Post pictures of your gardens

[Tactical Dave]

Post up pictures of your gardens and what you are growing.

My wife and I are wanting to start a big one this summer (next month). We have an area that gets a lot of water, I am trying to fix that but if need I can move the garden back to avoid the water. When I say a lot I mean like a half inch to inch of stading water in spots.

I have been told that Strawberries do great in a pot and not in the ground.

Looking at some corn, peppers, onions, tommatos, onions, maybe blue berries, would like to plant some watermellons.

I am going to put some chicken wire up to keep the rabbits out, my neighbor has a lot of bird feeders out so maybe berries are a bad idea???


Your thoughts?

 

[Pami]

plant marigolds along with your veggies to keep the rabbits out.

and if you're interested, growing mint helps repel fleas.

 

[Tactical Dave]

plant marigolds along with your veggies to keep the rabbits out.

and if you're interested, growing mint helps repel fleas.

Was looking at mints, I thought marigolds was only to keep the bugs out.... sweet.

 

[Cat-Herder]

plant marigolds along with your veggies to keep the rabbits out.

and if you're interested, growing mint helps repel fleas.

i planted marigolds all around my garden perimeter last year, and the bunnies didn't seem to mind them at all. they sure didn't like my pellet rifle though.

thanks for the tip on the mint, i've got some in a wooden barrel sunk in the ground, i'll transplant some around.

 

[kboom524]

I am going to put some chicken wire up to keep the rabbits out, my neighbor has a lot of bird feeders out so maybe berries are a bad idea???

If you are going to grow corn your biggest worry will be racoons, every time I try to grow corn they wipe me out. The bird feeders will not be a problem for berries. We have a large rasberry patch and bird feeders all over the yard, still get plenty of berries. Will post pics when garden is growing.

 

[Tactical Dave]

If you are going to grow corn your biggest worry will be racoons, every time I try to grow corn they wipe me out. The bird feeders will not be a problem for berries. We have a large rasberry patch and bird feeders all over the yard, still get plenty of berries. Will post pics when garden is growing.

I might have to avoid the corn then, we have some racoons in the area.

 

[1946]

Living out where I do, I have a lot of wildlife to contend with (four legged variety). The best results (100%)so far has been electric wire. One about 7 inches off of the ground, and the other about 20 inches off of the ground. The kind of wire charger I'm using is for pets and up to ponies. You can find them at TSC or Rural King. Very easy to make a 'gate' in the wire for easy access for me to go into the garden and do my tilling/weeding.
Haven't lost any corn from raccoons or deer.

 

[Pami]

thanks for the tip on the mint, i've got some in a wooden barrel sunk in the ground, i'll transplant some around.

just be careful planting it in the ground and not in a container. It's a grass, and it WILL take over. Once it's in, it's next to impossible to get rid of it completely.

 

[Tactical Dave]

just be careful planting it in the ground and not in a container. It's a grass, and it WILL take over. Once it's in, it's next to impossible to get rid of it completely.

So put it in a pot and dig a hole for the pot?

 

[kboom524]

So put it in a pot and dig a hole for the pot?

We took a 5 gallon bucket, cut the bottom out and burried it with top flush with ground. Then planted mint in it. Have been able to control it for 3 years now.

 

[Pami]

So put it in a pot and dig a hole for the pot?

We took a 5 gallon bucket, cut the bottom out and burried it with top flush with ground. Then planted mint in it. Have been able to control it for 3 years now.

Bingo.

 

[Tactical Dave]

Sweet!

 

[Cat-Herder]

that's what i'm thinking, but only those plastic throw-away cups my kid gets at the nicer restaurants. remove the bottom after the transplant takes, and bury.

 

[sgt.porter]

The standing water shouldn't be a problem if you wait till Memorial Day to plant, unless it's normally wet like that all summer, then you should probably move your garden.
Marigolds do keep the rabbits away, but only after they've bloomed. Either start some in the house, or buy blooming marigolds from a nursery at the time you plant. The biggest downside of marigolds is that they attract Japanese beetles which will then devastate your garden. So if you use marigolds, make sure you set up beetle traps 15-20 ft away from the garden in each direction (don't place them in the garden).
Rabbits, coons, and most rodents will stay away from onions and garlic. Once again, you should start them in the house or buy well established plants, then plant them in the beginning and end of each row.
I have used a mixture of garlic and chili powders mixed with soapy water in a sprayer and sprayed a perimeter around the garden to keep most all animals out. This works great unless it rains. You usually have to reapply every couple days.
Blood is another good animal repellent. If you can afford it, sprinkle blood meal in a perimeter then wet it down. It is just as effective, and lasts longer than the garlic and chili spray.
I plan on setting up an electric fence around my garden this year, but that's just to keep the dogs and cats from eating everything. The cats eat my onions and the dogs go after the broccoli :S

 

[tuoder]

I wish my family's garden were worth taking a picture of at this point. We've got tomatoes, lima beans, strawberries, green peppers, jalapenos, and a ton of onions. we'll be planting cantaloupes soon.

 

[VUPDblue]

If you wait until summer for the onions, you won't have very good luck. They're more of a cool weather crop. Also, blueberries are more of a shrub than a garden plant. I have a couple in the landscape and you'd never know they were fruit bushes (except when they have berries set). If you plant tomatoes, use some bone meal when you plant. It helps add calcium, which tomato plants use to fend-off blight and blossom end-rot. You are correct that strawberries do well in pots, they do VERY well actually. That said, you really should be planting them now. They will be hard to find by the end of the month and they need the cool weather to grow and start setting blooms.

 

[EvilleDoug]

VUPDblue - Are you the strawberry wizard?

If so, then what should I do with my plants at the end of the year. I learned my lesson about planting them on the ground, bunnies ate every one of them. So, I transplanted them into a trough box I built and was wondering if there is anything special I need to do when fall rolls in?

Thanks,

Doug

 

[VUPDblue]

VUPDblue - Are you the strawberry wizard?

If so, then what should I do with my plants at the end of the year. I learned my lesson about planting them on the ground, bunnies ate every one of them. So, I transplanted them into a trough box I built and was wondering if there is anything special I need to do when fall rolls in?

Thanks,

Doug

To get them to persevere through the winter, you will want to keep the pots or box from freezing solid. Depending on the size of the box, you can bury it up to the rim in the ground, or you can set it on the ground and cover the entire thing with mulch. If the box is affixed to the house or a deck or such, there's not much you can really do.

 

[Benny]

If you wait until summer for the onions, you won't have very good luck. They're more of a cool weather crop. Also, blueberries are more of a shrub than a garden plant. I have a couple in the landscape and you'd never know they were fruit bushes (except when they have berries set). If you plant tomatoes, use some bone meal when you plant. It helps add calcium, which tomato plants use to fend-off blight and blossom end-rot. You are correct that strawberries do well in pots, they do VERY well actually. That said, you really should be planting them now. They will be hard to find by the end of the month and they need the cool weather to grow and start setting blooms.

Thanks!

I'm quite a novice when it comes to gardening, but I primarily(damn near exclusively) grow tomatoes...

1. I love them and can eat 1-2 with almost every meal.

2. They are expensive.

3. They are gross from the grocery store.

 

[VUPDblue]

If you choose to fertilize (which you should) start out with a higher nitrogen fertilizer for tomatoes like 20-10-10 or similar. This will get your plant off to a good start and the plant itself will grow quickly. When it starts setting blossoms, switch fertilizer to a higher phos. fertilizer like 10-20-10 and this will encourage fruiting and your yields will be larger.

I'm not a huge tomato fan, I don't like them raw, but I'll eat them in ANYTHING if they are processed. I only grow Roma and Cherry varieties but my plants produce very well...