Gardens 2023

[-CӞ]

agreed. i’ve got three 55-gal rain barrels, and a quarter-inch in the rain gauge brings all three to overflowing.
no sewer tax, and a few “feeder goldfish” in each one keep mosquitoes from taking residence.

 

[dschwandt]

Yes, that works great.
I have two 55 gal drums in tandem by a building about 200 feet away and uphill.
Been using that water to hand water the marigolds we planted around the perimeter.
We have not had any measurable rain for going on over 3 weeks now and these 2 barrels are about empty now.
Plan on installing more barrels as soon as I can get a few more.
To look at the lawns around here one would think it is the middle of August.

 

[tkhoffman]

From a month or so ago to keep deer ect out...

Oops looks like a later pic slipped in there to albeit it a weedy one....

My neighbor has 7 foot fences and the deer jump in. Does the short electric fence really keep out the deer? We haven't had an issue with our 'low' fence but we have Pea trellis and other tall poles standing upright at about 3 in from fence. It works... Deer can't figure out how to jump the fence and miss the other stuff.

 

[Doug Rusk]

So fat it has kept the deer out this summer and last. I run 1 strand as high on the post as I can and 1 as low as I can to discourage rabbits and racoon and 1 in the middle. If that fails me I will have to take more drastic measures. Oh I had 1 or 2 deer in my yard every morning for a while. Haven't seen them lately. Maybe they moved on.

 

[jack casey]

My neighbor has 7 foot fences and the deer jump in. Does the short electric fence really keep out the deer? We haven't had an issue with our 'low' fence but we have Pea trellis and other tall poles standing upright at about 3 in from fence. It works... Deer can't figure out how to jump the fence and miss the other stuff.

These posts seem to be about veggies, can't help with deer and veggies.
We have a growing deer population and they are getting desperate; they eat plants wouldn't touch couple years ago. Their favorite is hosta of which we have 45 plants. For years we've used Bobbex (not for veggies) which gets in the leaves. I'll find a damaged leaf with the chewed-off part spit out. They get used to many repellants, not Bobbex.
Cheers, Jack

 

[gary noblit]

My son-in-law put up 4 strands of elec run off solar pack..total approx. 5 ft high ..worked last yr and so far this yr..but they could jump it if they chose to..

 

[rfunk]

With a "jumpable" electric fence, they don't SEE it physically, as an obstacle to jump, so usually it doesn't cross their mind to jump it. If they do learn to jump it, then you have to raise it. My dad was a beekeeper, bears that got a good zap at first, never learned that they could actually swipe the fence down with one swing. He'd hang a sardine tin on the wire and put wire mesh on the ground below, connected to the ground terminal. Never had one in the enclosure. Critters' noses are sensitive!

 

[-CӞ]

hard to beat fresh garden produce
peppers & tomatoes on deck

 

[RAllison]

View attachment 154452
hard to beat fresh garden produce
peppers & tomatoes on deck

View attachment 154452
hard to beat fresh garden produce
peppers & tomatoes on deck

Looks good,mine aren't even on yet.
.

 

[gary noblit]

Chris, my those cukes are unique.That triangle shape seed group in the center..wow ,how did you do that?

 

[-CӞ]

sprinkled the seeds with some rusty dust from an old AGCO Allis machine.

 

[jbratton]

Updated picture of my garden.

 

[kshultz]

We planted late May. So far the pumpkins are coming along well. Last year our pumpkins didn't grow, but that's my fault for not weeding the garden. LOL

 

[RAllison]

We planted late May. So far the pumpkins are coming along well. Last year our pumpkins didn't grow, but that's my fault for not weeding the garden. LOL
View attachment 154730

Looks good,I planted my pumpkins Fathers Day. What part of Ind you in?

 

[kshultz]

What part of Ind you in?

I live near Kendallville, In.
Thanks.

 

[dschwandt]

Dug spuds this morning at 12 weeks
1 row, about 70 hills yielded about 160 pounds of nice Kennebecks plus another 20 #'s or so of smaller ones just the right size for canning.
2.5 rows of these left, then Pontiac's Russet's and Yukon Gold.
Most are the bigger ones shown. There are about 6 flats of those.

 

[RAllison]

Dug spuds this morning at 12 weeks
1 row, about 70 hills yielded about 160 pounds of nice Kennebecks plus another 20 #'s or so of smaller ones just the right size for canning.
2.5 rows of these left, then Pontiac's Russet's and Yukon Gold.
Most are the bigger ones shown. There are about 6 flats of those.

View attachment 154815 View attachment 154816

Oh that looks like they did well

 

[jbratton]

I live near Kendallville, In.
Thanks.

Hate barge in the conversation, but I am Hoosier also. Born and raised in Griffith, Indiana.

 

[bkattner]

You guys growing cucumbers (and gourds or pumpkins) what are you doing to protect them from cucumber beetles? I've lost several plants to beetles this year. In the past, I'd lose maybe one or two. This is out of probably 25 hills or so.

My garden is really struggling with the dry spell we've had. Carrots are all but lost. I think I've picked 12 cukes this year. Usually I'd have 5 gallon buckets full. I've had only a handful of any peppers.
Potatoes are starting to fade out so they'll be ready to dig soon.
I dug up my garlic 2 weeks ago (it was the variety recommended here on the board) and it did well. It seems to have outproduced my Burpee variety that I grew last year.

 

[-CӞ]

other than heat & drought, the dadgum squirrels are my garden’s primary adversary.
nine red tomatoes they’ve stolen so far, and only two squirrels have gotten lead poisoning from the deal