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What's Growing in the Garden
- Thread starter trc65
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Tried a few experiments this year. In a bottomless barrel I mixed 2:1 wood much/compost. I planted a sweet potato plant in it. My thought was straw potatoes like my Dad use to do. Thought this mixture would hold moisture better and still be loamy enough for the potatoes to grow.
Did well until the deer found it (haven't put the electric fence yet). So I put a tomato cage around it. Guess I'll pile the vines up inside as they grow.
I'm also growing my squash plants up on a panel arch. I'll probably have to tie up the squash as they develop. The though was it would be easier to spray for those @#&*# gray beetles on the underside of the leaves and the stalks if they are up off the ground.
This is about the yield of my plum tree. Only a inch in diameter. The tree was a volunteer from a friend of a friend and variety unknown. Never pruned and is overgrown. Next year. These and any others I get, I cook down and make some kind of sauce so I don't waste them.
Did well until the deer found it (haven't put the electric fence yet). So I put a tomato cage around it. Guess I'll pile the vines up inside as they grow.
I'm also growing my squash plants up on a panel arch. I'll probably have to tie up the squash as they develop. The though was it would be easier to spray for those @#&*# gray beetles on the underside of the leaves and the stalks if they are up off the ground.
This is about the yield of my plum tree. Only a inch in diameter. The tree was a volunteer from a friend of a friend and variety unknown. Never pruned and is overgrown. Next year. These and any others I get, I cook down and make some kind of sauce so I don't waste them.
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- #3,103
Between the freezes, storms and birds, sour cherry is only going to produce a gallon or two. Sweet cherry endured the same, but birds trashed all of them before they even started to color. Unbelievably, my peach survived all that with no help from me and is loaded with fruit.
The wild blackberries here tend to show up after logging, about 4 years after logging is usually the best. I usually harvest a few trees every year for various reasons. If I take several trees in an area it will let in sunlight and the berries will happen. Since they rippen over a pretty long period a few hundred sq feet picked every 3 or 4 days will produce more berries than we can use.
That's the same with huckleberries out here. The best places are up in the Cascades where the sun gets through the trees. Road cuts are good places to search. Berry pickers are only slightly less secretive than the mushroom hunters when it comes to good places.
Well the little gray B@$tards are back! My 6 squash plants are training up the cattle panel hoop trellis and are blooming. But those gray beetles are attacking the plants. Yesterday, I sprayed the stems and leaves on both sides with carbaryl and saturated the bugs themselves. I even picked off the leaves that had eggs on them. Maybe I should have picked the bugs off??
Then it rained overnight. I was going to respray today, but a pop up shower kept me from getting anything done. Will try tomorrow. Hope I caught them early enough.
Then it rained overnight. I was going to respray today, but a pop up shower kept me from getting anything done. Will try tomorrow. Hope I caught them early enough.
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- #3,107
Sounds like you got them in time, but the rain is always a pain to work around. I haven't even got any vine crops planted yet, they are still in the basement under lights. I did till for them before this last rain, but need it to dry before I can transplant them.
Few yrs ago I got tired of ticks and chiggers when picking wild b-berries. I had a favorite patch that consistently produced good berries so I bug one of them and planted a 75’ row I can fertilize, water and mow around. Thi years crop is pretty good.
here is the garden
you may notice about half of one row of beans is stunted. That’s due to n oak
i took down last year that had been robbing nutrients from the garden. It looks like it will take a while to get the soil back into shape.
Baby corn.
My estimation on soil regeneration after the Oak was removed will be years. Nature fixes itself very well, but can take a long time on its own. Work in new soil, and add in chicken manure to help expedite the process. Might have to let it set idle for a season or two. Chuck
You transplanted a whole row? I'm looking to reestablish my wild ones.
P.S. Do the flags help protect against deer or is that an electric fence?
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- #3,111
Nice looking garden and a good looking berry crop.
As to the beans being stunted, I'd add a little fertilizer to that row. I use 7 oz/20 ft of row of 13-13-13 fertilizer for beans, tilled in before planting. That equates to a low rate of 40# actual N per acre. Although people say they are legumes and produce their own N, they really don't produce enough for optimum growth. Commercially, beans ate fertilized with up to 80# N/Acre. May not have triple 13 available, but some 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 will do the same.
If you've got a broad area that was affected by the oak, using some of the triple 13 or similar fertilizer will bring it back quickly.
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Yes, 75 feet.
P.S. Both. Flagging is for deer and crows. The corn is sometime dug before it sprouts. At about 4-6 inches crows pull it and get the soft grains. When it reaches maturity coons rip thru and destroy evert stalk picking the choice ears to eat or carry off. All three of these vandals are subject to high velocity lead poisoning should I catch them close to the garden.
I didn't plant corn this year because my grandson has a couple of acres for the roadside stand. I also had trouble with crows and racoons. Floating row covers will stop the birds from pulling it and enhance germination and early growth. Electric fence for the racoons .
Legumes do not produce Nitrogen, they afix it to their root system from the environment. Most of it and sometimes all of it is locked in and not available while the plant is growing. It becomes available after the plant dies. Case in point, soybeans. After they are harvested, the roots in the ground start to release N. and thus why many rotate crops and in our case often plant corn.
This week's been a busy one. I finally got the asparagus patch weeded. Scratched the heck out of my arm from my favorite weed. Had welts yesterday and scratches today. I think I mentioned it before. A long vining weed with oak like leaves and spiney stems that rip at your skin like berry vines. Very long tap root.
My garlic patch gets weeded on Monday after tomorrow's rain. I probably waited too long to cut the scapes off?? I only did one today and it seemed woody. Good garlic taste, though.
I guess cut them off all the way down to the leaves (word?)?? Still usable in cooking? Had a good garlic flavor.
Do deer eat rose stems? Something is clipping off the stems and I don't think it's bugs. Going to RK tomorrow for tomato cages.
A Summer project I've got planned is to convert my raspberry fence into a trellis.
I'll remove the rails and put two cross 2x4s on each post (like you've seen here) and string wire. You can see the fence doesn't really work. Plants just fall to the ground. Have to look up old posts for rough dimensions.
P.S. I tried to insert thumbnail photos, but only full sized ones were allowed. Wierd.
My garlic patch gets weeded on Monday after tomorrow's rain. I probably waited too long to cut the scapes off?? I only did one today and it seemed woody. Good garlic taste, though.
I guess cut them off all the way down to the leaves (word?)?? Still usable in cooking? Had a good garlic flavor.
Do deer eat rose stems? Something is clipping off the stems and I don't think it's bugs. Going to RK tomorrow for tomato cages.
A Summer project I've got planned is to convert my raspberry fence into a trellis.
I'll remove the rails and put two cross 2x4s on each post (like you've seen here) and string wire. You can see the fence doesn't really work. Plants just fall to the ground. Have to look up old posts for rough dimensions.
P.S. I tried to insert thumbnail photos, but only full sized ones were allowed. Wierd.
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- #3,116
Yes, deer love roses, and fresh tender raspberries too.
I snap off the garlic scapes as soon as I see them, they are tender then, and better to cook with if you want. Sooner is better than later, and later is better than not at all. With scapes removed, more resources are diverted to bulb growth.
Look up "Smilax". Many different species, but fits your description.
crops.extension.iastate.edu
I finally got pumpkins, squash and melons in today. Fertilized and tillled before last rain. Today was spraying herbicide, waiting for it to dry, then mudding them in and watering with fertilizer and a systemic insecticide. Then spraying them with a different insecticide and a fungicide. Still have gourds and a couple specialty squash to go, but they will have to wait until next week, expecting another 2-4" of rain tomorrow.
I snap off the garlic scapes as soon as I see them, they are tender then, and better to cook with if you want. Sooner is better than later, and later is better than not at all. With scapes removed, more resources are diverted to bulb growth.
Look up "Smilax". Many different species, but fits your description.
Smilax (greenbriar)
I finally got pumpkins, squash and melons in today. Fertilized and tillled before last rain. Today was spraying herbicide, waiting for it to dry, then mudding them in and watering with fertilizer and a systemic insecticide. Then spraying them with a different insecticide and a fungicide. Still have gourds and a couple specialty squash to go, but they will have to wait until next week, expecting another 2-4" of rain tomorrow.
We are starting a patch of elephant garlic . Only have a half dozen starts so I let mine bloom and plan to let the scapes mature and attempt to seed out a much larger patch. We shall see how this works... I will also dig and separate the cloves when the leaves die back. That should be the only time I need to leave the scapes on. We use a whole lotta garlic so I decided to take my chances.
My wife planted a bunch of perennial flowers out front and I put a wire fence around it. People around here say you can string a single strand of monofilament fishing line to keep deer out. They feel the line and know something it there and won't push thru it. Well, I cry BS! The deer pushed right over the wire fence and ate half the flowers off night before last. Repaired the fence but worried now that they know it's there, they'll be back. I have two electric plugs in that same area which power the outdoor lighting along the driveway and walking path. I wonder if I can somehow use those to electrify a fence without any of the busybody neighbors knowing I have an electric fence.
I can't believe you asked that, Doug. With today's laws, you need to put a sigh somewhere, possibly every so many feet along any fence that is wired. At least here in Arizona you had better do that. With that small? fence you mentioned, you might only need one sign. And, who gives a crape about what the neighbors think about you trying to protect the stuff on your property. .............. Nubs
I wouldn't care what my neighbors thought but where I live is different and I'm an a hole so....
But on your e fence, spread a Lil peanut butter on it (as long as you don't have dogs. If the neighborhood has run at large dogs, they'll learn pretty quick). The deer lick that, get a shocking welcome and don't come back.
But on your e fence, spread a Lil peanut butter on it (as long as you don't have dogs. If the neighborhood has run at large dogs, they'll learn pretty quick). The deer lick that, get a shocking welcome and don't come back.