Garden 2022

[LadyLocust]

Your garden is looking good. It's taller then mine. I just finished digging a place to put some tomatoes plants. They are going to need a hillbilly greenhouse to have a chance of surviving. Maybe in another week I'll try some beans. It's still down around 5- 8 C at night. We hit 20 C the past two days for a high.

I like this fella's site. Here is one for row covers.

 

[UrbanHunter]

This morning I checked on the squash plant, it grows fruit and then they die and rot just before you would pick them. So I figured it needed some TLC, I gently removed any good fruit (small but good) and then I PULLED THAT SUCKER OUT ROOTS AND ALL putting it directly placing it into a trash bag, I sprayed the trash bag with bug juice, dug up any remaining roots, worked the soil and misted all the bear soil and the edges of the bed frame. I will let that sit for a while before planting anything in that area..... I did see it was loaded with squash beetles, but most rode it right into the bag.. Did I every tell you my kids say I'm not the most gentile of souls and that I have no tact?

 

[UrbanHunter]

Tonight I harvested some lettuce, unfortunately I have about 5 times more than I can use... I also planted 1 starter cup with romaine and 1 with bib. Last time I ended up getting almost 20 plants out of each starter cup, this time I am trying to limit the number of seeds to just a dozen or so... We will see how it goes.

My goal is to have 2 heads ready to harvest each week, no more no less, it's a real balancing act. The lettuce in the house grows more slowly, so I might be able to time it by just restricting water and light until it time to go outside and shine.

I checked my beet patch, the last planting is up, but there were 5 or 6 plants to a cluster, so I thinned them down to 2 or 3, but it was sad to pull perfectly healthy baby plants....

This evening, I discovered that Burpee had some shallots and Gurneys had some onion sets, I went ahead and ordered some for fall (yes, I know it's not even summer yet), my thinking is I will keep them in the man cave fridge crisper and then plant them as I harvest late in the year.... Last year I couldn't get any shallots so I'm not taking any chances.

I saw a squirrel digging in my tomatoes, but I think he died from over exertion...

 

[Amish Heart]

You need some geese to eat your extra lettuce, Urban.
I planted four apple trees last year, and there was one apple on one of the trees. Also one patty pan squash and one zucchini growing. Very excited about that. Talked grandson into rototilling the parts of the garden I have not planted yet. Easy weeding for me.

 

[UrbanHunter]

So after I did my lettuce starter cups last night I got to thinking, I had to plant my "extra lettuce" someplace, I only gave away half of what I had so there should have been some left in the growing station, sure enough I found 2 small lettuce plants still growing slowly. They were transplanted this morning, I figure that they are 3 weeks ahead of the ones I planted yesterday.

My okra in waiting are now about 6" high, there is a big potato plant squatting in their future home, I think Friday will be moving day.

My indoor okra are just popping up, so they will most likely be ready to go outside the second weekend in July.

The sweet potatoes I transplanted a week ago are surprising me, they are all growing well, lots of new leaves and even a pretty flower. In the growing station I see I have the makings for about 6 more slips, so I'm debating adding a couple more containers. To be honest the idea of growing more is tempting, but the thought of spending $40 for making the setup for 6 plants is a challenging value proposition.

In my experience gardening is not cheap food, it is very expensive food, but it can be secure, sustainable food. When I look at it from an education, skills, and security perspective gardening today may be priceless tomorrow...

 

[snappy1]

There is a rat eating the low hanging tomatoes on my plants. I can't put out bait in my house or back yard where the garden is because of dogs. It was suggested to put out sticky traps around the bottom of plants. Any other ideas?

 

[UrbanHunter]

There is a rat eating the low hanging tomatoes on my plants. I can't put out bait in my house or back yard where the garden is because of dogs. It was suggested to put out sticky traps around the bottom of plants. Any other ideas?

Are you sure it's a rat? I had a visitor like that some years back and it turned out to be a big old groundhog...

A have a heart trap with the right bait might catch him, or the neighbor's cat. Either way, if it's the rat dispose of him, if it's that cat scold him for not catching the rat and send him home.

 

[snappy1]

Are you sure it's a rat? I had a visitor like that some years back and it turned out to be a big old groundhog...

A have a heart trap with the right bait might catch him, or the neighbor's cat. Either way, if it's the rat dispose of him, if it's that cat scold him for not catching the rat and send him home.

It's a rat. I caught him (or her) streaking across to under the house when I was watering yesterday.

 

[Chaosdawn]

There is a rat eating the low hanging tomatoes on my plants. I can't put out bait in my house or back yard where the garden is because of dogs. It was suggested to put out sticky traps around the bottom of plants. Any other ideas?

The sticky traps may work but be careful with them. We used some in the cellar once along the ceiling, caught a mouse and it fell to floor. My cat investigated and got stuck as well. It was a nightmare trying to catch the terrified cat then unstick him from the dead mouse and trap. I never used them again. I'd imagine that a rat might be able to drag itself away from trap area with the trap and you don't want your dogs to get stuck. =(

 

[joel]

There is a rat eating the low hanging tomatoes on my plants. I can't put out bait in my house or back yard where the garden is because of dogs. It was suggested to put out sticky traps around the bottom of plants. Any other ideas?

Not a rabbit?

 

[Pearl]

I had a rat in my feed shed once and put out a sticky trap. It chewed it's feet off and left a blood trail. It squeezed its way out of the crack in the door! Now I have great cats!!

 

[Pearl]

Not a rabbit?

She saw it!!

 

[Amish Heart]

Put a tie out so your dog can sleep in the garden and scare the rat?
If not, I'd try the rat bait boxes that are safe for dogs, or a sticky trap

 

[snappy1]

Not a rabbit?

No. I saw it and it's tail.

 

[snappy1]

Put a tie out so your dog can sleep in the garden and scare the rat?
If not, I'd try the rat bait boxes that are safe for dogs, or a sticky trap

With a rat bait box, does the rat stay in the box? DH is concerned about the dog eating the dead rat and being poisoned.

 

[snappy1]

The sticky traps may work but be careful with them. We used some in the cellar once along the ceiling, caught a mouse and it fell to floor. My cat investigated and got stuck as well. It was a nightmare trying to catch the terrified cat then unstick him from the dead mouse and trap. I never used them again. I'd imagine that a rat might be able to drag itself away from trap area with the trap and you don't want your dogs to get stuck. =(

I have chicken wire around the garden. Was thinking it would be stuck there. ???

 

[Chaosdawn]

I have chicken wire around the garden. Was thinking it would be stuck there. ???

I would think it would be trapped in the chicken wire then, the glue boards are too big for it to escape. I'd give them a try in that case.

 

[hashbrown]

Your garden is looking good. It's taller then mine. I just finished digging a place to put some tomatoes plants. They are going to need a hillbilly greenhouse to have a chance of surviving. Maybe in another week I'll try some beans. It's still down around 5- 8 C at night. We hit 20 C the past two days for a high.

I'd hope mine are taller since you live in the damn arctic circle!

 

[LadyLocust]

So after I did my lettuce starter cups last night I got to thinking, I had to plant my "extra lettuce" someplace, I only gave away half of what I had so there should have been some left in the growing station, sure enough I found 2 small lettuce plants still growing slowly. They were transplanted this morning, I figure that they are 3 weeks ahead of the ones I planted yesterday.

My okra in waiting are now about 6" high, there is a big potato plant squatting in their future home, I think Friday will be moving day.

My indoor okra are just popping up, so they will most likely be ready to go outside the second weekend in July.

The sweet potatoes I transplanted a week ago are surprising me, they are all growing well, lots of new leaves and even a pretty flower. In the growing station I see I have the makings for about 6 more slips, so I'm debating adding a couple more containers. To be honest the idea of growing more is tempting, but the thought of spending $40 for making the setup for 6 plants is a challenging value proposition.

In my experience gardening is not cheap food, it is very expensive food, but it can be secure, sustainable food. When I look at it from an education, skills, and security perspective gardening today may be priceless tomorrow...

This really is impressive UH. It's a lot of work to get one or two rounds of plants in the ground, but to have a mostly constant cycle of plants working through the garden beds takes a great deal of choreography, planning and patience. Maybe someday I will be better, but for now this is about all I can handle.

 

[UrbanHunter]

This really is impressive UH. It's a lot of work to get one or two rounds of plants in the ground, but to have a mostly constant cycle of plants working through the garden beds takes a great deal of choreography, planning and patience. Maybe someday I will be better, but for now this is about all I can handle.

It's funny tonight like almost every evening I surveyed the garden and growing stations. At dinner the wife informed me that she didn't like the look of the "black" potatoes she used in the venison stew. I said, I've got 3 of those plants ready to go into the garden, are you telling me not to grow them? She said well... She hates to waste anything and the thought of chucking 3 plants really put her back. Then I said, we have a postage stamp garden and it's a wonder that I'm growing potatoes at all, I was trying to figure out where I was going to plant the 10 potato plants I have in the growning station, dropping 3 out of the rotation is no big deal. Besides, I know a guy who might be interested in growing them and my excess/backup Roma tomatoes.

About half of my San Marzano roma tomatoes are now covered in blooms so we could be getting canning tomatoes as early as the second week of July. About 5 years ago we got almost 80 pounds of tomatoes off each plant, if that happens this year I don't have to worry what I'll be doing with my weekends between July and October....

I have been very blessed this year, I now have almost all of my irrigation and rain water collection system working, my last order of 1/2 fittings arrived tonight. The garden is now taking about 20 minutes a day and 4 hours on the weekend. But if I could spend about 3 solid days out there I think it would be in much better shape.

The indoor growing stations actually require more time than the outdoor garden, I have to hand water every 3 days, 3 liters per tray, 12 trays. As soon as I plant something outdoors I need to be seeding the next rotation. I seed in a very small cup, then about 10 days after they emerge I separate all the little plants into individual 3" starter cups, then they can grow until it's time to go outside.

The good part is I don't have to sit around feeling bad because I don't have anything to do.

 

[Amish Heart]

Your garden and rotation sound awesome, Urban. I'm going to attempt more rotation this year, we'll see how it goes. Spent the morning weeding, and put in another 4 jalapenos and two tomatoes in the ground. Still have lots in the greenhouse to deal with.
That's a good point about the dogs eating the poisoned rat, Snappy. Maybe you need a herd of cats. We have some to spare I'll gladly part with.

 

[goshengirl]

I caught him (or her) streaking across to under the house when I was watering yesterday.

Heaven help me, I now have that old song in my head.....

Oh, yes, they call him the Streak (Look at that, look at that) He likes to show off his physique

 

[Pearl]

Heaven help me, I now have that old song in my head.....

Oh, yes, they call him the Streak (Look at that, look at that) He likes to show off his physique

Oh no, you NAMED Snappy's rat!! She can't kill it now!! Post photos of your PET RAT, STREAK Snappy!!

 

[LadyLocust]

Heaven help me, I now have that old song in my head.....

Oh, yes, they call him the Streak (Look at that, look at that) He likes to show off his physique

Tooo funny. I had to call one of our reps multiple times today. About the 3rd or 4th time, I asked her if she knew the song "It's me again Margaret." She did and we both laughed.

 

[Amish Heart]

Little granddaughter ran in horrified today, said she saw Jayrod and Stinky (cats) running after something that was running into the burn pile, and were going nuts out there. I'm sure it's a rat. I'm trying to convince her rats are yuck and the cats need to get it. I wasn't very convincing.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today as I did my morning walk around I saw lots of interesting things to share.
Like tomato Plants:

And Taters in a bucket:

and Bell Pepper:

Pretty Flowers:

And Pole Beans:

And Beats:

Okra waiting for a spot to grow in:

 

[Bacpacker]

Urban you make me feel plumb lazy. Your garden looks awesome, and the planning required for cycling the rotation is impressive.

 

[LadyLocust]

Some awful creature(s) is/are eating my food! I am suspicious of earwigs since we have an abundance of them this year. They are now getting my beets and some of my beans.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Some awful creature(s) is/are eating my food! I am suspicious of earwigs since we have an abundance of them this year. They are now getting my beets and some of my beans.

I hate those things, they got into my cabbage this year, I was lucky to save 3 small heads... I tried to slow them down by spraying bug juice on the walkways, between beds, and on the grassy areas up to the edge of my beds, but they are a pain....

 

[Amish Heart]

Haven't seen earwigs here, but roly polys are the devil. And those cute white butterflies flying around my cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts.....