23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
I got a kick out of the phrase "efficient/economical"... there is no such thing when you are discussing wildlife. I have been gardening & managing wildlife for 50+ years.
You always use an 8' Sta-Tuff net wire fence & 10' T-posts (preferably galvanized, although painted ones will easily last 15-20 years). The cross-section of a T-post is just like it's name & the will rarely, if ever, be affected by high winds, especially if you engineer it & brace the corners properly. The corners/braces (& the supports every 100') are 4" 'thick-walled' pipe concreted in 6' deep, & the net-wire is designed to 'close up around any 'penetrating object'. In essence, the fence was engineered to stop a charging 3000 lb. bull. Don't forget to install a strand of gaucho wire top & bottom.
Mine have stood the test of both time & sustained hurricane-force winds, deer, feral hogs, as well as cattle. For cost purposes, mine ran about $10/ft. Good luck with your project!
I read some posts that seemed to mirror my experience with cheap netting tearing with any little branch, caught shoe buckle, or errant weed whacker. However, deer in our area are too lazy to jump 7', especially into a small enclosed space. So, I just need a deterrent, as much for people as deer! I have read about rolls of a type of netting that is supposed to be stronger than the other stuff. There are three levels or options, but I think one of the two lesser would suffice. Has anyone used both, or either of Heavy Duty Tenax C-flex, 80 (Ironically, their "heavy duty" is their light fencing) and Extra Strength Tenax C-flex P, 110 g (the P stands for "professional" I was told. The 80 g and 110 g are pounds of force they can withstand per square foot....but what does that really mean? Any thoughts out there on these "stronger" nets, any experience with them? Supposedly they are stronger than other "discount" netting I have used with frustrating results in the past (more like bird netting than deer netting!!). Thanks
another thing that I think helps with early blight is to spray with the organic spray Soap Shield from Gardens Alive. I usually spray as directed until early July, by which time my plants are just too big. While this doesn't prevent EB, it seems to hold it off some.
There are a few new varieties with decent resistance to both early and late blight, most from Randy Gardner's breeding program at NC state. Last year I grew Plum Regal as my paste tomato and it was pretty awesome. Mountain Magic (cherry) is unstoppable, too. Haven't tried the slicers, Sophie's Choice and Iron Lady.
i did NOT read all the posts.. but i wont let that stop me.. lol ...
i would NEVER... throw away one year old seed ...
not to mention.. they germinate very fast ... so plant them in spring ... and if in 2 weeks ... they dont pop ... go buy another pack ...
or better yet ... come late in winter.. germinate one or two.. and FIND out ...
the only caveat.. is if you mail order seed .. rather than purchase locally ... then i suppose you need to plan ahead... but you could still germ one or two right now ... just for fun.. to see if right now.. they are still good ... then eat the sprout ... what the heck .. knowledge is power... we are all guessing right now ....
if anyone else said such.. along the sames lines.. they are genius.. lol ... great minds think alike ...
ken
I like to have a couple of the red celery plants in the garden to cut from all summer. There is one selected from Venture called Redventure that I think is better than Giant Red, but I haven't tried them all.
I let cutting celery reseed every couple of years, and always have several plants for the small trouble of weeding around them.
This past season I grew Redventure, Tango and Tall Utah. I didn't really care for the Redventure, it was tougher than the other two, but it was very vigorous, and sold well at my market to juicers. A fair bit of my green celeries got some sort of disease, just sort of wilted and died. That didn't affect the Redventure at all.
I had bug issues with the Redventure, where bugs got in at the base of the plants and I spent a lot of time trying to clean them up enough to sell. That wasn't an issue with the green varieties, where the base of the plants was more closed off. I didn't notice much difference in flavor between Tall Utah and Tango. Tango matures a bit faster.
Next year I'm growing Tango and Tall Utah. I think the flavor's better than Redventure and the plants are more manageable. I'd like to grow a third variety, maybe Calypso, in case either of the other types gets diseased, but I need to keep track of sales, and more than 2 varieties of green celery might be too confusing. I've also never had disease issues in celery and am hoping that last year was a fluke. I find celery pretty easy to grow, so long as I keep the plants well watered. I also have to hit it with some sort of knock down insecticide every few weeks to keep grasshoppers in line.
A planting time, I use Espoma Bulb Tone, the same product I use for all bulbs. In spring, I side dress with a little dried blood (also Espoma) for nitrogen for the tops. I've been saving my own garlic for at least 8 years (Leningrad and Chesnok Red) and the bulbs are very large.
Hello everyone. Bare with me I am new at this. I am getting to the age that going to work at a factory is becoming very ,oh what is that word sickening. But I love growing things. Like flowers and a garden and anything that looks pretty. And I know it means longs hours and hard work. But that is OK as long I love what I am doing. So on with the show. I need some help. I have a small piece of property its about 1/2 acre that's clears, and half that's not. just needs to be plowed and taken care of.. And I have done a lot of research on what to grow to make a profit. And what seems easy to sell. If I am wrong please tell me. Since I live in north eastern Penn. Close to the New York state line. And I am looking for what type of garlic will grow the best in cold to hot temperature. I have thought about it and decides to start a small farm. I am sick and so is my wife. And the idea of having the government taking care of me. Wants me to run out the front door screaming for help. So my question after all that what type of garlic should I start with, what type of soil do I need, Is there any special licenses do I need. OR do I just buy a variety soak them and plant them and wish for the best . Like I have heard elephant ear
has there own problems and people have a hard time growing them. So I am looking for a person or people that can help me start in the right directions. What my goal is, is to be up and planting this fall. So I can start looking towards doing this full time. And start spending time with me wife and just start living. I hope some people understand what I am talking about.
Learned this last year on GW: Remove squash bug eggs with duct tape wrapped inside out around your hand -- works great and doesn't damage the leaves.
TrpnBils -- the issues you had with your garden this year (especially since you compared to past years) sounds like you might have a bit of declining fertility. Might want to try adding some manure (especially for squash, pumpkins, and melons) and/ or organic matter. The OM -- rough compost, fall leaves, and the like -- can be added NOW and give you a boost for next year.
For eggplant, covering with thin fleece (AG 15 perhaps) could protect from flea beetles (it lets in rain and enough sunlight for the plants)
I second the motion to use broccoli that boasts "excellent side shoot production" -- broccoli from spring until hard frost.
I have to say that if you have a hydroponic basil bed in a classroom, you likely aren't getting enough for serious pesto-ing. You really need at least a square yard or two to get a few bottles. We're talkin' pesto, not spice.
Melons would be a great space-user -- they pretty much expand to fill the available space -- but if you're too far north, you may not have a long enough season for them. Since melons have to ripen on the vine, you need vine-time for them. They aren't usable unless they're fully ripe. I believe there are varieties that do better in cooler climates, though I don't have any experience with them. Might look into those. Also, melons are heavy feeders, and will likely need supplemental nitrogen to accelerate things once fruit is forming, to get by in a cooler climate.
More peppers might be a good bet. You can dry them or pickle them, and the dried or pickled product won't care how big the fruit got or what shape they were. Especially if they look nice, of course, they're easy to give away.
You did very good.
Not to detract from that, you are on some of the best soil in the world, the same diligence gets less results in more average places. Nevertheless the biggest factor is paying attention to climate and crop choices. Not to mention elbow grease when it come to weeds :)
jeanwedding - That is actually quite an interesting idea. Not very natural looking but definitely functional. I personally would place boards under each box row rather than using just landscape fabric to hold in the soil, but it certainly would not be necessary to have all that extra work and expense.
A person could also place the pallets vertically in a chevron pattern by attaching the two pallets together on the vertical side. Running a horizontal brace, say a 1x4, between the two open ends would lock it together. Might be sun issues on the back side but would be easier picking all around.
I am tempted to try this next season just to test out the concept, as I know a few people who have space issues but would love to have strawberries.
Called "pallet gardening" there is lots of info on the web about it. Kind of a fad things for those with limited space at first it has caught on well and is even used to make in-ground beds if space permits. When laid flat on the ground no backing is required. Some lay them on cardboard, some on landscape fabric. But if you use boards they will need drain holes or will become water-logged. Of course not all plants will work in them but many things will.
Pics linked below give lots of ideas.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Pallet gardening
glib -- yes, as zeedman mentioned, they definitely turn orange when mature. And I like the flavor much better than when immature. (as in, I'd rather grow zucchini for summer, and trombocino as a "we went to the beach and the zucchini got huge" kind of squash)
good luck with the chips, zeed!
You seem to be raising them in fortified potting soil. Therefore you will have to feed them like potted plants. Granted, you will have less weeds. I prefer to raise them in soil amended with good things. Strawberries are shallow rooted and they get thirsty quickly.
Putting straw over them during winter is good and it is good to leave lots of it around the plants in the spring.
" I tried the meals they make with those corn. The corn kernels are larger than sweet corn and may be also larger than regular "
IF you liked the meal it made, you may plant some for meal...remembering that it can cross with your sweet corn if not managed with timing.
I also grew the bicolor and white Mirai last year. Although the corn is supersweet, it definitely lacks taste and flavor as the posts before commented. The sweetness is cloying rather than pleasant. Will not grow these ever again.
Wow, I'm surprised about all the negative comments on Mirai corn, Last year I tried Bicolor Mirai 301BC Corn Seeds from Park Seeds and everyone loved it and asked me were I bought it, I will be growing it again.