Garden thread

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Replies

  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 12,945 Member
    Well, I walked out to the garden this morning and several more artichoke plants are laying on the ground. Very sad. The soil is so wet plus the rain must make all the artichokes heavy. We have just been having rain, rain, rain, rain.

    Far too wet to plant anything except maybe peas. I will need to weed the garlic again in a few days. I may go do some other weeding. Ugh. Plenty to do.

    I got a startle yesterday. I wasn't expecting to see the remains of a very large bird out in the back of the yard. I suspect something got one of my neighbor's chickens. It had been partially eaten. I was going to dispose of it today, but today all that's left is two feet and part of one wing.

    I cooked two artichokes last night. They were fantastic. Very tender and full of flavor. I will try to salvage the plants that are falling down. I might be able to stake them. If not, I'll harvest as many artichokes as I can and my friends and neighbors will have a windfall.
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 451 Member
    edited May 2022
    I came home with a San Marzano tomato, a teeny tiny yellow zucchini, an acorn squash, a yellow bell pepper and a packet of pak choy seeds. My sister's dropping off (I'm not sure how many) strawberry plants this afternoon and Mom's giving me a spare pot for the lettuce.

    Today will be spent digging out the bed for the strawberries and getting the bedding plants potted for sure, and hopefully at least starting on taming the raspberries, which have spread far beyond their allotted space into an area without enough sun for them to produce decent fruit. Thinking I can maybe justify skipping my workout this afternoon with that list.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    Kiwi2mfp wrote: »
    Oh the bunnies! They really so cute yet so destructive! While tilling last week my husband rolled over a baby bunnies nest. Somehow he managed not to kill any. We found three of the four babies my husband counted as they scattered and put them in a sheltered location and hoped mama would come back. They were small enough to fit in the palm of my ✋. But now we have lost 4 plants in the last two days to rabbits! We didn't have this issue last year. We have to go find some rabbit deterent to try to protect our plants. I don't think many people want to hurt bunnies even if they are destroying their garden! I certainly hope we can find a resolution where we can cohabit peacefully. Thankfully the plants destroyed are store bought plants...they are easier to come by (though expensive this year) than our home started plants. Hopefully rabbits don't like hot pepper plants!

    I would not have thought that an 18" tall fence was tall enough to keep rabbits out, but this works for me and apparently everyone on Amazon too.

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NB1EECB/

    To keep birds out of my strawberries, I cover it with bird netting.

    I'm also using it plus bird netting to keep the cat out of my peas >.<
  • Kiwi2mfp
    Kiwi2mfp Posts: 166 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Kiwi2mfp wrote: »
    Oh the bunnies! They really so cute yet so destructive! While tilling last week my husband rolled over a baby bunnies nest. Somehow he managed not to kill any. We found three of the four babies my husband counted as they scattered and put them in a sheltered location and hoped mama would come back. They were small enough to fit in the palm of my ✋. But now we have lost 4 plants in the last two days to rabbits! We didn't have this issue last year. We have to go find some rabbit deterent to try to protect our plants. I don't think many people want to hurt bunnies even if they are destroying their garden! I certainly hope we can find a resolution where we can cohabit peacefully. Thankfully the plants destroyed are store bought plants...they are easier to come by (though expensive this year) than our home started plants. Hopefully rabbits don't like hot pepper plants!

    I would not have thought that an 18" tall fence was tall enough to keep rabbits out, but this works for me and apparently everyone on Amazon too.

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NB1EECB/

    To keep birds out of my strawberries, I cover it with bird netting.

    I'm also using it plus bird netting to keep the cat out of my peas >.<

    We do have a 6 foot tall fence but that's mainly for deer and the holes in the wire appear to be just large enough for rabbits to squeeze through. We might have to look into an 18 inch fence to line the bottom but we have about 400 foot of fence row to do. I'm not sure if that's quite in our budget yet. We'll see how this deterent stuff we got works and then go from there. Thank you for the suggestion. We do need to get some bird netting for our strawberries. The first berry might be fully ripe in a day or two. Hopefully we get to them before the birds do in the mean time.
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 451 Member
    We just acquired a second-hand rototiller 😀
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    For anyone who may be contemplating standard "chicken wire" (the hex stuff) as a bunny barrier: I once watched a baby bunny (that I'd startled) blast through one side of a fenced enclosure and out the other side without losing an iota of velocity. Mesh needs to be smaller than that! Yes, it was a baby bunny, but it was independent-living sized, and there are lots of 'em. Critter fence (the type with smaller mesh at the bottom, bigger near the top) was better.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    Kiwi2mfp wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Kiwi2mfp wrote: »
    Oh the bunnies! They really so cute yet so destructive! While tilling last week my husband rolled over a baby bunnies nest. Somehow he managed not to kill any. We found three of the four babies my husband counted as they scattered and put them in a sheltered location and hoped mama would come back. They were small enough to fit in the palm of my ✋. But now we have lost 4 plants in the last two days to rabbits! We didn't have this issue last year. We have to go find some rabbit deterent to try to protect our plants. I don't think many people want to hurt bunnies even if they are destroying their garden! I certainly hope we can find a resolution where we can cohabit peacefully. Thankfully the plants destroyed are store bought plants...they are easier to come by (though expensive this year) than our home started plants. Hopefully rabbits don't like hot pepper plants!

    I would not have thought that an 18" tall fence was tall enough to keep rabbits out, but this works for me and apparently everyone on Amazon too.

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NB1EECB/

    To keep birds out of my strawberries, I cover it with bird netting.

    I'm also using it plus bird netting to keep the cat out of my peas >.<

    We do have a 6 foot tall fence but that's mainly for deer and the holes in the wire appear to be just large enough for rabbits to squeeze through. We might have to look into an 18 inch fence to line the bottom but we have about 400 foot of fence row to do. I'm not sure if that's quite in our budget yet. We'll see how this deterent stuff we got works and then go from there. Thank you for the suggestion. We do need to get some bird netting for our strawberries. The first berry might be fully ripe in a day or two. Hopefully we get to them before the birds do in the mean time.

    Ah, in that case I'd reinforce it with flexible smaller-holed fencing. I once had a fence that kept adult ground hogs out, but not her babies >.< and I reinforced it with plastic chicken wire. There might be cheaper options though.

    At my Home Depot this is $21 for 100 ft:

    https://www.homedepot.com/p/allFENZ-7-ft-x-100-ft-Black-Polypropylene-Deer-Fence-DF8410034B/301859957

    It's 7' tall so you could divide it in quarters for a 21" tall fence. Might be safer to do thirds, though, so you can go into the ground or just have room to spare.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 12,945 Member
    Well, I filled the yard waste cart again today. So. Much. Weeding. I think it's a 90 gallon cart.

    I also assessed the damage in the artichoke patch. Indeed several stems are bent over. One was broken off. I cut off the artichokes from that stem plus another large one that was ready to cut. I pulled that stem out and put it in the yard cart. I looked at the other stems that fell down, and they seem to still be connected to the ground. Ants are back, so maybe I'll start putting Terro out for them. It's a megacolony that is so big it damages my plants.

    The good news is that there are still quite a few healthy artichoke plants, so I'll be able to keep enjoying them for several weeks.
    c1nrol946258.jpg

    I also found either the rest of the carcass of the chicken that some critter took from my neighbors, or else it was a second chicken. That carcass went in the yard cart too. I also found where the critter might either be bedding down or it's just a latrine. If it's a latrine only, that suggests maybe raccoon. But the poops are pretty darn big. I need to find someone who is a scatologist to help me figure out what it might be. If you know your poop, what do you think?

    m64dw7wbkeaw.jpg
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  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 451 Member
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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    Well, I filled the yard waste cart again today. So. Much. Weeding. I think it's a 90 gallon cart.

    I also assessed the damage in the artichoke patch. Indeed several stems are bent over. One was broken off. I cut off the artichokes from that stem plus another large one that was ready to cut. I pulled that stem out and put it in the yard cart. I looked at the other stems that fell down, and they seem to still be connected to the ground. Ants are back, so maybe I'll start putting Terro out for them. It's a megacolony that is so big it damages my plants.

    The good news is that there are still quite a few healthy artichoke plants, so I'll be able to keep enjoying them for several weeks.
    c1nrol946258.jpg

    I also found either the rest of the carcass of the chicken that some critter took from my neighbors, or else it was a second chicken. That carcass went in the yard cart too. I also found where the critter might either be bedding down or it's just a latrine. If it's a latrine only, that suggests maybe raccoon. But the poops are pretty darn big. I need to find someone who is a scatologist to help me figure out what it might be. If you know your poop, what do you think?

    m64dw7wbkeaw.jpg
    n6e4i75ssr24.jpg

    I'm no scatologist, but am familiar with Massachusetts coyote scat, and I would have said yours is not that, but while looking for a picture I found this, and am less certain.

    What I've seen in my woods has a much higher percentage of hair/fur.

    https://a-z-animals.com/blog/coyote-scat-how-to-tell-if-a-coyote-pooped-in-your-yard/
    o5crwzlcvl6d.png

    Coyote droppings resemble a knotted rope with multiple pieces. They’re big and tubular. Coyote droppings are usually 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 3 to 5 inches long.

    Male coyote poo is larger than female coyote poo, measuring 6 to 12 inches in length depending on the coyote’s size. Their poop has long curly tapering ends, which distinguishes it from other scats.

    Coyote feces may contain hair and bones from prey such as rodents, shrews, and rabbits. You may also find seeds, grass, nuts, fruits, and berries that they eat to get rid of intestinal worms.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    We started planting our garden yesterday, got 1/2 # of onion sets in. I got to check everything this morning and about a dozen of them are just sitting on top of the soil. DH googled and said maybe a squirrel dug some up. They didn't eat them, just dug them out. Hope they don't make a habit of that. :)
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    We started planting our garden yesterday, got 1/2 # of onion sets in. I got to check everything this morning and about a dozen of them are just sitting on top of the soil. DH googled and said maybe a squirrel dug some up. They didn't eat them, just dug them out. Hope they don't make a habit of that. :)

    What kind of onions? I'm only asking because we eat onions more than anything else and I've recently been stalking Etsy for onions.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    edited May 2022
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    We started planting our garden yesterday, got 1/2 # of onion sets in. I got to check everything this morning and about a dozen of them are just sitting on top of the soil. DH googled and said maybe a squirrel dug some up. They didn't eat them, just dug them out. Hope they don't make a habit of that. :)

    And, I'm sorry because I know it's frustrating. We had mice eating our tomato plants two years ago. We've since torn down the deck they were living under, so they are gone now. But I had cherry tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine and they ate them as soon as they started turning red, so we never had a chance.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    We started planting our garden yesterday, got 1/2 # of onion sets in. I got to check everything this morning and about a dozen of them are just sitting on top of the soil. DH googled and said maybe a squirrel dug some up. They didn't eat them, just dug them out. Hope they don't make a habit of that. :)

    What kind of onions? I'm only asking because we eat onions more than anything else and I've recently been stalking Etsy for onions.

    Ya had to ask what kind didn't you? :) My memory isn't what it used to be and we must've looked at 8 kinds. I *think* we ended up with Stuttgarter onions? If they are such a thing. :/ I never knew mice ate tomatoes. :( We have mice and squirrels all over the place and this is the first time anything's been touched. Hopefully your veggies will prosper this year!!

    Nothing has bothered our onions since then so that's good.

    Everything else got planted yesterday. Fingers crossed there aren't any unexpected frosts coming in the next 2-3 weeks. Usually we don't plant until Memorial Day weekend, that's the recommendation for our area, but it's been 70-80's here and no frost predicted in the next 10 days, so.......

    It all looks so nice when freshly planted.
  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 451 Member
    edited May 2022
    I wish I could plant onions! But we're trying to get the back yard fenced this year, which would mean the dogs will move from hanging out in the front yard to the back at some point and onions are toxic. Can't plant them in the front or the back until the dogs have a consistent spot.

    I didn't get most of my carrots out before the ground froze last fall, and they're sprouting. I knew carrots are biennial, but I didn't think they'd survive the -40s C we had last winter!

    Tiny zucchini has already doubled in size!

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  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    @SuzanneC1l9zz
    Yeh, I have to keep an eye on my 2 dogs. We have our garden all fenced in but one of our dogs is a Houdini. Last summer, I'd see paw prints in my strawberry beds even though she'd be laying in the backyard looking so innocent. We've doubled our fence up in spots, laid boards around the bottom, large stones, whatever it takes. :) Now I'm catching her digging underneath trying to break in, she's worse than rabbits. :)
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
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    I love this, your pots look so nice!
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,297 Member
    edited May 2022
    Does anyone have a dog or had a dog who picks their own peas to eat and loved gooseberries so much she ate the plant prickles and all but that was a very long long time ago. I forgot none of the fur family ever went for onions, they were never separated off, sounds as if we were fortunate.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    I bought red and yellow onion seeds off of Etsy, Matador spinach, and black beauty zucchini seeds.

    I'm in Texas and spinach is a colder weather plant, preferring 50-60 degrees. So this one I'll probably just pot one seed and see how that goes and then wait until late December if it even gets that cold. I'm going to get 30 seeds.

    I have three five gallon buckets and many other pots I'm going to put the onions and zucchini in. After my three jalapeno plants get big enough, they'll go in the raised garden bed so no room there.

    I think we're going to buy two garden beds (they look like horse troughs to me but without bottoms), one for me and one for husband since we both like different things and have somewhat made this a bit of a competition. Funny...

  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    And yes, I'm very, very late...