Yeah We have a Chihuahua. They were bred to attack rodents. No little critters in my yard when she is on duty. My other dog is just big and dumb.

 

finally tilled the patch last saturday in between rain snow and sleet, weather here has been terrible, whilste we're on the garden topic, does anyone know where i can find a manual crank start handle for a 56 fordson major diesel? been all over e-bay and the fordson forums.
thanks

 

They are finally calling for good weather here this weekend. Mid sixties and no rain or wind. I have 15 flowering pear trees and one weeping cherry that have to go in the ground now. One of the best things about having raised beds is, they are ready to go at a drop of a hat. I just spade fork some compost in and that is it. What I normally do is start my cool weather plants by seed. That will not happen this year.
We are at least three weeks behind. Which means the ground is not warm enough for the seeds.
I have a question. Has anyone grown celery and if so how did it go. I hate tuff celery, and celery hearts are not worth it. I would rather pick them younger.

 

I can't believe only a few days ago we were freezing our **** off. Now we are in the upper 70's. Man I gotta get movin. Gotta get the crops in the field!!!

 

Finally got out of the city and have enough room for a garden this yr. We planted maters, cukes, watermelon, a herb garden, lots of flowers and bushes plus a few trees.

 

The cayenne pepper is working. I haven't had a plant eaten since I dusted them with the pepper. It just needs to stay warm now & I'll have a good garden.

 

Its starting to cool down here...

I have Golden Nugget pumpkins coming out my ears, stringy beans, Zucchini, eggplant and Bell Peppers (we call them Capsicums).

I use a lot of dried cow manure (helps that the old cheese has a farm), some fowl manure (although you have to be careful with its high ureaic (sp?) acid content you don't scew the ph of the ground, or burn plants - I have had real good results with berries with fowl manure, but otherwise, use sparingly), and one of the best secrets I came across, used coffee granules. Find your local Starbucks (or other coffee house). Ask them what they do with thier used coffee - chances are you will get it for free.
Better than any fertiliser you can buy.

I also lay down old newspaper around plants, layer on cow manure, then a layer of straw, keeps the moisture in the ground in our dry climate, and slowly decomposes too.

 

Damn, Big....I forgot---it's Fall "down-under".......You threw me for a few seconds with the pumpkin harvest description.........

Never tried coffee grounds "straight"........They get thrown on the compost heap, however.......

 

Thanks for the coffee grounds info. I'll start throwing my daily grounds in my garden.. I use cow manure already. I may try the newspaper too. It could help shade out some of the weeds.

 

The only thing with coffee grounds is don't do it too thick... unless you have heavy soil already. They are good because they are very high in Nitrogen, which we all know is really good, but excessive Nitrogen is bad.
They really attract worms too.

And the News paper is good for slowing the weeds progress.
Because the News paper is high in carbon (same goes with wood chips, leaves etc.), it works well with high in Nitrogen things... like manure or aforementioned coffee grounds.

 

I only make one pot of coffee a day so I don't think I have to worry about over feeding my garden beds. I like the idea of using them instead of throwing them in the trash. Less litter & a use for them too. I'm going to use the newspaper & the grounds.

 

Newspaper also attracts the worm population. It's a good sign if you have worms in your garden. (Earth Worms) Thats how you can tell your soil conditions are just about perfect.
Worms don't like to live just anywhere. Plus they are Mother Natures aerator's.
So it's a good thing when you hear someone say they have worms. (smile!)

 

Short growing season here, lot of hungry deer and critterz so built a l'il greenhouse. Tomatoes, b.peppers, green beans, herbs. The 'maters are always small but TASTY. Don't even eat the nasty storebought toms anymore, do without for 7 months.

PUt in new dirt this year, I don't have fertilizing nailed yet.

Last year click 'n zoom

 

[QUOTE=RexB]Short growing season here, lot of hungry deer and critterz so built a l'il greenhouse. Tomatoes, b.peppers, green beans, herbs. The 'maters are always small but TASTY. Don't even eat the nasty storebought toms anymore, do without for 7 months.QUOTE]

Rex; Do you have any pics or plans of your green house? Thinking about building one myself. Thanks

 

Affordable glass was the biggest problem, so I sized the structure to fit the glass I could get. (1/4" window glass salvaged from old barracks at my Navy base).

It went quick 'n easy: I just planted four pressure treated 4x4's in the ground in concrete as the corner posts. Then connected them at the tops with pt 2x6's. Then crossed (+) two more pt 2x6's as rafters across the glass roof void with joist hangars. Laid a bead of acrylic latex down on the rafter tops and laid the four sheets of glass down as the roof.

On the sides, the walls were also built to the size of the glass - I fashioned "runners" to hold the edges of the window frames into the 4x4's. Just below the side windows there is a 1ft tall lower support of wood framing and sheeted with T11.

The door is a slidingglass patio door from a demolished house. The l'il window by the door is a piece of plexiglass.

It's withstood the snow (just 11") on top and winds and falling branches for 6 years. Needs repainting.

I'll take pics from different angles if you want -- you'll love having tomatoes on the vine until December

c 'n z