Hello Linda,
My update is... woody the woodchuck is having his way with ALL my plants,wintersown,plant swapped and purchased ones! I had some great looking lupines,they were about 7 inches tall. The key word here is had! I wake up every morning and go out to see what the little bugger has eaten overnight. I have tried to put out lettuce, carrots and some sweets but he loves my plants.
I don't know what to do! I have always had a dog so I never noticed "woody" in my yard. I lost my dog last December, he was a 15.5 y/o lab.I started to notice him on my property this spring. I can't believe what this thing can eat in a night, he's driving me crazy!!! Any suggestions?

Plant some datura for the little bugger to eat. :)

Ive got the animals eating stuff too. Chipmunks squirrles and bunnies. :( The weeds arent so much of a problem, unless you count elm trees and maple trees and redbud trees weeds. I just walk around with my little hoe and slice them off. Learned you can sharpen a hoe with a file.

Its no wonder you read about loss of bees, the critters eat all the flowers we plant for the bees before they even get a change to bloom.

On the positive side, the organic slug bait has worked and the hostas are doing great. The daylillies are blooming as ever--old faithful I call them. My garbage-picked-and-overwintered-in-the-house Geraniums are popping some buds. We ate our first homegrown radish yesterday and realized the homegrown ones dont taste any better than the store bought ones. hee! The Robins are doing a GREAT job patrolling the brocolli/cabbage garden, not a bug or caterpillare in sight. Gargage-picked-and-planted spuds are growing like crazy! WS maters going well.

Overall, its way better than last year, but not where I want it to be either, hardly any flowers except the daylillies and one viola.

Cucumber beetles & cutworms have shown their evil faces, but I am putting up a good fight. My first tomatoes showed up this week on Silver Fir Tree, Stupice and Siberia tomato plants.

DH and I have enjoyed lettuce, kohlrabi, radishes & strawberries out of the garden.

I have a small section of the garden to finish digging. I'm going to put in two more melons (maybe Moon & Stars. They are seedlings, so I think I'll have enough time.) I might put some petunias in that section too (I started them from seed & they are blooming in their little seed starting containers!) Then I can work on the expansion. It's been cover in black plastic for a few weeks now. I'm hoping that has smothered the weeds.

The variegated nicandra, amaranth, marigolds and calendula I grew for my Mom are now bloomiong in her flower beds. She has a tomato on one of the plants I grew for her too.

I should also comment that I received the Stupice, Siberia, Silver Fir Tree, some of the lettuce, Moon & Stars, petunias, variegated nicandra, amaranth, and some marigolds all from trade. Thanks everyone for helping my & my Mom's gardens grow!

Doris,
I planted datura in with a pot of bachelors buttons that have been eaten several times. It seems that woody is educated and knows not to eat it. I got monkshood seeds and had only 1 sprout that he ate!! This plant is also supposed to be poisonous. I'll check this morning and see if there has been any additional damage or if maybe he's expired.

I have a container garden on my deck, thanks to the deer, but so far I have a small cluster of raspberries just about to turn color, a few strawberries, my dwarf lemon tree has a lot of blooms. I had a few nice red roses, but the caterpillars got rid of those for me. My area's been taken over by caterpillars- it's impossible to go outside without stepping on several of them.

Hi all I've loved your reports.

For me I just bought a house with 1.5 acreas of land. Basically the yard consists of clay, rocks large and small,trees and weeds.

4 trees are in the front yard area and I have added 4,000 lbs of amended soil around them and planted 5 hosta of different varieties, columbine, lily of the valley, pineapple mint, dwarf evergreen bush, 3 peonies, and 2 azaleas that didn't make it. I've got a load of zinnia started that will be put on the sunny side of the bed.

Next to the sidewalk I am making a lasagna bed two feet wide. So far I have cardboard, top soil, aged cow manure and straw piled up on it.

The foundation bed is full of mixed gladiolus, iris, daffodils, tulips, portulaca, mums, and blackberry lilies and ditch lilies (I'll move the ditch lilies as soon as I can make a place for them near my ditch. But I didn't feel like doing that when I got here so I just dug a hole and popped them in.

In the back I have started on a small veggie garden. Right now I have green onions, egyptian walking onions, horseradish and one Gypsy Sweet Pepper.

I have so many exciting plans but everything takes a great deal of time.

I have a mole or a vole in the back yard but he hasn't found my flowers yet. And I saw a deer in my woodland area the other day but he hasn't found my plants yet either. I guess they don't like glads and that's the only thing I have blooming at the moment.

Thanks again for this topic.

I also have a woodchuck. I don't know if it is the moth balls I put down on the perimeter of the garden or the fact that the dog chased him out of the yard one day but I haven't seen him lately.

Gardening is slow.

I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, and cucumbers. They are coming up wonderfully. The tomatoes finally smell like tomatoes.

I have one flower bed that runs the length of the house that has echenacea, bee balm, black eyed susans, and Rudbeckia. Last years stuff is coming up and is huge and is weeded. The seedlings are all planted. My hosta bed next to the shed is weeded and mulched. At the end of that I have two hibiscus, 3 different coreopsis, and a yarrow. All doing nicely. I have planted my Sea hollys with a Astilbe. Another bed is next to my vegetables. I need to weed that again and the whole back. I am hoping to get it all weeded and the rest of the seedlings planted today. The seeds that I threw down are slow with the pots doing nothing. We will see what happens

N.chrissy,
I've heard that stacking your pots big to little to make tiers keeps the nibblers away. My aunt does that for rabbits.
I have a fenced in yard a dog and a cat that loves bringing trophies. I can't even have a birdbath for fear of the carnage that would ensue.
I still have to fight the clay soil, drainage and maples in the back yard. I mounded most of the worst garden this year, hopefully it helps.

Ishareflowers,
Try castor oil mixed with water and spray the area to keep woody away. I don't know if it will work for woody, but I used to have moles and this would keep them away! But you have to do it every few weeks or so and again if it rains.
Hope this helps!
Vic

Well, my beds are doing very well. The front beds are starting to fill in and not look so bare. My Peruvian Daffs were the first of the actually planted things to bloom. I cheated this year and bought some things for some color. Now I have a calla that bloomed and eagerly awaiting the others to do the same. My Narcissus are coming up too :) I've taken several cuttings of things in the front yard, and they have rooted very well, so they are going out into the beds this week. Along with some honeysuckle cuttings from my MIL. Beth sent me some wonderful cuttings last week and they still need a little time to root well before going out :)

In the back gardens, well, my potted plants are doing well. The veggies have been slow this year, but are finally starting to show signs of being a veggie patch. I recently found out that though I was fretting over my tomatoes, it seems everyone's around here are being slow this year. It's been a learning experience this year since moving, so next year's gardens will be much nicer :)

And when they trimmed my trees, I was able to get the green mulch at no charge. We went ahead and have spread it and just let the green decompose on it's own and the beds seem to really be enjoying it! And even better, this hasn't caused the nose bleeds and headaches that I usually have when working with compost! The wood in the mulch has turned a nice sandy color and the soil beneath is even richer than before! :)

Kathy

My veggie and flower gardens were doing really well till yesterday. We had the biggest hail storm I have ever seen, 4-6 inches of hail. It was a mix of pea to quarter size hailstones. It stripped my flowers and veggies of leaves and flowers not to mention breaking all that it could.
It is so discouraging. :( I have lost all interest now.

Vic,
Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try. I haven't seen any additional damage in the last couple of days. I googled getting rid of ground hogs and it said put out bubble gum. I haven't seen him since and the bubble gum is gone. I also poured ammonia down the whole he comes out of. I'll try anything once! I'll keep you all posted.
Lisa

i noticed the daylilies i got from a trade are getting buds!! woohoo! i cant wait to see the blooms!
my holly hocks are starting to bloom too,n yaccas are blooming:) yea!

they are all growing great and especially the grass in the beds!! LOL all of my winter sown plants, once i put them in their beds, took off!! they are doing great!! i have HUGE vegetable plants!! can't wait till the vege's actually get here!! LOL hmmmm...... we are composting now, thanks to tabor, he made a cmpost bed for me, and now its going good, so i'm like really happy!! i know next year my plants will be too!! LOL we are making new raised beds as we speak!! and my brother is helping put together that green house!! then i can get most of that stuff out of my yard, it will be either in the beds or in the green house!! YAY!! (in the bed, unless it has nothing in the soil.) LOL
my goal of making a no grass yard, slowly getting there!! WEEE HEEE!! LOL ~Medo

we just put up a 6x10 bed that i know that quack grass cannot get into!! and started putting in my plants from the last swap. and i''m going to start transplanting some of the plants that i've been having in those pots that've been needing to transplant!! LOL its been a long hot day here today!! LOL the humidity is way up there!! WHEW!!!! need some ice tea with something really refreshing!! LOL now i'm lookng for some milk weed that is rounded edges and has soft velvety undersides and ontop and no red veigns??!! anyone have any?? LOL that's the last thing i'm looking for :')) till i see something new LOL at least for my flutterby's LOL man do they smell so good!! LOL (the plant) but ya can't hardly find them anymore!! they always have the red in the veigns. ahhhhhhh i gotta go finish transplanting Hugs ~Medo

I tried an epsom salt treat for most of my plants yesterday...wow..what a difference just overnight...everything is a deeper green this morning. That was so worth trying. I will make ES a regular part of my routine now that ya'll have finally talked me into trying it. Now if I could just get ahead in the bug war on my tomatoes and brugs. I lost the war over my cabbages...but now I know to spray BEFORE I see critter holes in the leaves. Yep...still a relative newbie...less than a year...lots to learn...but I am having so much fun!!

okay..what about the epsom salt treatment? Inquiring minds want to know!

Yesterday (July 2nd) I ate my first 3 cherry tomatoes out of my garden while planting some rose-of-sharon Linda sent me in our latest swap. I'm going to be harvesting my first lettuce sometime tomorrow, and will be enjoying lettuce sandwiches while watching the fireworks! MMMMM MMMMM MMMMM

Here is a link to several discussions (conversations?) on using epsom salts.

yippee....I just learned how to add a link to a post...LOL!!

Here is a link that might be useful: more about epsom salt

Thanks Daff, I appreciate it!

Im doing the happy dance because the calla lily seedlings have produced their second leaves.

:)

cool doris! im trying perrennial seeds this year:)
i got a blooom on a day lily!! its so pretty!
i seen a hummingbird moth in the yard, it loves the phlox,
i got sunburnt yesterday, outch!

My happy dance today is because of my first time ever brugmansia blooms!! I have two plants with lovely pink blooms on it. And we had a good rain last night, so I don't have to go out in the heat and humidity to water.

awesome!@! i put 1 t of epsomesalt around my tomatoes when i put them in the hole after i have put all the dirt in. then i water them. then i put 1 more on after all the watering. for the next one, just because. and mine do awesome, right now i have so many that will be ready i honestly don't know what in the world i'm gonna do except eat them!! LOL we'll have so many tomatoe sandwhiches it's totally pathetic!! LOL i absolutely love them!! they are my favorite things to eat in the summer besides the other and its not healthy!! and that is the jalopeno bread w tomatoes, jalopeno, ranch dressing, cheese,, and whatever else i can think of that might taste good!! LOL but those are the main things i put on sometimes bacon, so its a real heart stopper! LOL
my brugs's died, darned heat!! but my datura's are good except the one's with the tripple's and different colors in them, bummer!! they died!! so we'll see what else shall live!! LOL ~Medo

Eating beans and pea pods just about every day now. Had my first taste of Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry...different flavor but pleasant. STILL waiting for my first ripe tomato!!! Plant on expanding next year but don't tell dh yet...waiting for him to get his first taste of those tomatoes also so he won't complain about losing more back yard to garden lol. Kim

{{gwi:30814}}

ill bet after he gets the tast of those goodies he wont complain:) thats how my hubs was last year lol
i got my first buds on my 2 brugs!!!
the weeds took over afew annual beds :(