Vegetable Gardening

[OakLeaf]

The row covers kept 'em out last night.

I just measured, and turns out the fence is only 7.5' in the lowest spots, not 8.5. So I think I'll get some more PVC pipe to prop up the sags. The ground's uneven, even my 6' step ladder is pretty scary, so there's really no building it higher than 8.5', or sturdier, unless I were to erect scaffolding, and that is more than I'm willing to do. I'm not sure that sturdy is really the issue. They haven't shown any inclination to knock anything down; they just go over. I've read that deer are most wary of getting tangled in things, so I don't really think they'd attempt to go through the netting.

House mousie got in the trap. I'll drop it off at the recycling center on the way into town. GLC, you're lucky with your mice - here, it's not what they eat so much as the destruction they cause building their nests. $600 just this most recent time for the car - some irreplaceable souvenir T-shirts before we learned to put everything in plastic tubs - the hose for a pneumatic wrench in their most recent foray into the tool chest, plus a lot of gnawage on a (formerly) beautiful wooden case for a set of taps. Never mind the garden variety destruction of shop rags, drawer liners, more easily repairable wiring, books, cardboard containers, basically anything not made of metal, plus the general disgusting-ness of mouse turds everywhere in the garage.


This guy has taken up residence in the garage - not really big enough to eat adult mice I don't think, but I'm hoping its presence will be a deterrent anyhow. Now if I could only find a big blacksnake to live in the car.



Tucker - I don't have dogs any more, but when I did, honestly I think I'd trust deer with my garden more than I would have the dogs.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Our cats keep mice out of the living areas of our house, but the cats don't go in the garage or the basement. I regularly set old fashioned mouse traps in both those places, baited with peanut butter. You have to keep checking them- also sometimes the mice manage to eat the PB without setting off the trap, so keeping the traps clean and baited is necessary. The traps kill mice regularly and they never get to multiply or settle in. 98% of the time it seems like the mice are killed instantly. I like the old traps much better than the idea of glue traps or poison, both of which i personally consider cruel ways to kill. Outside mice are not a problem for us.

Oakleaf- wow you have some persistent deer! You have my sympathies.

[tulip]

I think I nipped my mouse problem in the bud. I had seen one several times, and had definitely seen (and cleaned up) mouse droppings--lots of them. In my NEW kitchen!

I set traps and got one. And that's been it.

Smilingcat--your garden is wonderful! I love front yard gardens, especially in small spaces. I'll snap some pics of mine and post them soon. The potatoes are going crazy!

[GLC1968]

here, it's not what they eat so much as the destruction they cause building their nests. $600 just this most recent time for the car - some irreplaceable souvenir T-shirts before we learned to put everything in plastic tubs - the hose for a pneumatic wrench in their most recent foray into the tool chest, plus a lot of gnawage on a (formerly) beautiful wooden case for a set of taps. Never mind the garden variety destruction of shop rags, drawer liners, more easily repairable wiring, books, cardboard containers, basically anything not made of metal, plus the general disgusting-ness of mouse turds everywhere in the garage.

Yes, we do have destruction, but so far, nothing irreplaceable. I cannot believe that they haven't knawed their way into things like oats and crackers stored in cardboard in the basement! But, so far, so good.

I did find the entire bottom of the bag holding my wedding dress chewed to shreds...but they didn't touch the dress, thank goodness. They have eaten the random blanket or cardboard box, too... If they touch my books I'm gong postal on them. I am now making a mental note to store all our winter clothing in rubbermaid tubs this year. Thanks for the idea!

We do have another annoying garden issue. Pets. Our cat and the neighbors cats and the neighbor's dogs seem to like to walk in our boxes and in the case of the cats - deposit extra fertilizer. They've messed up planted seeds too many times to count! Luckily, we've trained our dogs to stay out, but it's awfully hard to train someone else's dogs and the cats are a pain. I've discovered that coffee grounds sprinkled on the surface will keep the cats away if I keep them fresh...but it does nothing for the dogs. I'm starting to get annoyed by it, actually. As the chance for starting seed passes me by, I get more pissed off when they disturbed before they sprout.

[Tuckervill]

I put cayenne pepper on the soil around my house plants to keep the cats out. Maybe that would work in your garden?

I'm also using up the last of a roll of farm fencing curved over some boxes to keep the animals out (mostly my hypertufa flower boxes in the front of the house until the caladiums come up).

Karen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well tonight we had our second salad for dinner this week using our very own garden lettuce!

All the leaf lettuce from seed that I planted about three weeks ago is doing well and is about 1 1/2" tall and frilly, too small to eat leaves from yet....but I had planted about a dozen little leaf lettuce babies at the same time to get a jump start, and those plants have tripled in size and I can now get a couple of nice young 4" leaves off each one every few days.
This gave enough for our first two nights of fresh green salads! I added a few young tender leaves from my Swiss chard as well- they were rather spinach like. To round out the salad, a few red radishes, sliced cucumber, and baby white turnips from our local organic farming family operation (they built some greenhouses last year to extend their season).
The salad was our whole dinner with a big glass of local milk (delivered to our back porch in glass bottles, from a local family run dairy).
The salad dressing was not local though- they just don't make olive oil around here in the northeast!

[short cut sally]

Last year I planted 2 batches of basil (one early, one later), so there would be plenty to use fresh and make into pesto. I learned that the best way to keep pesto was to put it into the ice cube trays, freeze it, and then store it in a freezer bag and use it when ever. I ran out of homemade pesto last week, and had to buy a jar to make our dinner. I used to enjoy store bought pesto, until you learn how simple it is to make and how much better fresh is. Boy, going to that store bought pesto was such a let down. One doesn't realize how much better homegrown/homemade stuff is until you don't have it. I think my basil patch will increase in size this year...
Oh Bleeker, real milk? OH take me back to my childhood. My dad's cousin had a dairy farm, we were always shipped there to learn work before the age of working permits. I spent a good share of my summers there with my "cousin". Granted it was 1 mile as the crow flys, so its not like I lived there to get out of the city life. But every night, we had fresh milk from the parlor, as soon as it was cooled it went into a glass jug and home for dinner.

[OakLeaf]

Does it seem wasteful, even cruel, to anyone else?

It's like, I made a promise to those seeds when I put them in the ground, and now I have to kill some of them because too many of them did the job I asked them to do.

Okay, I'm nuts.

[GLC1968]

Does it seem wasteful, even cruel, to anyone else?

It's like, I made a promise to those seeds when I put them in the ground, and now I have to kill some of them because too many of them did the job I asked them to do.

Okay, I'm nuts.

OMG, yes. I hate it! I hate ending the lives of those little baby plants!

That's why I like SFG - I don't have to thin much at all. You plant based on final spacing, so there is less to 'kill'.

I also used TP to create carrot 'tapes' where the seeds are spaced out in neat little rows before they go into the ground. I hope it means that I won't have to thin very much. Pulling out tiny carrots gets to me more than any other veggie!

[Blueberry]

Last year I planted 2 batches of basil (one early, one later), so there would be plenty to use fresh and make into pesto. I learned that the best way to keep pesto was to put it into the ice cube trays, freeze it, and then store it in a freezer bag and use it when ever. I ran out of homemade pesto last week, and had to buy a jar to make our dinner. I used to enjoy store bought pesto, until you learn how simple it is to make and how much better fresh is. Boy, going to that store bought pesto was such a let down. One doesn't realize how much better homegrown/homemade stuff is until you don't have it. I think my basil patch will increase in size this year...

Would you mind sharing how you make your pesto (I'm gardening for the first year this year, and have a LOT to learn).

I'll try to share pictures of my beds soon - we have a dry stack raised herb garden in the front, and 6 raised beds from gardener's supply in the back. Lots of yummy veggies coming up. And our tomatoes are actually starting to ripen. Yay!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'll try to share pictures of my beds soon - we have a dry stack raised herb garden in the front, and 6 raised beds from gardener's supply in the back. Lots of yummy veggies coming up. And our tomatoes are actually starting to ripen. Yay!!

Holy cow!!! All I have yet is lots of tomato flowers....and even that is from planting pre-started tomato plants already 8" tall!!

Am talking with a couple of different fence company guys now about options for our new large veggie garden fence (40' x 18'). All of the esthetically lovely fencing options are simply way too expensive for us.
So we're trying to choose options that will be sturdy, practical, minimal, yet still not the ugliest fence in existence. If it weren't for the damned deer, everything could be beautiful and way cheaper.

I'm excited though, to be starting the process of actually making it happen.

Meanwhile, my tiny garden is looking very pretty with its little rows of frilly green lettuce and radishes. It's completely crammed with stuff now. Satisfying.

[spokewench]

Yes, we do have destruction, but so far, nothing irreplaceable. I cannot believe that they haven't knawed their way into things like oats and crackers stored in cardboard in the basement! But, so far, so good.

I did find the entire bottom of the bag holding my wedding dress chewed to shreds...but they didn't touch the dress, thank goodness. They have eaten the random blanket or cardboard box, too... If they touch my books I'm gong postal on them. I am now making a mental note to store all our winter clothing in rubbermaid tubs this year. Thanks for the idea!

We do have another annoying garden issue. Pets. Our cat and the neighbors cats and the neighbor's dogs seem to like to walk in our boxes and in the case of the cats - deposit extra fertilizer. They've messed up planted seeds too many times to count! Luckily, we've trained our dogs to stay out, but it's awfully hard to train someone else's dogs and the cats are a pain. I've discovered that coffee grounds sprinkled on the surface will keep the cats away if I keep them fresh...but it does nothing for the dogs. I'm starting to get annoyed by it, actually. As the chance for starting seed passes me by, I get more pissed off when they disturbed before they sprout.

Little spikes that stick up - like a stick with small tacs in it will keep the dogs out. They only have to step on them once.