Revved Up Ragtag, Part 1
Many of you have followed the transformation of one corner of my backyard from an overgrown pile of debris last March to the now Reclaimed Firepit area and the 'Ragtag Garden'.
As summer is coming to a close and gardening is winding down, I'm trying to see what I can still do while the weather is decent to get set up for next year. The buckets don't require any prep at this time. I'll save the soil amendments til next spring after I've figured out what's going to go where.
I've decided to chip away at a couple other areas and expand the 'Ragtag' concept to the entire yard. Ragtag is my term for using what I have on hand or can scrounge up at little or no cost.
The smaller of the two projects I have in mind may not necessarily be easier, but that's okay as both of them are going to be a challenge. In addition to the container garden just revived, I'm hoping to do the same thing for three raised beds near the firepit area. As you can tell, these have been neglected longer than the debris pile was. The last time I used one of them was a potato growing experiment in the bed with the T-posts and twine. Slugs decimated the crop and that was that.
The other two beds have actual trees in them that are going to be big obstacles. They're black walnut, if I have my ID correct. Dense wood and these are reasonably straight trunks. I'm thinking they'd be great for trellis supports if I can get them down in decent shape. The height will be perfect for pole beans considering my double-decker tomato cages were woefully short this year.
Once those trees are removed and the (mostly) dead branches from the nearby cherry tree are trimmed back, this spot should get a decent amount of afternoon sun. When the beds were first used, we managed to get yellow & green bush beans, radishes, lettuce, basil, snow peas, and a few other things to produce a decent crop. Some elbow grease, a saw, a spade and a lot of cussing will have these beds up and running again by next spring.
The largest area in need of attention is the other back corner of the yard. I'm calling it The Jungle. There are enough vines in there for Tarzan to feel at home.
There used to be a metal shed and a small playhouse in this spot. Both structures are long gone, but you can still faintly make out where the shed was in the second shot. The picture after that is looking East along the fence line. There's virtually no opening to get back in there, so it's going to have to be a frontal assault. At least that way, I can stack up the wood to be dried by the back gate - out of the way - while I knock down the grape vine and volunteer trees to make way for a future project to be named later.
I doubt if I can get much more sun in here due to the massive tree canopy, but it does get some sun in the morning already. I may be able to work with that, otherwise, I'll consider locating a compost pile and/or a firewood drying station there. Those decisions can wait til the area is cleared, so I have plenty of time to see what will be best down the road.
And, yes, I am apparently a glutton for punishment. ;~P
This little diagram should help you sort out where everything is positioned.
Upvote, ReSteem, 
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
@aunt-deb
very good work you doing here... very hardworking steemian who really is educating and inspiring others... thanks for sharing this worthy of my upvote... and constant support...
Thank you for your support! It makes the work seem lighter and easier.
Welcome as always and keep it up...do also find time to check my blog posts
Great write up! I've got a piece of our property that's turning into a jungle. That might be a great spot for chickens because it looks like it has good shade. Or maybe a good spot for some shittake logs
Thanks! This is going be a huge undertaking.
I hadn't thought of mushrooms, but they would probably do well there. Hubby would LOVE that! Chickens would have a blast in there. If you can do it, go for it. I'm not allowed to have them here, so alternative methods will have to do.
Look forward to seeing what you guys decide. Good luck with that jungle!
I'm thinking morels, but he may have other ideas. Maybe we could try a couple & see what works best...
Thanks for the idea and the support!
So next spring there will be a Ragtag Garden Season 2. Back and bigger than ever. Glad to see your new projects. I live in the woods so those parts of your yard that are overgrown is my yard. Battling back nature is a hard job when weeds and such have taken over. Good luck!
Mostly likely, yes, and an expanded version. I just found a stash of a least a dozen more buckets. Woot!
The two most difficult parts are going to be removing the volunteer trees and dealing with those masses of grape vines. I might see if I can save and dry the vines. They'd make awesome trellis supports for climbing veggies. (That or I'll just torch the whole thing. j/k...)
You're right, woods don't just stay put. They travel when you're not looking and can take over in an amazingly short amount of time!
Oooo! I love the map you drew up at the end. Excited to see how it all changes as you get to work on it. I'm doing similar work on my own yard... It's a never ending battle but I like it :p
Thanks and I'm glad the map helps! It's hard to get the big picture from the little snippets in photos, so an overview of the layout seemed like it would clarify how it fits together.
It is an ongoing process for sure. The achy muscles are worth it when the projects are done and fresh food is the prize!
Haha, I love all the names you have given things. I do that too. Ragtag seems like such a fun word. I'll probably say it for the rest of the night.
I love before pictures. Sometimes it's hard to remember just how far we have come and those picture sure come in handy.
As far as the walnut tree goes. I've always heard that their roots are toxic to many other plants. This site might help you with some of your proposed plantings.
https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/toxicity-of-black-walnuts-towards-other-plants/
Words can be so much fun and it's like a game to come up with ones that fit. If it's silly, that's a bonus. Well, our dog might not agree - after a long, messy drink, she gets called Tinker Sloppychops. ;~P
I credit Steemit with the success of both projects. I doubt if I would have tackled them to begin with, let alone had pictures, if the blog wasn't in the mix. This exercise has brought home the importance of those pictures - motivation and inspiration to do more & do it even better next time!
Thank you for the link! I will definitely check it out. They're all over the place here and grow startlingly fast! Plus, they're dang dangerous to walk under when dropping their 'seeds'. Those things are almost the size of a baseball and heavy. Too bad I can't sell them - I have plenty. Lol!
Black walnuts are prized here in KY and fetch a good dollar. I remember as a child (I'm 64) that us kids got to drive the car over the walnuts in the drive way after Dad piled them up for us. It was something we looked forward to all year.
I understand the dropping "seeds", lol. I have large oak and hickory trees surrounding my house. Sometimes it sounds like I'm being bombed when they hit my metal roof.
Oh, and I wanted to ask you because I love it. Where did you find your (I don't know what to call it) colorful paragraph separator, moving border, line divider, rainbow doohickey? I'd love to find some options.
Copy/paste that line, take out the space after http and it should work. It came from here: http://www.animatedgif.net/barslines/barslines2.shtml
This place has a collection of links for all sorts of cool goodies:
http://www.webplaces.com/html/lines.htm
Have a blast!
Yay! Thank you.
I've never gathered them deliberately, but I do enjoy the final product.
I just checked and they are paying $15 per 100 lbs, unhusked! The nearest drop off is about an hour & half away. Now you've got me thinking... Thanks!!
You definitely have some work ahead of you!
Y'all are an inspiration to peck away at large projects til it's done. After all, I'll need room for another attempt at potatoes. ;~D
Yes, potatoes do take up a certain amount of space. :-D
That's quite a transformation aunt-deb and love the fire pit in the center of your gardening area! We have lots of work ahead of us getting ready for a fall gardening adventure. 🐓
It was fun to go back and see where it started. I had no idea of the end result when I started just 'clearing a few weeds'. Thanks for the kind words! The firepit kind of anchors the whole thing, like a room without walls. It's a peaceful space.
I'll look forward to seeing where your adventure takes you, because I'm betting it'll be amazing! Y'all have had enough challenges recently. A new project is a good energizer!
Good article. You can do it. A little at a time and keep up what you already have done. The best to you.
Thanks! Your encouragement is much appreciated!
I think I have a game-plan that shouldn't be too strenuous. Am gathering my resources and am eager to get started.
A lot of work! Good luck, everything will work out ;) follow you, I will be grateful if you visit my blog ;)
Thank you and I'll need it!
That is an ambitious plan aunt-deb. Considering what you did this year I have no doubt you will get it done. I love a good challenge. You put a lot of thought and engineering into your projects. That is part of the fun. 🐓🐓
It is and it's entirely possible I'm insane. ;~D
The game-plan is the same as for eating an elephant... one bite at a time. I'll be back here asking for advice before you know it though! That's also part of the fun. Y'all teach me all kinds of awesome stuff!