small pandemic ponds to give some love to the backyard!
First up, I broke off a giant chunk of the milfoil (the low spiny/finger looking plant floating on the water). the picture is *after* i removed more than half of the original plant.
I split that chunk into four and planted it in a few little mounds of gravel along the edge of the poolpond.
the water in both ponds is murky because of my shenanigans. Itll takea few hours after I finish messing with things before it clears up again.
#diy #gardening #pondlife

Squash Bug War Report:
1 Adult, 2 Egg Pods
Too tired for story time, a simple harvest report will have to do. Getting some nice zucchinis plus a handful of blackberries daily. Onions are coming off the rack and harvested our first jalapeño of the year in nice purple hue.
#gardening #oklahoma

Anyone know what could cause a Japanese maple to suddenly die in the Spring? Leaves are all shriveled but not yet crispy. Not my tree but I'm curious. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. #maple #trees #disease #arborists #garden #gardening

next up I moved over a chunk of the marsh marigold that grows in the bog barrels.
One thing we have learned after planting these guys there... marsh marigolds LOVE full shade. Really any sun and heat at all and they start to wither.
So I am also moving the little new marigold we bought this year for the poolpond from its initial spot near the edge of the backyard bog pond to a spot under the hazelnut tree.
It's the little guy on the left of the -also new- small hasta. The big round-leafed plant beside the hasta is the big marigold from the barrel.
barrel picture again taken after I split the plant. Crazy how big!!
#pandemicPond #PoolPond #diy #gardening #pondlife

Argh, the squash bugs are back after a couple of days of reprieve. Good news is though there are cute mystery melons and blackberries. 🍈
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

The first of our onion crop is off the drying rack (though we’ve been stealing from it daily) plus our sad garlic crop for the year. Don’t feel bad for us though, we got dozens of heads from a single bed last year. 🧅 🧄
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

Squash Bug War Casualty Report:
Adults: 0, Egg Pods: 0
I know I’m lacking on Dad humor missives, but it seems we’ve come to a cease fire in the war. Two days now and only one egg pod to show for it. Going to go quiet until they return. I know they are out there somewhere.
#gardening #oklahoma

We’ve been getting a handful of blackberries everyday now, but it appears after last nights rain, we may soon be on track for a blackberry explosion. Jelly and Jam time!
#gardening #oklahoma

Good morning Oklahoma.🌻
#oklahoma #gardening #sunflowers 🌱

Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults 0, Egg Pods 0.
No enemy contact, but I know they are out there, it’s like they are taunting me . . .
“Hallo, you tiny-brained gardener! You frighten no one! Today we did not come, because we did not feel like it!”
#gardening #oklahoma

Hot peppers are on their way. The Thai Chilis are the first to appear this year. 🌶️
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

i think the reason I have enjoyed building and maintaining the ponds so much is because they are kind of like a computer system.
Most of the time they work fine, and when they have issues, which generally manifests as "I'm losing water", it is for a clear reason.
But like computers, getting to and identifying that reason, and fixing it, is the challenge.
Over the past few days, the #pandemicpond has been losing water at an accelerated rate. In the summer, it should be able to go at least 2 or 3 days before needing a top up due to evaporation.
But these past few days it has been very low after just a day.
There has to be a leak/escape of water somewhere.
I also recently (about 2 weeks ago) changed the inlet at the top of the bog barrel to shorten the pipe and make it not stick up as tall and ugly.
Like computers... "have you changed anything recently" is a top contender for the root of the issue.
Shortening and dropping the height of the pipe increased the flow without having to increase the pump power. But that could have also caused a minor overflow on the waterfall, or raised the level of the top pond to where it might be overtopping somewhere non-obvious.
I suspect this increased flow is the main issue.
However, like all IT issues, you should cover the easy stuff first. I checked all the piping from the barrels to the waterfall to make sure there were no joints leaking or drips down the pipes.
All seems fine there. I also did a check around the perimeter of the pond to look for overtopping. Nothing there at low levels, but I have to check again when the system is full.
I wanted to cut the hose down further anyway, so I have done that. Was able to remove over 4 feet of pipe. The height hasn't changed though so the impact on flow should not be large.
Then I checked the pump itself, cleaned out its filter bag, strained the skimmer box and put it all back. Nothing untoward there either. Basically just regular maintenance.
A thought occured to me though, the main overflow for the pond is behind the skimmer. If it rains a lot or I overfill the system, it overflows there into some rocks and drains out under the garden to the sidewalk.
I wonder if when the new posts and gate were installed, the level of the overflow dropped slightly. This would give less leeway (freeboard) for the pond before it gets too low. 🤔
Re-raising the overflow would be tricky. And best done after the rains return in fall. But it is something Ill have to consider if today's investigations don't fix the issue.
I just finished refilling the pond (overfull oops... typing too much)
Time to check for overflows and seeps around the edges.
#pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

Upon learning that we had harvested the very last cabbage for the summer, an overwhelming, undeniable Teutonic command came welling up from within me demanding immediate fermentation activities.
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

Squash Bug War Casualty Report:
Adults: 1, Egg Pods: 2
Too tired to attempt dad humor tonight, but feels like we have reached a equilibrium. Great news is the it’s in our favor, we got 4 more squashes and zucchinis tonight.
#gardening #oklahoma

We had a leek escape our notice and we are letting it go to seed. They make such an interesting flower structure.
#bloomscrolling #gardening #oklahoma

Anyone know the name of these tiny chili peppers? A friend brought them back from Sardinia and is curious. I've managed to germinate a few so perhaps flowers in a month or so will help, but maybe their small size and origin is enough for an ID by an expert. #peppers #chili #capsicum #garden #gardening #sardinia #italy #cooking

Had a productive morning in the garden. Got all the beds weeded. Said bye to some old friends. Harvested the last cabbage. Pulled our garlic crop which was pretty much a failure this year. Started harvesting the onions, which did great this year. Out with the kale too. 🧅
#gardening #oklahoma

ooo. I have a new top candidate for cause of accelerated water loss. Cedar chips.
I checked the whole perimeter of the top pond after the system filled and all was good there. But then I did a check of the bottom pond, which is steeper on the edges and harder to do, so I do it less lol.
Right away I found a problem. The flat stones had slipped slightly into the water (likely due to animal visitors over the winter). Edit: just saw a black (invasive) squirrel on the sidewalk near our house! First time. I wonder if he is the messer of flat stones and stealer of fish from the bottom pond!!
Once I reposistioned them, I realized there were a lot of cedar wood chips that had also slipped down, particularly near the skimmer box and were --- HALF IN AND HALF OUT --- of the water.
They were waterlogged.
This is bad.
Dry wood chips outside the water is obviously fine.
Wood chips floating on or sunk under the water is fine.
Any mass of woody material chips, sticks, logs, or even small gravel on the edge of the water, will act as a siphon. They suck up the water and then give lots of surface area for it to quickly evaporate. It has been a rainy July so the woody debris may have already been wet and not evaporating much, but it has been dry for a few days now, and hot the past two. Any siphoning/evaporatoon action would be supercharged.
In the case of gravel, the surface tension between the rocks can cause the edge of the water to creep uphill and also reach the top of the gravel, enhancing evaporation.
Today I found a whole mass of cedar and dirt along the edge of the pond under the flat stones on top of the liner. It was near the skimmer, likely from the gate work.
Bad news.
So I scooped it all out and up onto dry land, and to make sure woody debris can't get to the waters edge under the flat stones, I added some drainage rock along the edge. This should keep the dry and wet zones better separated!
That was just the near side edge of the bottom pond. I haven't checked the far side by the fence.
I might do that tomorrow, but there has been a lot less disturbance there over the past year, so I doubt it will need much help.
I am pretty confident I found the biggest culprit. If my hunch is right, Ill know later today and tomorrow if the water remains relatively stable. It will be hot today so there will be evaporation, but it should not need an emergency fill tomorrow.
Fingers crossed!
Bonus #poolpond content lol. The milfoil is looking very hapoy. It has settled in and the leafy fingers are vertical poking out of the water which is a good sign that they are continuing on happily in their new location. yay!
#pandemicpond #pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

Stilt roots of maize are really creepy when they are reaching out for soil. #maize #zea #roots #corn #botany #garden #gardening #allotment

Our Espresso Gladiolus have started blooming.
#gardening #oklahoma

SQUASH BUG WAR CASUALTY REPORT
KIA: 0, Egg Pods Destroyed: 0
No contact with the enemy today. Not one bug. Not one egg. The leaves are still. TOO still.
This is not a victory. This is a TRAP.
#gardening #oklahoma

BATTLE REPORT: 2 adults eliminated, 4 egg pods destroyed, 1 enemy escaped.
Comrades! Today we struck at the squash bug bourgeoisie — even catching two saboteurs in the shameless act of expanding their counter-revolutionary forces! They were dealt with accordingly.
#gardening #oklahoma

Morning Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults 1, another adult was able to escape. Egg Pods: 0
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

The onion crop is getting close, very excited. #gardening #oklahoma 🌱

this Azalea has a mind of its own. All of the other bushes finished flowering a month ago. Meanwhile, this one is like hey where is everybody?
#Gardening #PortAlberni #bloomscrolling

Dispatch — Squash Bug Front
Casualties: Adults 0 | Eggs 4
After last night's slaughter, both sides withdrew to their lines. No sentries crested the trenchline. Scattered egg fire at 0600 — harassing only, a reminder they still hold the zucchini salient.
#gardening #oklahoma

Evening Squash Bug War: Casualty Report
10 adults KIA, 4 egg pods destroyed.
O cursed stinkèd foe, thou crept upon my vine!
But lo — my thumb of justice, swift and firm,
Hath crushed thy copper eggs and broke thy line.
The Union garden stands. Begone, thou bug.
#gardening #oklahoma

Evening Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults: 9, Egg Pods: 3.
After several days of light contact, the enemy returned in force. Much squishing was inflicted and some good leaves were lost. But we survive to harvest another day.
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

Tonight’s Squash Bug War Casualty Counts: 6 adults, 2 In flagrante delicto. 4 egg pods. #gardening #oklahoma

Morning Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults: 0, Egg Pods: 1. Suspect enemy has retreated into hiding to regroup and resupply.
Will need to increase our sentry duties in preparation for the next attack wave. #gardening #oklahoma

Evening Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults: 0, Egg Pods: 6. This is starting to feel less like a war and more like a scene from Alien. On the plus side, we did get to harvest our first squash, albeit a small one. #gardening #oklahoma 🌱

I’ve been neglecting my duties in the garden and it shows. Had to say bye to two zucchini due to vine borers and another has a bad infestation of squash bugs. That said, the garden is producing nicely. Best harvest tonight of blackberries yet this year.
#gardening #oklahoma

I had a mad idea this spring to allow all of my volunteer sunflowers to grow in the yard. I hope this pans outs into something magical because right now mowing is difficult and I am afraid I might get lost in my own yard.
Music by the genius Kristy Kruger. #gardening #oklahoma 🌱

Visited Burpee's Fordhook Farm yesterday in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. I couldn't stop gazing with envy at the tomatoes. Almost all in the 8-foot range, packed with clusters of huge fruit, and showing zero signs of senescing. I'm assuming the automatic watering system is the secret. #tomatoes #gardening #burpee #doylestown #pennsylvania #seeds

a little double pipe action?
i was originally going to use IPEX white solid pipe for this part of the plumbing, but it stuck out like a sore thumb and was difficult to conceal.
Luckily, I got a bonus 50ft of flexible 2" black pipe last year after Amazon sent me it even though I had cancelled and refunded the order. I thought I might sell it but never got any bites. So here we are!
#poolpond #pond #gardening #diy #electrical #pandemicpond #backyardProject

2/2 Along the same plumbing lines... I am also preparing the pumps themselves.
One major thing to do was to splice in an extension cord to the cord for the pump. Obviously this is a "break the warranty" situation, but there is no way around it really. The included cord is only about 6ft to the electronic controller unit and AC/DC transformer. It needs to be much longer to reach even just the shed beside the intake bay where the main pump lives.
I do have two of these pumps so I am holding off extending the second one until I know this first one is successful and happily pumping away in the pond.
The second one will take water directly from the bottom of the main pond as opposed to the intake bay, but it is only additional capacity and isn't critical. Ideally I will have both on at half power normally. But for now, we start with this one!
Need to get butt connectors and heat shrink tubing tomorrow. Ill probably do this electrical work on Thursday or Friday night so I can test it out hopefully Saturday!
#poolpond #pandemicpond #backyardProject #portalberni #gardening #diy

For probably the 100th time I've pruned the neighbor's border privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) that was planted right along the property line. Always makes me grumpy. #invasive #noxious #privet #gardening #ligustrum #oleaceae

1/2 #poolpond update since my last post got unintentionally deep-sixed and now there is further progress!
on Saturday and Sunday we got supplies and I installed the irrigation box. It involved digging Yet Another Hole, plus small trenches on three sides to accomodate pipes from the main water areas.
Convincing the valves/manifold to fit into the box was a chore, but we got there!
Also fed the main pipe line through the box which yes, involved disconnecting it from the filter pond end, and basically feeding the filter box along the pipe, back to the hole.
In all it turned iout well. I will be removing/rearranging the stream near the tree and adding another layer of liner just for that doversionary stream so I can contain/isolate it fully if I want and also feed the two pipes exiting toward the big pond under the stream so it is less visible in the end.
Sometimes I feel like as this goes I think up more things to do and it makes it all interminable, but really, it just makes it better!
but wait there's more after the pictures...
#pandemicpond #backyardProject #portalberni #gardening #diy

Well, this was a chore I have been kind of dreading since last fall! Cutting, splicing, crimping and ultimately connecting and lengthening the cable for the water pump for the #poolpond. I did it, but I am tired and my hands hurt. 😂 😭
It’s a pretty straightforward thing… you cut the ends off the extension cord, cut it to length, cut the part of the pump cord you want to extend in two, and then set about stripping, crimping, heat shrinking, and taping, the two cables together.
But I knew it wasn’t going to be one and done. I started this at 4PM. Thought I had it almost done by 4:30 and then realized I forgot to thread the heat shrink tubing on first. 😣 doh
So I started over.
Then I got half way through try#2 and had to leave….
Came back to it just after 9PM… and spent the next two hours doing, and redoing, it. Until it was, I hope, good.
Won’t know for sure until I plug the pump in tomorrow.
Slightly nervous. 😬
I’ll update you tomorrow! Probably first thing! 🤞
#pond #gardening #diy #electrical #pandemicpond #backyardProject

Sharing my solution to squash vine borers (Eichlinia cucurbitae), the larvae of which burrow into the roots and eventually kill the plant: inject Thuricide Bt into stem wherever you see frass accumulating. This is easier to do if you train your plant vertically so that lower parts are visible. I also regularly police for eggs. #garden #gardening #squash #zucchini #vegetables #allotment #insects #lepidoptera #moths

impress the neighbours.
use a big level.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #ants #anthill

ran out of steam but good progress!
the area in front of the sheds is pretty much level and I got the dirt pile down to level up to the edge of the sheds. I think another 5 or 6 loads cart loads of dirt will finish off the pile and bring then dirt up around the back of the pond!
my back was starting to complain and the sun came out so I stopped and ate black berries poking through the fence!
then I went for a swim. It felt sooo good.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #ants #anthill

foaming!
I cleaned out the waterfall of gunk and most of the small stones and gravel leaving only the large rocks placed as strategically as I could to leave small gaps for foaming.
1.5 cans worth of landscape foam (DAP). I think I got all of it, but water always finds a way so its probably more like 75% if I'm lucky.
Ill let it cure for 24hrs then Ill trim some of the excess and reactivate the waterfall tomorrow to see what it looks like. It should make a big difference no matter what.
#poolpond #backyardproject #diy #gardening #portalberni

While we were chatting about putting the doors on the shed… two doves flew down for a drink at the #poolpond!
I think they thought we were gone? As soon as we moved too much, they flew away! But we were happy to see them! ❤️ 🐦 🐦 ❤️
#doves #birds #gardening #wildlife

It's Solstice *and* Father's Day *and* the sun is shining *and* Spain is playing at 9AM here on the West Coast of Canada.
This actually all means I need to get out there and mow the lawn before the game starts so I can have a shower, watch the game, and drink the sangria!
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!!
#España #Home #Gardening #solstice

Dove #2 was keeping a close eye on us. 😂
#poolpond #doves #birds #gardening #wildlife

you can cone if you want Rain! i have beaten you!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

when a picture is truly worth a thousand words..... or in this case.... screw caps. 😭
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

aaaaaaaaaaaand done!!!
It only took about 10 hours of solid work. 😝
And thats with prior knowledge from assembling one 2 years ago!
@… is happy.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

back at it this morning after sleeping in a little. got a bit of a sunburn on the neck and back yesterday! But all good today.
weather is perfect. Just a little wind and nice partly cloudy cool day.
the roof is happening! this is the easy part... the most annoying is yet to come, the sliding doors 😂
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

frame down. first wall next! pray for calm air! 😝 🙏 #poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

four corners!
getting that first corner myself was....... time-consuming lol.
going pretty quick now, though!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

the walls are up! it is (mostly) wind proof now so that's comforting. unfortunately the sun has emerged and it's hot.
taking a break.
Not sure if Ill get the roof on today but we'll give a good college try!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

they changed the forecast. no wind and we have a wonderful layer of fog keeping the sun at bay! If this can just last for the next four hours I should be able to get the second shed built!!
wish me luck!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

alright, reached my 2:30 time limit.
might have had the roof on but realised the back too support was inverted so had to flip that. Everything is a million screws 😂
Not sure what super humans can put this together in 3 hours. But I will have to come back to it tomorrow morning hopefully befoee the rain!!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

work... worth it
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

made good progress so far this morning. it is so much easier in the cool of the morning!!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

branch to the pump in the large pond done!
2 more to go... the sun is starting to break through the morning fog. time is ticking!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

taking a breather while the sprinkler does its thing watering both the flower/blueberry garden, and the hazelnut tree, and the poolpond itself!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

got some of the intake bay branch done... but also hungry!
time for leftover burrito fixings. the tomato is actually from the plants on our deck!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

nothing distracts from a #tradewar like digging!
this last extension of the trench is not fun. I am about halfway there! thankfully it is partly cloudy and relatively cool. good trenching weather.
it would be cool if electricity could wire itself... preferably wirelessly. ⚡️
#poolpond #backyardProject #DIY #gardening #solar

ok. the branch behind the shed is not gonna happen today. It will be a chore... lots going on there. But got started at least and the branch to the intake bay pump is done.
ready for the plumber tomorrow.
ready for a dip in the clear water of the pool pond NOW 😝 🏊
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

main trench is complete!!
including branches to the south fence, patio area and greenhouse!
now just need to make 2 or 3 final branches. two short ones to the edge of the pond for each pond pump wire and one long one along the back of the shed to the north fence post for wiring into the shed and to the fence!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

THE TRENCH IS DUG
a video
Doing some final measurements to figure out exactly what the lengths are so I can calculate voltage drop for the solar panels.
Good news! The full length is only 97ft! That is a voltage drop of 1.4% for 10/2 wire. Good enough for solar! (2% or under is recommended for micro-inverter based solar installation)
#tradewar #poolpond #backyardProject #DIY #gardening #solar

moving dirt this morning before the sun gets too hot.
It's supposed to be 34°C with a humidex of 36 this afternoon. 🥵
It is only 20°C in the shade right now so time to get a good dent in the pile before I melt.
Current interim goal is to level a space equal to a little bigger than the current grey shed so I can put an identical one beside it either back-to-back or face to face.
The shovel mark in the top of the dirt pile to the left is the width mark that I have to clear to. 😂 We'll see if I get all the way there today! Watch says I have put 73min in so far.
I also need to convince the boy to help move the rocks from around the pond into a central pile. Pile location is TBD tho. 🤔
But it needs to be done so I can shore up a couple of low spots on the edge of the poolpond and in general start landscaping the edge of it.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #landscaping

good morning!
did some early-morning ponding on the #pandemicPond this morning.
The water level was unusually low, so I started looking around for leaks or blocks. I have been wanting to cut down the vertical PVC at the top of the bog barrels to make it not stick out so much and blend in a little nicer and also because it would reduce the height for the pump, so increase flow.
Well it turns out that connection, where the black pipe goes into the white PVC in the barrel, was a little loose and some water was leaking out and adding to the evaporation budget.
So that gave me the push to do the small modifications on the top end of the pipe. It was also a good time since turning off the pump meant the top pond would drain into the bottom pond. When the system is full, that would normally cause the bottom pond to over flow, but since it was all low, no extra water was lost.
I cut the inlet down a few inches under the water in the bog barrel to move the T down and then cut another 6in from the top pipe to snug it all up.
Then I also tightened up the connections for the over flow/air valve and added an elbow to keep water from escaping out the valve outlet. Only took about 5 minutes. I have been wanting to do this for months. 😂
Result:
black pipe doesn't curl as high over the barrel ✅
no more leak from the PVC connection ✅
no more water escaping from the air valve ✅
noticeably more flow over the waterfall! ✅
Pump is back on and water is replenished from the rain barrel ✅
the fish are happy! 🐟 and me too. ✅
oh oh! did I tell you we have a new fish! The top pond fish had babies and it looks like one has survived to be big enough not to be cannibalized. 😂 It is very skittish and is still mostly black so I havent got a good picture of it yet.
#pondlife #diy #gardening #portalberni

the hasta is super happy in the bottom pond this summer. It likes that it has not been too hot and it is also getting a lot more shade now that the pussy willow and hydrangea are established and a little bigger #bloomscrolling #pandemicPond #pondlife #diy #gardening #portalberni

made a good dent in 2.25hrs
one more half hour stint and then I'm done for the day. Sun is getting high and hot! 🌞
The goal is to turn the grey shed in the picture 90° so the door is facing to the left, then get an identical shed and place it facing the first shed with a gap in the middle to get things in and out.
AND THEN... because the roof lines will face south, put solar panels on top of both. 😊 ☀️ ⚡️
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #landscaping #solar

#silentsunday
(end of today's pond thread) 🧵
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening

Had a decent sleep last night after a long day. Got up before 6AM so that I could start the sprinklers on time.
(We are allowed 6-9AM/PM alternating days but I only water in the mornings because watering when it is still 32°C at 8PM is dumb)
While they were going I got going on another dirt-moving session. Over 3 hours! The sun was blocked by clouds for much of it so that helped a lot. Managed to get the space cleared for the 2nd shed. The whole back part of the yard is nearly level. It’s amazing just how much lower one side of the yard was from the other!
Another couple days of moving dirt and leveling and the dirt mountain should be spent!
Lunch and naptime. 2000 calories burned 😝 💪
Started to feel some pains in hands, thumb, back. Body knows… so I stopped :)
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #dirt #portalberni #clay

there. watering fill
#poolpond #gardening #pondlife #diy #backyardProject