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Thread: 2020 Gardening Thread

  1. #11
    Anti-social Behavior Slippy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inor View Post
    Trial #1 did not go so well. The upside is the forms worked perfectly. They came off without even having to tap them with a hammer. That made me extremely happy because that was my biggest concern when starting

    However the concrete looked like crap and was not very strong. I was actually able to break one of them just by pushing on it. It is possible that I did not let them dry long enough even though I gave them a full 24 hours. Plus, the finish on them looks like shit. I think the Sakrete had too large of aggregate in it and not enough Portland.

    I took 2 of them out and will not use them. I left the other 2 still in the forms. I have to fly off tomorrow so I will leave those in the forms until next weekend when I get back. But I do not think I will use them.

    I also need to come up with some kind of wire reinforcement to wrap around the PVC. I do have some of the cattle fence left over from building the steer pasture. Maybe that will work.

    For trial #2, I bought a bag of Portland and some sand. I will try mixing it myself and see how that goes.

    I guess on a positive note, I did learn 1 way NOT to make concrete garden beds.
    Inor,

    I have thought about your project quite a bit today!

    And I keep going back to the idea of simply building some plywood forms on the ground where you want the garden to be and getting a Cement Mixer truck to deliver and pour the cement. I'm assuming that you want the Raided Beds to be at least a couple of feet tall so you might need enough cement to justify a delivery?

    Just thinking aloud on this one...

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  3. #12
    Just this guy Inor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slippy View Post
    Inor,

    I have thought about your project quite a bit today!

    And I keep going back to the idea of simply building some plywood forms on the ground where you want the garden to be and getting a Cement Mixer truck to deliver and pour the cement. I'm assuming that you want the Raided Beds to be at least a couple of feet tall so you might need enough cement to justify a delivery?

    Just thinking aloud on this one...
    That might end up being what I do. Mrs Inor wants to start with 6 of them so that would require at least one truckload. But this is kind of fun, so I am going to try a couple more times with the forms first and see where we land. If I can get this figured out, it will be damn cool and I will be able to do a BUNCH of other stuff with it.

    Plus, concrete is so cheap that even if I do end up throwing in the trowel , I am not out much.
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  5. #13
    Anti-social Behavior Slippy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inor View Post
    ...even if I do end up throwing in the trowel ...
    That was a good one, made me chuckle!

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  7. #14
    Just this guy Inor's Avatar
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    Update:

    Version 0.1 of the garden panels came out much better.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    These are the same exact concrete mix as the first two, but they have been sitting in the forms for a week. I am still not entirely happy with the finish, but I think I can make that better by adding some Portland cement and a little more sand to the concrete mixture. So I think I am going to continue using the high strength Sakrete:

    https://www.homedepot.com/p/SAKRETE-...0940/100321247

    The one thing I noticed about the Sakrete is that it is pretty inconsistent with how much cement is mixed into each bag. I think by adding some, it will be better.

    Also, I do not think I vibrated it well enough when I poured the concrete. I was just tapping the forms with a hammer to vibrate it. So next time I think I am going to try using my sawzall without a blade to vibrate it better.

    Also, this is the mesh I got from Homely Despot to put in the concrete:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I think for the next batch, I am going to try using two layers of cattle fence. The wire is not quite as thick on the fence as the stuff I bought, but I think with two layers and the holes being smaller, it will be better.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I do not think I will use these two panels on the gardens, or if I do, it will be on the back side where they will not show. But all in all I am pretty happy with how they came out for a proof of concept.

    Also, the forms are working perfectly! Even after sitting for a week, they come off without any beating with a hammer. I just run a putty knife down the seams to cut the latex caulk and they pop right off. Before I poured the concrete, I sprayed them down real well with cooking spray. For the next batch, I might try coating the forms with cooking oil. I think we have a bottle of rancid Crisco in our preps that I need to use for something. (ADD moment: Rancid Crisco sounds like the perfect name for a punk rock band.) Also, they clean up very easily.

    So overall, I am calling this one a success with only some experimentation required to get the concrete mix right.
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  9. #15
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    Looking good Inor

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  11. #16
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    Not bad so far enjoying this thread so far. But means I need to start thinking about raised beds myself.

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  13. #17
    That is cool how they will interlock together.
    "The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields

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    Seeds are now ordered. I bought a new shelve unit to start plants on this year. I even got a new set of LED plant lights. So I need to get all of that together soon. I will start peppers at the end of the month. Tomatoes about 2 weeks later. Looking forward to getting this gardening season started.

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    Badass.
    my neighbor is remodeling a mobile home, I scored ALL the windows. I plan on building the wife a small greenhouse, probably about 8X12 with all the windows I can salvage. They are decent, but some are broken. I will evaluate and lay out, using the windows as roofing panels, A frame style.
    You will never be forgotten. RIP Corporal Bradley Coy (USMC)

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    waiting on Tax refund to go rent a tiller, the wife WANTS a bigger garden, no raised beds this year.
    You will never be forgotten. RIP Corporal Bradley Coy (USMC)

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