What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[turbo]

I have used cattle panels to keep the deer for my tomatoes in the past. You can take the 16 foot panel and roll it into a nice circular cage by wiring the edges together at a few places with some electric fence wire. Then plant a couple of plants in the middle and let them grow low to the ground inside.

Neat idea, and if large circular enclosures would fit in my limited (~60x35') spot, I could try that. Instead, I use Scarecrows as a perimeter, and that keeps the deer at bay. Just a 9-volt battery and a charged hose is all it takes to scare the deer. If you'd like to try this solution, you should be aware that the Have-a-Hart company sells something similar for a LOT less money.

The first year we were here, my sister-in-law gave me a wonderful chili pepper plant that she had potted and over-wintered in her house. I planted it in the garden, and the next morning, it had been chewed down to stubs. I ordered Scarecrows and set them up at two corners of my garden, and the thefts stopped. A large doe with two fawns bedded out on my front lawn frequently, nearly all season lawn, but she didn't bother my garden. She enjoyed the apples, though and I didn't begrudge her because she left my string beans (a deer favorite) and other vegetables alone.

 

[dlgoff]

So far, my homemade "deer-crow" has been working. We'll see how well it keeps them away when the tomatoes start to bloom; and the peppers also. That's what they really like; tender branches with blooms.

I put it together using a cheap motion detector light (two bulb) screwed to a fence post. I put a small wattage red bulb in one socket and a small fan (hanging on the fence) that has a card that the fan blades hit to make some noise in the other socket. I set the timer to the shortest time (1 minute) and the sensitivity of the IR detector to the Max. (70 feet).

 

[turbo]

So far, my homemade "deer-crow" has been working. We'll see how well it keeps them away when the tomatoes start to bloom; and the peppers also. That's what they really like; tender branches with blooms.

Yep, tender young shoots, new leaves buds and/or blossoms. That nice chili-bush disappeared!

 

[baywax]

Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants, and the small wild low-bush varieties are really flavorful. The coastal regions of Maine are loaded with them. The whole area has been heavily glaciated and weathered and the soil is thin and crappy. When not much else wants to grow, wild blueberries thrive. The growers burn off the fields yearly to reduce grasses and weeds and make it easier to rake the berries.

It's a big (though seasonal) business here. http://www.wymans.com/

Wow Turbo. I had no idea wild blueberries were part of a business venture. Not so wild I guess. These ones here are totally uncultivated and there are no burn offs to aid in picking. These are practically at the top of a mountain or two and perhaps the harsh conditions keep them relatively dominant amongst the rocks and shrubs. Its also a ski haven so that must act to keep down the less hardy vegetation.

Your garden is making me homesick for the Okanagan. But, I can do without the rednecks and their chamber of pesticides.

 

[gravenewworld]

Oh no, I need some help you experts. My garden is looking sick. I don't know what is happening. My spinach and beets look like they are dying. The leaves on them have a lot of white spots and look like they are withering. I think some critters are also eating my spinach leaves. It has been fairly cold and very rainy here recently. Are they getting too much water? Is some sort of fungus attacking them? What do you make of these photos? I have 3 rows of lettuce in between the spinach and beets, but the lettuce seems to be doing just fine. Why are just the beets and spinach affected?

Spinach:

<< sorry, links deleted by berkeman -- some malware issues from that server >>



Can I just cut the in(af)fected leaves off?

My garden is also being overrun with clovers. Any good tip to get rid of them and also prevention?

 

[Evo]

gravenewworld, I get a message that the site you linked to is unsafe and was trying to download malware to my computer. I suggest you find another site to post your pictures.

The grey spots sound like mold.

 

[turbo]

http://ipmnet.org/plant-disease/disease.cfm?RecordID=1011
I didn't visit your image host, gnw, don't need malware, but does your spinach look like this?

 

[lisab]

Oh no, I need some help you experts. My garden is looking sick. I don't know what is happening. My spinach and beets look like they are dying. The leaves on them have a lot of white spots and look like they are withering. I think some critters are also eating my spinach leaves. It has been fairly cold and very rainy here recently. Are they getting too much water? Is some sort of fungus attacking them? What do you make of these photos? I have 3 rows of lettuce in between the spinach and beets, but the lettuce seems to be doing just fine. Why are just the beets and spinach affected?

Spinach:

<< sorry, links deleted by berkeman -- some malware issues from that server >>



Can I just cut the in(af)fected leaves off?

My garden is also being overrun with clovers. Any good tip to get rid of them and also prevention?

Looks like something (slugs?) has been nibbling on your greens. I use Slug Magic, it's relatively safe. Unless you're a slug, of course.

Clover is a nitrogen fixer and will thrive in places where other plants won't, due to reduced nitrogen in the soil. So it indicates low nitrogen. Are you using a fertilizer?

 

[turbo]

Wow Turbo. I had no idea wild blueberries were part of a business venture. Not so wild I guess.

They are wild in the sense that they are native species that have not been planted - they just grow like weeds. The periodic burn-offs keep weeds and grasses under control so that the blueberries can be raked. In larger, level barrens, they can be raked by machine, but in much of the region, the terrain is rugged and they are raked by hand. Crews proceed along the barrens with hand-rakes harvesting the berries. It would be extremely tedious to try to pick all the berries with fingers - rakes make the job go fast.

 

[Evo]

Gravenewworld, you need to check your computer. Both Berkeman and I checked those links. You're computer is most likely infected.

 

[gravenewworld]

Alright sorry guys, I didn't know about any malware. I'm running webroot virus scanner and it didn't pick up anything. Well here are the photos from Fuji Film's website. It should definitely be safe.

Spinach:

http://www.fujifilm.net/users/72/400272/5245982_0_425.jpg
http://www.fujifilm.net/SendImage.asp?img=5245983_0_425.jpg

Beets

http://www.fujifilm.net/SendImage.asp?img=5245985_0_425.jpg
http://www.fujifilm.net/SendImage.asp?img=5245989_0_425.jpg
http://www.fujifilm.net/SendImage.asp?img=5245990_0_425.jpg

 

[gravenewworld]

Looks like something (slugs?) has been nibbling on your greens. I use Slug Magic, it's relatively safe. Unless you're a slug, of course.

Clover is a nitrogen fixer and will thrive in places where other plants won't, due to reduced nitrogen in the soil. So it indicates low nitrogen. Are you using a fertilizer?

Hmmmm interesting fact on the clovers. I'm not using any fertilizer. I though the soil would have been rich enough in nutrients since it was a compost pile that has been building up for 2 years. Should I just leave the clovers in there then if they are adding ammonia into the soil for me?

 

[lisab]

Hmmmm interesting fact on the clovers. I'm not using any fertilizer. I though the soil would have been rich enough in nutrients since it was a compost pile that has been building up for 2 years. Should I just leave the clovers in there then if they are adding ammonia into the soil for me?

Well clover is often used as a ground cover crop for just that reason. It has to be tilled and allowed to decompose there in the soil. That way the nitrogen is fixed from the air, into the plant, and then into the soil. (In fact there are a number of nitrogen fixers used this way, often by organic farmers, to avoid having to fertilize.)

Not sure when it's supposed to be tilled though - before or after blooming. Anyone know?

 

[gravenewworld]

Wow I don't know what happened with the Fuji film site. Talk about epic failing on my part. Well I didn't want to hog people's bandwidth with all the photos, so here are just the two best ones:

 

[Borek]

Try these

http://www.fujifilm.net/users/72/400272/5245982_0_425.jpg
http://www.fujifilm.net/users/72/400272/5245983_0_425.jpg

http://www.fujifilm.net/users/72/400272/5245985_0_425.jpg
http://www.fujifilm.net/users/72/400272/5245989_0_425.jpg
http://www.fujifilm.net/users/72/400272/5245990_0_425.jpg

 

[Moonbear]

From the patterns, GNW, I'd agree that something is munching on your plants. Though, I've also seen similar patterns if plants are frost bitten.

I've been doing a lot of work getting landscaping done. A friend gave me tons of bulbs (wrong time of year to transplant them, but she needed to thin her gardens, so I'll see what grows) and hostas. So, I got flowerbeds in all around the house. Plus, the small "swampy" area I started landscaping last summer I've expanded this year. I'm still planting a smattering of this and that around the yard, and leaving the tags on them all so whatever lives until next year, I'll remember the name to buy more of it.

We still had frost this week, but I think by next week, I should be able to plant a vegetable garden. I will be putting in raised beds (because I don't really have soil, mostly just clay and rocks...found some really pretty rocks to make into borders for my one garden though) and surrounding them with hardware cloth to keep the deer out. I'll be happy to just get some tomatoes and peppers.

 

[PhaseShifter]

From the patterns, GNW, I'd agree that something is munching on your plants.

Yes, I wasn't so sure about the spinach, but those beets definitely look like caterpillars have been enjoying them.

 

[rewebster]

gravenewworld--

I don't know how 'organic' you are, but I'd put/spray some powdered Sevin on them

 

[turbo]

Holes in leaves with well-defined edges is generally due to caterpillars. Discolored (usually pale) blotches on leaves are generally due to molds and mildews. Last year, Maine got hit by a plague of late blight. It came in hitch-hiking on tomato plants imported from the Carolinas and distributed by garden shops. The cool, wet summer ensured the blight's survival, and it spread to our potato crops. Not a good thing, since potatoes are an important commercial crop here.

 

[turbo]

gravenewworld--

I don't know how 'organic' you are, but I'd put/spray some powdered Sevin on them

For rampant insect damage, BT applied with a hose-end-sprayer set on "mist" will work. For mold and mildew, generally applications of elemental sulfur dust will help. BT does not poison the bugs (or you or your soil!) but it paralyzes the gut of the caterpillars and grubs that eat it so that they cannot continue to eat, and they will die in a couple of days.

 

[turbo]

Today, I planted my cucumber and winter squash seeds in flats and set them in my mini-greenhouse. In Maine springs, direct-seeding can be problematic because a stretch of cool, wet days can destroy your planned germination-rate and leave you with no (or few) viable plants. Here, we can't rely on frost-free nights until Memorial Day, but all I want to do is to get the cukes and squash sprouted, so I can identify the viable seeds, and transplant the tiny plants into the soil.

Tip: Squash and Cucumbers do NOT like to have their roots disturbed. Start from seeds late in small-volume flats, and plant the entire contents of each recess directly into the soil in the rows. It is not advisable to to "pot up" from flats to pots and then transplant to the garden. Disturb the seedlings as little as possible.

 

[Moonbear]

Holes in leaves with well-defined edges is generally due to caterpillars. Discolored (usually pale) blotches on leaves are generally due to molds and mildews.

I've also gotten blotches like that from those little spider mites. Instead of munching holes into the leaves, they just suck them dry, I think.

 

[turbo]

Cross-posted to the Baby it's cold thread. Regarding the use of feedlot cattle panels as trellises.

I needed a better solution to the trellis problem for vining plants and indeterminate tomatoes, and the cattle panels and T-posts stuck out as a very long-term, easily configurable solution. Indeterminate varieties flower and fruit all season, and can provide fresh, ripe tomatoes for much longer than the bushy determinate varieties.

For anybody thinking of trying this type of trellis, hit Tractor Supply during a sale, buy the cattle panels, and cut them on-site with bolt cutters before loading them. For every T-post you buy, you'll get 5 clips, so that's taken care of. Buy a post-driver. You'll need it!

 

[Evo]

Mr & Mrs Mallard stopped by today. The came onto my patio and I went out, and they just stood there as if to say "Hey, we're ducks, what are you got to eat?"

All I had was flour tortillas. They spit them out and walked off.

If they had let me know they were coming I could have been better prepared.

 

[turbo]

Duck walks into a store and asks "Where's the duck food?" The clerk says "We got no duck food, just dog food and cat food. Get out." The next day, the duck walks into the store and asks "Where is the duck food?" The clerk says "I already told you we've got no duck food, just dog food and cat food. If you bother me again, I'm going to nail your flat feet to that floor." The next day, the duck comes into the store and asks "Where are the nails?" The clerk says "We don't have nails." so the duck asks "Where is the duck food?"

 

[Evo]

Aha, they're back, this time they're eating the squirrel food.

 

[Evo]

The ducks have been to my place twice this morning and I had no food, so i made some pancakes. If they come back, I'll have something they might like.

 

[turbo]

There is a lady that feeds the ducks at the local mill-pond every spring while they are waiting for ice-out on their breeding grounds. She mixes cracked corn and oatmeal (IIR) with shredded lettuce, cubed tomatoes and other vegetables in a 5-gallon pail and the ducks flock to her for the handouts. It would be expensive to do this as often as she does, so I suspect that she has a relative culling vegetables from a salad bar at the local supermarket or from Subway, etc.

 

[dlgoff]

Mr & Mrs Mallard stopped by today. The came onto my patio and I went out, and they just stood there as if to say "Hey, we're ducks, what are you got to eat?"

All I had was flour tortillas. They spit them out and walked off.

If they had let me know they were coming I could have been better prepared.

Really nice picture Evo.

Is that the ravine of doom I see? Please stay back about 10 feet or so.

 

[Evo]

Yes, it's a drop off the edge of the rocks, you can see the trees growing up from the bottom. The picture is from my bedroom window.

 

[Evo]

Did someone ask for more duck pictures?

Unfortunately the shot was ruined by the reflection of the flash off the door frame. I had flash selected by default.

 

[Moonbear]

I have a puny garden started (no pictures yet...I just found the camera buried in my office a few hours ago...been looking for it for a week). I got some raised bed kits from Walmart. They're almost 4 ft square each, and I got 4 of them made from recycled composite lumber. I figure I can expand it a little each year. The soil here is pretty much clay and rock, so no hope of anything but raised bed gardens. My neighbor is just trying to put in a flower bed next to the sidewalk and has been working on it for the better part of a month. She does have a huge pile of rocks, but not much flower bed yet.

Anyway, I've perhaps over-packed my puny garden. I got carried away on Mother's Day weekend shopping for plants. I have about 16 tomato plants in 4 varieties. Then 6 green bean plants, I think 8 pepper plants...6 green and 2 yellow...and two each of jalapeno, habanero, and Thai chili peppers. The third bed is 9 cabbage plants and 2 eggplant. The last bed has garlic, red onions and shallots. I also have a rosemary plant and a dill plant squeezed in. I wanted to plant basil, but with all the other yard work I was doing, didn't think of it soon enough to get seeds started, and the plants at the stores have looked terrible.

I really need to get some backyard photos now. I love how my flower bed is turning out, though some of the plants aren't thriving...it's trial and error...I get a few of this and that and if it survives, I get more the next year to replace the ones that don't.

Now I'm trying to decide if I really want to terrace the back yard or if I want to extend my deck out further. My neighbors probably think I'm weird, because I'll just stand out in the backyard staring at the house as I try to envision the different options for landscaping/decking/etc.

 

[GeorginaS]

Yeah, that's why your neighbours think that you're weird, because you stand in your yard staring at your house.

I can't wait to see pictures. Your garden does sound packed. The raised beds are clever, though. What's the drainage like for them?

I've got herbs (hopefully) starting in a little in-door greenhouse set up. Failing the seeds actually doing anything, I'll be buying the huge basil and rosemary plants from our Greenhouse of Doom again this year. I've discovered I can't live without fresh herbs.

 

[rewebster]

I bet we had 3 to 4 inches of rain in the last hour and it looks like its only about half done...

 

[Evo]

I bet we had 3 to 4 inches of rain in the last hour and it looks like its only about half done...

You must have gotten hit with the same storm we just had. Also, the temperature dropped from 91F at 1:15p to 65F by 2:15P. The sun is out now, so the temperature is beginning to go back up, along with the humidity. PTL for air conditioning.

 

[rewebster]

You must have gotten hit with the same storm we just had. Also, the temperature dropped from 91F at 1:15p to 65F by 2:15P. The sun is out now, so the temperature is beginning to go back up, along with the humidity. PTL for air conditioning.

this one popped up where there was nothing, and all the clouds within 10 miles in all directions came together directly over head (from the radar images it looked that way)---we're going to get yours a little later

 

[rewebster]

Did someone ask for more duck pictures?

Unfortunately the shot was ruined by the reflection of the flash off the door frame. I had flash selected by default.

don't let those ducks get into your oven

 

[turbo]

don't let those ducks get into your oven

I'd lay a trail of cracked corn into the kitchen door... QUACK!

 

[Evo]

My next door neighbor (the wife) and I were watching the ducks and she was saying how pretty they were, and how colorful the male was. And then she says "and they taste good too!".

 

[dlgoff]

Have you ever eaten mallard duck before? When growing up, my dad hunted all sorts of game. Mom would (after boiling it) bake the whole duck in a pan of corn bread dressing. Very tasty.

 

[turbo]

Mallards are nice ducks. Roast them breast-up on a wire rack, and save the drippings for other dishes. Mallards are VERY fatty critters. It is a talent to get them well-cooked with crispy skin. Our town's lawyer when I was a kid was an avid duck-hunter, and his wife was very adept at cooking the ducks. Luckily, their son and I were close and I got to drop in on some great duck dinners.

 

[Evo]

Have you ever eaten mallard duck before? When growing up, my dad hunted all sorts of game. Mom would (after boiling it) bake the whole duck in a pan of corn bread dressing. Very tasty.

Mallards are nice ducks. Roast them breast-up on a wire rack, and save the drippings for other dishes. Mallards are VERY fatty critters. It is a talent to get them well-cooked with crispy skin. Our town's lawyer when I was a kid was an avid duck-hunter, and his wife was very adept at cooking the ducks. Luckily, their son and I were close and I got to drop in on some great duck dinners.

WHAT?? NOOOO!

These are my friends! They are NOT dinner. OMG.

 

[turbo]

WHAT?? NOOOO!

These are my friends! They are NOT dinner. OMG.

Shall I post the pictures of mallards slaughtering/dismembering frogs in my back-yard pond? Mallards can be cute, but they have evil agendas.

 

[Evo]

Shall I post the pictures of mallards slaughtering/dismembering frogs in my back-yard pond? Mallards can be cute, but they have evil agendas.

Did you feed them pancakes? I did, almost choked the poor things to death. Their bills got stuck together by the gooey pancakes and they weren't near water. I was afraid I was going to have to perform the Heimlich manuever on them.

 

[ViewsofMars]

My roses are in bloom. The fragrance of them fill my bedroom,
den, and kitchen. My front and back yard looks like a dream come true.
It's home to quail, doves, finches, blue birds, ladybugs, bees,
and one well-mannered cat. All the plants and trees are bursting with color
and sway with the breeze. I can hear the wind chimes too.
It's as if there is a dance of sorts going on out there and I am it's guest.
I am content.

 

[turbo]

Did you feed them pancakes? I did, almost choked the poor things to death. Their bills got stuck together by the gooey pancakes and they weren't near water. I was afraid I was going to have to perform the Heimlich manuever on them.

They appeared at my pond on several days, and assailed the frogs relentlessly. I wasn't feeding them - they were feeding themselves, using my leopard frogs.

 

[dlgoff]

Did you feed them pancakes? I did, almost choked the poor things to death. Their bills got stuck together by the gooey pancakes and they weren't near water. I was afraid I was going to have to perform the Heimlich manuever on them.

That's so funny. I have tears in my eyes.

 

[turbo]

That's so funny. I have tears in my eyes.

Gosh! I couldn't keep those critters fed. I might have given them corn meal, crumbled crackers, etc, but at some point, ex-duck could fill the bill.

 

[Moonbear]

Success! The bird netting is keeping the deer out. My neighbor told me he saw some deer in my yard the other day sniffing around the garden, but ultimately left it alone. I also put the onions and garlic on the side closest to the tree line, so I figure that'll be the first thing the deer sniff when they encounter the garden and not like. I put lots of stakes to hold up the bird netting too, so they are something visual to tell the deer not to try jumping over the fence or I'll have deer-kabobs!

When the plants start fruiting, I'll finish covering the top with bird netting too so the birds don't snack on my tomatoes. I don't think there's much hope for squirrels, since they'll just as likely chew through the netting if they decide there's something tasty inside, but I'll just hope the neighbor's bird feeders nearer to ground level than mine are keeping the squirrels distracted.

The town is discussing allowing a bow hunt for deer within city limits this year to get the deer population under control.

So far, they've left my other landscaping alone too. I've been steadily planting deer-resistant plants, and trying to hide the non-deer-resistant ones in the middle, hoping the deer don't quite get that far. I didn't expect the hostas I planted to live this long, but it seems they are far enough off the deer trail that they're still there. I would never buy hostas, since they are like salad for deer, but a friend was thinning them from her gardens, so they were free.

I got my front flower beds planted this year too. Three rose bushes are blooming (I have windows right behind the flower bed, so didn't want to put things in that will obscure the windows and make it easy for someone to break in, so decided nice thorny rose bushes were just the plant for in front of the windows ). The foxglove I planted last year are in full bloom too (those were the first plants I put in after the deer ate everything last year...I figured if they insisted on eating the plants, I'd give them all heart attacks...muwhahahahaha!...for those that don't know, foxglove is the plant digitalis is derived from). The freesias are also starting to bloom and smell so pretty right next to my front porch. The gladioli are sprouting up, so good promise of blooming nicely for the end of summer.

This is my basic goal, to include some plants that provide some height or greenery year round (I have a sand cherry in the front, plus the rose bushes, and in the backyard, some forsythias, two willows, and wintergreen plants, which are an evergreen), and then plant the rest as perennial flowers that have staggered blooming times so I always have something in bloom from early spring through late summer/fall. I have all the basics done now, and can just slowly add a little of this or that as I see things I like.

It's getting too hot now to do much heavy yard work, so any new major projects will need to wait again until fall or next spring. Now it's just maintenance.

 

[turbo]

We got our hostas free, too, when neighbors were thinning theirs. We got several varieties, including some with giant leaves and some that are variegated. My wife planted a bleeding heart last year. It was modest-sized, but now it's crowding out other plants as are the two varieties of bee-balm and the chocolate mint. The mint is creeping out into lawn, so I smell mint whenever I mow or weed-whack.