Forums >Off the Beaten Path>2011 Gardening Thread
Feeling the growl again
Moles go after grubs. You won't see them above ground much. I never had a problem, but some say to look for a their main tunnel and set a trap there. To find their main tunnel I guess tap down the soil on their tunnels and see which are raised again.
Aw c'mon. That's no fun... now THIS is fun...
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
Prince of Fatness
Dude, the groundhog is living under my shed. While I would love to fry the thing, I'd like to keep my shed.
Not at it at all.
Oh my!
Jeff
There are amateur versions on youtube. Never underestimate the power of a redneck with an acetylene torch.
I thought of ways to kill them without destroying my shed. Running a tube down the hole from my car exhaust came to mind. The only thing is that I have had animals die under there and the smell of death can linger for a few weeks. Usually the live trapping works.
an amazing likeness
I've been there...don't back down...it's you or him, brother. Keep a baseball bat by the door and catch him out and about, you're faster than some thievin whistlepig. Mano-a-mano.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
We had a groundhog family under our deck a few years ago. Dad, Mom, and baby. We decided to name the Dad (can't remember what it was, something stupid like Gary Groundhog). But, we couldn't agree, so we put three apples out and gave each a name. Whichever he took first would be the name. After watching the apples for like an hour, we got bored, and went on doing whatever. Came back a few hours later and ALL the apples were gone. So much for that game.
That was in the winter/spring, and I didn't have a garden that year, so I didn't really care if they were in my yard or not.
Now, though, I'd be annoyed.
Oh, and it gets better. One year I had a garden, and we had a rabbit as a *PET*. The damn thing got out and ate my whole garden.
Man, I hated that thing....Shoulda let the dog get it, then I could have ate it. Effing rabbit. Actually, until now, that was the last time I had a garden. That was 1998. The freakin' rabbit must have scarred me.
Our township has plots that you sign up for in a lottery. They're much larger than my little 9 x 5 plot. But, they are not in my back yard, and I know myself...I would not go there every day to weed, feed, water, etc. Even though it's only about 3 miles away from my house.
Still, those plots are all used up (there's probably over 100 of them...and they're like 30 x 30), and there are people that are disappointed each year that they didn't get a plot.
So, it's still something of interest here in The Garden State. Or, at least in the south, where I live.
I have a question on making a homemade trellis type thingy for my cukes.
I have some small mesh fencing that looks like so:
My concern is if the squares are too small for the vine to take hold or not. Do you all think the vines will be able to take gold on this or should I find something with more spacing?
Listen. Yeah, it's gonna hurt some. That's the marathon business. But here's the thing. When it starts to get intense, that's not time to panic. This is what you wanted to happen. It means that all the training, all the miles, all the wakeups, all the cold, all the wet, all the sleep-deprived days and all the shit you've done to yourself over the last 6 plus months is finally about to pay off. It means you've put yourself where you wanted to be. You've given yourself an opportunity that very few will ever have. You've given yourself a chance. Now finish it.
Mark, I can't see your pick, but if it is chicken wire or larger it should work. If it is screen door it will not
Regarding the trellis. I just made a support and stapled string to it. It's working fine. Conversely, Burpee sells a netting for $4.00 that you staple on.
you can borrow my Husky for the groundhogs. She has killed 10 groundhogs in 3 years including 9 last year when I was having problems with them. I don't see them this year - she has only killed 2 birds so she's off to a slow start. Other people stick their kids good grades to the fridge, I have a detailed kill chart for the dog with little cartoon groundhogs, rabbits, and birds. The only thing I haven't seen her kill yet is a squirrel - we don't have many and they are too smart, heading for the closest elevated object instead of trying to outrun the dog for the hole the entered the yard in.
Best Present Ever
I'm pretty pleased with my garden. This is the first year we've put one in. We have a teeny-weeny backyard, and we build 3 4x8 ft beds and gridded two of them into 1 ft squares for a square foot garden. In one, we have several kinds of pole beans, some bush beans, and some shell beans (christmas lima, cowpeas, and yellow eye). Some of the beans are doing great -- they are all the way up to the top of an 8 ft trellis. Others (scarlet runners) are kind of short, but bushy and they are setting beans now. Oddly, the cowpeas that I bought from a local seed saver company that are bred for exactly this climate are puny. The christmas lima beans grown out west that I pulled out the package of beans in my kitchen cupboard are growing like crazy. (They are Rancho Gordo beans.) I've got some cucumbers, okra (red and regular), eggplant, sweet and hot peppers and brussel sprouts as well. Everything is a little but short, but looks healthy and everything is flowering/budding/doing what it's supposed to.
In the other gridded bed, I mostly have greens -- arugula, oakleaf lettuce, tatsoi, and some others (I've just recenty planted some of them -- they are supposed to be part of a summer mesclun mix -- and can't remember what. Orach, I think.) I've got the greens covered with shade cloth. They'd stopped growing when it got hot, then perked up when I covered them. In another couple of weeks, I'll put in some collards to get started for the fall and winter. I've got nasturtiums planted in the corners, and they are starting to flower.
In the third bed I have a bunch of tomato plants that are covered in tomatoes. We've had a couple of cherry tomatoes get ripe, but I think within the week we'll start harvesting regular ones. I can't remember what I planted. I had them all labeled, but someone (I suspect small boys) knocked them all out.
While we were in a gardening mood, we put in a perennial bed in what had been a weedy slope at the back of the 'yard.' Tough, flowering plants and bushes that can put up with our neglect and foolishness. I feel inordinately happy when I look at the back window now. : )
I'm pretty pleased with my garden. This is the first year we've put one in. We have a teeny-weeny backyard, and we build 3 4x8 ft beds and gridded two of them into 1 ft squares for a square foot garden. In one, we have several kinds of pole beans, some bush beans, and some shell beans (christmas lima, cowpeas, and yellow eye). Some of the beans are doing great -- they are all the
Pics or it doesn't count!
I'm pretty pleased with my garden. This is the first year we've put one in. We have a teeny-weeny backyard, and we build 3 4x8 ft beds and gridded two of them into 1 ft squares for a square foot garden.
It's amazing what you can grow in a tiny space if you put the effort into it...
I couldn't wait any longer so I dug up a couple of potato plants. We had them for dinner the last couple of evenings. Very tasty.
And this evening I finally got my pumpkins and zucchini in this evening.