# Anyone Garden?



## johnpma

Putting in our first veggie garden at the new (old) home. Plan on having tomato's, summer squash, beans, zucchini, red peppers, carrots,  pumpkins, and cucumber.

Just rototilled the area and started raking it all out. Nothing like fresh veggies in the summer.

May even get brave and can this year........

Pics to follow as garden progresses


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## begreen

Yes, just a little


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## johnpma

very nice I like the tar paper idea for weed control....thanks for sharing the pic


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## begreen

This is actually heavy duty landscaping fabric that nurseries use. Our goal when I set these beds up was to eliminate weeding. It's been pretty successful at that.


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## DBNH22

So begreen, it doesn't look like there are any vegetable plants in there.  Do you do veggies?

We've been wanting to plant vegetable garden for awhile now but haven't gotten aroung to it.

it'd sure be nice to have some heirloom tomatoes, carrots and greens.


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## bassJAM

Last summer I planted a few tomato plants at the corner of a flower bed.  This year I'm expanding to 4 cherry tomato's, 4 sandwich tomato's, and 4 bell pepper plants.  My house is almost in the woods, so I'm very limited to where I can plant to get enough sunlight.  I'd love to have a full garden someday and can veggies for the year.  That's how I grew up, I just don't have the space for it on my property.


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## Bobbin

I really like the cement raised beds!  The good man is still using lumber (no PT).  I recall a Victory Garden visit to a garden in the SW where the guy had poured concrete walls and had spread heavy duty mesh at the lowest depth(18"?)  to prevent rabbit/pest infiltrations.  He also had mesh hoods he could lower at night, in addition to a fence that rivaled Sobidor!! blew my mind, but in an arid place it made good sense.  No such precautions are necessary in Maine... "gahden" fodder is really gravy because there is lots more to eat.

Proud members of MOFGA for over 20 yrs. now.  We buy locally produced meat and eggs.  Grocery shopping is for "ingredients".  We skip the "non-food aisles" (chips and tonic).  

Canning is more intensive than blanching and freezing meal size portions of vegetables.  But there is nothing better than your own tomatoes January-whenever they run out.  It's a little taste of summer when you most need it!  If you've never done it before, plan to spend a lot of time on it.  It's not a "quickie" project.  Follow the directions and it's not hard... contact your local state university... Cooperative Extension Service=4-H.  They're there to help YOU!


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## bobdog2o02

Kinda hard to see but this is my first garden...... Corn, Peas, Beans, Radishes, Beets, Broccoli, LOTS OF ONIONS, Pickling Cucumbers, Pumpkins, ANNNND Tomatoes.





And the funny surveyors tape is to keep my hounds out, this one especially...


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## Bobbin

Nice lookin' dog... what sort am I lookin' at ? boxer/pit/x?  We have a brindle beast (more Shepherd-y) who's the smartest dog we've ever had.  100 lbs., well behaved, and still vigorous and active at 12 +/-.  Adopted at 1 1/2 yrs. when fully out of control.  3 Ps = Patience, Praise, Practice (can't remember the order).  Exercise, consistency, and praise every single day. (I teach you the command and the hand signal, I use it every single time.  You do it and I tell you how fabulous you are and sometimes you get a treat!).  We both win!


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## Warm_in_NH

Bell peppers,  various hot peppers, tomatillos, cukes, supersweet cherry tomatoes and early girls in the containers. 
Elsewhere in various beds are Leeks, garlic,  kale and peas. Also, basil, mint, oregano, dill.

North side of the hill makes it challenging. I've honed in on what does and doesn't do well here. 

The eartboxs are great with a limited season, they allow the roots to be much warmer than they would be in the ground resulting in better growing plants with the limited sun and short NH season.  They're on the expensive side but worth it, I have 5, 3 were gifts over the years I bought 2. Some are 7 years old and still in good shape.  

Then there's the other house where the gf has her garden. Two hours south, full sun, she grows whatever I don't from asparagus to potatoes and everything in between. Plus a dozen egg layers. She goes weeks without going to the store in the summer.

Gardens are a great hobby. I love em.


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## DBNH22

Warm_in_NH said:


> View attachment 133984
> 
> 
> 
> Gardens are a great hobby. I love em.



Yeah it's not just the enjoyment of working in them but the added bonus of knowing you're not actually poisoning yourself like the veg you get at the supermarket.

I can't wait to get one going but it will have to wait next year.  

Has anyone ever planted the black tomatoes?  I saw them in the seed catalogs and they look very appealing.


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## bobdog2o02

Bobbin said:


> Nice lookin' dog... what sort am I lookin' at ? boxer/pit/x?  We have a brindle beast (more Shepherd-y) who's the smartest dog we've ever had.  100 lbs., well behaved, and still vigorous and active at 12 +/-.  Adopted at 1 1/2 yrs. when fully out of control.  3 Ps = Patience, Praise, Practice (can't remember the order).  Exercise, consistency, and praise every single day. (I teach you the command and the hand signal, I use it every single time.  You do it and I tell you how fabulous you are and sometimes you get a treat!).  We both win!



She is one of our Johnson American Bulldogs.  Typically a southern breed, we found a great family breeder in WV.  We have a boy too.  Its hard to tell but she is a lean 90lbs and our boy is 2" shorter at the shoulders and runs a stout but lean 105lb.  Its funny to think but they are well trained with visual barriers, we use baby gates in the house and once they knew the surveyors tape was the limit they have obeyed it....


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## begreen

Dana B said:


> So begreen, it doesn't look like there are any vegetable plants in there.  Do you do veggies?
> 
> We've been wanting to plant vegetable garden for awhile now but haven't gotten aroung to it.
> 
> it'd sure be nice to have some heirloom tomatoes, carrots and greens.


Chuckle , it's all veggies except for the lemon tree in the foreground and the strawberry bed. There are tomatoes, potatoes, corn, broccoli, carrots, spinach, beans, beets, radishes, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, onions, peppers, eggplants, cukes, zukes, peas, squash, spinach, chard, kale, herbs, etc. all growing well. I'll take some new shots tomorrow.


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## Warm_in_NH

Tomatoes aren't going to out grow their stakes this year!


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## Adios Pantalones

Expanded by another 12x12 area this year (Still only in the 700 sq ft range). Once again- no till, no landscape fabric. heavy mulch, and little weeds/watering. I'm hoping to get on top of late season crops after early corn etc is done.


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## begreen

June progress. Cukes, zuke, brassicas, corn and tomatoes are starting to take off. Greenhouse tomato plant is getting silly big.


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## valley ranch

You guys have some nice looking growing areas. Good for you. I really look forward to this time of year. To be able to plant and grow.

Richard


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## valley ranch

Here is the duff I use to mix soil for starting seeds. Mostly decomposed Fir. Sifted through 1/2" hardware cloth.


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## Lake Girl

My question is what is the best method of keeping deer and bunnies out of the veggies?  would love to plant some apple trees too but would actually like to eat the fruit not feed the wild life.  OK - don't mind sharing some but....


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## begreen

A tall fence is all that has worked for us and we have tried several options. For bunnies you may need to use metal fencing that starts out laid flat on the ground for a couple feet so that they can't dig under it.


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## Bobbin

If you have to fend off invaders that dig, bury wire mesh fencing 1' down and 2' horizontally.  Deer? fence should be 8'+, no kidding!

We have a fenced garden (no mesh under and the fence isn't 8') but we also have a dog and every single time we go "out" we do the perimeter patrol!  There have been plenty of times (early AM) when the cats have been dialled in on "noise" and Faithful Hound has been "all over it" when the door was opened!  Deer beat feet to the hinterland, and the hound's been "skunked" a couple of times... but garden damage is nil and we have a ready supply of the crap you use to neutralize the skunk thing.  Sucks when you have to do it, but you learn how!  

We're home a lot of the time.  And when we're home the dog is out... makes a huge difference, IMO.  With 4 cats we have minimal trouble with damage to perennials by rodents.  Resident felines are out all day and in at night.  (N-nights with their humans is a huge part of the social structure).


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## bobdog2o02

this has worked well for me for deer.  Smells TERRIBLE,  Main ingredients are, Dried Blood (0.0024%), Putrescent whole egg solids (0.0024%), Garlic oil (0.00048%)  Is completely safe for veggies and other stuff you plan to eat.  Basically, it smells like death and most critters dont like that.http://www.arbico-organics.com/product/repels-all-animal-repellent-rtu/animal-critter-control.


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## begreen

Irish Spring soap bars worked for half of one year for us. Then they ignored it. We have used dried blood, rotten eggs, dog hair, wolf urine, garlic, hot pepper, and most every commercial preparation. All worked, some for a few weeks and some not at all. When deer pressure is strong they will eventually ignore almost anything. A junk yard dog that stays outside, a strong fence or an electric fence are the only options when you have many deer interested in a large garden.


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## Lake Girl

Lock it down like Fort Knox?  I do have a GSD but she doesn't run free yet... she still has issues with understanding her boundaries.  She took off today - possibly after a deer - but did come back within a few minutes since I kept calling.  Problem with that is if she gets a habit of chasing deer, MNR has no qualms about shooting her.

Fencing seems to be the most likely answer.  I know a neighbor has tried many of the commercial remedies and the Irish Spring.  Deer and gophers seem to be the bane of their gardens.  Building some raised beds to start and see how it goes - can't fence the yard so it'll be the raised beds


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## valley ranch

Greetings, We use a fence charger at both ranches. In the mountains it keeps out Bear, raccoon, deer and dogs from the corrals and barn. In the desert its cows, bulls, goats rabbits and rodents from the garden areas. On the inside or the fence we have a 2' chicken wire tied to keep out the rabbits. They work well, We use parmark chargers SE 4 and SE 5.

These will do the job for you. I promise. There are other ways that might work for you. But we've found an electric fence to work great, animals will keep away. Some people hang aluminum foil on the hot wire with peanut butter on it to teach the deer.

Richard


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## valley ranch

Some plants are ready to be planted. The greenhouse at the lower ranch is small, for starting seedlings. The plastic covering is tinted, the back half is covered with shade cloth, seedlings are moved into the front half once they sprout, than into the garden when strong enough.


We should have a section for gardening. Maybe the Webmaster will do that for us.

Richard


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## Adios Pantalones

No need to bury fence- just chicken wire that extends along the ground for a foot or so. The groundhog infiltration stopped as soon as I did that almost ten years ago


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## billb3

part of my front yard



	

		
			
		

		
	
 some zucchini, summer squash  and watermelon







	

		
			
		

		
	
some of my tomatoes


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## begreen

Very nice billb. Do you save up fall leaves for spring mulch?


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## bsruther

We grow vegetables every summer and get a lot of enjoyment from it. We've been planning for a few years to make a tiered box garden for the unused space behind the retaining wall and finally got around to it this spring. It was cheap and easy and wish I'd done it sooner. Needed a better place to grow peppers and it's working out very well, so far. The top box has potatoes, it's our variation of a potato tower. We don't expect to get a lot of spuds out of it, just wanted to experiment a little. Definitely the tallest potato plants we've ever had though.

Last year we grew corn in the big garden (silver queen). We only got about half germination which I think was due to planting too early, when the soil was too cool.
This year, we tried a hybrid corn from Gurney's (gotta have it). Waited until the third week in May to plant (tested the soil temp with my temp gun) and germination was 99%.
If we like this corn, we'll plant it in the big garden next year. The weedy looking stuff at the end of the corn is Asparagus, we got a lot of it this year and it was great.

If everything grows well, we''ll be canning tomatoes, salsa and green beans this year.


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## begreen

You have beautiful gardens bsruther. I like the tiered box wall. We have tried several corn varieties, last year was Kandy Korn. This year we are growing Sugar Buns again which is our favorite. It tolerates cooler soils better and has good flavor.

What do you do to keep raccoons out of the corn and deer away from the box wall?


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## bsruther

begreen said:


> You have beautiful gardens bsruther. I like the tiered box wall. We have tried several corn varieties, last year was Kandy Korn. This year we are growing Sugar Buns again which is our favorite. It tolerates cooler soils better and has good flavor.
> 
> What do you do to keep raccoons out of the corn and deer away from the box wall?


Thanks bg. raccoons haven't been much of a problem the past few years, I think the coyotes are keeping their numbers down. Just to be safe, I'll put a trail cam on the corn a few weeks before it's ready to pick and if I see any, they'll be dispatched with the 10/22.
The deer are pretty skittish around here and don't come close to the house very often. The corn's a little further from the house, so in a month or so, I'll plug a radio in behind the garage and leave it on and turn on the motion light, that seems to do the trick. We do other scenting type things to keep the deer from eating our young trees which also helps.

Chipmunks are the only problem we have at the moment. I got one, but there are more. I'm hoping at least one of them will go for a swim in the 5 gallon bucket tonight.


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## BrotherBart




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## bobdog2o02

That coon is having a bad day.  I dont think its PC to say how i would have handled that..........


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## Warm_in_NH

Just remember, the raccoons will think the corn is ready a day before you do.


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## begreen

Or a few weeks. We've had them take down the stalks and chew on them. Now I put a portable electric fence around the corn if in the ground based garden and 4ft of deer fencing around them in the raised beds.


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## Warm_in_NH

My buddy uses the motion sensor attached to an old radio to keep the Bears off his bird feeders works well. Like that idea for garden intruders too.

Had a bear in the yard two says ago, must've been 350 pounds easy. First time I had shivers sent down my spine from one.  Thankfully my feeders are down for the year and they don't bother the garden, that thing would devour it all in a nite if she liked veggies.


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## Warm_in_NH

Any idea what the little black and brown buggers are that are devouring my lillies?
I'll try to upload a better picture later from the pc but they're slug like, may be slugs? About 3/8" long and clusters of them.
Gonna try to neem oil on them later unless anyone knows a better way?


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## Bobbin

Bet it's woodchucks, Warm., those suckers will eat pretty nearly everything, and bulbs/tubers are really yummy (unless it's narcissus).


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## billb3

Warm_in_NH said:


> View attachment 134568
> 
> 
> Any idea what the little black and brown buggers are that are devouring my lillies?
> I'll try to upload a better picture later from the pc but they're slug like, may be slugs? About 3/8" long and clusters of them.
> Gonna try to neem oil on them later unless anyone knows a better way?


Got ours too.
I thought caterpillar from the size of the poops but couldn't find one.
Ate everything but the flowers and stem.
I had screens around them because the rabbits were eating them.


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## Bobbin

Bright red beetles (actually quite pretty)= Lily Leaf Beetles.  The larvae are about a half an inch long and have the attractive habit of cloaking themselves in their excrement... nondescript=grey/brownish.  They're capable of defoliating lilies in no time flat!  Lily Leaf Beetle is pretty recent to New England (spreading west steadily) and you have to get out daily to pick the adults and plunge the grubs into a "bubble bath".  They suck! lilies used to be "bullet-proof", but no longer.


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## Warm_in_NH

http://bugguide.net/node/view/403597

Yep. That's the culprit!  

I'll let ya know how neem oil works on them. They'll be getting dosed shortly.


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## billb3

Ha ! 
I just checked mine and after picking a couple leaves to see how the heck the poops are on the ends of the leaves crushing several big ugly poops on the nearby fence noticed that inside the poop was a larvae.
Also have a couple red beetles fornicating away.
I only had garden powder .
I remember looking up what these weird things were a couple years ago too.


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## johnpma

Slow start up in the hills where I am due to the late winter and wet spring. Temps are usually 5-8 degrees cooler up in the hills then down in the valley. First time garden in the farm home we purchased back in January. Was told by the old timers in the area that the family who owned the home farmed the land and it is pretty fertile. Decided to put in a trial plot consisting of tomato's, cukes, summer squash, zucchini, pumpkins, kale, green beans, and peas. The raised beds will have onions, red peppers, garlic, and herbs.

Having a lot of fun watching things take off. Whole family has been a big help.


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## billb3

begreen said:


> Very nice billb. Do you save up fall leaves for spring mulch?


2 + acres worth, chewed up once with the mower deck, again in the Spring . All tough oak leaves. Chewing them up helps stop them from blowing away and helps a little bit in the compost pile added to lawn clippings although I've seen them take 4 years or more to break down, even buried in the ground in thin layers. Means I have to sift compost before I use it. PITA but it's what I've got.
My dad had a flail grinder that chewed them up much smaller but  the local Toro places can't get it running.


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## mass_burner

i don't plant anything that any critter would want: tomatoes, chili peppers, basil, potatoes. a curious deer will still chew a small tomato plant, until it figures out it doesn't taste good.


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## valley ranch

Some nice garden shots since I was by last.


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## johnpma

We have black bears, ducks, deer, fox, and raccoons in the yard all the time. Nothing has touched the garden yet.......knock on wood LOL


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## mass_burner

johnpma said:


> We have black bears, ducks, deer, fox, and raccoons in the yard all the time. Nothing has touched the garden yet.......knock on wood LOL



i think the most destructive is the common squirrel.


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## Warm_in_NH

Chipmunks will take a bite out of every tomato here.  Always on the bottom out of sight,  they look great until you go to pick them and grab a handful of rotten slime.


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## mass_burner

Warm_in_NH said:


> Chipmunks will take a bite out of every tomato here.  Always on the bottom out of sight,  they look great until you go to pick them and grab a handful of rotten slime.



we have a small rock pile right in the center of the four beds where an outcropping is, so i just pile unwanted rocks around it for weed control. since then, garter snakes have taken up residence. i imagine they keep the smaller rodents away.


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## begreen

Warm_in_NH said:


> Chipmunks will take a bite out of every tomato here.  Always on the bottom out of sight,  they look great until you go to pick them and grab a handful of rotten slime.


You might also investigate if in some cases this is blossom end rot. It's common in tomatoes that get irregular or too much water.
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000082444023571.html


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## bsruther

Everything has started growing like crazy in the past week. The plants in the foreground of the big garden are sunflowers, I read that stink bugs love them.
I planted them as a diversion to keep them off the tomatoes. Thing is, they will die when they go after them because I'll be spraying each flower with the only stuff I know of that kills them. Don't want to spray it on the tomatoes since it has long lasting residual effects, even though they say it's not harmful to humans when dry.

Bagged a second chipmunk recently and haven't seen any since, so I'm hoping they're all gone. The wife used to have a nice bed of strawberries where the corn is. She was perplexed as to why she never got strawberries, even though she'd seen them growing on the plants. The day she discovered chipmunks were eating them was the day they stopped being cute little animals. She watches for them like a hawk now. The last one I got was on the back wall 30ft from where we were sitting. She says "you gonna get him" I said, "eh, I'll get him in the morning, he'll be gone by the time I get to my sniper nest". She says "no, get him now while you have the chance". That's how much she's come to hate those things. And another thing, chipmunks almost always give you a free shot. If the first one misses, they look around to see what the heck just happened.

I've seen squirrels many times that will pluck a ripe tomato, take one bite and drop it. They're around, but they try to stay out of sight.

Oh and check out the mockingbird on the left garden post. He was yelling at me when I took the pic.


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## mass_burner

bsruther said:


> The wife used to have a nice bed of strawberries where the corn is...
> View attachment 134713
> View attachment 134714



won't even think about planting strawberries or any other berry. chipmunks are one thing, the squirrels and 10 times smarter. we do have a wild raspberry patch in our yard we didn't plant. every year for 2-3 weeks we have fresh raspberries every morning. the blue jays get a lot these. but its a huge patch, so there's plenty to go around.


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## DBNH22

mass_burner said:


> i think the most destructive is the common squirrel.




Are you referring to red squirrels or grey squirrels?  

I've found the red ones to be much more brazen.  They chewed a hole in the screen on our storm door and came into the kitchen once.


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## valley ranch

Squirrels is squirrels! My daughter paid for her rifle with the bounty on squirrels.

At this time I'm dealing with kangaroo Rats at the lower ranch. they're getting into the garden area, even though it's like Fort Knox. and mowing down the seedlings. I've caught one each night for the last two nights in a live catch trap. [peanut butter works great as bait] I've used up all the poison bait I had. As I catch them I drop them into a 5gal bucket half filled with water, for a good swim.


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## johnpma

Very nice garden bsruther We have a huge influx of chippies this year. My son popped 10 of them the other day. Seems they are living in my wood stacks

Been humid here for a few days, tomato plants are going crazy with the rain storms followed by humidity


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## mass_burner

Dana B said:


> Are you referring to red squirrels or grey squirrels?
> 
> I've found the red ones to be much more brazen.  They chewed a hole in the screen on our storm door and came into the kitchen once.



grey, never seen a red squirrel, I thought they were european.


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## mass_burner

valley ranch said:


> Squirrels is squirrels! My daughter paid for her rifle with the bounty on squirrels.
> 
> At this time I'm dealing with kangaroo Rats at the lower ranch. they're getting into the garden area, even though it's like Fort Knox. and mowing down the seedlings. I've caught one each night for the last two nights in a live catch trap. [peanut butter works great as bait] I've used up all the poison bait I had. As I catch them I drop them into a 5gal bucket half filled with water, for a good swim.



yea, the last thing I need is to open up a war with squirrels/chipmunks. We have hawks and snakes. Wish I knew how to attract more snakes, is there such thing as a snake house?


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## begreen

mass_burner said:


> Wish I knew how to attract more snakes, is there such thing as a snake house?


Be careful what you wish for. 
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2015331099_snakesonahouse16.html


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## mass_burner

begreen said:


> Be careful what you wish for.
> http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2015331099_snakesonahouse16.html



i stepped right into that one. Waiting for the plane jokes...


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## DBNH22

mass_burner said:


> grey, never seen a red squirrel, I thought they were european.




It's funny.  I grew up in southeastern Maine and on the NH side of the NH/MA border and saw grey squirrels all the time but never a red squirrel.  About 5 years ago we bought our home just outside Manchester and I see red squirrels in the yard all the time.  We use to have one of those big trash cans on wheels that we'd keep at the top of the driveway and the red squirrels actually chewed through the hard plastic.  They chewed a decent size hole so that i couldn't easily repair it.  After that I tried wiping the container down with ammonia and leaving an ammonia soaked rag on top of the trash inside but ti didn't work.  The red squirrels kept getting in and making a mess.  That particular container has been retired as trash receptacle and now serves as a leaf disposal/general yard work container.

We got two steel 55 gallon drums and instead of sitting in the driveway they are a good 100 yards from the house in the woods adjacent to the driveway.  I haven't seen a single red squirrel around since then.   Where I live we see a lot of chipmunks, turkey, red fox, deer, possum, and fishercat among others I'm sure.

Here is a link to the different types of squirrels in MA.


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## billb3

mass_burner said:


> grey, never seen a red squirrel, I thought they were european.


battled red squirrels under my grandparents mobile home in Wareham. Destructive little varmints. I've only seen one here once. Tiny bit smaller then the usual grey squirrel.


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## begreen

We have Douglas squirrels out here, but unfortunately grey squirrels have invaded and are now taking over territory from the natives. They are responsible for planting hazelnuts everywhere.


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## valley ranch

mass_burner, We have quite a few snakes here, gopher and garter snakes. Haven't seen a rattler. But still enough rodents to go around.
Once in a while they will steal and egg. If they supprise my wife when she has a shovel in her hand they're in trouble.

Richard


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## mass_burner

valley ranch said:


> mass_burner, We have quite a few snakes here, gopher and garter snakes. Haven't seen a rattler. But still enough rodents to go around.
> Once in a while they will steal and egg. If they supprise my wife when she has a shovel in her hand they're in trouble.
> 
> Richard



the rodents are pretty low key around where I live. they'll only cause trouble if you put food out for them (garden strawberries, bird food, etc)


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## johnpma

Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...

I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic


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## mass_burner

valley ranch said:


> mass_burner, We have quite a few snakes here, gopher and garter snakes. Haven't seen a rattler. But still enough rodents to go around.
> Once in a while they will steal and egg. If they supprise my wife when she has a shovel in her hand they're in trouble.
> 
> Richard


just saw a shed snake skin where the chipmunks like to hide in the stone wall. Looks like they're on the job.


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## Warm_in_NH

johnpma said:


> Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...
> 
> I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic



My first year with it. I understand that hard neck varieties are the best for new england. Planted in rows about 6" apart. BUT you need to have it in the ground in the fall about a week or so before the first hard freeze. Harvest mid July then you need to Google how to "cure/dry/hang" it.
I have several friends who are really into it and have been getting guidance from them, keeping my fingers crossed. Tough growing something you can't really see.


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## johneh

johnpma said:


> Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...
> I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic


Here is a very good page on garlic.
I have been growing it for year and have a small
plot of wild garlic which does not grow big and is 
more flavour full in soups and stew it also comes 
back year after year 
http://www.almanac.com/plant/garlic


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## JustTom

johnpma said:


> Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...
> 
> I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic




Order garlic in august.  Hardnecks shorter shelf life and taste better, softnecks are the braids that keep longer but much milder.  Elephant garlic not garlic but leek, but works same but  with little flavor so I've never bothered.  

Plant on columbus day.   Choose largest  cloves as  size directly correlates to bulbs.

In raised bed 4 cloves/square foot.  If doing row in bed, every 4" then stagger next row.

Mulch heavy w/straw to overwinter.   Pull mulch back as weather warms.

If you do hardneck, they will develop flower heads called scapes a bit before harvest.   Cut them off to direct energy to bulbs.  Saute them in butter and enjoy.

Usually early julyish here, tops will start to yellow and droop.   Harvest when about a 3rd of it browns.   Do not yank them out.   Use fork and gently lift them out without damaging skins.

Eat any with poor/damaged skins fresh.  Dry and cure rest.    Save biggest bulbs for replant.

Crack bulbs open and select largest and prettiest.   Replant and start again on columbus day.    Hardneck garlic is a microclimate influenced plant that adapts to its area, so after few years, your garlic will have unique taste only found in your garden.

Note:  the little seeds in the scapes are called bulbules.   If you want a lot of garlic faster, you can let the scapes flower and harvest and plant them in fall.    They grow small though, so it would be many years of replanting  bigger bulbs before you get good size, but sometimes bulbules are only way to get rare varieties that produce fewer cloves to share.

hth,
tom


----------



## Adios Pantalones

JustTom hit the highlights.
I plant about 150 of them in 3-4' wide bed, several across (space at 4-6"). 
I mulch with some compost and then several inches of shredded leaves from the yard.
Don't fertilize too late in the spring, or you will get top growth and limited bulb development.
Snap the scapes off when they do a full 360+- make a spicy pesto, or add to stir fry etc- yummy. If you leave them on, the bulb will be smaller.
I have planted the bulbils in waste spaces in the garden/yard- harvest as spring garlic chive type deal- great in soups, or in cream cheese on bagels.
Harvest when there's just a few leaves still green- I hang them in bunches in a shed until I plant- they get air, and don't get sun- which would screw them up.
I just yank mine- my soil is very loose/heavy organic content, however.


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## Adios Pantalones

Oh- and NEVER STORE IT IN THE FRIDGE! Put it in a paper bag after curing, and store in a cabinet. I made very large garlic keepers for mine, and the rest goes in a bag- I am still using stored garlic almost a year later and it is fine.


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## briansol

Chipmunks ate all my strawberries too.  i had one or 2 out of 50 plants ;/

I don't have a big yard, so i make do with the space I have.







Using the rocks (all dug up from the garden area mind you) as a border was a mistake...  bugs made it home.   I need to get rid of those for next year.

I also have grape vines, 2 apple trees, a peach/plum/nectarine grafted tree, blueberry bushes, rasp/blackberry vines, lemon/lime trees in buckets


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## mass_burner

only time i ever had success with strawberries was in california, with 2-3 german shepherds in the yard full time.


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## Adios Pantalones

My strawberries did great this year. They are reasonably well fenced.


----------



## Warm_in_NH

mass_burner said:


> only time i ever had success with strawberries was in california, with 2-3 german shepherds in the yard full time.



My rottweiler loves tomatoes,  bell peppers, carrots, and potatoes.  I have to watch him, he pulled nearly every carrot up one year before I caught onto him.  Bell peppers are tough for me to grow with my northern exposure in NH so it was devastating when I found out he was picking and eating them two or three a day.
He's been disciplined enough now that he leaves them alone. I'll occasionally let him pick a cherry tomato or two if he's been good, always takes his time and picks a slightly under ripe orange one.
On the other hand he chases the crows and other beasts from the yard.


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## valley ranch

My compliments to your pup, he's learned to eat his veggies. My pup not allowed in the garden area or he'll just walk across the beds stepping on this and that. Then he gets that:" What is it Now?" look on his face when I tell him to get he blazes out. Know what I mean?


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## mass_burner

Warm_in_NH said:


> My rottweiler loves tomatoes,  bell peppers, carrots, and potatoes.  I have to watch him, he pulled nearly every carrot up one year before I caught onto him.  Bell peppers are tough for me to grow with my northern exposure in NH so it was devastating when I found out he was picking and eating them two or three a day.
> He's been disciplined enough now that he leaves them alone. I'll occasionally let him pick a cherry tomato or two if he's been good, always takes his time and picks a slightly under ripe orange one.
> On the other hand he chases the crows and other beasts from the yard.



our GS's were sentry dogs, they never had a interest in the garden patches. we didn't live in a very safe place, so often when we came home, we would go around the side of the house and let the dogs into the house from the back. They would be itching to go inside and patrol.


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## begreen

Started a beet harvest today. There are lots more where these came from.




Do you know what this baby flower bud is?


Hint, it grows in the banana belt.


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## bsruther

2 half bushels of green beans today. We should get at least 2 more picks from them.
Looks like we'll be canning tomorrow.


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## begreen

That is some serious beaning.


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## johneh

Bean there done that


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## begreen

Beets me, you never know what will turnip here.


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## BrotherBart

Now that is corny.


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## begreen

Yup. Thyme to move on. Lettuce hope there's no more of this sage advice.


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## bsruther

begreen said:


> Do you know what this baby flower bud is?
> View attachment 135092


Ok, I give, what's the mystery plant that grows with the bananas?


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## begreen

It's the bud of a pomegranate.


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## valley ranch

*PeopleOfAr*
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding.
Hey there! Thanks for dropping by PeopleOfAr! Take a look around and grab theRSS feed to stay updated. See you around!

*Pomegranate, symbol of Armenia*
Filed under: Culture, Folklore, Food, History, Mythology, Tradition — 9 Comments
October 22, 2012
For Armenians the pomegranate is one of the most recognizable symbols of the country.  In Armenian mythology it symbolizes fertility and good fortune. It was a guardian against the evil eye. At weddings in Western Armenia, a bride would throw a pomegranate and break it into pieces. Its scattered seeds ensured that the bride would bear children. In Van, Armenian women who wanted to have a son would eat bread made from dough mixed with pomegranate seeds. Its importance is attested in historical Armenian manuscripts and stone carvings where it was used as a popular ornament. One of the most iconic Armenian art movies is that of Sergey Paradjanov named “The Color of Pomegranates”. In the film, the red pomegranate on a table with its wrinkled skin and fresh pulp stands out as an embodiment of the invincible soul of Armenia. Until the very day pomegranate is a commonly used theme in Armenian art and culture including cuisine. In fact, it has turned into a national cliché. Go to any art exhibition, and you’re sure to see two or three (or more) paintings where the pomegranate is featured. Souvenir shops are filled with ceramic, metal, and textile pomegranates and pomegranate-shaped knick-knacks. During weddings in Yerevan a small dried pomegranate called _taratosik_ is given by a bride to unmarried guests as a blessing. After the horrid events of the Armenian Genocide many Armenian artists have used pomegranates as a theme in their lyrics and poems to describe a wide range of emotions, from suffering to hope, rebirth and survival of a nation.

In closing I would like to recite a traditional ending for Armenian fairy tales:

_“Three pomegranates fell down from heaven: One for the story teller, one for the listener, and one for the whole world.”_





Source: _Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore (2006) by Irina Petrosian & David Underwood_

picture by: Russell Pollard


----------



## Warm_in_NH

So BG, did you apply to be a grower for your states new cash crop industry?


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## begreen

Nah, did that back in the 60's for personal use, but it's been a long time since I have indulged. My kids OTOH would probably love it if I did.


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## DevilsBrew

Mainly container gardening this year.  It is going so well that I am switching over to all container gardening next season.  I have lost about a third of the garden to fungus brought on by the high amount of rain.  I have sprayed but there isn't much I can do when it rains once a day.  The garden is also a couple weeks behind because of the weather.  Seems to be kicking in now.


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## bsruther

We do all of our herbs in containers and it works out pretty well. We're growing brussel sprouts for the first time this year and have some of those in containers as well. The container sprouts seem to be doing just as well as the gardens sprouts. 

We tried to grow cumin this year and after seeding it three times just can't get it to grow. I'll try again next year and maybe use multiple containers with different types of soil.
I use a lot of cumin and hate paying for it.


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## Warm_in_NH

I love my containers for gardening,  some things (ones that like warmer roots tomatoes,  peppers, tomatillos,  etc) really excel in them. Have found that cukes really don't like them and brussle sprouts were indifferent.  
Easy to keep weeds under control too.


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## begreen

Cukes should do well in containers that are deep enough. Maybe try hugelkulture style? Try Sweet Success. It seems to be fine that way.


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## begreen

This looks promising: 
	

		
			
		

		
	




And this looks ridiculous! 8 ft tall and that is after I just gave it a haircut.


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## Warm_in_NH

Crazy 8' Holly Hock the better half has out back. Gotta look out the up stairs windows to enjoy the flowers.

Chickens found the blue berry bushes. Might be chicken stew for dinner....




So the spoiled dog gets butternut squash in his dog food. He loves it cooked, raw, he begs for it. Gf has it growing, although there's not anything bugger than a golf ball on the vine, the dog picked up the scent of the leaves and burried his face in the leaves and then started eating the leaves.


----------



## johnpma

anyone have raspberries??? While mowing the lawn the other day I noticed a row of raspberry bushes that have beautiful ripe berries. It was all grown in with tall weeds. Just wondering what is involved in raising them??? This is an old farm home we purchased. Finding all kinds of neat things.....found apple trees out back that are covered in bitter sweet


----------



## begreen

Yes, we've got 20 yr old plants that produce some great berries. See if you can identify the cane. Some bear in spring and some in late summer. We have the later, called Autumn Bliss. It doesn't take a lot to make them happy. Some composted manure and fertilizer plus weekly watering is all we do. Ours are trained between two posts which makes them easier to pick.


----------



## mass_burner

johnpma said:


> anyone have raspberries??? While mowing the lawn the other day I noticed a row of raspberry bushes that have beautiful ripe berries. It was all grown in with tall weeds. Just wondering what is involved in raising them??? This is an old farm home we purchased. Finding all kinds of neat things.....found apple trees out back that are covered in bitter sweet


we have a round patch at the corner of the property. I don't do anything except mow around it to keep it from spreading. Also mowed 2 walking paths into the middle so you can pick the berries. Fruit is ready anywhere from late June to late July (this year) depending on weather. We freeze some and eat alot. It all comes out at once during a 2-3 week period.


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## begreen

Meekers are a good early summer bearer. Autumn Bliss is August until October for us unless we start rains early like last year. It's important to know the difference. Meekers fruit on the previous years canes. Autumn Bliss fruits on new canes so you can mow them down to the ground in late fall or winter.


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## briansol

All my black berries and raspberrries are done for the season already.  I ate about 10.  The wildlife got the rest :/


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## begreen

We have blackberries by the thousands. They grow wild and are seriously big plants. I have one semi-domesticated in the yard. It's 12' tall and wide. The flavor and berry size is excellent. Plenty for birds and people. They are just starting to ripen now. You can tell because the bird poops are rich purple.

I just went out and checked. They are tasting good! Time to start picking. It looks like it's time to try last year's blackberry wine to see how it turned out.


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## begreen

begreen said:


> It's the bud of a pomegranate.


Finally opened up! This is the first time it has bloomed.


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## bsruther

This is what we canned from the garden yesterday.


Total of 49 quarts of green beans so far and I think I finally convinced the wife that we need to stop on those.
The corn is the best either of us can ever remember tasting, puts last year's silver queen to shame.
Next will be tomatoes and we're hoping to get at least 30 quarts of those.

Canning to me is a lot like processing firewood. It can be a pain in the butt getting there, but once it's all done, the feeling of comfort and security is hard to match.


----------



## billb3

johnpma said:


> anyone have raspberries??? While mowing the lawn the other day I noticed a row of raspberry bushes that have beautiful ripe berries. It was all grown in with tall weeds. Just wondering what is involved in raising them??? This is an old farm home we purchased. Finding all kinds of neat things.....found apple trees out back that are covered in bitter sweet


I have red raspberries. I remove any black wild raspberries found nearby as they supposedly harbour a fungus of some sort that they can tolerate but the cultivated ones  may not.
UMaine has some growing tips http://umaine.edu/publications/2066e/  and some utube videos for pruning and removing the old growth. I'll also remove old plants when they shoot out suckers (in th right places or transplant ) as it helps to keep the berry size large with young plants.


----------



## johnpma

billb3 said:


> I have red raspberries. I remove any black wild raspberries found nearby as they supposedly harbour a fungus of some sort that they can tolerate but the cultivated ones may not.
> UMaine has some growing tips http://umaine.edu/publications/2066e/ and some utube videos for pruning and removing the old growth. I'll also remove old plants when they shoot out suckers (in th right places or transplant ) as it helps to keep the berry size large with young plants.


 Great info thanks for sharing!!


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## johnpma

bsruther, do you use a pressure canner?? I want to try it but am unsure of the process


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## bsruther

johnpma said:


> bsruther, do you use a pressure canner?? I want to try it but am unsure of the process


Yes, a pressure canner and a boil canner for tomatoes and pickled stuff.
A pressure canner can seem a little intimidating at first but it's a pretty simple process.
Just get a copy of the Ball Blue Book and follow the instructions exactly and only use their recipes.
Start with something simple like carrots. They're cheap and easy to process.

The pressure cooking is probably the easiest step in canning and basically what you do is...
Put 2-3 inches of water in the cooker
put the jars in and close the lid
turn the heat on and wait until pure steam comes out for a few minutes (venting)
put the weight on and bring it up to pressure
cook for the given amount of time
turn it off, let it cool until the pressure is at zero
remove the jars

The hardest part of it all is processing the vegetables. I am not looking forward to canning tomatoes, but their flavor can't be matched by anything in a metal can.
If I can get 30 to 40 jars of tomatoes, they'll last me a few years. I use them in a lot of recipes, but I think they're best on pizza.


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## begreen

What type of corn did you grow this year? We grew sugar buns this year. Just picked our first crop and it was good.

We also grew the cthulhu of carrots.


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## bsruther

It was called 'gotta have it' from Gurney's. I remember reading about the sugar buns when I was looking for a good type of corn. This year's corn was to test out a hybrid variety to grow in the big garden next year.
I was initially kind of apprehensive about trying the super sweet hybrids after reading from some people on gardenweb saying that some of the hybrids were too sweet and didn't taste natural.
The wife absolutely loves this corn, so even if I didn't want to, she'd make me grow it again.
We grew about 80 stalks and have gotten about 90 ears so far. The husks are really tight and go all the way to the tip and we saw no signs of ear worms. The only bugs I saw on them were a few aphids. Had our first ears at 75 days.


----------



## begreen

You're in better country for corn than we are. We need short season varieties for best reproduceable success. Have also grown Bodacious, Kandy Korn and Golden Jubilee but Sugar Buns is the most predictable and has great flavor. Of course then we have a full sunny summer this year and corn is coming in 2 weeks early for us. Go figure. Husk is tight on Sugar Buns. We have no signs of insect visitors. Harvested 34 ears today. There is about that much left to harvest still. (small patch).




Wow, I checked out Gurneys. That is pricey seed. Sugar Buns is half that price locally.


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## bsruther

As bad as the available "sweet" corn is around here, it's worth every penny. It seems that even the farmers at the local farmers markets buy their corn in bulk and it's the same mealy, pulpy, bland garbage that can be found at the grocery.  Eating corn on the cob is one of those nostalgic summer feelings and it's great to finally be able to experience it again.

One thing that surprised me was how easy corn is to grow. With most vegetables there is a learning curve for us and with corn there are a few things that need to be figured out, but overall it's pretty darn simple to grow. After many years, I'm still trying to figure out how to grow abundant large bell peppers. We're getting better with them, but I want to get to the point where we don't have to buy any from the store @ $1.00 each, and that's when they're on sale.


----------



## begreen

We're fortunate to live in an area where good food is valued. No shrink wrapped veggies here. Locally, starchy old corn doesn't sell well so the merchants don't buy it too often. We have a long season because the corn comes in from CA (good), then eastern WA (very good), then local (great if fresh picked). It's pricey at .50 an ear, but usually good to excellent quality.

We grow lots of peppers. Some of ours are starting to turn red. They aren't too fussy, but like good sun and soil. If your plants are anemic, try liquid fertilizing them with some MiracleGro.


----------



## johnpma

my red peppers really stink this year. Nice tall green plants and no blossoms at all grrrrrrrrrrr


----------



## JustTom

That usually means too much nitrogen and maybe too little phosphorus.    Peppers are light feeders.    Can try side dressing w/compost or something to boost it into blooms.


----------



## begreen

Yep, good advice. Try using a liquid blossom booster that has a composition like 0-10-10 for quicker results.


----------



## johnpma

my garden was doing so goo and it seems like the last two weeks it's gone to hell!!

Bugs on my squash plants, and I think my tomato plants got blight  The tomato's are rotting at the stem as they turn red


----------



## Adios Pantalones

John- the extra rain all year made tomato diseases set in early this year for sure


----------



## johnpma

sprayed with liquid copper this morning......hoping to save half of my plants. Went away on the long weekend and came home to crappy looking plants


----------



## johnpma

canning is done, carrots coming out of the ground later this week and the garlic is in the raised beds

need to till the garden and get ready for a long winter 

Do you guys dump your ashes in the garden? I remember my dad doing that for years.


----------



## DevilsBrew

I didn't have the best results with ashes but I did it because so many other people had a lot of success.  Honestly, the top trick seems to be cow poop.


----------



## bassJAM

I just spread my ashes lightly through the yard, but if you put them in the garden, I think the trick is to spread it thin and not use too much.  Ashes are one of those "less is more" things.


----------



## valley ranch

RE: post 110. Looks a bit graphic.


----------



## mass_burner

What is the best practice for putting raised beds to sleep for winter? I usually put my shredded leaves on top, but I notice weeds still tend to grow underneath in spring.


----------



## johnpma

I do just that......leaves on top and some lime. I planted garlic in one of my raised beds. I cover that with leaves as well.

Can't beat fresh veggies in prepared meals during the cold of the winter


----------



## TekHearth

Lake Girl said:


> My question is what is the best method of keeping deer and bunnies out of the veggies?....



I've had a lot of luck using the Nite Guard "Predator Eyes" on a 4ft post facing every direction in strategic areas throughout my yard. They are basically photovoltaic solar red LED lights that turn on at night and flash. They are supposed to trigger the deer's predator response. It mostly works for me, the only problem is you *must* keep moving the post every couple weeks or the deer get used to the location and start to ignore it. 

I back up the predator eyes with a motion sensor sprinkler that kicks on when anything crosses it's path. Pretty hilarious to watch squirrels/foxes/raccoons and other critters get blasted by water!   The Orbit 62100 is the one you want. 

My neighbor's are always asking two things

1. - What's up with the red lights? Is that a security system??

2. - How is it that you are able to keep such a nice garden? The deer destroy everything I plant! 

Good luck gardeners!  Just finished getting my winter veggies in, will miss my summer veggies. Daughter is already asking when we can have more cucumbers!


----------



## TekHearth

billb3 said:


> 2 + All tough oak leaves. ... I've seen them take 4 years or more to break down, even buried in the ground in thin layers...



I feel you. Surrounded by oak's on my property, they are tough little buggers, even in a hot compost pile they prefer to not break down. I finally got curious to find out why and discovered this: 

"Oak leaves have a C:N ratio of about 60:1 and contain high levels of decay-resistant tannins, so they take a lot longer to break down"

Via a North Carolina state university study

In positive news, i still have my eye on a couple of my more troublesome "leaf droppers" and as I rake I keep trying to mentally calculate how many cords that tree is going to give me when I finally get around to cutting it down 


Good luck gardeners!


----------



## Adios Pantalones

I have all red oaks. The leaves on top stay great for suppressing weeds, the stuff underneath breaks down over the season. They all go fast enough in my compost pile.

If oak leaves are not shredded, then they mat up and prevent water from getting through- then they don't break down unless mixed with a "green" for composting. Hit them with the mower really quick and they are a MUCH more useful mulch.


----------



## Lake Girl

TekHearth said:


> I've had a lot of luck using the Nite Guard "Predator Eyes" on a 4ft post facing every direction in strategic areas throughout my yard. ...
> I back up the predator eyes with a motion sensor sprinkler that kicks on when anything crosses it's path. Pretty hilarious to watch squirrels/foxes/raccoons and other critters get blasted by water!   The Orbit 62100 is the one you want.



A neighbor has the Predator Eyes ... Haven't heard about the Orbit 62100 ...thanks.

Deer actually stayed away til the very end of the season and topped the strawberry plants.  They then wandered down to the house and had a tasty snack of some of my mums; the frost finished the job.  The bunch closest to the house had a bit more protection from the frost but finally conceded to the snow....


----------



## begreen

What about during the deer protection during the daytime? The only thing that has worked 100% for me is a fence and a motion activated sprinkler.


----------



## billb3

Lake Girl said:


> A neighbor has the Predator Eyes ... Haven't heard about the Orbit 62100 ...thanks.
> 
> Deer actually stayed away til the very end of the season and topped the strawberry plants.  They then wandered down to the house and had a tasty snack of some of my mums; the frost finished the job.  The bunch closest to the house had a bit more protection from the frost but finally conceded to the snow....


I've never had deer eat my strawberry plants until this year and they only topped the new row of plants I procured from a pro grower.
At least one of them hopped a garden fence this year and topped just the romaine lettuce.


----------



## johnpma

Deer can be very destructive to gardens, shrubs, crops, and actually devastate a neighborhood. In the eastern part of the state here in Mass many of the anti hunters petitioned against the harvesting of animals primarily deer. Well their gorgeous expensive landscape was severely damaged by an over population or whitetail deer. Mass Wildlife had to step in and educate many in public forums about hunting and why it's important for hunters to control the population. It so simple......starving deer will eat anything to survive. Many just don't get it. Hunters keep the deer herd at a sustainable level. 

They do a number on our Xmas trees. They love the buds. My son controls the population nicely on our property


----------



## valley ranch

RE: Deer, a fellow was describing how he finally stopped the deer entering his garden. He had fenced the garden area, but deer went over it without any problem. He ran a hot wire about 3' high, out 3' from the fence. At first he folded a piece of aluminum foil with peanut butter over the hot wire. The deer never jumped the fence again.

Richard


----------



## johnpma

it's that time again....I need a small tiller 21"-ish size Was looking at one at TSC "Huskie" anyone have any experience?

Started my plants inside. Have some green popping out....still on the cool side but the farm down the road already started putting lettuce in.


----------



## shoot-straight

asparagus are up, gonna give it a quick till this week. back to black plastic this year. still weeks from planing however. i have noticed that planting outside although its warm just is a waste. the plants just sit there and get beat up by storms. particularly tomatoes and such.


----------



## begreen

We have had peas, potatoes, beets, spinach, broccoli, and lettuce in the ground now for awhile. Cool soil does slow growth, but it still is happening. I just planted carrots yesterday. The main issue for us is staying ahead of the slugs and sow bugs. I usually wait until night time temps are in the 50s before setting warm weather plants outside, though I did just move one large tomato out of the greenhouse as an experiment. We expect to harvest our first cucumbers next week from the greenhouse. They are coming on strong now.


----------



## Warm_in_NH

Everything is started in CT in the little greenhouse, was cheap, got it for $35 off of WOOT a couple years ago and works slick, its twice as much now on Amazon, but I'd still consider it knowing how easy it makes things and how limited our south facing window sill space is inside.

http://www.amazon.com/OGrow-Deluxe-...F8&qid=1429628989&sr=8-1&keywords=green+house

We hold it down with 8 -10 gallon jugs of water on the bottom shelves, they provide weight and then radiate heat back out on the cooler nights, so far so good.

Chickens turned the garden over nicely for us again this year. Down the last few snow piles in the yard here in NH. Crocuses are up though!


----------



## Lake Girl

Tossed some grass seed last week but didn't get the job finished.  Covered with snow now


----------



## billb3

Snow on the ground into the second week of April.
We went on vacation for the last three weeks  of March so couldn't start any seeds until April 1.
Got the last of the over-Winter carrots dug up, fruit trees pruned, peas planted. Will be a late start here, at least for some things.


----------



## begreen

Picked our first greenhouse cucumber today. Lots more to come.


----------



## johnpma

started my tomatoes squash and herbs in a small homemade cold frame Found a practically new 2013 cub cadet RT65 on CL for $250 had a minor issue I fixed. Runs like a champ Tilled the garden last night. Building another raised bed tomorrow still a few weeks from planting


----------



## Nelson

begreen said:


> Yes, just a little
> 
> View attachment 133888



Nice garden Begreen! Say, what kind of tomato cages are those? They look like the square type. If so, how do you like them?


----------



## begreen

Thanks. They are actually triangular and work pretty well. Big plants eventually overwhelm them so I still need a core stake to hold the plant upright. But they work ok for supporting the plant.


----------



## Nelson

cool, thanks. I think I will give them a try


----------



## Nelson

I started my tomatoes a little too early and they got big quick on me. Put them out in the raised beds this weekend. Soil temps probably aren't quite where they need to be but extended forecast around here has temps staying in the 70s during the day and 50s at night so I'm hopeful that they will do ok.


----------



## begreen

They will probably be ok with those temps. If concerned cloche them or tent the bed with remay or plastic to raise soil temps.


----------



## johnpma

anyone have any effective ways of keeping ducks out of the garden. I've adopted 7 duck from the neighbor. They come straight to the yard and spend the day there. We are finding eggs all over the yard in nests on the edge of the woods  I just think that they will trample the garden or eat the plants once we plant. Was thinking about a couple plastic owls or some netting around the garden


----------



## billb3

They will leave the weeds.


----------



## begreen

Ducks like escargot. They are great for eating slugs.


----------



## Z33

This is from about two weeks ago. our little plot is about 25X50 or so.We should have cucumbers by the weekend and tomatoes in 2 weeks. 

We did watermelon, cantaloupe, 3 kinds of tomatoes, squash, bell peppers habanero pepper, Jalapeno peppers, onions, beans, and about 100 ears of corn.


----------



## osagebow

Our Ag science guy comes up to me a few weeks ago - "I have 5 of these 7' cherry tomato plants I need out of the greenhouse"
Tons of fresh Toms in May. Glorious.


----------



## johnpma

Z33 said:


> This is from about two weeks ago. our little plot is about 25X50 or so.We should have cucumbers by the weekend and tomatoes in 2 weeks.
> We did watermelon, cantaloupe, 3 kinds of tomatoes, squash, bell peppers habanero pepper, Jalapeno peppers, onions, beans, and about 100 ears of corn.


 Very nicely done


----------



## johnpma

Threat of frost last night had to cover everything.......even threw a couple logs in the stove  Woke up to temps in the high 30's today......this is unreal!


----------



## johnpma

Things are moving along nicely with the rain we have had.......only thing that has not really "popped" is the watermelon


----------



## begreen

Got the corn in late, but it is picking up steam. Tomatoes are very happy. There are some 1-2" tomatoes on several plants.


----------



## johnpma

I like the plastic pipe cages.....great idea


----------



## begreen

They stand up well. These are about 10 yrs old.


----------



## johnpma

Things are moving along nicely........no blight yet


----------



## begreen

Looking good John!


----------



## Nelson

How's everyones garden doing? My tomatoes are going crazy and so are the melons and squash. I will try and grab some pics tomorrow to post.


----------



## billb3

I tried some Power Pop tomato from Ball/Burpee which are a patio planter tomato and they are doing quite well.


----------



## Nelson

Looking good - looks like a cherry tomato?


----------



## begreen

Our heat loving plants are doing well. We are getting big tomatoes, peppers and lots of eggplant. On the otherhand we've had some carrots bolt due to high temps. That's a first for us. Green beans are starting to come on now. Fruit trees are showing the stress of no rain. The fruit is smaller and a few weeks ahead of schedule.


----------



## Nelson

yes, begreen, it has been very warm and dry for you guys out west. 

My tomatoes are doing really well but I have had some blossom end rot on a few of the green tomatoes.  I experimented with topping the plants after they got a foot above the cage and I'm hoping that didn't put the plant into too much stress. However, if I had not topped them, they would have grown too big and flopped over anyway. We'll see. I still have a lot of good green tomatoes...

My cherry tomatoe plant went absolutely nuts too. I have been cutting them back just about every week and they are still a good 4 feet tall!

Heading out in a few to pick the first batch of beans. Carrots are still looking good at this point.


----------



## billb3

Nelson said:


> Looking good - looks like a cherry tomato?


Yes, fairly tasty too. Excellent patio planter tomato so far.



Celebrity:



after two years of lost just about everything to blight it's nice to have healthy green plants.

Late plantings: more Celebrity, when the lettuce bolted it mostly all got pulled up and tomatoes planted here. It's in the shade after 1 so we'll see if I get tomatoes before Halloween and it snows.



Cukes, eggplants, peas are starting to brown, green beans are getting picked. There's some yellow pear tomatoes and a couple tomatillo.


----------



## begreen

Nice looking garden. And wow, green lawn. Haven't seen that in awhile. Our surprise crop this year has been cantaloupe. We have 7 ripening nicely on one plant . This was the year to plant them.


----------



## Nelson

Yes, great looking garden - tomatoes look fantastic as well. Nice work!


----------



## Nelson

Pictures aren't great but here is our main bed of tomatoes 






And the squash and melons - they got out of hand quickly. I counted four fruit just on ones those outer vines.


----------



## Nelson

btw, there are a variety of tomato plants in that bed. John Baer, Wisconsin 55, Sheboygan, Italian Heirloom, Hungarian Heart (last two plants on the right in pic above)


----------



## Nelson

Here's another question I've been meaning to ask. With tomatoes, I've heard people refer to the "first set". In your (anyone reading) experience, how many "sets" should one expect from a plant?


----------



## billb3

Nelson said:


> Here's another question I've been meaning to ask. With tomatoes, I've heard people refer to the "first set". In your (anyone reading) experience, how many "sets" should one expect from a plant?



Indeterminate tomatoes can have several 'flushes' or 'sets' of tomatoes. Some have waves and spurts of growth and flower setting. They eventually ripen following that initial growth. Starting at the bottom they ripen.
In theory they just keep growing, setting flowers and fruit until frost kills them.
Some can get 15 feet tall or long.
Determinates (for the most part) have a big growth  period, set flowers and fruit and you have your crop and it's done. Even those that have an early flush of blooms and a later one at the top of the plant end up ripening pretty much all together over a short period of time. Most are about 3 or 4 feet tall, often called bushes rather than vines.

Hybrids can tend to stretch the rules.


You are topping your plants because the supports are not tall enough ?


----------



## begreen

Here's how our main garden is doing. 


	

		
			
		

		
	
  huge cherry tomatoes this year



	

		
			
		

		
	
  Brandy Boys and Early Girls. We've already picked several. 



	

		
			
		

		
	
  We're trying Italias for sauce tomatoes this year.



	

		
			
		

		
	
 Cantaloupes, peppers and eggplant



	

		
			
		

		
	
  Corn will be ready to pick soon



	

		
			
		

		
	
  It's been a warm summer and the heat loving plants are happy.


----------



## Nelson

billb3 said:


> Indeterminate tomatoes can have several 'flushes' or 'sets' of tomatoes. Some have waves and spurts of growth and flower setting. They eventually ripen following that initial growth. Starting at the bottom they ripen.
> In theory they just keep growing, setting flowers and fruit until frost kills them.
> Some can get 15 feet tall or long.
> Determinates (for the most part) have a big growth  period, set flowers and fruit and you have your crop and it's done. Even those that have an early flush of blooms and a later one at the top of the plant end up ripening pretty much all together over a short period of time. Most are about 3 or 4 feet tall, often called bushes rather than vines.
> 
> Hybrids can tend to stretch the rules.
> 
> 
> You are topping your plants because the supports are not tall enough ?



Ahh, good to know. Thanks!

Yes, i started my plants too soon this spring and they were already 2-3 feet tall when I planted them so I had to top them as they grew a foot past my supports (I think they are 48" supports). The one plant that I started about 5 weeks before I put them out is doing great and I have not had to top it. I'm thinking if I wait longer, next year, to start them I won't have the issue. I was worried that they would droop over the supports and the branches would get damaged. Also, the Vegetable Gardener's Bible suggested topping as they grew over the top of the support. So far, I don't think it has had an adverse affect. The plant is still growing and I will likely have to top again in a few weeks.


----------



## Nelson

Begreen - Your garden looks great! I like how your squash/melons are staying relatively contained in your bed. Do you do anything special to keep them from sprawling out too much?


----------



## johnpma

Well I spoke to soon BLIGHT  been doing so good up until these last two weeks. I have used an organic copper fungicide on the plants. My neighbor swears by a tsp of baking powder in 32 oz of warm water and a few drops of dish soap on the plants above the blight to slow the spread. He also said there is a way to kill the blight in the soil. I removed the damaged leaves trying to slow the progression of the disease


Rest of the garden is doing just fine. We are enjoying some delicious veggies


----------



## begreen

Nelson said:


> Begreen - Your garden looks great! I like how your squash/melons are staying relatively contained in your bed. Do you do anything special to keep them from sprawling out too much?


Thanks. It depends on the plant. Squash can be bush or vining variety. Not apparent are the vines of the cantaloupe wending their way between the row of eggplant and peppers. In another bed I tried a butternut squash which is spilling out into the pathways. The zucchini that we grow is a bush variety and generally better behaved.

PS: Picked 11 tomatoes yesterday, some were over a pound each.


----------



## begreen

johnpma said:


> Well I spoke to soon BLIGHT  been doing so good up until these last two weeks.



Bummer. Besides not growing tomatoes where potatoes or tomatoes have grown the previous year try to get as much air as possible around the plants. Strip out all lower leaves and thin between plants for maximum light and air.


----------



## Chimney Smoke

I'm starting to get a steady supply now.  Picked 5 zucchini and 4 summer squash in the past few days.  Waiting on the cukes to make pickles.  Canned 5 pints of dilly beans with red pepper and garlic and 6 pints of bread and butter squash pickles this morning.


----------



## begreen

Eggplants are starting to come on. This is today's harvest, and this is just the beginning. The round one is Black King which is new for us this year. The long skinny variety is Ichiban which is always a good performer and always very tasty with no bitterness. The pepper is a Carmen and is 9.5" long!


----------



## johnpma

eggplant look great I stripped the blight leaves on the tomato plants, and gave my plants a hair cut to create some air space between them. We have had thunder storm after thunder storm for weeks now with limited hot dry sunny days

My son is working this summer on a local farm which is fairly large. They have been harvesting corn now for weeks. What was cool to see is all the potatoes growing in compost in trash containers very cool


----------



## Chimney Smoke

My garden took a pounding yesterday.  Golf ball size hail did not play nice with my squash and pepper.  Knocked most of the peppers off the plants and shredded the leaves.  Luckily the tomatoes came through without much damage.


----------



## johnpma

The weather has been less than desirable to say the least. Heavy rain, hail, high winds happened again yesterday afternoon. We have had no power for the third time in two weeks. Make me wonder what farmers did before all the sophisticated weather prediction equipment.

Vacation next week which means I should return to all my corn being wiped out by coons............anyone tan pelts  I know where you will be able to get a few


----------



## Z33

johnpma said:


> The weather has been less than desirable to say the least. Heavy rain, hail, high winds happened again yesterday afternoon. We have had no power for the third time in two weeks. Make me wonder what farmers did before all the sophisticated weather prediction equipment.
> 
> *Vacation next week which means I should return to all my corn being wiped out by coons*............anyone tan pelts  I know where you will be able to get a few




Sounds like me fighting the squirrels. I am up to 11 kills this year so far but I bet I have lost 50 or so ears of corn.


----------



## johnpma

Z33 said:


> Sounds like me fighting the squirrels. I am up to 11 kills this year so far but I bet I have lost 50 or so ears of co


 Great aim  All the "anti do gooders" in town frown upon those that use firearms to terminate the nuance creatures sometimes I feel like live trapping them and doing a mass relocate to their yard


----------



## begreen

Chimney Smoke said:


> My garden took a pounding yesterday.  Golf ball size hail did not play nice with my squash and pepper.  Knocked most of the peppers off the plants and shredded the leaves.  Luckily the tomatoes came through without much damage.


 That's a bummer.


----------



## begreen

Tomatoes are now getting serious. This is the second large picking in the past couple weeks. Lots more coming now.


----------



## Chimney Smoke

Those look great, what variety?  I picked my first Jetstar today a little early but wanted to make sure I got it before the squirrels.  I'm waiting on some of my heirlooms to start blushing, I've never grown any of them before.  I have Brandywine, Cherokee Green, Ruby Gold, Moskovich and Mortgage Lifter.  All have a good amount of fruit except the brandywine and ruby gold.  Brandywine has 3 fruits so far on 2 plants and ruby gold has none yet.


----------



## begreen

Brandy Boy and Early Girl with some sungold and sweet million cherry tomatoes in the basket at the end. Brandywine is a good tomato but not a big producer and it needs heat. Brandy Boy is a brandywine hybrid which fruits with less heat and a lot more tomatoes while keeping good size and flavor.


----------



## johnpma

been picking for weeks....was able to save the tomatoes with a solution we read about online (32oz warm water, 1tsp baking soda, 3 drops of dish soap shake and spray above blight fungus to reduce the spread)  Really reduced the spread of blight. We have gotten some gorgeous tomatoes off the plants. Very full red ripe looking with no rot spots. Been picking corn, and our garlic is huge. Squashes are done so i tilled and put in a fall crop of beans, lettuce, and spinach All the herb are going nuts now and we are drying them for winter use. Been vacuum sealing and freezing our peas, and beans for winter use as well.

Couple pics of what the little lady harvested yesterday.


----------



## begreen

They are talking heavy rain for the weekend. This will be a welcome relief for the firefighters. It should put out most of the fires. We went into harvest mode to get crops picked that might not like a couple inches of rain. There are still lots of tomatoes on the plants but I wanted to pick anything that was near ripe. The roma tomatoes will go into sauce batch#3. Corn gets eaten or frozen. And we are eating an eggplant dish every other day.


----------



## johnpma

very nice stuff begreen..........this weekend I'll be picking quite a bit too.  Gorgeous cherry tomato's popped up from my compost some how  Sunday is venison golumbki day.......gotta use up the cabbage I picked


----------



## Warm_in_NH

Nice harvest BG. This year is a borderline bust for me on tomatoes.  Switched from my true and tried varieties that I know work in my less than ideal yard to some new to me heirlooms. First time ever I've had blight, all still very green, running out of time..

Cukes live their new mound and have done great and the peppers I thought were gonna be a bust (really late to take off) look like they're making up for the slow start and are finishing strong....

Now that I say this well have a hard freeze next week.....


----------



## begreen

Thanks. Hope it stays warm, the forecast say above normal temps for the next 6-10 days in the east. Peppers can produce late in the season as long as no freeze.


----------



## johnpma

Anyone grow potatoes?


----------



## begreen

Yes, we do every year.


----------



## johnpma

Any tricks? Info? want to give it a try in buckets i think


----------



## begreen

Potatoes will grow in containers if they are large enough. The plants can get big. Maybe look into potato bag gardening? Besides growing in beds I have also grown them inside a pair of used tires stacked up on each other. Start with decent soil + compost mix, a bit of fertilizer and top mulch heavily as they grow.


----------



## johnpma

Awesome!!


----------



## billb3

Picked the last of my peppers before the big freeze  a couple nights ago.
.
	

		
			
		

		
	



Moved 2 tomatillo plants like this one into an unheated greenhouse.


----------



## begreen

Decent! That's an impressive pepper yield. Ours are still hanging in there. Night time temps have kissed 49F, but are still mostly mid to low 50s.


----------



## Cynnergy

I am looking forward to participating in this thread this year!  

Last year I just grew buckwheat as a cover crop to get my new garden off to a good start.  Yesterday I dug over my raised beds.  The weather was sooo nice and my seaweed/cardboard winter cover was mostly gone.  But is it too soon?  I am hoping to start peas and spinach March 1 and I wanted to get the wood ash incorporated...


----------



## begreen

It's early, but we may get an early spring. Hint, start your seeds now indoors and transplant.


----------



## mass_burner

I'm looking for a soring , cold crop this year that deer don't like. I like spinach, asparagus, potatoes. 

Any other suggestions?


----------



## johneh

Asparagus Deer love this when it is young
you know just as it is ready to harvest in the spring
It has become a game around here to see who gets to it first.
Spinach they will eat any time they can get it


----------



## Cynnergy

It sure feels like spring out there!  14C when I was in Nanaimo for a meeting on Tuesday.  Back to rain today though.


----------



## Cynnergy

mass_burner said:


> I'm looking for a soring , cold crop this year that deer don't like. I like spinach, asparagus, potatoes.
> 
> Any other suggestions?



Onions/garlic?  Winter squash?  I have a deer fence but I've heard deer don't like smelly things.  I'm planning on putting some woody herbs (Rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc) outside of the fence to try those.  My mother grows squash and potatoes outside of fenced areas ok.  She puts sticks in the general area, and covers new plants to keep the deer from damaging crops by trampling.


----------



## mass_burner

I'm also trying to plant crops we like that are expensive at the store. I'm thinking those fingerling  fancy potatoes.


----------



## Lake Girl

mass_burner said:


> I'm also trying to plant crops we like that are expensive at the store. I'm thinking those fingerling  fancy potatoes.


You mean those potatoes that used to get left in the garden because they were too small and immature??  Amazing how oddities become trendy...  We buy them too since they purportedly contain less starch and are acceptable for a paleo diet.


----------



## mass_burner

Lake Girl said:


> You mean those potatoes that used to get left in the garden because they were too small and immature??  Amazing how oddities become trendy...  We buy them too since they purportedly contain less starch and are acceptable for a paleo diet.


Yea, those. The come in different colors too.


----------



## Lake Girl

mass_burner said:


> Yea, those. The come in different colors too.


Red and yellow from what I've seen in this area...


----------



## johnpma

Help me grow potatoes......want to try


----------



## Cynnergy

My purchases yesterday - hazelnuts (theta & Jefferson) and blueberries (patriot & blue crop).  I also bought two dwarf cherries (Stella & Royal Ann) and a dwarf Italian prune plum which are bare root - the nursery is keeping them for me until I have the holes prepped this weekend.  Super excited!


----------



## mass_burner

Cynnergy said:


> View attachment 176058
> 
> 
> My purchases yesterday - hazelnuts (theta & Jefferson) and blueberries (patriot & blue crop).  I also bought two dwarf cherries (Stella & Royal Ann) and a dwarf Italian prune plum which are bare root - the nursery is keeping them for me until I have the holes prepped this weekend.  Super excited!


Hope you have a dog out there for the squirrels.


----------



## Cynnergy

We only have the tiny Douglas squirrel https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_squirrel and his cache (currently doug fir cones) is right next to my compost bin, so maybe he can harvest for me [emoji16].  

However, the deer, crows, Ravens and stellar's Jays are a bit more of a worry.  Everything will be going in fruit cages (hence all of the dwarf rootstock).  I am planning on fan training the cherries inside of the garden fence to keep them small enough to cage (and make harvesting easier).  Not sure what to do about the plum - I might net it eventually if birds are too much of a problem.  I'll give it deer protection while establishing.

The eventual plan is to plant a native hedge of crabapple, wild gooseberry, elder, hawthorn, etc outside the garden for a windbreak, and the critters can have their fill of that .  

No defence against bears, but we very rarely have black bears around here.  No Grizzlies thankfully.


----------



## Huntindog1

johnpma said:


> Help me grow potatoes......want to try



Are you wanting advice or actual physical help planting. LOL

Potatoes arent too bad to grow. Deep trenches to plant them in , you can throw some straw in the bottom of the trench before planting the potatoes.
Trench is like at least 6" deep. Cut your seed potatoes in pieces so that your a 2 or 3 eyes on each piece, eyes are  those little sprouts on the sides of the potatoes. Cover them up and as they grow hill dirt around them.


----------



## Old puffer

begreen said:


> Yes, just a little
> 
> View attachment 133888



What do you use as a floor mat there?


----------



## begreen

Old puffer said:


> What do you use as a floor mat there?


Commercial landscaping fabric.


----------



## Old puffer

begreen said:


> Commercial landscaping fabric.


Yours looks like it is heavier.  I used and the light still got through enough to germinate weeds underneath.  You have a brand name?


----------



## begreen

Sorry I don't have the brand, that was put in several years ago by a local nursery for us when we were having some landscape work done. 
It comes in various weights. Here's some similar (if not the same) products. 
4.1 oz. https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/weed-barrier-20-year/long-life-black-ground-cover-fabric
3.2 oz. http://www.amazon.com/Agfabric-Ground-Cover-3-2ounce-Barrier/dp/B00ZU253L4/ref=sr_1_12


----------



## Old puffer

begreen said:


> Sorry I don't have the brand, that was put in several years ago by a local nursery for us when we were having some landscape work done.
> It comes in various weights. Here's some similar (if not the same) products.
> 4.1 oz. https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/weed-barrier-20-year/long-life-black-ground-cover-fabric
> 3.2 oz. http://www.amazon.com/Agfabric-Ground-Cover-3-2ounce-Barrier/dp/B00ZU253L4/ref=sr_1_12


Thanks, used Lowes brand and it was thin and the weeds grew and pushed it up.  Need the heavier stuff.


----------



## mass_burner

OK, almost 4/1 now. I have tomatoes/chili plants starting inside as seedlings, about 4" now. 

Plots are ready. Is it too late for asparagus/peas?


----------



## billb3

I don't think you are supposed to harvest asparagus the first year you plant it anyway.
 Worst that happens with peas is it gets too hot too soon and you have a variety that can't take the heat. So plant a crop 15July with any leftover or saved seed and try again in the Fall.
I've had pretty good luck with peas not wilting in the heat so I say go for it.


----------



## begreen

That's correct. It's not too late to plant peas and asparagus, but only the peas will give a crop this year. Even next year the asparagus crop may be thin. It takes time to establish and develop strong plants. Put them in good, enriched soil with plenty of sun. Leave any stalks that are thinner than a pencil and let them grow into full plants.


----------



## mass_burner

What about corn, thinking of putiin up a few stalks, any opinions on types, etc?


----------



## begreen

We've been growing Sugar Buns for several years. It matures pretty quickly. We get a good crop for a small space. The corn keeps well and has great flavor.


----------



## mass_burner

begreen said:


> We've been growing Sugar Buns for several years. It matures pretty quickly. We get a good crop for a small space. The corn keeps well and has great flavor.


Thanks, do squirrels/deer like them too?


----------



## begreen

We have a full deer fence around that part of the yard. The main varmint to watch for are raccoons. I put a separate fence around the corn bed. This can be  a portable electric fence or more deer fence. We've used both successfully.


----------



## Sprinter

mass_burner said:


> I like spinach, asparagus, potatoes.


I like all of those too, but we can't grow spinach.  It bolts too soon.  I've heard that it's a common problem.  Any suggestions for doing it right?  I'm wondering if it's a zone/climate thing.


----------



## billb3

I've tried spinach and it would bolt on me and get rather bitter also. For what it costs to buy  and the space it takes I'm not putting a lot of effort into row covers and hoop tunnels. Swiss chard I have better luck with but haven't grown any in a while as no one likes it but me.
The peas I planted on 9March have all poked above ground.
I put onions in at the same time and might put a row cover on them for this cold weather that's coming Sunday as they are all sending shoots up too.


----------



## Sprinter

billb3 said:


> Swiss chard I have better luck with


Fortunately, we like chard too.  In fact, I just had some for lunch.  

My wife is actually the gardener.  She has a bunch of seedlings starting in one of those $20 greenhouse things indoors near a south window.  It works quite well.  She also has one out on the front porch.  Like these: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bond-Man...x-2-ft-2-in-x-1-ft-Greenhouse-63516/204755513


----------



## begreen

billb3 said:


> I've tried spinach and it would bolt on me and get rather bitter also. For what it costs to buy  and the space it takes I'm not putting a lot of effort into row covers and hoop tunnels. Swiss chard I have better luck with but haven't grown any in a while as no one likes it but me.
> The peas I planted on 9March have all poked above ground.
> I put onions in at the same time and might put a row cover on them for this cold weather that's coming Sunday as they are all sending shoots up too.


There are a few tricks for spinach. Plant it early and harvest it before temps get too high. Or plant it in August as a fall crop. You can also use a row cover that is wide open on the ends to shade it. And there are varieties that are more bolt resistant. Last summer was particularly hot and dry out west and the OSU testers reported Correnta and Spinner spinach did not bolt.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/466
You could also try swiss chard which cooks down somewhat like a cross between spinach and beet greens.


----------



## Sprinter

Thanks for the spinach link.  We'll look into it and your suggestions.  Swiss chard is good, and we grow a lot of it.  I've found that beet greens are a pretty good green, too. Although I don't like the beets.  But I really like spinach.  I am what I am and all that.


----------



## mass_burner

3-4" snow today, sure glad I didn't plant anything yet.


----------



## billb3

snow is usually OK as long as nothing breaks from the weight. It can even serve as an insulator from cell busting cold.


----------



## Cynnergy

My tomatoes are germinating!  Yay!  Also planted the fig tree last weekend.  All of my other perennials previously mentioned are in the ground and I managed to score some raspberries from my aunt too.  Peas are poking up and lots of other seeds are in the ground too.  I have been busy.

Fig tree with root restriction:



For one of my cherry trees, when I pruned it to start the fan-training, the centre of one of the branches and the central stem were both punky inside.  It looks super happy on the outside though - lots of big leaf buds.  Anyone know if this will be a future problem?  It was container grown and a little rootbound when I got it.


----------



## billb3

the box forces the roots down ?

I had to take all my seedlings out of the unheated greenhouse and put them under lights. It was getting too cold at night .


----------



## Cynnergy

The box keeps the roots and tree small and focussed on producing fruit rather than growing more tree.  Apparently.  I'll let you know.  I got that tip off of the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) website.  I figure our climate is a lot like the UK's, so their advice should be good here.  Haha all lots of fun!


----------



## Montanalocal

Just discovered this gardening thread and love it.  Background; growing in central Montana at 5000 ft elevation in zone 4.  90 day growing season, 2500 sq feet of in-ground gardening area, been gardening in MT for over 60 years.

Re; spinach.

I have let my spinach go to seed and volunteer for many years.  The dropped volunteer seed comes up in the fall and grows to about one inch popcorn style all over the garden before winter sets in.  It will go through anything, 30 below no problem.  Is bright green after the snow melts, and immediately takes off.  We have been eating this years spinach for several weeks now. 

The first picture is late summer bolted spinach.  Let go until completely dead and has mature seed ready to drop.  Till over the top to plant seed in fall.

The second is this years spinach in late April.  Do not dig up whole plant, pick individual bottom leaves from the ground up.


----------



## Sprinter

Thanks Montana!  I'll relay this to my executive chief gardener...  as I have with begreen's advice.  Nearly given up on it, but we'll keep trying.


----------



## Montanalocal

A further word about spinach.

We have a favorite way to consume large amounts of spinach during its productive season, when we can literally harvest shopping bags of leaves at a time.  We do that by letting the leaves and plants get large, each leaf being the size of your hand.  To do this, we need to thin our plants aggressively, giving them a lot of space, and harvesting the largest bottom leaves progressively.  Those little baby leaves you find in stores do not have the good flavor of the larger leaves.

This spinach salad recipe is yummy.  Cooked or boiled spinach?  Yuck!


Wilted Spinach Salad

Large bowl of fresh spinach, torn into bite sized pieces.
1/2 cup cut up green onions
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Brown bacon in sauce pan.  Remove and crumble.  Remove about half bacon fat.
Into the sauce pan with remaining fat add water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
Bring to simmer, stirring to dissolve suger.
Sprinkle onions and bacon bits over the fresh spinach, then pour hot vinegar mixture over spinach, and toss immediately to coat.
Consume immediately while warm.


----------



## Cynnergy

Mmmm bacon...


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## Cynnergy

That's neat you get spinach volunteers.  I'm not sure I have enough room for all of that spinach!


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## begreen

I would add some garlic to the recipe, sauteed in the saucepan before adding the other ingredients.


----------



## Cynnergy

My latest update: peas, lettuce, beets, spinach, etc all doing well.  My pak choi got eaten by wood bugs though (twice!).  Who would've thought?  I replaced them with some donated walla walla onions from a friend.

I expanded my irrigation system on the weekend - my cranberries were turning a bit crispy.  Fingers crossed they pull through with irrigation.  It is like summer here already!  So dry






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----------



## Sprinter

Cynnergy said:


> I replaced them with some donated walla walla onions from a friend.


Don't get me started on Walla Walla sweets.  When we lived in Richland, we would stock up there all the time on business trips.  And other stuff.  It's really a true garden spot. Accept no substitutes.


----------



## Sprinter

begreen said:


> I would add some garlic to the recipe, sauteed in the saucepan before adding the other ingredients.


Geez, you guys.  I think I'm hungry again already.


----------



## BrotherBart

Nothing about meat and potatoes. I am out of this one. Leafy things that aren't firewood are evil.

Sent from my refrigerator using Tapatalk.


----------



## Cynnergy

BrotherBart said:


> Nothing about meat and potatoes. I am out of this one. Leafy things that aren't firewood are evil.
> 
> Sent from my refrigerator using Tapatalk.



Didn't you see the bacon!?!?!

My sweet potatoes will be coming via mail order soon.  Is that close enough? [emoji16]


----------



## begreen

This is the first year that we are getting a great asparagus crop. It's been going on for a few weeks now and has really raised the bar for this veggie. They are sweet and tender, you can eat them raw.


----------



## Cynnergy

How long have you had them BG?  I planted crowns this year and have some very skinny asparagus shooting up that look like they'll blow over soon.  


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## begreen

It takes a few years for them to get established. This is the fourth year. Last year was the beginning of a nice harvest but this year has been much better. Leave the skinny ones alone. I stake around the perimeter of the bed when they appear and support them with string surrounding the bed.


----------



## Sprinter

BrotherBart said:


> Sent from my refrigerator using Tapatalk.


 toasters, refrigerators, smartphones,  I refuse to have any phone that's smarter than me.


----------



## Sprinter

begreen said:


> This is the first year that we are getting a great asparagus crop. It's been going on for a few weeks now and has really raised the bar for this veggie. They are sweet and tender, you can eat them raw.


I'm envious too.  It takes some patience for asparagras (sic).  That's another crop that Eastern Wa is famous for.  Hard to beat.


----------



## begreen

Sprinter said:


> toasters, refrigerators, smartphones,  I refuse to have any phone that's smarter than me.


At my age I'm happy to have a phone that has a better memory than I have.


----------



## Sprinter

begreen said:


> At my age I'm happy to have a phone that has a better memory than I have.


Sorry, what did you say?  And who are you again?


----------



## Dobish

i need to get the yard filled in before I can put the garden in. I should have it ready by next weekend. I missed our garden last year, since we didn't have time to grow much. This year i have 17 seedlings started at a friends green house (tomatoes, peppers, zuchinni, cukes, basil, eggplant, brussel sprouts), and i need to plant my spinach, lettuce, arugula, beets, carrots, chard, radishes and mixed greens.

Right now, this is the only thing growing in my garden.


----------



## billb3

Mostly tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse waiting for warmer nights.


----------



## Lake Girl

Dobish said:


> Right now, this is the only thing growing in my garden.



What kind of plant would you call that?


----------



## Seasoned Oak

Transplanting some apple mint and chocolate mint. Its great in Iced tea, just discovering uses for it ,it grows and spreads fast.


----------



## Sprinter

Seasoned Oak said:


> Transplanting some apple mint and chocolate mint. Its great in Iced tea, just discovering uses for it ,it grows and spreads fast.


I'm not familiar with the various mint varieties, but we have a mint here that spreads so fast, we can hardly control it. Keep an eye on it....


----------



## Cynnergy

Look up 'Mexican climbing mint' by Stuart McLean on the Vinyl Cafe.  It's on Spotify.  Long but hilarious!


----------



## Sprinter

Cynnergy said:


> Look up 'Mexican climbing mint' by Stuart McLean on the Vinyl Cafe.  It's on Spotify.  Long but hilarious!


Yup.  Very funny, especially if you've had to deal with invasive mint.  I'll have to listen to other Vinyl Cafe stuff I guess...


----------



## Lake Girl

Sprinter said:


> Yup.  Very funny, especially if you've had to deal with invasive mint.  I'll have to listen to other Vinyl Cafe stuff I guess...


I enjoy listening to the Vinyl Cafe too   You folks are so far ahead of of growing season-wise.  Strawberries are just peaking through now.  Frost danger still in effect.


----------



## Dobish

Sprinter said:


> I'm not familiar with the various mint varieties, but we have a mint here that spreads so fast, we can hardly control it. Keep an eye on it....


i am the only person I know that kills mint on a regular basis... and I love it!


----------



## begreen

Lake Girl said:


> I enjoy listening to the Vinyl Cafe too   You folks are so far ahead of of growing season-wise.  Strawberries are just peaking through now.  Frost danger still in effect.


Since April 1st things have been warm and dry. We started picking strawberries a few days ago.


----------



## Lake Girl

begreen said:


> Since April 1st things have been warm and dry. We started picking strawberries a few days ago.


  Rub it in ... we got light snow flurries today


----------



## begreen

No way, that's rude for May.


----------



## Sprinter

Not to rub it in or anything, but I swear the first few strawberries we picked last week were the sweetest ones I've tasted ever....

From the greenhouse.  The outside ones, not yet.


----------



## begreen

I haven't tried greenhouse strawberries. What variety are you growing?


----------



## Sprinter

begreen said:


> I haven't tried greenhouse strawberries. What variety are you growing?


All I can tell you is that they are a June-bearing variety.  We have June and Everbearing varieties outside in a raised bed, but the everbearing ones have been a lttle disappointing as far as size and flavor in the past.   I think we'll stick with Junes and preserve them.

The greenhouse definitely helped the early maturity this year.  I hope they continue to produce.  They actually came from runners from the outdoor plants.  The plants look better than the outside ones do.


----------



## begreen

We don't grow June bearing too much any more though Shucksums are wonderful. For everbearing we grow Tri-Stars and Albions. The Tri-Stars have smaller berries but great flavor. The Albions are big and beautiful.

That said, we have some heirloom Marshalls that we are trying out. They were the strawb of choice during the 30's to 50's.


----------



## Sprinter

We'll keep the Shucksums and Albions in mind.  The Tristars didn't do well last year, so were disappointing. 

As for heirloom varieties, I can only comment on roses.  I miss the fragrance of older roses.  They seem to have bred the traditional fragrance right out of them in favor of other characteristics.

Here are my June berries in the greenhouse.  I made a few beds out of cedar fence pickets from HD.  Easy but works nicely.  Single rows about 5'long.


----------



## Chimney Smoke

Cynnergy said:


> How long have you had them BG?  I planted crowns this year and have some very skinny asparagus shooting up that look like they'll blow over soon.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



I planted 24 crowns last year.  I had a decent amount of tiny sprouts last summer that were constantly being blown down by the wind.  So far this spring I've had some really nice finger thick sprouts come up but I've been able to exercise enough restraint to not pick them.  I'm planning on letting everything grow this year and harvesting next year.


----------



## begreen

To prevent the thin plants from blowing over I stake a temporary perimeter around the bed and run some string around it at multiple levels, like 18" and 36". That holds them up pretty well.


----------



## johnpma

Huntindog1 said:


> Are you wanting advice or actual physical help planting. LOL
> 
> Potatoes arent too bad to grow. Deep trenches to plant them in , you can throw some straw in the bottom of the trench before planting the potatoes.
> Trench is like at least 6" deep. Cut your seed potatoes in pieces so that your a 2 or 3 eyes on each piece, eyes are  those little sprouts on the sides of the potatoes. Cover them up and as they grow hill dirt around them.


Thank you sir I think I'm gonna take the trash barrel approach this year

Does anyone grow their tomatoes through plastic


----------



## Montanalocal

I transplant my tomatoes and all my hot weather crops into bottomless buckets.  I start with 4 gallon square buckets from pizza places, cut the entire bottom out of them and paint them black.  Then I transplant my tomatoes and other hot weather crops into them, and plant them into my garden.  They need much additional watering, but they grow fast, their roots grow down and into the garden soil, and I get a much greater yield.


----------



## EatenByLimestone

I just harvested a bunch of rhubarb and am cooking down a batch of marmalade.


----------



## billb3

I either had to put these tomatoes  in bigger pots or plant them.


----------



## johnpma

I tried the black plastic this year in an effort to beat this blight thing we have had the last few years


----------



## Dobish

We haven't gotten the veggies in yet, but I did get the flowers in finally!


----------



## begreen

johnpma said:


> I tried the black plastic this year in an effort to beat this blight thing we have had the last few years


Do you rotate crops so that the tomatoes don't go in ground that had tomatoes in them for the last 2-3yrs.?


----------



## Dobish

Finally got the wall built and the raised beds finished up. I had to build 2 more beds to fit the veggies i wanted to get in there.... picking up the compost in a day or two....


----------



## billb3

Dobish said:


> Finally got the wall built and the raised beds finished up. I had to build 2 more beds to fit the veggies i wanted to get in there.... picking up the compost in a day or two....
> View attachment 179125




Dog appears to be anxiously awaiting a driver.


----------



## begreen

billb3 said:


> Dog appears to be anxiously awaiting a driver.


Always! 
Kiddo appears to be anxiously awaiting a wading pool full of water.


----------



## Dobish

billb3 said:


> Dog appears to be anxiously awaiting a driver.



dog sat there all day, pretending he was going for a ride.... when he is in the fence, he barks at everything that walks by. when he is in the back of the truck, he's totally silent.


----------



## billb3

Dobish said:


> dog sat there all day, pretending he was going for a ride.... when he is in the fence, he barks at everything that walks by. when he is in the back of the truck, he's totally silent.



Yeah, dogs can be weird about fences. I've had my own snarl at me for standing on the  other side and reaching over. Short chain link fence so it wasn't visibility. It's some kind of "boundary" you just don't cross.


----------



## BrotherBart

billb3 said:


> Yeah, dogs can be weird about fences. I've had my own snarl at me for standing on the  other side and reaching over. Short chain link fence so it wasn't visibility. It's some kind of "boundary" you just don't cross.


----------



## Dobish

got the garden in.... now lets see what happens!


----------



## begreen

Nice progress. There should be something popping up soon. How much sun do the far beds closest to the tree get? If less than 6 hrs a day you might want to try cool crops there like lettuce, spinach, radishes, broccoli, etc..


----------



## Dobish

begreen said:


> Nice progress. There should be something popping up soon. How much sun do the far beds closest to the tree get? If less than 6 hrs a day you might want to try cool crops there like lettuce, spinach, radishes, broccoli, etc..



I should have switched them, but they get morning sun and then afternoon sun. I put the lettuces and spinaches in the first 2 beds, and will probbaly and up building a small shade. We have historically had our tomatoes grow to be 6-7' tall, so we* (the collective we.... i might add) didn't want to block the view of the yard and the patio that we are going to finish up one of these years....


----------



## begreen

That tree is looking like firewood to me.


----------



## Dobish

begreen said:


> That tree is looking like firewood to me.



there is a box elder in the background that is going to be firewood first.... the pine tree is pretty well established and i have not been given permission to make it go away... especially since it gives pretty nice shade to the back yard, and it is 60' tall or so.....  not to mention the other piles of firewood that I haven't gotten to or the 9 other 16" box elders out back that need to come down.....


----------



## jb6l6gc

My greenhouse (cold Frame) is getting outta hand


----------



## begreen

Looking good!


----------



## jb6l6gc

begreen said:


> Looking good!


Can't keep up eating spinach kale and lettuce fast enough lol. Trying to eat healthier not loosing any weight though...could be ther beer!


----------



## jb6l6gc

Had to build an overflow garden box in the back by the fire pit to put plants I get from my Neighbour. He works for agriculture Canada (federal govt) and brings me tons of plants every year!


----------



## Dobish

things are starting to sprout! I can't wait for fresh spinach and lettuce!


----------



## johnpma

begreen said:


> Do you rotate crops so that the tomatoes don't go in ground that had tomatoes in them for the last 2-3yrs.?


 Yes sir we certainly do. I should have tomato's in about two weeks which is very early for my area. The combination of good plants, and my technique really paid off this year

Picked lettuce, and kale already everything else looks healthy


----------



## Dobish

i need to put some more lettuce and spinach seed in. Some of it decided it wasn't going to come up. the stuff that did is coming up great!  i mixed up my cucumber and my squash plant, so we will see how that goes.... My radishes and beets are doing great, by basil is doing well, and my tomotoes no longer look like they are going to die. The peppers are loving the heat right now.... i am just starting to get a few flowers.


----------



## begreen

Sounds good. So nice when meals start coming out of the garden.


----------



## Lake Girl

Dobish said:


> Finally got the wall built and the raised beds finished up. I had to build 2 more beds to fit the veggies i wanted to get in there.... picking up the compost in a day or two....
> View attachment 179125


Dad, What do you mean it's not a sand box??


----------



## Lake Girl

BrotherBart said:


>



He just added to the obstacle course for the dog  Invisible fence and collar would be more effective!


----------



## begreen

Corn is now past knee-high and it's still not the 4th of July. Tomatoes are also going strong with several green tomatoes on the plants. 




Greenhouse is starting to look like a jungle as the cucumber takes over. We've harvested about 10 cukes already.


----------



## Dobish

i ate my first piece of lettuce yesterday...mmmmmmmm


----------



## begreen

Not quite ready for 4th of July, but it won't be long now.


----------



## mass_burner

I had some space in my plot so I planted cucs. No experience with them. Do they vine  like tomatoes? Any tips?


----------



## begreen

Our cukes do best when given a trellis for support that they can climb on. Make it sturdy. A healthy cucumber plant can have a half-dozen heavy cukes on it at one time or more.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables/growing-cucumbers-zm0z11zkon.aspx


----------



## billb3

mass_burner said:


> I had some space in my plot so I planted cucs. No experience with them. Do they vine  like tomatoes? Any tips?


Yeah, even "bush" cucumbers will grow tendrils to latch on with. You just shouldn't end up with 20 foot long vines like a non-bush type can. I tried some of that string cucumber netting  from HD last year and it worked OK at least with the pickling cucumbers I grew on it. Made the tiny cucumbers easier to find and pick at least once a day as they balloon and seed  quick. I prefer wire ( or wood) with large enough openings to get y0ur hands through and fruit are less likely to  get wedged/strangled in. Wire and wood generally needs to be put in place before you plant unless you are real careful. The string nets can be put up strategically afterwards with a bit of support and lashing.

I've grown slicing cucumbers on the ground  in a patch with the vines criss-crossing each other and that works OK too, it's just real easy to not find one until it turns into a monster. On the ground you need a second pair of eyes to find the ones the first set of eyes miss.


----------



## begreen

I have one running up a pole and over a trellis in the greenhouse. It is somewhere's past 12 ft now. Outdoors I made a 5ft tall,  24" square vertical tower out of 3/4" pvc pipe that gets wrapped with trellis mesh for them to climb up. I have also made simple A frames with mesh (could be chicken wire or deer fencing) and that worked ok.


----------



## billb3

one wood trellis made from, iirc, 5/4 cedar ripped to strips and then some concrete reinforcing wire on some A-frames. I have to pound rebar into the ground at the corners and lash the frames to the rebar or the wind tries to take them away when/if they get full of plant. I'm about 6 weeks behind schedule this year in part due to the late Spring cold and seed germination problems.


concrete wire cage for determinate tomato (celebrity ). They have to have a pole sunk in the ground to lash the cage to for the wind too.



The "tomato cages" in the blue tubs are good for peppers although I''ve had the wind blow those over too in September. Cucumbers in the blue tubs, we'll see how they do. I'll probably have to lash them to the tub somehow. Tomatillo in the black tubs.



They're coming along.




1/2 runner pinto beans . I may regret using that fence. I have a couple days to consider just using twine. First time growing dry beans. Kind of a waste of garden space considering how cheap they are in the store but your own are supposed to be  better. Cut back on winter squash this year so I'm trying dry beans.


----------



## begreen

Nicely done. I like the use of the reinforcement mesh for the cages. Not sure how tall the pinto beans will get, but we need to use 8' tall deer fence for the beans that we've grown and many years that's not tall enough! Fresh beans do taste better!


----------



## jconley23

This will be my reminder to post up tomorrow 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Dobish

got back from a couple of weeks out of town, and I got to have my first meal of salad from the garden!


----------



## johnpma

We have already picked kale, green beans, yellow beans, zucchini, and our first red tomato


----------



## mass_burner

My red potatoe plants are starting to yellow and fall over. Does this mean the potatoes are ready?


----------



## Dobish

mass_burner said:


> My red potatoe plants are starting to yellow and fall over. Does this mean the potatoes are ready?



I would say so.... when did you put them in?


----------



## begreen

Yes they are ready to harvest.  Potatoes can have a short season. Some of our potatoes have also yellowed. Will be harvesting them today probably.


----------



## billb3

mass_burner said:


> My red potatoe plants are starting to yellow and fall over. Does this mean the potatoes are ready?


They might get thicker skins if you wait until the plant is completely dead, some potatoes store better anyway. They are probably as big as they are going to get though.
My potatoes have set some seed.


which isn't supposedly terribly unusual
first time growing potatoes in tubs and haven't grown potatoes for a long, long time.

Had half of this cucumber for lunch:



tomatillo are starting to split husks:



I'm 4 to 6 weeks behind this year but have picked a few cherry tomatoes and pickling cucumbers.


----------



## mass_burner

Dobish said:


> I would say so.... when did you put them in?


Early may? I think.


----------



## mass_burner

This is 3 plants. Looks like I got them just in time.


----------



## begreen

Nice. As long as the potatoes are covered completely they keep pretty well in the ground.


----------



## mass_burner

Can I plant the seeds?


----------



## mass_burner

Speaking of ivy, I'm having the worst time trying to fill a small, 10x15 plot with ivy. It seems to want to climb up, not horizontal. It is spreading, but it's taking a long time. Any tricks to getting it to spread faster?


----------



## begreen

Have you applied any nitrogen fertilizer?


----------



## begreen

mass_burner said:


> Can I plant the seeds?


Yes, but you'll want to check to see if it is an heirloom variety. If they are from a hybrid the seeds will not produce the same resulting potato.
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/potato/true-potato-seed-growing.htm


----------



## billb3

Any gutter downspouts you can direct the discharge at it ?


----------



## mass_burner

begreen said:


> Have you applied any nitrogen fertilizer?


No, I'll look into it. Thanks.


----------



## mass_burner

Let's see some garden pics. I'm looking forward to some good hot home made salsa. I have 4 tomato varieties, 2 chili pepper varieties, cucs, spaghetti squash, cherry tomatoes, basil.


----------



## begreen

Onion harvesting today and I picked our first ears of corn. Yum.


----------



## mass_burner

begreen said:


> Onion harvesting today and I picked our first ears of corn. Yum.
> View attachment 182606


Neat, I love fresh onions.


----------



## mass_burner

How do I know when cucs are ready? I have heirloom, straight eight


----------



## Dobish

when they are about this big <_______________>


----------



## billb3

get a pair of micrometers and pick when 8 inches long ?
my rule for cucumbers is better to pick too small than too large as they get bitter 
defective ones I pick when the non-defective part is a good size.

some turn yellow when they start getting  bitter


I'm having good luck with national picklers and bush champion (slicers )
pickalots are wilting but I see no cucumber beetles or any other kind of bugs


----------



## begreen

24 ears of corn, our second picking of golden garden deliciousness.


----------



## Montanalocal

Well, my June bearing strawberry patch is done bearing, so I have just gone in and completely cut off all the leaves and runners as shown in the second picture.  I know that might seem drastic, but do some research, it has worked great for me for years.  By late fall you have a nice green crop of new leaves going into the winter, not the stunted discolored leaves that you have if you let the old ones grow all summer.  This is just for the June bearers of course.

The other thing I do is to religiously remove all runners at all times.  This way I do not get a solid root-bound patch, and do not need to periodically dig them up and replace them.  I have had these original mother plants for seven or eight years, and they bear fantastically, I get at least a gallon every other day during the 3-4 week bearing season.  Great for processing.  The only thing I would have done different is to widen the rows.  I put the original mother plants in on rows two feet apart.  I would use 3 feet apart if doing it over.


----------



## begreen

Good info. Are the leaves in the second picture cut off and just sitting on top like a mulch or are they still attached to the plant and growing.  What variety are these berries?


----------



## Dobish

i need to find a spot for strawberries and blackberries.... 

i have been really disappointed with my cucumbers this year, I have only gotten a couple. my patty pan squash is out of control, i got one the size of my head the other day. 

its about time to make a pesto batch, since my basil needs to get cut back. I did get my first red thai hot pepper the other day, the heat has been good to those!


----------



## begreen

Wish you lived closer. We must be over 40 cucumbers this year and have been giving them away frequently.


----------



## Montanalocal

The leaves of the strawberries in the second picture are cut off and lying in the path between the rows.  The light green crowns of the plants can be seen between the rows of cut-off leaves.  The variety is Sparkle.


----------



## begreen

Thanks, that makes sense. Sparkles are very tasty. I had them many years ago back east.


----------



## mass_burner

begreen said:


> Thanks, that makes sense. Sparkles are very tasty. I had them many years ago back east.


So, I've got most of an 8x5 bed open. I'm stumped as what to plant with the days left.


----------



## Dobish

mass_burner said:


> So, I've got most of an 8x5 bed open. I'm stumped as what to plant with the days left.


you could do spinach, lettuce, kale and beets?


----------



## Montanalocal

Radishes and turnips?  Turnips are always my first root crop to harvest, best when quite small, and can take a pretty good frost.  They make great cole slaw.


----------



## begreen

I have carrots, lettuce, rutabagas, broccoli and beets recently started. Will be planting fall spinach and radishes very soon.


----------



## mass_burner

begreen said:


> I have carrots, lettuce, rutabagas, broccoli and beets recently started. Will be planting fall spinach and radishes very soon.


I'm thinking carrots, beets. Do squirrels/rabbits/chipmunks bother them?


----------



## begreen

Carrot and beet greens are quite edible. Rabbits love them.


----------



## Dobish

begreen said:


> Carrot and beet greens are quite edible. Rabbits love them.


i love them... i use radish tops, beet tops, and squash blossoms all the time... mmmmmm.


----------



## billb3

1 tub of potatoes, I think it was  3 "plants".


not all that impressed. Chard going in the tub for Fall.


----------



## billb3

finally got the last row and a half of onions pulled
It's so dry here I was able to put it off and just leave them in the ground to dry up, but I wanted to get some last minute peas and some more carrots in as something has gotten in and eaten all my carrot tops off. Repeatedly. I don't have many carrots. Beyond the carrots between the boards is some yellow zucchini and summer squash that's doing fairly well.
--------------------------------------------------
zucchini on the right, summer squash on the left :



31 squash plants, so I've been able to donate  about 25 pounds a week to a local food pantry. It's not much but it's not nothing.
Of course, mom, my two sisters and a niece and her two boys get some and string beans too.


----------



## begreen

Birds may be picking off the carrot tops. Try making an arched tunnel out of chicken wire or hardware cloth to protect them.


----------



## mass_burner

begreen said:


> Birds may be picking off the carrot tops. Try making an arched tunnel out of chicken wire or hardware cloth to protect them.


Ah, the age old battle between man/hungry animals. I'll bet on the hungry animals.


----------



## johnpma

Anyone know about apple trees? Planted a dozen saplings in the spring two of the twelve trees look like this


----------



## mass_burner

What's up with my tomatoes? Since the last harvest, no tomatoes are maturing. I got plenty of green, but they're not ripening. It's been warm/sunny lately.


----------



## mass_burner

Also, can pot my Cayenne pepper plant and bring it inside?


----------



## billb3

I think of all the reasons the expert tomato growers tout for not ripening tomatoes, this time of year it is the cool nights and short days.

Pepper plants are tropical ( or semi-tropical ) perennials so they can be dug up and potted if you get enough roots. It might be good to prune back the plant to match how much root gets pruned digging it up. Some pepper growers prune their peppers in early summer/spring to force more branches for more peppers. I've never tried it and some greenhouse growers prune the  pepper way back for Winter dormancy and  get a huge crop early the next year if the plant over-winters well.
I have a habenero and a jalapeno in 2 cubic yard pots to go in the greenhouse when it gets cold and maybe come inside when it gets too cold.

They won't like the short northern days but might make it.


----------



## mass_burner

billb3 said:


> I think of all the reasons the expert tomato growers tout for not ripening tomatoes, this time of year it is the cool nights and short days.
> 
> Pepper plants are tropical ( or semi-tropical ) perennials so they can be dug up and potted if you get enough roots. It might be good to prune back the plant to match how much root gets pruned digging it up. Some pepper growers prune their peppers in early summer/spring to force more branches for more peppers. I've never tried it and some greenhouse growers prune the  pepper way back for Winter dormancy and  get a huge crop early the next year if the plant over-winters well.
> I have a habenero and a jalapeno in 2 cubic yard pots to go in the greenhouse when it gets cold and maybe come inside when it gets too cold.
> 
> They won't like the short northern days but might make it.


Thanks, if I bring in the pepper in, will it continue to produce fruit?


----------



## billb3

mass_burner said:


> Thanks, if I bring in the pepper in, will it continue to produce fruit?



 If it doesn't drop the current flowers that were bee pollinated those might finish growing/ripening but the plant will likely go dormant despite any transplant shock.
But hey, some people get lemons to grow lemons up here so who knows ?!


----------



## mass_burner

I have a dwarf lemon plant that grows delicious lemons December thru April/may. 

I'll try one pepper plant, see what happens.


----------



## Montanalocal

Two inches if snow today, and temps in the teens tonight.  Time to take in my Brussels Sprouts.  They are one of my favorite plants to grow.

In the second picture, you can see how I top the growing point during the last two weeks of August.  This stops the upward growth, and directs the growth into the sprouts, so that they get bigger.

What I am doing now is digging them out and repotting them into two gallon pots and putting them in my garage so they will not freeze hard.  Notice I break all the leaves off.  They will stay nice and fresh on the stalk most of the winter and we can come out and cut off as many as we need throughout the winter.


----------



## begreen

Great tip, thanks. I didn't know that. Your sprouts look awesome.


----------



## mass_burner

I have a load of green tomatoes and a hard frost is coming soon. What should I do?


----------



## begreen

mass_burner said:


> I have a load of green tomatoes and a hard frost is coming soon. What should I do?


Bring them indoors and put them on a sunny shelf. Or dig out fried green tomato recipes.


----------



## Montanalocal

For large amounts I used to put them in layers in cardboard boxes with newspapers between layers.  This worked OK, but after thinking the process through, I changed my procedure.  What you want to do with large amounts of tomatoes is to keep in and confine the ethylene gas given off, as this helps ripening.

Well, cardboard and newspaper are permeable to air movement.  So what I do now is to put them in plastic containers such as plastic buckets and tubs.  Then I loosely lay a plastic shopping bag over the top.  I find they ripen faster this way.  You have to go through and sort every 5 or 6 days.


----------



## Dobish

mass_burner said:


> I have a load of green tomatoes and a hard frost is coming soon. What should I do?



pull up the whole plant, and hang it upside down. some people pull off the leaves, but I never do. They ripen up and stay nice and fresh, and you don't forget about them like you do in a bag!


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## mass_burner

Dobish said:


> pull up the whole plant, and hang it upside down. some people pull off the leaves, but I never do. They ripen up and stay nice and fresh, and you don't forget about them like you do in a bag!


That sounds easy, where do you hang the plant?


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## mass_burner

Looking ahead...next week will be in mid 60's, into mid/hi 70's. If the tomatoes make it tonight, would it be better to leave them through next week?


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## Dobish

mass_burner said:


> That sounds easy, where do you hang the plant?


On a nail in the garage, or a grate inside


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## begreen

mass_burner said:


> Looking ahead...next week will be in mid 60's, into mid/hi 70's. If the tomatoes make it tonight, would it be better to leave them through next week?


I'd leave them out as long as night time temps will be above 40F.


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## firefighterjake

I don't garden, but the other day I did a favor for one of my Amish neighbors when I hauled some chicken feed from his farm to another family's farm. The other family offered to pay me something for my time and gas, but as usual I declined as I was just doing the neighborly thing. They did insist on me taking some sweet potatoes though . . . with a standing offer to come by for some more.

I was pretty much amused by the size of these things . . . and the fact that they grow here in Maine as I've never seen anyone locally grow sweet potatoes for whatever reason.

Incidentally, these are normal sized dinner plates -- not tea cup saucers or anything like that.


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## Montanalocal

Any chance you could get some info on what variety of sweet potatoes those were?


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## begreen

Impressive, they look great.


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## firefighterjake

Montanalocal said:


> Any chance you could get some info on what variety of sweet potatoes those were?



I'll try to ask next time I see him. I do know they tasted just as good as the store-bought sweet potatoes . . . softened them up a bit in the microwave and then sliced them thin and fried them up in canola oil for a "healthy" side dish . . . well healthier . . . well marginally healthy.


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## begreen

They bake very nicely too.


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