What's going on in your garden (2018-2022)?

[caseydog]

Cheap as chips, my guy is $25 also and he takes the grass with him. I timed him last time and he took 25 mins. He drives the latest model,4x4 hilux. So he's doing alright.

Russ

In most of Texas, mowers with mulching blades are used. No grass to haul away. They work great, unless you neglect your lawn, and let your grass get ridiculously long. Then you have to bag it. If you mow weekly, the cut grass disappears, decomposes, and adds organic matter to the soil.

Any yard waste, including lawn clippings, has to go into special paper bags, and go to a county facility that composts everything from tree trimmings to grass clippings. The special bags decompose with the yard waste. The compost, when ready, is bagged and sold. Every homeowner (taxpayer) in the county can get a few bags of compost or mulch per year for free (I don't recall how many bags).

The soil here is a clay based soil, so compost is needed to add organic matter. So, sending yard waste to the landfill (dump) is stupid -- and illegal.

CD

 

[rascal]

In most of Texas, mowers with mulching blades are used. No grass to haul away. They work great, unless you neglect your lawn, and let your grass get ridiculously long. Then you have to bag it. If you mow weekly, the cut grass disappears, decomposes, and adds organic matter to the soil.

Any yard waste, including lawn clippings, has to go into special paper bags, and go to a county facility that composts everything from tree trimmings to grass clippings. The special bags decompose with the yard waste. The compost, when ready, is bagged and sold. Every homeowner (taxpayer) in the county can get a few bags of compost or mulch per year for free (I don't recall how many bags).

The soil here is a clay based soil, so compost is needed to add organic matter. So, sending yard waste to the landfill (dump) is stupid -- and illegal.

CD

Same here with grass and leaves etc, free to dump, then they sell it as compost. My wife buys it. This mower has a catcher, only 1 empty for front and back. Mind you he's only mowing every three weeks ATM.

Russ

 

[caseydog]

BTW, the annual cicadas we get down here (as opposed to the 17-year cicadas they get up North) are out of hibernation. I haven't seen any, but I can hear them every evening.

I used to like to sit on the patio in the evening with a cigar and a drink, and listen to them. But, the mosquitos have gotten ridiculous. Sitting outside in the evening is not fun this year.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Same here with grass and leaves etc, free to dump, then they sell it as compost. My wife buys it. This mower has a catcher, only 1 empty for front and back. Mind you he's only mowing every three weeks ATM.

Russ

I can't go three weeks here. Right now, I mow once a week. When we were having rain 4 days a week the last couple of months, I had to mow every five days, at least.

However, I have very little grass to mow, so it only takes me 15 minutes to mow, edge and trim the lawn. All my yard equipment is rechargeable electric, even the mower, so it is really easy. I'm not going to pay someone for something I can easily do in 15 minutes.

CD

 

[rascal]

When the grass is at its busiest they get mowed every second week. The guy does edges and uses a blower to keep things smart. I believe in paying people that do that stuff all day. I gave him some chilly plants and tomato plants as well, plus I give him home made tomato sauce every now and then. We swap bull$&@& with each other. A good guy.

Russ

 

[Yorky]

I've no idea how big mine is, I'll look at the rates where it tells me section and house sizes.

Russ

Rates!!!!

 

[rascal]

Rates!!!!

Yup,we pay rates, around 750 a quarter. This goes to,the council so they can build cycleways and put pot holes in our roads.

Russ

 

[Yorky]

We had 12 rai of paddy at one time. The rates were less than NZ$2.00/year. It cost me twice that to go and pay it (about 25km away).

We've never paid any rates on our house plot.

 

[Rocklobster]

Last of the spinach..start of the beet greens

 

[The Velvet Curtain]

The pond is in and has been filled with water, we will leave it a couple of weeks to settle before adding plants and completing the surround.

 

[caseydog]

We had 12 rai of paddy at one time. The rates were less the NZ$2.00/year. It cost me twice that to go and pay it (about 25km away).

We've never paid any rates on our house plot.

Okay, you "Britted" me. Rates I assume are property taxes??? WTF is a rai?

I pay about $5,000 USD per year in property taxes. Most of that goes to the school district.

CD

 

[caseydog]

The pond is in and has been filled with water, we will leave it a couple of weeks to settle before adding plants and completing the surround.

Does it have any kind of circulation? Do you have to do anything to prevent algae?

CD

 

[The Velvet Curtain]

Does it have any kind of circulation? Do you have to do anything to prevent algae?

CD

It's a small wildlife pond, so no circulation, it will have oxygenating plants and snails to keep it healthy.

 

[Yorky]

Okay, you "Britted" me. Rates I assume are property taxes??? WTF is a rai?

I guess it's a property or land tax, yes. We have been threatened with it during the past couple of years but nothing has come of it.

1 rai is equivalent to 1,600 square metres or 0.4 acres.

 

[caseydog]

I guess it's a property or land tax, yes. We have been threatened with it during the past couple of years but nothing has come of it.

1 rai is equivalent to 1,600 square metres or 0.4 acres.

So, $2.00 (NZ) per year for roughly 5 acres of land? Nothing for your home property? What have they "threatened" to charge you for your home plot? I'm guessing it is NOT close to $5,000 USD per year.

CD