Re: [gardeners] Sunday in the garden -- long
margaret lauterbach (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 06 Dec 1999 08:01:22 -0700
> Wayne said those clay pipes are buried 3 ft down
>because when it freezes, they break. Jim said they only break if
>they are filled with water or wet soil. I said big flower pots on a
>patio fracture in the winter weather. Jim said that's because
>they're full of soil and water, doggoneit! So Jim stormed inside,
>I sent Marco back to his acid fertilizer, Waybe went on to find more
>flower beds to rake, and I decided to remove the big piece of
>plywood from the top of the hole, and instead to stick a round
>garbage pail down in there, just about filling up the entire space!
>And in case the racoons thought gee whiz, this homeowner is
>rather naive, I jammed four 2x4s into the corner, making the pail
>relatively tight.
With no soil to insulate those lines or the yew roots, they might freeze if
your temps drop, Penny.
>The rain - and perhaps snow - are expected here by noon, on
>Monday. That hole is going to fill up, and will take weeks to
>dissipate thru the solid clay soil down there. And the cold wave
>approaches from the west... and the fibrous roots of the
>adjacent upright yew tree are exposed. Not for all the tea in
>China can we replace that tree with one the same size, when
>this one drops dead from exposure.. and if the racoons don't find
>that hole, then the mice will, for I flatly refuse to research any more
>running water sounds during a snow storm!
>
>At dinner Jim said, if your theory is correct, then we might as well
>get another dry well installed now. And I sucked in my breath and
>v-e-r-y softly I answered, yes dear.
>
>Penny, NY
>
Margaret L