r8rphan
Well-Known Member
My plan... tell me if you think it's a good one..
I've pre-ordered a rhyzome each of Centennial, Cascade, Magnum, and Willamette... If cash allows, I want to order a second of each..
After talking to a girl I ran into at the LHBS, who happened to work at a nursery and had experience with perrenials (she had heard me asking the clerk about hops and the square foot gardening method), here's what she suggested...
She said for each plant, I should place some 1/4" or 1/2" wire mesh on the ground, and then stack a couple old tires on top of it.. To 'then' fill the tires with the square foot gardening mix (1/3rd peat moss, 1/3rd vermiculite, 1/3rd compost made up from at least 5 different brands of compost), and to install a RZWS (Root Zone Watering System) in each...
She said that this would allow me to use the square foot gardening method, protect the plants from freezing and rodents, and allow the tap root to grow deep... The soil mix on top of the ground would also allow for great drainage, and the RZWS wood ensure the deep roots get watered well....
I was thinking about it after I got back home, and the only caveat I see is that the tires could collect water and cause rot.... but drilling some holes in the sides would cure that...
I'm thinking I could ten set these things about 2-3 feet apart, and the tires would prevent the roots from getting mixed up... If I kept the soil level a few inches below the tire tops, I could fill them the rest of the way up for winterizing...
Build a trellis over it, and I'm good to go.. I like this idea, as the ground here is full of rocks and clay and impossible to dig, not to mention that in some places the drainage is good, and others it's terrible.. but this would allow me to pick the best spot for sun regardless of existing soil...
Sound like a workable plan?
What do you think...
I've pre-ordered a rhyzome each of Centennial, Cascade, Magnum, and Willamette... If cash allows, I want to order a second of each..
After talking to a girl I ran into at the LHBS, who happened to work at a nursery and had experience with perrenials (she had heard me asking the clerk about hops and the square foot gardening method), here's what she suggested...
She said for each plant, I should place some 1/4" or 1/2" wire mesh on the ground, and then stack a couple old tires on top of it.. To 'then' fill the tires with the square foot gardening mix (1/3rd peat moss, 1/3rd vermiculite, 1/3rd compost made up from at least 5 different brands of compost), and to install a RZWS (Root Zone Watering System) in each...
She said that this would allow me to use the square foot gardening method, protect the plants from freezing and rodents, and allow the tap root to grow deep... The soil mix on top of the ground would also allow for great drainage, and the RZWS wood ensure the deep roots get watered well....
I was thinking about it after I got back home, and the only caveat I see is that the tires could collect water and cause rot.... but drilling some holes in the sides would cure that...
I'm thinking I could ten set these things about 2-3 feet apart, and the tires would prevent the roots from getting mixed up... If I kept the soil level a few inches below the tire tops, I could fill them the rest of the way up for winterizing...
Build a trellis over it, and I'm good to go.. I like this idea, as the ground here is full of rocks and clay and impossible to dig, not to mention that in some places the drainage is good, and others it's terrible.. but this would allow me to pick the best spot for sun regardless of existing soil...
Sound like a workable plan?
What do you think...