Whats in your Garden?

[ashleen]

Re: What's in your Garden?

I forgot to mention in my previous post what I have the MOST of in my garden this year

SLUGS...........SLUGS.........SLUGS..........and more slugs! big slugs...little slugs...fat slugs...skinny slugs

We've had soooooooooooooo much rain here, it's unreal

Anyone got a cure ?

 

[nova treasure]

Re: What's in your Garden?

I forgot to mention in my previous post what I have the MOST of in my garden this year

SLUGS...........SLUGS.........SLUGS..........and more slugs! big slugs...little slugs...fat slugs...skinny slugs

We've had soooooooooooooo much rain here, it's unreal

Anyone got a cure ?

Yes, Drown them in alcohol. Simply bury a pot at your garden where it's about a inch or so out of the ground and fill it about half full of beer. They will come to the smell and drown themselves in the liquid, you should probably make a cover over the pot so no animals can drink out of it, but enough clearance for the slugs to get in.

Nova Treasure

 

[Seamuss]

Re: What's in your Garden?

I forgot to mention in my previous post what I have the MOST of in my garden this year

SLUGS...........SLUGS.........SLUGS..........and more slugs! big slugs...little slugs...fat slugs...skinny slugs

We've had soooooooooooooo much rain here, it's unreal

Anyone got a cure ?

Garter snakes keep the slugs down and out.

 

[greydigger]

Re: What's in your Garden?

To deter slugs use Corys Pellets.
Beer will draw them, but why waste a beer?

Grey

 

[nova treasure]

Re: What's in your Garden?

To deter slugs use Corys Pellets.
Beer will draw them, but why waste a beer?

Grey

LOL, Sorry Grey I don't drink, but I would get a Slug drunk to save the produce.

,
NT

 

[ashleen]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Thanks for the beer idea! I'll snitch a couple of the old man's beers and try it tomorrow! Hope it works, 'cuz they are eating everything!

 

[greydigger]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Something else I thought of but have not tried :
salt melts slugs.
ocean sand probably has salt content.
surround garden with a wide layer of ocean sand .

I still like Coreys pellets. They don't melt in the rain very fast, draw slugs to them and melts 'em.

Ducks eat slugs too and make good watch"dogs" .
Chickens eat any bug they find and turn them into fertilizer.
(Also you get "hen fruit" every day).

Grey

 

[diggemall]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Ducks eat slugs too and make good watch"dogs" .
Chickens eat any bug they find and turn them into fertilizer.
(Also you get "hen fruit" every day).

Grey

Yes, but you best be prepare to coop them up once stuff starts ripening ! We had free-rangers for awhile, but they always seemed to get to the produce just before it was ready to pick.

Diggem'

Yesterday was cherry-pickin' day. Put a few of the grandkids to work:

 

[nova treasure]

Re: What's in your Garden?

That some cute pics Diggem and some Great help .

I had my kids pickin beans yesterday, they are alittle older so they wasn't smiling and as excited as your grand kids,lol.

Nova Treasure

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: What's in your Garden?

I'm charging up the camera batteries - to take a picture of our garden.

First - a question - what is "a roll" of corn, etc.? Seed tapes?


Broccoli is tough in the south unless you start very early - they are a cool weather crop - try another set in the fall - they can stand a freeze. That's how we grew cool weather crops in Virginia.

SLUGS - yuk. Get on line, find the product Bug/Slug Getta (I'm not positive of the name exactly, but its by Ortho). It is the only product that ever really worked. While living in the Northeast (lots of rain, lots of slugs), we did the beer, salting them in the morning and the evening, the whole nine yards. Then we tried the Getta stuff. Lightly (and I mean lightly) sprinkled it on the garden, and the very next morning, there were millions (not really millions), of little "sticks" in the garden. The sticks were dried up slugs. We put in around the perimeter of the garden next, and, as soon as they headed for the garden, they became sticks. Also, mulch is the very best hiding place for slugs - when you live in a slug invested, wet area - keep the garden clean, (as clean as you can).

We have:

Corn, potatoes, onions (3 types) , snap peas, green peas, radishes, carrots (by the way, if you mix your carrot seeds with some radish seeds, they will emerge easier, the radishes break the dirt, and they are picked long before the carrots are ready), beans (yellow wax), green, and roma),
cherry tomatoes, and 3 types of slicing tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, crook neck and straight neck squash, green bell peppers, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupe.

Last year, we started an asparagus plot, is doing great, cut some cutting this year, and a strawberry patch, which the squirrels love, and this year we started a second strawberry patch, and added 4 plum trees and 4 pear trees. Last year we also put in blackberries, raspberries - black and red, and 10 cherry trees, 2 types of grapes (the wine type died, and this year we added 10 lilac trees to the two we planted last year. We also added, this year, 2 walnut trees, 2 hazelnut trees and 2 pines. Last year we also put in apple and peach trees, which seem to have survived.

Our biggest crop, by far, are GRASSHOPPERS - grasshoppers here, grasshoppers there, grasshoppers everywhere. (everyone has them).

We have treated with everything from malathion to 20 pounds of diatamacous earth - it all helps, but that's about it.

They just came out with a new treatment (per our local ag office) for the hoppers. At 45 bucks a pop, I hate to buy it, but, buy it we will.

We have already been eating the lettuce, and green onions, and tomorrow, the first canning of peas. (we freeze the sugar peas and can the regular peas).

Anybody got something to rid ourselves of grasshoppers, that doesn't cost 45 dollars?

We have tried, besides the two I've mentioned - pyerethin, cabaryl, that homemade oil spray, sevin, home orchard, something called "hop out", and I cannot remember what else. Of course, it has been raining almost everyday, so stuff just gets washed off, and I like to be as organic as possible - but, if they are going to eat the whole garden, I'll trade the organic style for the food.

B

 

[ashleen]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Beth,
Did you start the asparagus from seed?
I had a nice bed of it going, but it got totally trashed when we had to redo the septic system.
Think I'll try again this year...thanks for reminding me!

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Ashleen,

No - not from seed. We used the Mary Washington variety of plants.

B

 

[ashleen]

Re: What's in your Garden?

holy-cannoli!!!!!!!!!!!
you guys were right
I set out 20 saucers of beer Sunday nite.
Monday morning there were DEAD slugs in 19 of them
I emptied them and refilled; and when I checked them after supper, they were full again!
me thinks my old man is gonna go thirsty

 

[greydigger]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Mrs.O,
Neem oil may help. It works on leafy plants. Never tried it on hoppers tho.

Grey

 

[airborne1092]

Re: What's in your Garden?

I'm trying to get into the whole gardening thing!


We just put the pumpkin starts in the ground this past weekend; ) I know, I know, I'm late!)

Two apple trees, both need to be sprayed starting next year. Although the larger one -I think- might be too old to really produce any eatable fruit;

Already picked all the red currants;

I let my neighbor clip all my Elder Flower, she's kinda fruity and all holistic. She says she makes wine or champagne or something out of it;

We planted Blackberries, planning for a year or two from now and they have a meager lot already ripening;

Because we got a late start this year and I want to plan out a decent garden site still, which requires tearing up my landlord's lawn we have all this still in planters-
Strawberries, Chives, cilantro, basil, and cherry tomatoes. The aphids got to the cherry tomatoes already and they were a cr@p planter from the local store. I was a little disappointed.

Also, we have a couple peppermint bushes, 3 different mint plants, several different sage bushes, too. Lavender, roses, and some big bushy tree (I can't recall the name ATM - it has miniature purple flowers forming a cone at the end of each stem) that attracts HOARDES of butterflies. These butterflies attack anyone - even the poor dog - when you walk by the bush and try to approach the front door of the house!

Anyway, once we get permission from the LL, we'll tear up a portion of the lawn and start going at it, for next spring.

Here's a funny story - 'cause I'm gettin' old; (!) This past weekend, my 3 year old said to me "Daddy, you are workin' hard!"
I was tilling the ground by hand for our pumpkins, breaking through the grass and such - hoeing a row (or two) if you will. Sweat was rolling off my brow and my shirt was soaked. I had muddy streaks of sweat down my shins. I told him we're poor; Rich farmers have donkeys or horses to do this kind of work.
Well, the rest of the afternoon he had a huge grin on his face and he was running around the yard yelling "We are poor farmers! We have no horse!" I'm not sure I'd make such a great pioneer!

LOL

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: What's in your Garden?

If your butterflies are real butterflies - great!!!! If they are white, yellow, or a spotted of the white and/or yellow - they are going to give your plants a lovely dose of really hungry larvae. (hope they are butterflies!)

Even an old apple tree is possibly salvageable. You have to almost kill it with pruning come winter time. We had a place, years ago, that had an old, old "maiden's blush" variety of apples (they are really good), and not not a hybrid.

Winter came and we pruned it so hard, there were only 4 limbs + the main left. (frankly, 80% of them were broken, breaking or rotten). It took 2 years (and a second pruning), but in the third year, it produced many huge apples - enough to put up 80 quarts of the best applesauce I ever made, and many apple pies.

Two years ago, when we got here, the neighbor had an old old apple tree - with a few scroungy old apples that I thought was a crab apple tree.

After talking to the neighbor (crab apples make great jelly), we found out she was going to cut it down, even though she really didn't want to.
Hubby pruned it for her, then this past winter, he did it again - and a few days ago, she gave us a holler for us to come over to look at the tree.

It's got really nice apples! So, we will be sharing some applesauce and pies, in trade for us using her apples!

Apples are the one tree that can be brought back from the brink fairly successfully and can live for a few hundred years (depending on the type).

If its really old, I bet it has really good old fashion apples - the kind you can't ship across the country so they don't grow anymore.

B

 

[airborne1092]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Our old apple tree stands about 20 feet high with several main beams. I don't think I have a ladder high enough - the last ladder I tried to use, I found it on the property in the barn. That thing must've been 70 years old or so! I tried using it to clean up the side of the bard and prep it for a bat box, but the wooden steps kept disintegrating under my feet! After the third step, I figured I should cut my losses and quit! Anyhoo, the tree has a bad scar or old sucker that grew too big and it looks as if it rotted away. Now, there's a small 6 inch round pool where moisture forms into free standing water at its base. Also, we HAD apples, but it seems the tree shed most of them over the past month or so. They were all so small and green and most had worms. The big problem is, most of our neighbors don't spray so I'd want to often and the Germans don't use the good old harsh chemicals that we do in the States! I feel like I'd be doing double duty next year trying to keep it.

In so far as the butterflies - yes, they are real one! I see an occational white moth or what not, bit they mostly look like tiny monarchs and there are a few that have vibrant purple eyes on their wings. There is another kind that I thought at firt was a tiny hummingbird. It's about the size of my thumb - I learned its a type of butterfly or something. the Germans call them "mistwolves" or something. I'll look up the variety and throw a post back at you; or, if I get home in time, I''ll post a pic of them that the wife took!

Update: (to not hijack this thread)
I looked up varieties of butterflies in Germany and Europe and given the decent amountof white butterflies, I'm not all that ready to write them off as moths! The hummingbird thing is called a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth and they are really interesting! Apparently I do not have any Monarchs, they are more likely Plain Tigers. The ones with the purple? I know some to be Peacocks, but I could swear there were ones with less color variations - simple brown wings - and a large purple spot on each wing/winglet. I'm at work atm, I don't have time to search every pic but I'll take a better look once I get home.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: What's in your Garden?

OOOOOH! Watch the ladder!!!

We use a long, extended handle dealy thing, made just for the purpose. Be careful. Monarchs and Tigers are always fine! (and pretty).

Don't spray when first in blossom - before, or after they die, fine, but, spraying while in bloom seems to do something not helpful (don't know why, just my experience. Pears do the same thing when sprayed while in bloom). Here is a telescoping tree pruner.

 

[diggemall]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Don't spray when first in blossom - before, or after they die, fine, but, spraying while in bloom seems to do something not helpful (don't know why, just my experience. Pears do the same thing when sprayed while in bloom).

Mrs O;

PLEASE don't spray ANY plants while in bloom - THE #1 reason is that you will kill the pollinators ! (Bees of many sorts, etc.) #2 reason is that w/o the pollinators, you get little to no fruit !

The ever-popular (although not native) honey bee is in serious decline, here in the States at least. There are quite a few other bees that do the job well though and you can promote their presence by putting up appropriate places for them to lay their eggs.............

Just do a search for "solitary bees" or "mason bees"...........................

Diggem'

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: What's in your Garden?

Diggemall,

You are certainly right!!!! It does kill bees - which is probably the reason why you don't get good fruits - no pollination.

I did say, I never spray while in bloom - but, back years and years ago, when I did, the trees bore horridly. (at the time, didn't make the connection). But, you definitely have the reason why.

I know they talk about cell phones, etc., and then some that say its not true that cell phones do it, but, I know of a biology team in the southwest who placed a cell phone (turned on) by a beehive, and recorded any results.

The results were total confusion on the part of the bees, they wouldn't go into the hive, and, according to the team, the bees that did go in were not correct in their 'dance' to tell the other bees where the pollen was (I don't know how they know that, but, I guess bee experts do).

Within 4 or 5 days, the beehive had less than half the population it started with (they pulled the cellphone after 4 or 5 days). But it left the hive virtually helpless against enemies. I don't know if this was a unusual event, or if it happened in other tests, so I cannot tell for sure, but, without a doubt, bees have been sharply declining.

We hand pollinated our plants last year, and again this year (as a "just in case") because I have only seen a handful of bees in the last 4 years.

We certainly don't want to kill any with sprays.

B