Instead of poison for the varmints, have you tried poison for their food? Most of these varmints eat grubs and bugs that live underground. If you kill those bugs using Diazinon or similar, it'll starve the varmints and they'll either die or move away.
The Covid "Victory Garden" thread
- Thread starter Melensdad
- Start date
I can't get any help for our large garden either. This is where I plant in volume for items that we plan on canning, pickling or freezing. My wife will tend the raised bed garden that she uses for direct garden-to-plate things.
To keep the weeds down in the big garden, I put down 12' wide road cloth. Does an excellent job for the weeds but being black, sometimes it hurts anything that lay directly on it as it burns/dries it out.
I had not thought of that, sounds like there may be hope.
Hit up 2 semi-outdoor garden centers.
Found several varieties of peppers, some pickling cucumbers and several varieties of tomatoes. All plants.
They had some cauliflower and broccoli but we've not had great luck with either of those in the past. Also seems sort of silly to buy things like cauliflower when you typically only get 1 head from an entire plant.
Did not see any summer squash plants, I had seeds in my hand but the lovely Mrs_Bob showed her disapproval (I could see it behind the mask) so I put them down. My past performance with seed starting is sub-standard
Found several varieties of peppers, some pickling cucumbers and several varieties of tomatoes. All plants.
They had some cauliflower and broccoli but we've not had great luck with either of those in the past. Also seems sort of silly to buy things like cauliflower when you typically only get 1 head from an entire plant.
Did not see any summer squash plants, I had seeds in my hand but the lovely Mrs_Bob showed her disapproval (I could see it behind the mask) so I put them down. My past performance with seed starting is sub-standard
Agreed
There are strains of broccoli that produce one large head and afterward quite a few small ones. We grow ours in special cages I built to keep the cabbage moths away from them. We don't like the extra protein from all those little green worms!!
Mike
Mike
On a side note for those that don't garden regularly.
If you're going to eat things fresh out of the garden, stagger your plantings. E.g. plant a few lettuce seeds every couple days. If you plant all your lettuce (or whatever) all at the same time, it's all going to become ready for harvest at the same time. Then you have an over-abundance that you can't eat before it rots.
If you're going to can, pickle or freeze a particular veggie, do them all at once so you can consolidate your harvest into a short period. If you're making sauces or other tomato based products, make sure you're other ingredients are ready at the same time. E.g. all the tomatoes come in but you want peppers added. Well, if they're not ready for another week or 2, you're screwed.
If you're going to eat things fresh out of the garden, stagger your plantings. E.g. plant a few lettuce seeds every couple days. If you plant all your lettuce (or whatever) all at the same time, it's all going to become ready for harvest at the same time. Then you have an over-abundance that you can't eat before it rots.
If you're going to can, pickle or freeze a particular veggie, do them all at once so you can consolidate your harvest into a short period. If you're making sauces or other tomato based products, make sure you're other ingredients are ready at the same time. E.g. all the tomatoes come in but you want peppers added. Well, if they're not ready for another week or 2, you're screwed.
Looks like the last of the snow will be gone today and I can get back to the garden.
Our shipment of PREEN arrived but its been too cold and snowy to get back down there to apply it. Hoping that this afternoon it will reach the upper 50's and I can get down there rake the top and spread some PREEN to give me a bit of a weed block.
The transplants are kept in the garage overnight and taken out to get sun in the morning. It's still too cold at night to put them into the ground. I have trays sitting on the pick up truck cover. Back the truck out to the sunshine during the day, pull it back in at night. A lot easier than carrying the trays outside and then back inside.
Our shipment of PREEN arrived but its been too cold and snowy to get back down there to apply it. Hoping that this afternoon it will reach the upper 50's and I can get down there rake the top and spread some PREEN to give me a bit of a weed block.
The transplants are kept in the garage overnight and taken out to get sun in the morning. It's still too cold at night to put them into the ground. I have trays sitting on the pick up truck cover. Back the truck out to the sunshine during the day, pull it back in at night. A lot easier than carrying the trays outside and then back inside.
We don't have a garage as such but I may use some version of that idea. I like it.
My S-I-L found a good source of potted veggies and said that the buying process was very safe. My wife is going to check it out next week. We still need more tomatoes and peppers and she'll see what else is there.
While I was rummaging around in the barn I found one of those "walk in greenhouses" still in the box. We used them to overwinter my wife's outside plants. It's not big but I could possibly set it up at the house, run power for a grow light and a small heater and have green stuff, tomatoes and peppers next winter. I'd have to get a bunch of pots, containers and growing soil but it could be done. I've never done anything like that before. It could be interesting.
Got the fuel line and the fuel filter replaced on the Ventrac tractor today.
Got all the garden beds "Preened" with weed suppressor. It will also prevent any vegetable seeds from sprouting in those beds too. So all veggies going into those raised beds have to be transplants. Temps today were supposed to be in the mid-50's but it is sunny and in the low 60's outside. All the snow is finally melted. Mud season is in full swing here, but the raised beds are in good shape. I figure the transplants can go into the beds on Mother's Day weekend.
Mowed some of the lawn today. Sister in law is finishing.
Got all the garden beds "Preened" with weed suppressor. It will also prevent any vegetable seeds from sprouting in those beds too. So all veggies going into those raised beds have to be transplants. Temps today were supposed to be in the mid-50's but it is sunny and in the low 60's outside. All the snow is finally melted. Mud season is in full swing here, but the raised beds are in good shape. I figure the transplants can go into the beds on Mother's Day weekend.
Mowed some of the lawn today. Sister in law is finishing.
Only things I add to our veggie garden is manure and shredded leaves tilled in in the fall. We have our tomato, broccoli and onion seedlings started. Got a large oscillating fan blowing gently on them to strengthen the stalks and we started setting them outside for a short time to acclimate them.
Mike
Mike
Normally we are organic gardeners for our food but I've heard good things about PREEN and really hate dealing with weeds. I've got enough other stuff to worry about. PREEN is made from corn.
They make a few different varieties. Organic. With or without fertilizer. I got the tubs with fertilizer because the ground in the garden beds was not amended with compost for the past few years and just overgrown with weeds.
They make a few different varieties. Organic. With or without fertilizer. I got the tubs with fertilizer because the ground in the garden beds was not amended with compost for the past few years and just overgrown with weeds.
I've used Preen for several years in selected places. I think that you'll like it.
Ok today I finally got some starter plants. This morning at 8am I a called the hardware up town as this morning they got their new supply of starters, or so I thought.
They told me it didn't show yet so call back, I called at 10 no I called at 11:45 the lady told me the truck showed up at 10:30 and is being bought aggressively. I jumped in the truck and flew down there. When I got there there were old ladies on them like white on rice. I had to elbow my way in. I was able to get most everything I was looking for, tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, egg plant and some herbs, cilantro and basil. I wanted some strawberry starters but they won't be there until tomorrow.Also got plenty of dirt. Pots are coming from Ebay and will be here early next week.
They told me it didn't show yet so call back, I called at 10 no I called at 11:45 the lady told me the truck showed up at 10:30 and is being bought aggressively. I jumped in the truck and flew down there. When I got there there were old ladies on them like white on rice. I had to elbow my way in. I was able to get most everything I was looking for, tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, egg plant and some herbs, cilantro and basil. I wanted some strawberry starters but they won't be there until tomorrow.Also got plenty of dirt. Pots are coming from Ebay and will be here early next week.
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Got our broccoli starts planted, planted the carrot seed+TP, sugar snap peas and beets in the ground. Will plant the tomatoes in the green house, chard, green beans, zuchini and cukes in the garden in the near future. Forecast to have some low 30's nites for the next few days so will do the rest of the planting after that.
Mike
Mike
We've got our few tomatoes and peppers in the ground and they are doing well. We have 6 plants of 3 different types of tomato and six plants of three different colors of bell pepper. It's not a lot but when they start coming on they should keep the two of us supplied, or at least we hope.
I'm still thinking of what to do for winter veg if this darned thing comes back in the fall to haunt us all next winter. Like mla2ofus, a greenhouse of some sort is the obvious answer. I have that "portable greenhouse in a box" thing that is down in the barn. I need to drag it out and assemble it to see if it would work up at the house for growing a few pot friendly veggies.
I'm still thinking of what to do for winter veg if this darned thing comes back in the fall to haunt us all next winter. Like mla2ofus, a greenhouse of some sort is the obvious answer. I have that "portable greenhouse in a box" thing that is down in the barn. I need to drag it out and assemble it to see if it would work up at the house for growing a few pot friendly veggies.
Been dealing with that also, still can't find any strawberry starters.
Supplies around here aren't too bad but they do sell out. The nursery that we usually use is sold out again and he says that he isn't going to get any more in. Tractor Supply, Ace and the other hardware store have a small but decent supply. The other nursery in town has a plentiful supply of just about everything that you would need or so my wife tells me after her visit today. I haven't been to Walmart as it is a zoo.