As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
When I started gardening, I had access from a school to metal coffee cans which seemed like the answer for collars for tomatoes, vines and cabbage crops, as we had cut worms, wind and it simply frosted here to kill things.
I could bend wires in a U shape and then tie a plastic bag around the cans, and have a mini greenhouse.
I stopped using the plastic bags on tomatoes as I was getting my plants up to 3 feet tall by the 4th of July, would take them out, and end up with July in nothing happening in setting on tomatoes as the plants just sat there. I had just as good of fortune with just letting nature take it's course.
The coffee cans would last a few years, the start rusting out, and be hazards for bad cuts. So I began looking for some kind of alternative. The alternative was JYG's recycled PVC pipe he had laying around.
What we use is 6 inch white PVC. How I make these is a reciprocating saw, with a long wood blade. A vice would help hold things, but TL holds them in most cases and I do use a c clap at times too, but this will shake like an earthquake if things are not lined up right. With a reciprocating saw what I found is it works best in keeping the blade buffer next to the pipe and cut that part first.
I like an 8 inch long piece. I happened up on that as it just happened the salvaged pipe worked out to the best size at 8 inches long. This works very well.
When we plant, I use as tile spade. I dig or loosen the dirt to larger than the diameter of the pipe and I like loosening the soil deep. We plant whatever plant we have, then put the collar around it, and press it down. I will carefully step on the top to seat it deeper. The reason for this is to keep water from leaking out. I will pack dirt around the outside too as this works for all season watering.
This helps me conserve using water as it focuses the water on the roots of the plant and not wasting it. I have never had cut worm problems since using these collars. Have not had wind breaking things off either.
As I have related, the Brier Patch is not an easy garden spot. Gardening takes work here and the PVC is a useful tool. If JYG was not so good to us, I could not afford to use this PVC. I think we have close to 40 of these now. That sounds like allot, but 4 cabbage, broc, cauliflower, 12 brussel sprouts runs this to 24 toot sweet, and I still have tomatoes and other vines to put collars around.
For me, I intend to acquire more of these. So far they seem to be sturdy, not like the smaller pvc which will crack or chip.
Just another help from the Lame Cherry.
This is another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Nuff Said
agrG
