What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[dlgoff]

I recently saw some small starter bushes at The Home Depot, of all places, and though back to when I tried growing them. Now you've planted some and got me wanting to try again. Thanks for the info.

 

[turbo]

I recently saw some small starter bushes at The Home Depot, of all places, and though back to when I tried growing them. Now you've planted some and got me wanting to try again. Thanks for the info.

Good luck, dlg. I love blueberries, and my arthritis makes it almost impossible to pick low-bush blueberries because it is so painful for me to get to ground level, get back up, and move around.

 

[baywax]

I had no idea fuchsias were trees. I've got a whopper growing now and I'll get you a photo... the other thing I didn't know was that you can cut them back to stubble for the winter and re-start them in the spring.

 

[baywax]

Good luck, dlg. I love blueberries, and my arthritis makes it almost impossible to pick low-bush blueberries because it is so painful for me to get to ground level, get back up, and move around.

Hey turbo...!

There's got to be a berry for arthritis! We've got wild blueberries about 10 minutes from here. They're at about 1000 metres above sea level. they are actually quite low to the ground and much smaller than the cultivated variety. They really pack the taste mind you... totally tasty! The other thing about them is the variation from mineral deposit to mineral deposit. From the colour of the leaves to the size and taste of the berries... the variation is quite... varied! Sometimes you can pick them from below a ledge... you'd like that!

 

[turbo]

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/

 

[rewebster]

from all this talk about blueberries, I bought some blueberry Newtons the other day

 

[turbo]

It's still a bit early for planting here (frequent frosts), except for cold-hardy plants, but it's a good time to prepare. The peas are already sprouting behind that plastic snow-fence, and I have erected some trellises for the buttercup squash, pickling cukes, and indeterminate (vining) tomatoes. I got sick of dealing with make-do solutions, so I shelled out ~$200 for a permanent, but movable solution. I went to Tractor Supply, bought a bunch of galvanized welded-wire cattle panels, and some T-posts with clips. I cut the 16' panels in half to make them more manageable and transportable. Drive the posts, hoe up the rows into nice raised beds (to help keep them from getting waterlogged in heavy rains), then set the panels and clip them to the posts. In the fall, I can tear everything down and store all the materials under my deck. These trellises will out-last me.

 

[rewebster]

I used concrete reinforcing wire, put up about 9 years ago for the tomatoes--I thought about the cattle panels too---if I had a little more garden space, I used either for a bunch of other stuff too--like the cukes and squash---I think I'd even try musk melons on them---just about anything that 'vines'

 

[turbo]

My neighbor uses concrete wire, too. It's not as rigid as the cattle panels, so it requires more T-posts, plus it flexes in the wind when the squash, etc is all leafed out. He built wood frames to deal with that in some applications, but I'd prefer not to get into a lot of wood-working and maintenance. These galvanized panels will last a good long time, and they are easy for one person to handle. I can tear down the whole set-up in an hour or so, so my garden will be clear for tilling with the tractor. Laziness is the mother of invention.

 

[dlgoff]

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.

 

[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.