is there any interest in something like this here.....maybe under the DIY Forum.

I know there are a few gardeners here...

Just a thought

i think that is a great idea!!

keep it in scuppers forum have got alot of insite in past especially from raven

keep it in scuppers forum have got alot of insite in past especially from raven

What he said...

my veggie garden sucks (no sun). My flower garden is great.

Just a Heads up :)
I will have to double check but the best time to TRAP and REMOVE them woodchucksters is March / April
Not when your watching your lawn grow :smash:

I never "Removed" one last year :wall:, I plan on getting the drop on them this year .... lmfao

Yes there is interest in such a topic.

I would participate for sure
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

yes

I'm in.

Got a small job today, building a cold frame. Was lucky to find two storm doors at the transfer station, which will make it easy.

Should we combine it all? DIY, Guns, Home, & Garden?

These guys pull it off quite well: Garden and Gun | Soul of the South (http://gardenandgun.com/)

(Seriously)

yesterday, i decided to make a storm stew....
with beef, carrots, celery, broccoli ,red potatoes, red bell pepper,scallions,porta bella mushrooms,....ect.
and it cost around $40.00 bucks in ingredients. Yikes!
But it came out SUPERB... the snow is wet and heavy and i needed energy+ .
This year i am growing everything in Pots 1-5 gallons (totally mobile)
and then i will be
planting them in the ground after cutting more root holes in the bottom which
will facilitate the roots getting out and make watering and weeding a breeze.:uhuh:

OK - we'll try this again without the tangent taken

Sorry John...
yes it would be useful to ask questions about garden and even lawncare!

the word GARDEN is used with a broad brush
and usually means ornamental s (flowers)
and shrubbery or landscaping ones yard.

Growing food is a whole different subject.
Gardens and Guns isn't about food gardens.

I made some delicious waffles for my son for breakfast this morning. He likes to put mini chocolate chips on them.

Rav, $40 for stew is about right, It costs me over $20 to make chicken
soup.
Crazy, there is no inflation. :doh:

I make blueberry pancakes for my Grandkids using "Heart Smart Bisquick"
and add egg whites for whole eggs. Pretty healthy, taste betta then the Diner's and fill ya up real good on a cold day. :)

Can't beat growing herbs either, they are sky high $$$.

Just a Heads up :)
I will have to double check but the best time to TRAP and REMOVE them woodchucksters is March / April
Not when your watching your lawn grow :smash:

I never "Removed" one last year :wall:, I plan on getting the drop on them this year .... lmfao

they are habitually "on time" and you can take advantage of that trait
with stealthy observation as to when they come out to play in your garden.
[ usually 9:30 am] Translated: EAT whatever they want....

OK - we'll try this again without the tangent taken

Just merge it into the DIY thread...that makes sense.

-spence

Fonzie jumps the shark - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE)

Fonzie jumps the shark - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE)

Karl, you using bleach or pavement this year? :)

I've seen Karl's weed patch an it's :smokin:

RICHIE Cunningham was so much Happier when he had hair

Fonzie jumps the shark - YouTube

:yawn:

I have nine raised beds, berries and three pit aeas fdor my soon to be world record pumpkin, I'm in.

I'm into the giant pumpkin growing as well. Been doing it the last 3 years now. My best was about 250.

Maybe we can get a pumpkin growing contest going.
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I would love to get my hands on some seeds. My kids would dig the giant pumpkin thing.

Grew a pumpkin when I was 10 that wouldn't fit into the wheel barrow ! Won 1st at the local fair that fall . If you guys are serious , may wanna try this 1229 - Mycos - Mycorrhizal Inoculant 2.2lbs (http://www.extremepumpkinstore.com/ecom-prodshow/mycos.html) .

Had a girlfriend who's father used to sit on a porch and spit his watermellon seeds over the rail. One took root and grew a ginormous watermellon that eventually was entered in a fair and took second place. :)

Pretty sure I still have a bunch of seeds from my 250lber. I'd be happy to dole some out to whoever wants some. Though I cannot guarantee they will actually sprout.
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here is what you guys want, get ready to baby sit the thing.

http://www.howarddill.com/

Was talking to the Cape's record holder at plugfest today. He doesn't have time to do it this year.

Should do one someday
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Never pulled my brocolli plants at the end of last season.Brand new plants are growing out of the bases of the old plants and they already have buds.Unreal.

Last year I rented a plot at the Community Gardens in town, Had some successes and some not so successes. pretty good deal in town here if you can get one. When I dug in and cleared everything because it was so overgrown I found a pretty well established Herb Garden there

Looking forward to trying a few new things this year...

Did really well with Peppers, Summer Squash, Zucchini and Italian Green Beans were Good.

Peas, Tomatos, Cucumbers, Spinach and Corn were just OK.

Onions, Scallions, Carrots, Eggplant were non-existent

This year I'm going to lose the Onions, Scallions, and Carrots and Add Butternut Squash, Lettuce, and Bok Choi....may throw in some watermelons too....

I grow a few things watermelons,Pumkins nothing big just god for the Kids to carve in the fall.

Grew a pumpkin when I was 10 that wouldn't fit into the wheel barrow ! Won 1st at the local fair that fall . If you guys are serious , may wanna try this 1229 - Mycos - Mycorrhizal Inoculant 2.2lbs (http://www.extremepumpkinstore.com/ecom-prodshow/mycos.html) .


This is the stuff you put into the hole first.

All you potential pumpkins growers should join the New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Association. I did years ago and it was the best source for info anyone could hope for. If you pay your dues ($20.00) early (January) you automatically get in the mail a large sampling of donated seeds from all the growers who belong to this group. In this group are the growers of all growers of the largest pumpkins. Some of the seeds I received last year were from fruit that weighed in at better than 1500#'s. I think I got about 10 seeds packets in all. I would query the groups web site and go from the there. If you buy seeds from a private supllier, such as the one in Nova Scotia, Dill's Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Seeds, you will pay anywhere from $5.00 a seed up to $70.00 or $80.00 a seed, so joining my group is well worth it. Thier prices are fair for what they sell, and that is the best seeds anywhere, from the largest pumpkins grown in the world, year after year. Woody Lancaster is the treasurer and the membership chair of the NEGPGA. Query the web site and start in. I might have a few seeds around I could part with. Does anyone here have any idea how to polinate your own seeds? I can't say enough about the Danny Dill family though.

Hey Frank I should have introduced you to the guy that grew the giant on C C. You could have compared notes. I just never thought of it. I can be pretty dense sometimes. His dad was the guy that had the tinker toy spinner and plugs,"Happy as a clam with a rod in my hand" guy.

New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Association :)

Yep, gotta get yer gardens ready for DOOMSDAY

have you seen that new show Doomsday Preppers?
now there is another called Doomsday Bunkers

nothing like growing your own

forget that genetically modified seed crap:smash::devil2:

read about the 12/21/12 as being inaccurate because the Mayan Calendar
did not account for leap years (over the course of 5000 years) so that this event....
already passed by 7 months ago....

this doesn't mean however that we can't have a society break down over fuel
shortages resulting in food shortages

Last year I rented a plot at the Community Gardens in town, Had some successes and some not so successes. pretty good deal in town here if you can get one. When I dug in and cleared everything because it was so overgrown I found a pretty well established Herb Garden there

Looking forward to trying a few new things this year...

Did really well with Peppers, Summer Squash, Zucchini and Italian Green Beans were Good.

Peas, Tomatos, Cucumbers, Spinach and Corn were just OK.

Onions, Scallions, Carrots, Eggplant were non-existent

This year I'm going to lose the Onions, Scallions, and Carrots and Add Butternut Squash, Lettuce, and Bok Choi....may throw in some watermelons too....

Have had a garden for 40 years. Eggplant are tough here in New England. The only year I did well with them was one year I put down black plastic around them.

the trick with peas is timing.....it's all about the timing imho

that and the concept of... the lunar influence and it's rythm
it comes in sets of three......... similar to waves
the first two (from the day of the "new moon")
to the full moon (waxing)...those two quarters are the "BIG PUSH Up"
then from the full moon waning back down to THE half "the pull" but
with extra moon light....available

THE FOURTH QUARTER where the moon still waning goes back to skinniest
that's the week or so that you cultivate and get rid of weeds ect.
~
So when you take advantage of that rythm you gain an edge.....
ESPECIALLY 7 days before the full moon because that's the PEAK
germination week with increasing hydroscopic presssure
forcing moisture into seed
~
for peas this year and you always shoot for st paddy's day !
is actually 8,9 and tenth moon in "libra" (for flowers)

bone meal is wicked good for flowers

but the main trick with PEAS i've found (i grow waves of them)
is that you have to water them AT LEAST twice a day heavy
then they go gangbusters.
i'll plant twice this week end clearing away snow is just fine !!!!
and on the 19th 20th and 21 rst
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/march.png
the wave: they like to planted in MASS meaning many
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/GARDEN2004.jpg

Really, you'd plant peas this early in the year....hmmmm, I would have thought it was way to early for that.

I've read that leaf vegetables like Lettuce and Spinach are planted early as well...is it to early for them? I was thinking 1st couple of weeks in april for those

Have had a garden for 40 years. Eggplant are tough here in New England. The only year I did well with them was one year I put down black plastic around them.


Never had a good eggPlant , right behind you Kev

All you potential pumpkins growers should join the New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Association. I did years ago and it was the best source for info anyone could hope for. If you pay your dues ($20.00) early (January) you automatically get in the mail a large sampling of donated seeds from all the growers who belong to this group. In this group are the growers of all growers of the largest pumpkins. Some of the seeds I received last year were from fruit that weighed in at better than 1500#'s. I think I got about 10 seeds packets in all. I would query the groups web site and go from the there. If you buy seeds from a private supllier, such as the one in Nova Scotia, Dill's Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Seeds, you will pay anywhere from $5.00 a seed up to $70.00 or $80.00 a seed, so joining my group is well worth it. Thier prices are fair for what they sell, and that is the best seeds anywhere, from the largest pumpkins grown in the world, year after year. Woody Lancaster is the treasurer and the membership chair of the NEGPGA. Query the web site and start in. I might have a few seeds around I could part with. Does anyone here have any idea how to polinate your own seeds? I can't say enough about the Danny Dill family though.

Ten years ago, Frank sent me some seeds from one of his own prizes that produced a 400# in my sister's patch before it blew out. She doesn't do it anymore as it was on a remote property. My job was primarily soil prep... which included getting the seaweed, mostly kelp, rinsing out "some" of the salt, tranporting it to the patch and digging it into the mix. I could not get over how much work went into soil prep and ongoing maintenence... Do not overlook access for water and getting a vehicle close.

I'm pretty sure I'm giving up the quest for eggplant this year....peas are on my "To Do" list though and Raven has my curiosity going on his last post.

I LOVE Fresh Peas......man they are good...

Peas like cold feet.

I did an all white eggplant called Ghostbuster one year that did well...

Really, you'd plant peas this early in the year....hmmmm, I would have thought it was way to early for that.

I've read that leaf vegetables like Lettuce and Spinach are planted early as well...is it to early for them? I was thinking 1st couple of weeks in april for those
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curiosity planted the pea -lol

nah them peas will push up snow ... doesnt phasem

certain lettuce like bibs (ya know the thick leaved varieties)
can be sown early or you can selectively buy
the hydroponic lettuces and replant the roots that come with them
each week....harvesting an occasional outside leaf or two
same thing with scallions cut an inch of white stem off the scallion
and soak it in water to regrow the tips then plant them in 4 inch pots
like so:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/scallions2.jpg

oh yeah be careful of the crown

that being: the above ground line
make sure it's at the right depth meaning exact

to low, it may rot or not grow soon
the plant has to sense the light
to "turn on"

you can put a white five gallon bucket over it
drill a hole in the bottom to let out the heat
if left in full sunlight
water well

pick a sunnier spot that reflects sunshine
off the house and leavem in pots if ya want
for awhile ..........or until may 15th or so

as i was searching for seeds (amazon)
i found one add to be kinda funny :)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/seeds.png

Really, you'd plant peas this early in the year....hmmmm, I would have thought it was way to early for that.

I've read that leaf vegetables like Lettuce and Spinach are planted early as well...is it to early for them? I was thinking 1st couple of weeks in april for those

this year i still hAVE 2 feet of snow to melt

I'd like to start a massive herb garden this year. Some hardier plants (thyme, rosemary, chives) will get planted in about two weeks, then put in the more fragile ones late April/ early May (basil, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, etc etc)...

Any planting tips? Fertilizer OK to use? Not going to start from seed- so much simpler to start with established plants. For herbs is it just as simple as plant them in some potting soil and let them go?

Oregano, Thyme, Sage, and Chives will come back year after year so place them where you want them in your garden. Rosemary will die off during the winter around these parts....they are perrenial in other locations but not up around here....you can always dig them up and pot them over the winter in your house and replant in the spring.

Basil will last a few weeks but things like Cilantro and Parsely will bolt in the heat...so you may want to stagger the planting times so you have it more readily available.

If you are going to plant Mints of any kind be careful....they will over take a garden over the years.

Most herbs are weeds and don't need much for them to grow....they will take on there owm....maybe throw down a little fertilizer for when you plant them but after that you should be good.

I'm no expert but this is what I've been seeing/reading the past couple of years.

Going to rototil the garden this coming weekend and get the Peas and lettuce going next week.

If you want me to come by and run the rototiller through your garden just let me know...I'lll take a ride over and knock it out for you....as long as there are a couple of Frosties available :hee:

Oregano, Thyme, Sage, and Chives will come back year after year so place them where you want them in your garden. Rosemary will die off during the winter around these parts....they are perrenial in other locations but not up around here....you can always dig them up and pot them over the winter in your house and replant in the spring.

Basil will last a few weeks but things like Cilantro and Parsely will bolt in the heat...so you may want to stagger the planting times so you have it more readily available.

If you are going to plant Mints of any kind be careful....they will over take a garden over the years.

Most herbs are weeds and don't need much for them to grow....they will take on there owm....maybe throw down a little fertilizer for when you plant them but after that you should be good.
I'm pretty good with herbs (probably because they're so easy) but not so much with veggies. Couple things to supplement your post from stuff I've seen/read and experienced from my mother-in-law's garden...

Rosemary, if well established, can winter over in the lower parts of MA. Two winters ago (before I bought a house), we had two rosemary plants keep nice and green throughout the winter. Just make sure to wrap them and dig out the heavy snow.

Chives and mint will *both* take over a garden over a couple years. Mint is much much worse but chives can be a pain too. The chives go to seed aggressively that even having them close to your garden will cause some rebel intrusion. The big concern with mint are the runners. I've had nice tall mint stalks fall over and send roots all in the course of a couple weeks. Mint is also a sneaky bastard an will send out shoots just under the soil surface and pop back up over a foot away. For chives and mint, I'd recommend keeping them in containers on a deck and well away from your main garden.

For sage (and maybe this is just me), it seems to only have a 3-4 year useful life. What I mean is that as the plant matures, it seems to lose some (if not most) of its culinary appeal and the leaves start to bitter. This might be isolated to the sage variety I used.

For basil, I find pinching the flower buds as soon as they pop up really extends the growing season. Also a high-nitrogen low-potassium fertilizer coupled with pinching the off flower buds has really helped me extend the growing season for basil. Come mid-summer, I try and put some basil in mostly-shade areas and that seems to extend the useful season as well.

Cilantro... I don't know. Seems by early-July it always goes to seed and dies off on me. We get tons of fresh coriander to make chili ans sauces with, but I'd love some help here as we love using fresh cilantro in our cooking.

Sorry about the huge wall of text... just last night I sat down and started planning out the flower beds and garden for our new house. Quite overwhelming looking at a completely stripped yard and trying to come up with a plan.

Christ, I feel a little bit like Raven with this post.

Christ, I feel a little bit like Raven with this post.

i just finished my first coat of paint (stain) on my new starting area
half hoop house...32 inches wide by 16 feet long... with another 16 inch
shelf behind me for flats ...the floor will be movable very large pots
i'll have tomatoes out there TODAY

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/set-up.png

Does pulling the Flowering stalks on the Chives before they go to seed help to keep them from Spreading? I have about a dozen Chive plants growing in my herb garden and Do notice some spread....but I just rip out the new plants when I see them.

those chive tops just open and drop their seeds in place
instead of ripping them out ....pot them up and plant them
where you have bug problems like ants or flies around the trash area.
or dry the seeds and send some to me :) -or
carry them around when traveling and sprinkle a few here and there.

LOL Johnny Chiveseed

Does pulling the Flowering stalks on the Chives before they go to seed help to keep them from Spreading? I have about a dozen Chive plants growing in my herb garden and Do notice some spread....but I just rip out the new plants when I see them.
Pinch the buds just like I suggested with the basil. The purple flowers are pretty but don't last long and I'd rather pinch them.

With the chives, they send up a stem that looks different from the rest of the plant - a little thicker, firmer and dense. That's where the buds come from and each bud will drop a couple dozen seeds. I let them grow until a little before I think they are ready to open and then cut the stalk. Frankly, it'll get to the point where you'll have 5-10 to pinch off every couple days. I usually get lazy and just rip a few plants out. We don't use *that* much chives anyway.

I want to try and plant some Chinese Chives in there as well. I have a few recipes that call for them and they are next to impossible to find without driving to Burlington

I am going to try some sq ft gardening this year. Anyone follow that process?

I am going to try some sq ft gardening this year. Anyone follow that process?
I've been thinking about it. Unfortunately, doesn't look like I'll be able to install a garden this year. Fencing in the yard will be #1 priority (and cost). Next year I'm going for the nice big garden and have been looking at the sq ft process. Also been looking at companion plantings.

I am going to try some sq ft gardening this year. Anyone follow that process?

Mels method was deeper soil in raised beds that is intensively planted
with a trellis on the North side for veggies that climb.

But the Most important aspect is to instantly REPLACE anything you harvest BY having a replacement crop ready "in waiting" either in flats
or pots....so that it's one operation thus keeping the square foot producing.
Using this method a family of two needs only a 4' x 8' or a family of 4... a 4' x 16' foot bed.

i am using pots for broccoli , corn and tomatoes because the varieties are designed to grow in pots.
There's allot of advantages namely being able to spread them apart if they get crowded
and or need some shade plus weeding is much easier too.

garlic chives same thing , 400 seeds here with free shipping

Garlic Chives Seeds - 400 Seeds (http://www.buywholesalecheap.com/garlicchives?gdftrk=gdfV24975_a_7c1322_a_7c8322_a_ 7cTS_d_B0006BHJ1G)

that much of our food comes from almost 1500 miles away or more

and alls it'll take to shut that down is a huge sun spot that fries
all the computers nationwide or a Big earthquake in Cal on the rumbling
San Andreas fault.... no cars will work.... :confused: so better be prepared... is all...
not for doomsday , but a difficult time.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/tomatos-1.png

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/peppers.png

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/brocolli.png

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/onions.png

Got my peas in the other day and some radishes in yesterday. Planted some Daikon Radishes this year to see how they do. will be starting the Zuchini and summer squash in the house this week as well

Started the Basil and Chives in the house so they will be going in next month when it warms up.

Thinking about splitting the garden in two and making one half all perennial, Rhubarb, Asparagus, Strawberries, Herbs etc.

good idea !

When should I buy my 'mater plants? Mid-May or so? Going to set up an earth box on my deck, two plants should be plenty for me for the summer.

Any varieties that do particularly well up here?

Hey Kevin, do you want a couple of established Garlic Chive Plants? Got to many and I want to rip a couple out to make room for some Onion Chives. Just come by my house with a couple of gallon pots/buckets and I'll dig them up for you.

Then we can hit the ponds and wet a line....

When should I buy my 'mater plants? Mid-May or so? Going to set up an earth box on my deck, two plants should be plenty for me for the summer.

Any varieties that do particularly well up here?

EARLY GIRL OR BETTER BOY do well up yonder :)

may 15 last expected frost

a couple or more pieces of rebar
some PVC cheap tubing in 10' lengths
and a piece of plastic kept on the ready
for an unexpected and unwelcome snow
is always a good idea to have around
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/tunnel.png

Thanks TDF! I have some French chives and garlic chives in pots on my windowsill... Waiting till the second week of may to put them in my planters. But I will def take some for my gf, she'll be psyched.

Thanks for the suggestion raven... Looking forward to fresh mater, basil and evoo salads this summer. Yum
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Man Rav I miss starting all my plants from seed. Just too darn busy to do any veggies again this year. Only got time for the usual flower beds and not much time for that either. Too much working on the house. My garden has been eaten by weeds and such. Maybe next year. Wish I lived near you to raid your beds. All looks great.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

sprayed the blueberries today praying I timed it right to take care of those darn winter moths which have killed the buds last 2 years for me. I went from a 55 gallon drum of blueberries for 10 straight years to zero last 2. I hate spraying chemicals but it is the only way and lots of time before harvest so not a problem at all with tainted fruit.

EFF THIS FORUM:love: Last 2 weekends I put in about 20 hours just in my front yard. Cleaning, moving stuff in the beds, totally ripping up and redoing a bed, edging, pre weeding. Next weekend = an easy $600 + in mulch and another 12 hours. Not including pulling out 2 white pines and a blue spruce and replanting a screen along my driveway. Oh yeah and I need a lawn! My HUGE front lawn needs to be totally redone. 8 years ago it was taken care of by the builders who built the house. They spread #^&#^&#^&#^&ty loam, hydro seeded and we got a massive rain storm that moved what was there for loom. The lawn was crap for 2 years. So they came back with a truckload of mexicans with wheel barrows and shovels. That didn't work so I made 2 attempts at slice seeding, didn't work. This is the 1st year I'm doing this stuff myself instead of paying someone. What a pain in the AZZ but it feels good at the end of the day.

what's slice seeding?

Raven ...U R the green thumber of S-B....great information ....:)

Planted all the early stuff. Getting the potatoe bed ready to go. Watching some You Tube videos on what other people do in this regard. I may dig out the 20" raise bed and plant the tators down deep and fill over the plants as they grow taller. More work to do but it sounds like it will maximize the space I utilize for the planting. I may try a 30 gallon drum ans fill that as the potatoe plants get taller. Just watch a video and the guy got something like 40#'s from the barrel. Can you tell I am carb obsessed?

what's slice seeding?


Friends of mine swear by this method.

so you broad cast seed by hand while eating a slice of PIZZA ? :huh:

Hey Kevin, do you want a couple of established Garlic Chive Plants?
happened to buy some weird lookin Garlic in the gardening section at JoB LOT
the udder day and i could hardly drive home it was so STRONG... powerful !

Planted all the early stuff. Getting the potatoe bed ready to go. Watching some You Tube videos on what other people do in this regard. I may dig out the 20" raise bed and plant the tators down deep and fill over the plants as they grow taller. More work to do but it sounds like it will maximize the space I utilize for the planting. I may try a 30 gallon drum ans fill that as the potatoe plants get taller. Just watch a video and the guy got something like 40#'s from the barrel. Can you tell I am carb obsessed?

A good one that worked for me was to turn over the plot, include P and K in the soil lay the cut pieces of seed potatoes on the surface and cover with about 16 inches of salt hay. No digging and shovel loss, as you just lift up the straw when ready and are able to harvest young ones early for a white sauce/pea/onion casserole, then later the larger ones for baking potatoes.
I found the Green Mountain potatoes were best for this method.

yeah? so where do ya git salt hay?

do ya take a bale of hay and sprinkle some salt on it
to make it SALTY? :huh: enquiring minds need to know

If ya live in an area near salt marshes U can usually find someone that sells it...sometimes U can get salt straw off a beach

A good one that worked for me was to turn over the plot, include P and K in the soil lay the cut pieces of seed potatoes on the surface and cover with about 16 inches of salt hay. No digging and shovel loss, as you just lift up the straw when ready and are able to harvest young ones early for a white sauce/pea/onion casserole, then later the larger ones for baking potatoes.
I found the Green Mountain potatoes were best for this method.

I watched a bunch of You Tuber's and how they planted thier taters, but to tell you the truth many of them are idiots. Just because they uploaded a video doesn't mean thier garden grows. I am going to, in my 8' x 4' raise bed, dig down and make some rows and plant the seed. Cover over with some loam and compost a few inches at a time. I am going to continually cover as the plant gets taller. The compost is generally acid rich environment, which potatoes generally like. I have grown them with success in this bed

Rav, like FR said. I think any kind of hay or straw would work as it's purpose
is to keep the sun off the tubers. Salt hay packs better though and doesn't blow around.
Nice to lift the hay and see the potatoes laying on top of the soil and being
able to pick the size you want.

i tried the french fingerling potatoes
ordered from georgia
and was NOT impressed with the results

I always liked the Green Mountain as being grown in New England they
adapt well to our soil and weather conditions.
Like squid oil Rav, try them and you won't be sorry. :)

i grew them one year and had lots of them
after that my seed potato provider sold out
every time i went there :wall:

Gardening runs in my family for unknown amounts of generations (all the way back to where the family tree can't be found), if anyone needs help with veggies or flowers (both of my parents do it) feel free to send a P.M or something
My father's garden (off the top of my head) has grown: string beans, corn, peppers, cucumber, squash, eggplant, tomato, zucchini, carrot, pumpkin, and at one point strawberries.

My mother goes TO TOWN on flowers. Some of them are over 30 years old! Listing what she has, would take me awhile.

Operation "Over-winter" a complete success !
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had origiinally ordered 500 African night crawlers for my compost worm
raised them in the basement until they divided by two :point: ten times
then created a 4' x 25' pit to dump them(breeders only) into adding all maple leaves on top in
the fall to a height of 3 1/2 to four feet alternating with grass clippings
to see if they'd survive a New England Winter and sub zero temperatures.

I also wanted to have them create a modified (worm eaten) soil in that bed with Perfect friability for this springs transplanting's out of the green house and the plan worked flawlessly with soil so incredible I was giggling.

I skimmed off all the leaf mats with my hay pitch fork and piled them into a worm pile that's four feet high i'd say close to 3 yards size then in the middle I dumped six months of garbage i'd collected in the compost barrel consisting of 80% egg shells which
encourage them to BREED (calcium) and covered that with 5 gallons of Purina worm chow to attract them and of course feed them covering it with another 2 feet
of wet maple leaf mats and soil in alternate layers.

now all I have to do when I want more fertility anywhere is to shove my shovel
handle deep into the soil wiggle it round and round to make a tunnel
add a handful of worms like grabbing spaghetti throw them in the hole
and top it off with some worm chow and walk away.

I gave up on the sweet taters , huge area with very little harvested
Reg potatoes as well , see ya ........ I love watching plants grown but at the end it was not worth it ....................................
picked up some 10-10-10 at homies $ 17:50 holy crap ....also picked up some unholy crap in a bag !

I set out some broccoli and some peppers yesterday that wanna take off
and today's heat was just to much for them so thinking very QUICKLY
I trimmed off half of my shade cloth covering the HALF hoop house
as it was twice as wide as it needed to be and fashioned a make do
cooling screen and watered it several times to cool everyone down.

now they are all doing just fine again and seem to be saying: thanks Rav :)

I got some Chinese cabbage going, sweet peas and sugar snaps, green beans, put in eggplant and peppers yesterday and tomatoes going in this weekend. Been mulching with cardboard and newspaper w/ a layer of composted leaves on top keep the weeds down......then everything will get tilled in at the end of the season.....we'll see what happens
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Done eating asparagus for this year. Letting the rest go to seed. Actually tired of it, but soooo good. Very happy I did get the spray on the blueberries in time as they are loaded with flowers and in full bloom.

yesterday we transplanted all the tomatoes and peppers out of the green house
and settled in for the night to watch some tv.... not finding much on we decided to watch Hawaii 5-0
recorded on the DVR ... afterwards seeing the news forecast.
they announced an overnight frost and we went into a panic momentarily forgetting
that this was a pre recorded news program and that the frost already happened.
for a few moments there .... i was thinking we just got schooled by mother nature.

yesterday we transplanted all the tomatoes and peppers out of the green house
and settled in for the night to watch some tv.... not finding much on we decided to watch Hawaii 5-0
recorded on the DVR ... afterwards seeing the news forecast.
they announced an overnight frost and we went into a panic momentarily forgetting
that this was a pre recorded news program and that the frost already happened.
for a few moments there .... i was thinking we just got schooled by mother nature.

LOL~~:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

Just put my tomatoes in. Two plants is plenty for me for the summer- rocking an Early Girl II and a Better Boy. Let them grow a bit then develop a staking system.

This afternoon I'm going to get my cukes set up... I have a pretty sunny patch on my porch that should work. I couldn't find the seed varieties that I wanted, but I'll make do.

The chard went in this weekend, and the next step is to get my lettuce mixes and arugula in. Figure I'll plant a row every week so I can have a consistent harvest throughout the summer.

Fun stuff!

I still got that chive plant for you/Olivia here whenever you want it....already potted it for ya.

Zucchini and Summer Squash going in this week
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today it was 82 and the newly transplanted veggies
were not happy it was summer ALREADY !

Luckily i had the half curtain of 40% shade cloth ready to go
and with a quickie jury rig i got them cooled off fairly quick.

i'm planning on building a permanent set-up for quick deployment.

here's what i mean... in pics
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/broccolli-1.png
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/squashcelerypeppersscallions.jpg

The chard went in this weekend, and the next step is to get my lettuce mixes and arugula in. Figure I'll plant a row every week so I can have a consistent harvest throughout the summer.

Fun stuff!

i grew lettuce commercially harvesting 100 heads every morning for market and thought i knew the best way....based on that experience.
but we stumbled upon an even better way quite by accident. you know those wooden apple crates that produce vendors use to display their produce? Well we had picked up a wooden antique apple picking box about the same size at a free sale so i grabbed it. it has 6 inch deep sides and it had some straps on each end for carrying it. We used it to start some lettuce with some bib and other loose leaf varieties fully intending to transplant them out of there into the garden. It grew the most perfect lettuce imaginable . Being in close proximity the leaves went up then out . Now i am going to build 6 more of these (18" x 24") 6 inch deep boxes.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/lettucebox.png
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/lettucebox2.png

Done eating asparagus for this year. Letting the rest go to seed. Actually tired of it, but soooo good. Very happy I did get the spray on the blueberries in time as they are loaded with flowers and in full bloom.

Hear ya on the asparagas... I'll probably pick once more before letting them go to seed...

Tomatoes ( sauce tomatoes) are in... as are the egg plants and herbs( only the basil did not make it through the winter)... Zuc's occupy the copost pile because I dont want them taking over my small truck patch...

What are all you guys doing for winter moth caterpillars ? Theres so many in my yard , if your quiet you can hear them chew ! My daughter also gets pissed when all the turds rain down on her from the trees. They tore up my blueberries for a few days . I sprayed with spinosad and then bt . Is there anything else I can do?

I planted a huge garden this year in raised beds . Also more berries and fruit then I can even remember ! I will get some pix up soon ! ALready been chowing on rabe , greens , and radishes .

when i compare the two 4' x 25' beds soil
side by side .....they look completely different

one side over wintered with 20,000 or more compost worms
under 4 feet of maple (only) leaves that flattened down via the snow load
to around 12" inches

the other one i didn't "put to bed " for the winter at all
but now that's going to change!

What are all you guys doing for winter moth caterpillars ? Theres so many in my yard , if your quiet you can hear them chew ! My daughter also gets pissed when all the turds rain down on her from the trees. They tore up my blueberries for a few days . I sprayed with spinosad and then bt . Is there anything else I can do?

I planted a huge garden this year in raised beds . Also more berries and fruit then I can even remember ! I will get some pix up soon ! ALready been chowing on rabe , greens , and radishes .

We are blessed only varmits are chipmonks... and Ihave a soluton for them...:biglaugh:

We are blessed only varmits are chipmonks... and Ihave a soluton for them...:biglaugh:

For now... Guess these are new to the area and spreading fast . I figured I'd be all set as my parents 25 min away have no pests on theirs,not the case here . They've already almost completely stripped some oaks, maples and flowering cherries.
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[QUOTE=Raven;998986]Operation "Over-winter" a complete success !
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had origiinally ordered 500 African night crawlers for my compost worm
raised them in the basement until they divided by two :point: ten times
then created a 4' x 25' pit to du them(breeders only) into adding all maple leaves on top in
the fall to a height of 3 1/2 to four feet alternating with grass clippings
to see if they'd survive a New England Winter and sub zero temperatures.

I also wanted to have them create a modified (worm eaten) soil in that bed with Perfect friability for this springs transplanting's out of the green house and the plan worked flawlessly with soil so incredible I was giggling.

I skimmed off all the leaf mats with my hay pitch fork and piled them into a worm pile that's four feet high i'd say close to 3 yards size then in the middle I dumped six months of garbage i'd collected in the compost barrel consisting of 80% egg shells which
encourage them to BREED (calcium) and covered that with 5 gallons of Purina worm chow to attract them and of course feed them covering it with another 2 feet
of wet maple leaf mats and soil in alternate layers.

now all I have to do when I want more fertility anywhere is to shove my shovel
handle deep into the soil wiggle it round and round to make a tunnel
add a handful of worms like grabbing spaghetti throw them in the hole
and top it off with some worm chow and walk away.[/QUOT.
Raven pm me with the worm info. I have all the necessary components but the worms. My compost is relatively wormy but i would love ti buy some and get my compost pile to turn over every year not every other And the worms would do that.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

roger that

>>>>SENT

last night i went out about midnight in the drizzle to check for slugs
and couldn't find a single one... :happy:

i guess last years steady salting of them decimated their population! :btu:

but i noticed on the worm bed converted back to a productive broccoli /pepper patch
that many breeder sized African night crawlers were actively seeking mating or food opportunites
so i went and got them a gallon of worm chow
and sprinkled it all around -here and there to keep them from wandering.

Done eating asparagus for this year. Letting the rest go to seed. Actually tired of it, but soooo good. Very happy I did get the spray on the blueberries in time as they are loaded with flowers and in full bloom.

P. how could you ever get tired of eating fresh picked asparagus?
That's like saying you get tired of fresh picked corn. :)

LOL~~:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

X2 , Rav, that's one for the book. :hihi: Waaay to funnie. :D

tomatoes are goin gang busters
time to re fertilize .... gotta beat the 7/4
it's a challenge

Rav, have you ever tried the old plastic 1 gal milk jugs over
your 7/4 tomatoes to get an early jump.
Used to cut out the bottom and put them over
an early planting of Early Girls.
Kept them warm during the day and protected at night.

i like the shape and rigidity of the windshield washer fluid bottles better
than the flimsier milk bottles but chose to build a heated hoop house.
This is my first year with a "Half hoop house" or lean too variety and although
it's smaller (BUILT STRONGER) it's handling our needs and is easier to control the temperature.

Last years freak storm collapsed the full hoop house which had only shade cloth netting and i could have /should have removed
the netting prior to the storm thinking we'd just get some fluff like 3 inches but instead we got the wettest (10 INCHES) heaviest snow imaginable
and it wasn't braced for a snow load being so late in the season. So i got Schooled big time but as a result i have a more PRACTICAL
and manageable sized green house that's easier to heat. the Tomatoes were two feet tall and flowering when we put them in.

What are all you guys doing for winter moth caterpillars ? Theres so many in my yard , if your quiet you can hear them chew ! My daughter also gets pissed when all the turds rain down on her from the trees. They tore up my blueberries for a few days . I sprayed with spinosad and then bt . Is there anything else I can do? Liquid sevin
I planted a huge garden this yeain raised beds . Also more berries and fruit then I can even remember ! I will get some pix up soon ! ALready been chowing on rabe , greens , and radishes .
[size=1]Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device[/siz

Liquid sevin

It's great how quickly the radishes, lettuce and arugula are germinating in this damp weather. Can't wait for fresh salads.

Anyone want a pair of tomato plants? I had to buy the plants in a 3 cell pack and have nowhere to put the other two. Just let me know.

What kind are they? might take them off your hands......or just go to home depot and pick up a couple of Plastic pots and pot them....or even 5 gallon buckets

Better boys... If all goes well I should have plenty of tomatoes. We can meet up next week

Sounds good...I got that Chive plant for you still....

someone turn the heat up just a little bit please

My peas are loving the fence. And everything in my raised beds are booming. Ill let u green thumbs know how the googan Gardner makes out. I have a mix of loom, compost, water and some sunlight. Peas, green beans, cucs, 4 different peppers, onions, lettice, broc and califlour and a seperate strawberry bed. Gonna see what happens. Only a few weeks in but everything has atleast doubled in size since planting
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Oh yeah do the green beans need to be staked?
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Oh yeah do the green beans need to be staked?
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Are they bush or pole?
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Are they bush or pole?
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Lmao! Ill have to do so some research before answering that question. I'm hoping bush for my sake.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

someone turn the heat up just a little bit please


now you've done it....
after tomorrows "broccoli rain storms"
it'll be 88,88,87,80 in our area
thursday thru sunday

so today i built my over head /walk under
40% shade tent... 8 feet high 15' wide x 25' long
for when the sun gets brutally hot...@ 230 - 430pm

i should be styling.... have a wee bit more temp control
-have little tomatoes already :)

Lmao! Ill have to do so some research before answering that question. I'm hoping bush for my sake.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device


C'mon, just lift up the leaf and look.

ok getting a little frustrated

1/2" X 1/2" wire poultry fencing on sides and bottom under compost

went out today 5 tomato plants leaves are completely gone.....

no chipmunks or rabbits

neighbor came over and said maybe bird eating leaves


what do I do now?

i'd say it was a tomato horn worm
Masters of deception and camouflage

a tell tale sign is Miniature black tootsy roll
poop that looks like prego black Jimmies

whole leaves though raven????

right down to the branch

Can't think of many critters whether in fur or feather
that would eat tomato leaves whole like that
unless we're talking deer .... that is puzzling... :huh:
perhaps a game camera purchase is an option
being that it's off season there's some deals out there.

with my first crop of sugar snap peas beginning to flower (white)
that's your " Q " to lay in crop number two
i use pro mix on top of a V- trench that's firmed downwards with hoe

after planting the pea's that were pre-soaked for 2 hours....
then i water heavily with Vitamin B1 water mixed in the big green
watering can... followed by (numerous keeping it wet) light sprays.

if it's going to rain fairly hard i cover the row with 2x 4's so the
pea's don't get washed out before they break on thru to the other side. -doors

if you have wine in your cellar

Can Mozart make your wine taste better? - Video - Business News (http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/06/10/n-mozart-music-improve-wine-grapes.cnnmoney)

Right now my Garden is Kicking azz because of all the rain....

Zuchinni plants are already flowering, got tomatos coming in and even some peppers already. My Sugar snaps are flowering as well...

Kev,

Sounds good..we have been harvesting mesculin, radishes over the past few weeks..had an early crop of Swiss Chard..and Yup some flowers on peppers.

Anyone ever grow Artichokes? I was given a couple of plants??

First Year with Brussel Sprouts--will see how they grow!

whole leaves though raven????

right down to the branch

Thats why they so fat. You wont believe it until you see one for the first time.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

yeah they are extremely efficient munchers
and are as FAT as your index finger.

if this rain keeps up
all the tomatoes are going to
----- SPLIT -----

Almost done getting all the berries in! Got every possible berry just about that will grow in zone 6 ! Sea berries , honey berries, service berries , salal, elderberries , huckleberries , goji, loads of black and raspberries, strawberries ,jostaberries , currants, gooseberries, hardy kiwi , cranberries , lingonberries, field berries, musk strawberries , goumi, jujube , carpet raspberries , bunch different wild and high bush blueberries , paw paw , figs , mulberries, wintergreen , and bilberries. Sure I missed a few too! Also growing wasabi, medler , and some hops!

Cant wait till all these are grown in and loaded up! Then I'll be able to take out my daughter almost year round and have something to pick!

Veggie garden has been dumping produce too! Loads of greens , radish , kohlrabi , and carrots. Purple and jersey asparagus came up great! Tomatoes are setting , and the snow peas are starting to form! Been destroying the bok choi in stir frys , with fresh lemongrass! My daughter will eat anything too! She eats fresh arugula and broccoli rabe right from the garden ! Heh
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the birds are gonna love :point: you

Going to be a banner year for blueberries as all 20 of mine are loaded. Nets go up this weekend. A 55 gallon drum for sure.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

the golden haired Sweedish looking handsome aliens (i am being serious here)
have reccommended Blueberries as the healthiest food on our planet.....

and if i had to rank it... i would say that it is in the same category as spirulina
(the blue/green algae) and chlorella which is grown by man in circular tanks,
(so you indeed have a treasure there Paul)
as far as it's healing properties....

My potatoe plants are huge. C'mon yukon and kennebecs
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the birds are gonna love :point: you

Heh , was thinking same thing . Supposedly animals will hit up the mulberries before others , hoping that helps . Also was hoping there'd be so much , they couldn't eat it all too!

Blueberries are getting close on one variety , rasp and blackberries are flowering and setting fruit . Kohlrabi is fattening up, peas are a day or 2 off . The beans are starting to set too, as are the summer squash and zukes! Tomatoes are bigger then a silver dollar too! Also planted a bunch of mixed Asian greens for stir frys! Gonna be a lad of cranberries too. One plant is covered in blooms.
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:fury:Snow from today ,
What a f-in storm
washed a bunch out today , :(


:fury:

learned a lesson this year
always put your pea fence on the north west side
of your peas as they tend to reach for the setting sun's direction
and that's where you want them to find something to climb

Damn , that sucks VB !

Getting a wrist rocket today. Yesterday I saw a big ass ground hog about 20 feet from the garden . I could see his drool dripping from his mouth from the window.

Raven ,
Is it too late to start some more peas? I wasn't sure if I could get in one more crop or if its best till wait till late summer for a fall crop.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Raven ,
Is it too late to start some more peas? I wasn't sure if I could get in one more crop or if its best till wait till late summer for a fall crop.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

not really as long as you give them ample water to keep the ground
they're growing in WET AND COOL....
in fact a drip hose laying next to the row is ideal ...
but before you let them sprout (presoak them 2-3 hours)
build a fence for them to climb because
pea stems are very fragile and "wreck" easily so trying to do it
when they're a foot tall almost impossible....

there's enough time to grow two- three crops of peas left.
fertilize one a week

Thanks Raven! Got three varieties , including a blue podded one soaking now. Gonna plant them with my daughter after she gets up from her nap . Peas are her new favorite vegetable! SHe picked her first yesterday !


Here is the prickly pear ,and hardy cactus. The lingonberry about to bloom and a cranberry that will hopefully be loaded this fall.

wintergreen , huckleberry , chernika, and honey berries and a hardy kiwi

Raspberries, wine berries , logan berries and blackberries , the fig patch, and the Blueberries and huckleberries

lemongrass , horseradish , and jostaberries, currants and gooseberries

kohlrabi , zuke and yellow squash

black krim , carrots and peas

beans and kohlrabi , grass and next round of beans

hops, wasabi, and a loaded blueberry

gooseberries , strawberries , some asian greens , radish and mixed lettuce just popping

Thats the end of my photo bomb

Just curious how big are you plots for each thing you guys plant a helluva lot of crap :rotf2:

they go mushy if 'n you soak-em too long

Thought I was growing flowers, but I'm just growing impatient! :biglaugh:

Garden has been blowing up with all the heat and rain . Problem now is the groundhog! Bastard has been mowing my peas , beans and cilantro down. I found one of his holes Tuesday , he sat there staring at me . So I blasted him in the face with my slingshot . 4 hours later , he really got my garden good! Heh , musta pissed him off .

So yesterday I got a trap . So far , I have got a squirrel and a skunk!
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when you find a hole Cheferson
you fill it ....but don't block it 100 %
fill it with broken glass...nails... sharp wire
like old barbed wire fencing anything that will
cut it's front feet... the ones that dig...
don't forget to pee down them too
to say "MY TERRITORY" Get out!

oh yeah

swimmer says pumpkins and their leaves

they cannot resist ... as bait... for traps

Get giant killer brand smoke bombs at the hardware store, Damon's has them. You have to get rid of them or you will be sorry
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No pumpkins yet , so can't use those . Ive been pissin everywhere ! Just let the skunk go , didn't even spray ! Wife thought it was the funniest thing . Heh , the squirrel too, never heard so many different noises ! My daughter sat and watched him for 20 min with out blinking!

I have been using cilantro , pea shoots , corn and cantaloupe for bait . Just put the trap back out , see what I catch today .

Thanks bill. How have you been bro. I told the neighbor about those , as one of the holes is in her yard . The other hole is under the neighbors shed , so no incendiary devices there .
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they hate mothballs too

Still no groundhog , got a possum last night though ! Heh. Have to see what my daughter thinks of him !
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Find hole, put hose down it, turn on water, drown him till he comes up for air than hit in head with shovel, not pretty but effective.Make sure no kids are around.
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Find hole, put hose down it, turn on water, drown him till he comes up for air than hit in head with shovel, not pretty but effective.Make sure no kids are around.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device
Nah, use the live trap. I'm not even that squeamish but you're not likely to kill it with one whack and once the thing starts screaming you're gonna regret it :eek:

Only real defense for these critters is a good fence buried into the ground.

-spence

Bastard ate my yellow squash I was gonna eat tonight! Also more cilantro, carrots and some tomatoes ! Took all the rest of the above , some corn ,and cantaloupe . Two hours later , one groundhog ! Surprisingly the squirrel was the loudest and meanest in my 2 day , 4 animal tour !
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Garden has been blowing up with all the heat and rain . Problem now is the groundhog! Bastard has been mowing my peas , beans and cilantro down. I found one of his holes Tuesday , he sat there staring at me . So I blasted him in the face with my slingshot . 4 hours later , he really got my garden good! Heh , musta pissed him off .

So yesterday I got a trap . So far , I have got a squirrel and a skunk!
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Chef- This worked for a friend - Go to a salon and get human hair and spread it heavily around the animals' den.

Coyote piss.....they sell it at gardening stores....a few drops on a cotton ball in a few old pill bottles strategically placed around the garden works well......make sure you put some holes in the bottles......works wonders for me in keeping them away.
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One shot. El Cabong. Buried right in the same hole. But I understand. I was pissed he took a bite out of all my veggies that year. A dog works wonders to keeping the yard wood bogger free.
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They always have a second route in and out of the abode. If you use smoke bombs cover the hole with an old blanket so it really suffoocates the bast...d. Have-a-heart be prepaed to shoot or transport. If driving somewhere put in barrel in case its pisses. Or they drown rather easily.
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fliipin rabbits decimating everything. If you dont hear from me for a while its because I was arrested for discharing a .22 from my bedroom window! Grrrr.....

fliipin rabbits decimating everything. If you dont hear from me for a while its because I was arrested for discharing a .22 from my bedroom window! Grrrr.....

I Heart Jenn.


Shorts are the way to go, not much louder than an air rifle.

There used to be zero rabbits in our neighborhood. Now that all the cats have died or are in retirement they're coming back incredibly fast. At this rate within 5 years they'll be nesting in my living room.

-spence

i have zero rabbits :bc:

fliipin rabbits decimating everything. If you dont hear from me for a while its because I was arrested for discharing a .22 from my bedroom window! Grrrr.....

you wont believe this but cheap strawberry WINE is a perfect trap bait for wabbits.

we have had a dicussion about all the rabbits around.....we have come to conclussion that the coyotes have taken a lot of cats and owners have wised up and keep them inside.....have a half dozen rabbits running around the yard.

i've noticed that close to the ocean the rabbits are everywhere
but go inland 60 miles and there are NONE to be seen ...

Wouldn't the coyotes take out the rabbits?
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you'd think so....

but cats have a weakness that the coyotes have keyed in on

and that is... when they are transfixed onto prey such as a chipmunk, mouse or bird
they concentrate on closing the distance and develop tunnel vision
crouching to stay unseen... never taking their eyes off their quarry

they don't OFTEN watch their "6" and the coyotes sneak up and grab them
i know because i lost two well schooled cats in 2 weeks down there
in buzzards bay on a short visit.....

Raven I AM 60 miles from the ocean and we are loaded this year. I wuldnt waste even cheap strawberry wine trying to trap them! It is rediculous what they have eaten. We have hawks but they must not be hungry enough to wipe them out. Same with the coyotes. We had a bobcat roaming around a couple years ago and that was the only year they seemed to "disappear" :)

between the insect damage, weather and rabbits we were getting pretty bummed about this years garden. On a better note tonite I picked a single cherry tomato (that seems early, no?) spotted several miniscule cukes starting and a teeny tiny zucchini starting. Cant seem to grow greens to save my life but I was finally able to pick a salad tonite along with another pint of blueberries so faith was somewhat restored, if only for a moment!

most people consider the garden to be a "spring thing".....

or at least that's when they have the most motivation to start one
as the weather warms up and old man winter begins to fade away

but the best gardens are started "now" as the shorter and shorter days light
spur the plants to develop sooner...

many plants can take allot more cold and actually prefer it... the cool....
i've had my very best gardens in the fall i can say.... that i began now

Guy's... the best way( short of a bullet) to catch a yard pig ( wood chuck) is with a blind set live trap ( I was in the buisness for over 20 years... I got sick of the phone ringing all hours of the day and night anbd gave it up))... open both doors and set it in his trial.... add a small amount of grass from the trail on the cage floor so the wire does not spook him.. bend some grass and weeds over the cage to break up the outline to make it look like a tunnel... LIGHTLY block the trail sides of the trail with small sticks and vegetation.. . you'll avoid the unwanted catches and catch the garden raider... makes sure the cage does no rock.. they are extremly skittish about unstable/unfamilure grounds.. the same tactic works well on bugs ( bunny) too.. just find a pinch point where they are entering the yard...

http://www.wildliferecipes.net/game_recipes/small_game_recipes/woodchuck_recipes/

the golpher traps out west used the tunnel trick too

of course tho it was a belly squeezer bar trap but very effective

but the way they fooled the gopher was to make a small round hole

in the back side of the trap [ o ] so when they look ahead it
APPEARS as though the tunnel exit is up aways and then they'd stumble/bump
into the spring lever....

so R9's method is tried and true :point: dead on

the golpher traps out west used the tunnel trick too

of course tho it was a belly squeezer bar trap but very effective

but the way they fooled the gopher was to make a small round hole

in the back side of the trap [ o ] so when they look ahead it
APPEARS as though the tunnel exit is up aways and then they'd stumble/bump
into the spring lever....

so R9's method is tried and true :point: dead on

I've caught 100's of them that way.... almost any varmit can be caught in a blind set... all animals ( and fish) are creatures of habit.... with a little study and careful placement of said capturing devise.. they all can be caught.. rather easily...

and I have eaten them before... they are rather tasty ...slightly/mildly gamey.. but not unpleasant...very simular to muskrat...

Thanks for the tips rockfish! Thinking i got them all .Caught 2 so far ,and haven't seen any more damage . I released them both in the area of elitist snobs who cut off access to one of my favorite spots . Well worth the potential 100 fine :)!
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.Caught 2 so far
I released them both in the area of elitist snobs who cut off access to one of my favorite spots .




awesome :btu:

Thanks for the tips rockfish! Thinking i got them all .Caught 2 so far ,and haven't seen any more damage . I released them both in the area of elitist snobs who cut off access to one of my favorite spots . Well worth the potential 100 fine :)!
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that's great... I like the way you think...When I used to trap unwanted beaver ( under my ADC license)... I always thought about live trapping them and letting them go in areas where people thought they were "cute".. unfortunatly ( for the beaver) all the problem beaver I trapped were deceased...

with all this humidity and rain my landscape gardens have gotten out of hand requiring a lot of cutting back. Like a jungle out there.

ya'll need some red flamingo's Paul

1/2 hour of picking. Going to freeze these and make jam at a later date. Too busy now.

1/2 hour of picking. Going to freeze these and make jam at a later date. Too busy now.

My youngest son who turns three next month could put all those away in one sitting.
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LOL. but you wouldn't want to clean up after him. Can you say blue poop

LOL. but you wouldn't want to clean up after him. Can you say blue poop

Been there done that. Very blue!
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cupcakes please

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i learned an important lesson about fertilizer this year
back (last fall) when my worm bed was covered in leaves that were
partly shredded then covered with stacks of leaves laid flat
for over winter protection... i had added some strong fertilizer (organic)
that would provide ample nitrogen for decomposition.

Well that fertilizer was still "available" come the next spring
so much so... that my pepper crop grew 5 feet tall and produced
small peppers even though the foliage was LUSH meaning it was
dedicated to growth and not fruiting. Lesson Learned!:wall:

adding a note:
actually they are fruiting just not the way i had envisioned

Tons of tomatoes.... But all are green. None ripening.:fury:

I got so any friggin tomatoes......made 10 pints of salsa last weekend, made 10 pints of pasta sauce today......picked enough today to make another 10 pints of something
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Dani was psyched about your cukes and tomatoes. Thank you.

Tons of tomatoes.... But all are green. None ripening.:fury:
then pick some....toss in a paper bag with a few cut apples
and since they release Ethelyn (sp) gas that the professional growers use
to ripen a warehouse full of green tomato's (thats how they ship-em)
you can force them to ripen....

placing them on a sunny window sill does the "trick" too

Tomatoes and peppers awesome,zucs were a complete failure.

My zucchini was jammin until I got the powdery mildew......wiped them out.
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Tomatoes and cukes both went extremely well. Trying to find new ways of eating tomatoes now.

Unfortunately the beetles got to my cukes bad- wilt did them in. Still got some nice fruits from them tho. Next year I think I'll do corn.

My zucchini was jammin until I got the powdery mildew......wiped them out.
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Exactly!Wiped mine out too.Treated to little to late.

Tomatoes and cukes both went extremely well. Trying to find new ways of eating tomatoes now.

.

Jar up a bunch of salsa.....real easy to do and now I have a bunch for the football season. Gonna make some more next weekend.....
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Simple answer to that powdery problem. Snip those flowers, stuff 'em with goat cheese and fry the suckers.

You can get great squash at the market, flowers...not so much.

-spence

My zucchini was jammin until I got the powdery mildew......wiped them out.
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for the next time that occurs

if you have a bag of powered sulfur at the ready
it is supposed to kill off the powdery mildew

which generally happens when there's been a combination of rain,
watering of the foliage, followed by / afternoon SUN or very high humidity.

Also, if you check the details some strains have
powdery mildew resistance....

An extremely mild mixture of Dawn and water(mostly water) works wonders on broadleaf vegetable plants.Like I said for me it was too little too late.

were gonna need BIGGER STAKES

it's BEEFY

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/beefy.png

But, I want one Big enough to put wheels on it
so I can drive it around town :wave:

never have i seen a tomato that big...:)

but..........

it's real

created by Burpee

veggies grown in Alaska are pretty enormous too.

https://www.google.com/search?q=large+vegetables+grown+in+alaska&client=firefox-a&hs=dpY&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=OZt5UvnkNuLhsATy14H4Ag&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=640&dpr=1

they should make graphene hexagon panels
that conduct electricity
super strong too
and make giant geodesic grow domes up there :uhuh:

Its almost time again for the garden. Who's growing what this year?

brocolli doesn't mind snow or cold period!
neither do sugar snap pea's
but check out this utuber video
great idea as weeds always win in the end
four day carrot germination
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=four+day+carrots

started turning over my three compost piles. saved all the kitchen waste in the barn over winter, and started adding that to the three working compost bins. Heat it all up again with the first lawn cutting.
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Put in the spinach and broccoli yesterday.

pre soaked my sugar snap seeds (6 packets) yesterday (started in the moon sign of Taurus)
planted them PRE -swelled today because it's going to RAIN HARD
and that vibration on top of them from the drumming rain says "grow peas grow"
i'll count how many days it takes for them to pop up.

Wood Chucksters are already out ,beware
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Raven,
What seeds do you pre soak and which do you leave? Never tried it before. How long in water?
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I can tell you I have had good luck pre-popping Peas and Beans. I put them in a single layer between a couple of wet paper towels in a Ziploc bag for a couple of days until they swell and "pop" and then plant them.

i put mine in a big zip lock and pre-soaked em overnight
making sure to pour off the water come morning leaving
it open sitting side saddle in a tupperware...

i was a little P.O.'d because my pea inoculant which was granuler
ran out @ half my row... Hate when that happens.... grrrrr

so now i'll have to poke some holes near the row and water in some inoculant
to make up for the lack of it.... surprised to see it @ Hd's half off sale on burpee seed rack ... 68 cents each for everthing
but i didn't buy some while there because the container i had felt heavier.

fingers got sooo cold after planting them like i was just making snow balls... :hs:

my sugar snap pea's are breaking thru today yay :happy:

So are mine :).

My hops vines are exploding as well... Chinook is growing about 3" a day it seems. Centennial are growing slower.
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I can tell you I have had good luck pre-popping Peas and Beans. I put them in a single layer between a couple of wet paper towels in a Ziploc bag for a couple of days until they swell and "pop" and then plant them.

I bed you did this in high school with some other seeds :hihi:
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F-ING MICE & F-ING Hornets... well the mice chewed on the lid
of the big green flip top trash can that i had full of shade cloth
just enough so the friggan yellow jackets had a perfect entrance.

they had a nest in there and when i got near it and jiggled it
out they came in a cloud and i got stung 4 times.... :realmad:

Wood Chucksters are already out ,beware
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House lot across the street from me just cleared for construction, and I seem to have acquired a family of woodchucks. They ate my kale, parsley, and sunflower plants and started on the zucchini plants. I have a beautiful patch of arugula, which they haven't touched - must be too peppery.

one thing about wood chucks
they are time sensitive ... just like dogs
i've found...creatures of habit always leaving
their dens @ the same time of the morning.
knowing this from timing them.... i waited for one.

F-ING MICE & F-ING Hornets... well the mice chewed on the lid
of the big green flip top trash can that i had full of shade cloth
just enough so the friggan yellow jackets had a perfect entrance.

they had a nest in there and when i got near it and jiggled it
out they came in a cloud and i got stung 4 times.... :realmad:

Rub a fresh cut onion on a yellow jacket sting, near instant relief. Cherokee remedy.

made a paste of baking soda and water ,,, worked great

meat tenderizer works good on those things too.. but I also am partial to the baking soda remedy..

I HATE YELLOW JACKETS.. evil little beast made a den under a bush next to the front door.. I got stung a bunch of times last year... so dug around the bush at night.. and yanked it out with the wheeler... rotto tilled the area and exterminated the little stinging missals...

Picked a bunch of cukes this morning, and they were as big as a zucchini! We've got blossoms everywhere!

Now if my peppers and tomatoes would do the same I'd be all set!

picked my first big tomato Finally

Picked 4 tomatoes so far and have a blue ribbon sized one maybe 2 or 3 days away. Slugs crushed my squash and zuchini, now my second plantinging is starting to flower. Waiting a couple weeks then will put in kale / spinach and maybe something else for the fall. What does everyone here do for fall crop?
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What does everyone here do for fall crop?
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What does everyone here do for fall crop?
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sugar snap peas and broccoli

Got my first cukes this week....waiting for the tomatoes to explode
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I picked cherry toms this morning and have some early girls within days.
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Been picking Zukes and herbs for week. Just waiting on the tomatoes.

picked a bunch of huge cukes this past week and I'm going to try making sour pickles with them.

Two tomato plants are too many right now!
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Tomatoes good, cukes so so, and squash that will start going gang busters soon I hope. Peas long gone but did really well, strawberries were weak raspberries were way too much but amazing and beans just finishing up. Have one Brocolli that must have over wintered as something that never really took off last fall and did well this year about to get some of that too.

funny season for me this year... the tomato plants started well. But acted like they were stunted.. a fair amount of fruit but very little vegetation and spindly vines.. the production has been slightly below normal ... we still have made 2 gallons of sauce....egg plants dropped the first 3 sets of blossoms and fruit... as of late seem to have rebounded .. but I haven't picked any yet... summer squash has been good.. but also dropped blossoms and even small squash early... my peach tree is ridiculous... it bent and broke branches from the weight of the fruit.. I pulled the top 1/2 back in place with a pulley system and the winch from my 4 wheeler.. but I'll have to top the tree once we pick the fruit...normally that tree gives us a hand full at best.. I'll pick a full bushel this year... sadly the insect/worms have done a number on a lot of the peaches...

garden greens are my main fall crop...but I have to fight the yearling bunnies for the greens.. except the arugula...

my maine coon Cat has been watching this kinda dumb rabbit hop around
over by the cars not in attack mode but real curious thinkin WTF are you?