23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Well there are deer repellents sold but they get mixed reviews on effectiveness. Many discussions here about them. They may work on the chipmunks depending on which you get as some are combo deer/rabbit/squirrel.
But of course the most effective is the fence - for all of them. No comparison on effectiveness when it comes to fencing vs. anything else. Don't know about the cranes tho.
Can't imagine that you could grow melons and squash there without using fencing. IME most any of the varmint pests will go for those two things faster than you can say tiddly-winks if they can get to them.
Good luck!
Dave
Hi Joe. I'm up in Saskatchewan where both our ground water and our soil is highly alkaline (we actually see alkaline flats here and there). We also have off-the-chart potassium levels. People farm and raise wonderful, productive gardens here in the native soil all the time. Production and health improves when the pH is lowered to a more neutral position, but it's not necessary (I don't know anyone else locally who does it besides ourselves) for basic growth, which is the issue with your plants. The advice on adding nitrogen is spot on. It sounds like you need to keep up with adding organic matter there, too, though.
Not really adding anything to the conversation other than the reassurance that you can still grow a great garden with high pH and potassium levels. :)
What is BT that you recommend?
Just type BT into the search bar here for all sorts of info about what it is and how it is used. Or see article below.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: What is BT
shuttering: What Dave said.
Also, I'm no pest expert, but with the looper and moth, I consider them to be pretty much the same... their children do damage!
I think(emphasize think) the reason why they're called cabbage moths and loopers is because they're particularly attracted to brassicas(cabbage family). But they'll attack other veggies also-- peppers, maters, etc.
I know I'm not supposed to do this because you're supposed to identify pest FIRST, and then TREAT. But I use BT almost year round(almost as a presventative). But, in my climate and my year round gardening, there's almost always cabbage loopers flying around. Between my peppers and tomatoes in the warm months and my Brassicas in the cooler months, I use quite a bit of the stuff. Not surprisingly, I've seen a helluva lot less of the moths flying around this year.
I wouldn't do this with ANY pesticide -- just BT. the reason being that it's a very "target" specific pesticide(caterpillars only). Killing the beneficial insects isn't a concern with the stuff.
Kevin
The CRW sold at HD is very sturdy too. But it is just 40" tall. So if you want them taller, have to turn them around, placing the 40" on the ground and cut any height you want, 5" , 6" ..whatever. they come both in a panel 40" by 84"(=7') and a big roll.
As with cattle panels for trellis, those CRW also need to be installed on T-posts or REbars.
Extended cab pickup - short bed with a toolbox. And wheel wells. I'd have to see how wide it really is, but I'd say 4-5ft. Do they bend that much? And I'd be a little afraid to drive down with road with peak of arch(es) higher than the cab. Bungies won't hold spring-loaded panels if something moves.
Now, a battery-operated sawzall - that's an idea. I don't know if a hacksaw would work (slow). What gauge wire are they made of? I really have to get some up for my dad -he's ready to plant tomatoes and I can't stand seeing them sprawl. He also thinks he can plant peas now (I think it's too late, he can try for a fall crop but usually we just put in a spring crop in April).
Of course he planted his bush cukes and squash on the north side of the garden right next to neighbor's hedge, with 2 rows of corn to the south of them and then tomatoes are going to the south of those. So I don't know if maybe it's best to let tomatoes sprawl so everything north of them will get some light (at least the corn). Peas and beans are going in a different bed with some afternoon shade.
Those leaves look like being damaged by hail, heavy rain drops from trees, gutter, hit by solids falling from trees, roof..etc. An one more thing; This has happened while back and the leaves have grown since then and the gaps enlarged. (like continental shifts of earth !)
BTW, JMO
I have done the hairy vetch/tomato "system" described in the link below, and it worked well. When adolescent overwintered hairy vetch is cut off at the soil line, it dries into a knitted blanket that can be rolled up like a rug. I think it would work well with sweet corn, too.
Lessons learned: The hairy vetch must be taken down a certain way, by slicing off the plants at the crown. In a garden bed I could do this with the serrated edge of my big garden knife, then went back a few days later and got the ones I missed. Do not let hairy vetch mature! When allowed to establish as a perennial, the roots get huge and gnarly and are very very difficult to dig out. The photo shows hairy vetch at the sage when it should be cut.
So, I would recommend using hairy vetch only as a short-term cool season cover crops to preceed tomatoes. There are lots of warm-season cover crop to plant after spring tomatoes. For ex, widely spaced sudex (sterile sudan grass hybrid) makes a great living trellis for vining field peas.
Here is a link that might be useful: ARS Tomatoes and Hairy Vetch
Split it into 2 parts, drill drain holes in the bottom and plant away. If you layer the seed potatoes then yes, you can get production in layers most of the way up - how many depends on the variety used. Check out the many previous discussions here about 'potatoes in container' for more details.
Dave
Is it possible to take it apart and turn it into two containers? I'd drill holes into them for drainage and you should be able to use it as containers for potatoes. Make sure if you want potatoes to grow as you hill them that you get a variety that is "indeterminate". There is a lot of debate as to whether this is possible in potatoes etc blah blah blah. All in all, make sure you research the variety you plant to make sure it's a good variety for what you want and preferably indeterminate. I've also heard the reds give more potatoes than others...
It really depends on the variety. For tomatoes and peppers, if you buy transplants, they should tell you the rough number days to harvest. That's very much an average, though, and much depends on your local conditions.
Typically sweet potatoes need roughly 3.5-4 months in the ground to get full size. But that depends on how hot it is. I've included a link below to a Sand Hill Preservation Center page on sweet potatoes. Everything under "Sweet Potato Growing Information" will help you determine when to plant and harvest and give some info on best SP growing conditions.
Here is a link that might be useful: Sand Hill Preservation Center
In Phoenix, you generally put plantings of toms/peppers in late/end February to early March...and/or July (they tend to do better for fall harvest). During the "hell" of summer you will probably need shade cloth. Small fruited (cherry/grape) tomatoes tend to do better there during the heat of the summer.
Sweet potatoes go in May/June.
A couple of things....Chicken wire will do NOTHING! It's too flimsy and will rot within a year or 2 in the ground. It is also too big of a gap! Those gophers are like mice! They can slip through a VERY small space!
Flooding is pretty useless. Those little suckers have a way to seal their tunnels just for that reason! They seal tem in several places throughout their tunnel maze.
As I said earlier and on another board, the noisemakers have kept my raised bed garden area gopher free (except when the batteries went dead) for close to 4 years now! The rest of my 1 1/4 acre property is just riddled with gophers! I'm just reporting what is working for me! Nancy
Good luck and happy gardening!
Ditto pnbrown !
I hope no one took my post here in the wrong way.
I have been helped in so many ways on most of the forums here.
And I hope that I have helped others with my little knowledge.
I just discovered this site about two weeks ago. I have been impressed by the manner in which most people share information in here. My job can be nothing but conflict all day long, I come in here and I have not found that on here. My onlly problem is this, I am a newbie to gardening and am trying to start out slow and easy. You all have so much good info, makes it hard for not to get carried away but I will stay the course and take it slow and easy. Glad I found you all.