What's Growing in the Garden

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Well, we can’t complain about not having any rain anymore… I’ve lost track but it’s over 10 inches this month, and showing no signs of stopping through the end of May. I can’t walk in the gardens to pick what’s ripe without rubber boots turning into 30# weights on my feet…

I did pick up a small bit of information the other day though that I thought i’d pass along. I was complaining (again?) about corn worms and a lady told me to put a drop of olive oil on the silk as soon as it appears and the worms won’t get in there. Not sure how that works because they usually drill a hole in the top side of the ear to get in there, but I’m sure going to give it a try.

But, we don’t complain about the rain, just the mud...

Alan

 

[Wildthings]

Well, we can’t complain about not having any rain anymore… I’ve lost track but it’s over 10 inches this month, and showing no signs of stopping through the end of May. I can’t walk in the gardens to pick what’s ripe without rubber boots turning into 30# weights on my feet…

I did pick up a small bit of information the other day though that I thought i’d pass along. I was complaining (again?) about corn worms and a lady told me to put a drop of olive oil on the silk as soon as it appears and the worms won’t get in there. Not sure how that works because they usually drill a hole in the top side of the ear to get in there, but I’m sure going to give it a try.

But, we don’t complain about the rain, just the mud...

Alan

yeppers 5 1/2" in 2 days here with more to come. Super El Nino

 

[djg]

First year for using saved seeds and it's been wet lately so it's been perfect germination conditions for my latest replant. Interestingly the saved seeds of blue lake pole beans came up better than the ones I bought last year (right side of the middle panel. And I finally have a good stand of alderman peas too (right panel). Can't wait to try them. Filled in the bare spots with more seed on all beans/peas and planted a row each of black beans and black eyed peas.



And I'm trying Italian pole beans from seeds a guy gave me last year. Didn't do too well last year, but a good stand this year.



My sugar snap peas and alderman too are being attacked by something. They have holes in there leaves. Any idea on what I can use on them? My Mom use to use Diazonon on her roses when holes appeared and I use it too on her roses that I transplanted. Would Diazonon work for vegetables? If not I guess I back to using carbaryl.

 

[trc65]

First year for using saved seeds and it's been wet lately so it's been perfect germination conditions for my latest replant. Interestingly the saved seeds of blue lake pole beans came up better than the ones I bought last year (right side of the middle panel. And I finally have a good stand of alderman peas too (right panel). Can't wait to try them. Filled in the bare spots with more seed on all beans/peas and planted a row each of black beans and black eyed peas.

View attachment 288915

And I'm trying Italian pole beans from seeds a guy gave me last year. Didn't do too well last year, but a good stand this year.

View attachment 288916

My sugar snap peas and alderman too are being attacked by something. They have holes in there leaves. Any idea on what I can use on them? My Mom use to use Diazonon on her roses when holes appeared and I use it too on her roses that I transplanted. Would Diazonon work for vegetables? If not I guess I back to using carbaryl.

Diazinon will work if you still have some around. Registration for home use was cancelled 20 years ago. Still legal to use up product you have though. I've still got a few pounds left.

Carbaryl (Sevin) will work also, as will and if the off the shelf synthetic pyrethroids. Permethrin, bifenthrin, zeta cypermethrin, etc.

Could be flea beetles that are feeding. If you look closely without disturbing plants, they look like tiny, black pieces of soil, but will hop away when disturbed.

I haven't put any beans out yet, too cold at night last week, then we got over an inch of rain. Will get them planted as soon as I get a chance to till.

 

[trc65]

Still feels kind of wrong to be cutting all these raspberries out, but I know I'll have a better harvest. Think I'm close to the density I want so probably won't be pruning any more stems, but once they get another foot or so tall, plan on stripping leaves from the bottom 12-16" to allow airflow from the bottom.

 

[trc65]

Forget to look on the north side of the house, but today noticed I've got a great crop of Jack in the Pulpit growing.

 

[sprucegum]

 

[djg]

View attachment 289072View attachment 289073View attachment 289074

What's the row crop you have there? Not your alderman peas? My hoe was to put my garlic and strawberries in raised beds I made (totes) but they got so weedy, I just put them in the garden. Easier to clean up the area with a tiller.

Your garden is too clean! Where's the weeds? You got to have some...... I could send you some of mine lol. Usually I grow a fine crop of weeds every year, but this year I've seemed to keep ahead of them. Fingers crossed.

 

[sprucegum]

Peas but I didn't plant Alderman this year, progress #9 and a snap pea hybrid.. After a long losing battle with crab grass I have purchased a bag of preen garden weed preventer, too early to tell how effective it is . It's just lately gotten warm enough for the crab grass to start sprouting.

 

[Mike Hill]

Forget to look on the north side of the house, but today noticed I've got a great crop of Jack in the Pulpit growing.

View attachment 288924

I am actually happy to have discovered two volunteer Jack in the Pulpits. Just be glad they ain't one of the Chinese Kind. A few years ago, was admiring some collections of Jack in the Pulpits and decided it would be fun to grow a collection. Started with a chinese dragon kind I got off internet (I think). Man, I've been fighting them ever since. They are everywhere - don't really know how, but the seeds look like ant eggs, maybe ants carry them around. They form a corm 2" or so below the ground. If you pull, unless you have very friable and moist soil, the vegetation pulls off the corm, the corm stays in the ground to multiply and grow again. You have to dig them up and put in trash, not the compost pile (don't ask how I know). Even if you dig, sorta like wild onions, there are oftentimes some small tiny corm or two that is left and you have to dig again in a couple of weeks. I've grown to hate them! This year, every one I see, I'm gonna stop and dig them up until I eradicate them. Been digging them a couple of years and even this year have dug up almost two 5-gallon bucket fulls. Hopefully, they aren't like mimosa. This weekend pulled up a couple of mimosa volunteers even though I cut the tree down 40 years ago. There ain't another around anywhere close.

 

[Mike1950]

Deer, when I moved here, they were afraid of humans. 2 tree huggers fed them. Grrr. They have killed a half dozen trees. Eat anything. Before I fenced backyard we could grow nothing. What they did not liked they pulled up. I have once hit one on other side of fence with shovel. No love tap, full swing. Eating what I planted that morning. 1 hop is all I got. Twice hit with hatchet. 1 hop. Slingshot with marble, nothing, bottle rocket the same.
If I could use lead I would not hesitate. I know what to do with body. Eat it. They are vermin. I think 2 mile stretch last year on highway a mile below us 25 dead during rut. Does not even dent population. In bad deep snow people find them dead in trees. Call police to report the vandalism. Moronic tree buggers do not know what giant cat tracks are. You cannot fix stupid....

 

[sprucegum]

Deer, when I moved here, they were afraid of humans. 2 tree huggers fed them. Grrr. They have killed a half dozen trees. Eat anything. Before I fenced backyard we could grow nothing. What they did not liked they pulled up. I have once hit one on other side of fence with shovel. No love tap, full swing. Eating what I planted that morning. 1 hop is all I got. Twice hit with hatchet. 1 hop. Slingshot with marble, nothing, bottle rocket the same.
If I could use lead I would not hesitate. I know what to do with body. Eat it. They are vermin. I think 2 mile stretch last year on highway a mile below us 25 dead during rut. Does not even dent population. In bad deep snow people find them dead in trees. Call police to report the vandalism. Moronic tree buggers do not know what giant cat tracks are. You cannot fix stupid....

People sure do think differently about wildlife than they did 50 years ago. Many more hunters and trappers back then, I knew quite a few non hunters but most of them wouldn't turn down fresh venison. We even have a few morons feeding black bear.
.

 

[Mike1950]

People sure do think differently about wildlife than they did 50 years ago. Many more hunters and trappers back then, I knew quite a few non hunters but most of them wouldn't turn down fresh venison. We even have a few morons feeding black bear.
.

We do also.

 

[trc65]

I am actually happy to have discovered two volunteer Jack in the Pulpits. Just be glad they ain't one of the Chinese Kind. A few years ago, was admiring some collections of Jack in the Pulpits and decided it would be fun to grow a collection. Started with a chinese dragon kind I got off internet (I think). Man, I've been fighting them ever since. They are everywhere - don't really know how, but the seeds look like ant eggs, maybe ants carry them around. They form a corm 2" or so below the ground. If you pull, unless you have very friable and moist soil, the vegetation pulls off the corm, the corm stays in the ground to multiply and grow again. You have to dig them up and put in trash, not the compost pile (don't ask how I know). Even if you dig, sorta like wild onions, there are oftentimes some small tiny corm or two that is left and you have to dig again in a couple of weeks. I've grown to hate them! This year, every one I see, I'm gonna stop and dig them up until I eradicate them. Been digging them a couple of years and even this year have dug up almost two 5-gallon bucket fulls. Hopefully, they aren't like mimosa. This weekend pulled up a couple of mimosa volunteers even though I cut the tree down 40 years ago. There ain't another around anywhere close.

I dug a couple from the timber about 15 years ago so Dad could see some of the natives when he could no longer go for a walk. Also have a small patch of trillium, mayapple and bluebells.

Haven't done anything to help them along, just ignore them. Other than the original couple of plants, the rest have volunteered from seed.

 

[trc65]

Deer, when I moved here, they were afraid of humans. 2 tree huggers fed them. Grrr. They have killed a half dozen trees. Eat anything. Before I fenced backyard we could grow nothing. What they did not liked they pulled up. I have once hit one on other side of fence with shovel. No love tap, full swing. Eating what I planted that morning. 1 hop is all I got. Twice hit with hatchet. 1 hop. Slingshot with marble, nothing, bottle rocket the same.
If I could use lead I would not hesitate. I know what to do with body. Eat it. They are vermin. I think 2 mile stretch last year on highway a mile below us 25 dead during rut. Does not even dent population. In bad deep snow people find them dead in trees. Call police to report the vandalism. Moronic tree buggers do not know what giant cat tracks are. You cannot fix stupid....

50 years ago when we moved to this place, you were lucky if you saw a deer once or twice a year. You could grab a shotgun and go shoot a few quail just walking the pasture and waterways. Occasionally, you would see some pheasant and fox were plentiful. As a kid, I had never seen or heard a coyote. Every farmer had cattle/pigs and all fields were fenced.

Now, there are a few around us who still have cattle and fences, but not many. Waterways and fences aren't as plentiful. Fox can fit through woven wire farm fence, coyotes can not.

Do away with fences and coyotes roam more freely. Do away with grassy fence lines, waterways and hay fields and quail/pheasant disappear. Fewer fences and fewer nesting sites combined with high coyote populations and game birds are gone. Get rid of grazing cattle and deer have huge feed sources from all the rough/pasture land that is left fallow. Fewer hunters, and those that do have bought up a potion of the former pasture to create huge (and expensive) food plots to feed (hopefully) trophy bucks. None of them would be caught dead shooting a doe for meat unless necessary to get another buck tag.

Larger farms means that instead of 4-5 families per section living and farming the land you now have one family living for every 4-5 sections. Except, for those areas where "city folk" have decide to move to the country and like seeing the deer, feed them, and would never consider harvesting them.

I could go on and on, but things change, for good or bad.......

 

[Mike1950]

50 years ago when we moved to this place, you were lucky if you saw a deer once or twice a year. You could grab a shotgun and go shoot a few quail just walking the pasture and waterways. Occasionally, you would see some pheasant and fox were plentiful. As a kid, I had never seen or heard a coyote. Every farmer had cattle/pigs and all fields were fenced.

Now, there are a few around us who still have cattle and fences, but not many. Waterways and fences aren't as plentiful. Fox can fit through woven wire farm fence, coyotes can not.

Do away with fences and coyotes roam more freely. Do away with grassy fence lines, waterways and hay fields and quail/pheasant disappear. Fewer fences and fewer nesting sites combined with high coyote populations and game birds are gone. Get rid of grazing cattle and deer have huge feed sources from all the rough/pasture land that is left fallow. Fewer hunters, and those that do have bought up a potion of the former pasture to create huge (and expensive) food plots to feed (hopefully) trophy bucks. None of them would be caught dead shooting a doe for meat unless necessary to get another buck tag.

Larger farms means that instead of 4-5 families per section living and farming the land you now have one family living for every 4-5 sections. Except, for those areas where "city folk" have decide to move to the country and like seeing the deer, feed them, and would never consider harvesting them.

I could go on and on, but things change, for good or bad.......

I am in area at base of iller creek wildlife area. Spokane valley. Mostly 1 acre lots a few with more acres. Never seen a for in neighborhood. But deer elk coyotes moose cougars and I assume bobcats. Coyotes like the city. Slow food. It has gotten worse. Lots of quail. As some said, hunters are getting rarer. North on our property used to have in abundance, now see more and cougars than elk. But the predators are cute and huggable so they get protection. I have a picture of at my trailer and all pics I have are within 150 ft of trailer. Same with cougar. Crazy

 

[trc65]

I'm thankful we don't have any of the larger predators around here. We do have an increasing population of bobcats, but I've not seen one. We loose a barn cat or two every year to coyotes, but for the most part, the cats are smart enough to stay out of their way. If the windows are open, I can hear coyotes nearly every night.

 

[sprucegum]

None of them would be caught dead shooting a doe for meat unless necessary to get another buck tag.

I love those guys, they leave all of the doe for me. Doe, small buck and big buck all full the freezer. With ground beef crowding $10 those little deer are budget friendly. I am usually able to get from 40-60 pounds of boneless venison from a small deer.

 

[Mike Hill]

I'm thankful we don't have any of the larger predators around here. We do have an increasing population of bobcats, but I've not seen one. We loose a barn cat or two every year to coyotes, but for the most part, the cats are smart enough to stay out of their way. If the windows are open, I can hear coyotes nearly every night.

We have them here in the city - see them often. But they are silent here. Have not once heard one howling! But like in your area - gone are the game birds. Just wish they'd eat more wabbits and tree rats!