Are you still growing your Garden?

[Eutycus]

I've always had good luck with that Ferry Morse brand. I mostly use seeds from the local nursery, (when I use seeds), and sometimes "impulse buy" too at Tractor Supply or Walmart. When it comes to brands of seeds, I used to try to find where they are packaged and buy the ones that are packaged closest to home (Texas). But packaged and where they are grown is two different things.I read somewhere that alot of Ferry Morse seeds actually come from California and Idaho. But I use mainly transplants to get a jump on the growing season. It almost gets too hot down here and I like to have plants producing some veggies before it does.

 

[Nor'Easter]

I've had pretty good luck with California Wonders.I guess about 4 or 5 peppers per plant. My luck 2 of my favorites , Tomatoes and Bell Peppers, are both in the nightshade family. Guess what the Dr. told me to try and avoid? Nightshade plants are said to irritate arthritis and another problem I'm having. Oh, I'm in the hot and humid part of Texas.

Sometimes I wish for the 'good old days' when you ate what you wanted and/or what was available, got old and died. Some days it seems that chasing after the cause of everything that ails you is like playing 'Wackamo'.

 

[SOLANCO]

We use a couple of different types of raised bed / planters. We like the growing bags with handles on them. Seems they always need to be moved at some point during the summer and the handles let you drag them around. Wheeled planter boxes are nice if the area is paved (we use them on the porch).
The sites below can give you some ideas on what's available or could be built. Whatever container is used it needs to be well drained and allow for air to get to the roots. We fill ours with a mix of Walmart composted cow manure and potting soil, which helps keep the weeds down. The Miracle Grow brand does seem to help, but you can always fertilize any soil with the fertilizer of your choice. A durable planter can be made from a watering trough, like what you find at Tractor Supply. You can raise it on legs or wheels to keep the dog out of it. You would need to add drain holes to a water trough. We are thinking about using a Tractor Supply Galvanized trough, raising it on legs, and using planter bags in it. Gets the plants off the ground (no bending over), the bags allow more flexibility than filling the tube with soil and they provide excellent air circulation. If any disease developes you can remove the one bag, instead of loosing the whole planter. You can spend as little or as much as your budget supports, by building or recycling materials. Hope this helps, NE
Cedar Raised Beds, Fabric Raised Beds, Planters | Johnny's Selected Seeds
Wayfair.com - Online Home Store for Furniture, Decor, Outdoors & More
Fabric Pots - Organic Growers Supply

Our raised beds are black locust. Rated for 90 years in ground contact. 15 Years down and 75 to go!

 

[SOLANCO]

Deer have become a problem in our garden. Has anyone tried using electric fencing to deter them?

 

[Eutycus]

Yesterday I mentioned the California Wonders and how I had fair luck with them. And I have but my best producer so far is a bell pepper called the Big Bertha.I think there is one called Gypsy that's a pretty good producer as well. I like to grow an assorted bunch of plants if I can. Thought the garden is getting smaller and I may not have that luxury much longer.Only 4 kinds of tomatoes and 2 kinds of bell peppers this year.

 

[Nor'Easter]

Deer have become a problem in our garden. Has anyone tried using electric fencing to deter them?

They are tough. There is a Storey's Wisdom booklet that is all about keeping deer out. The biggest thing in designing it is to remember that deer can jump high - deer can jump far, but deer can't jump high and far.

 

[Eutycus]

Deer have become a problem in our garden. Has anyone tried using electric fencing to deter them?

I don't have a deer problem because we got a dog problem in our neighborhood. But the electric fence does have a effect on dogs, haha. Maybe it's the smell of freshly tilled earth but the dogs sure like to trample a garden until they encounter "Mr.Fence".

 

[Nor'Easter]

I'm a big fan of electric fences. As fences go they are pretty simple, cheap, and flexible. And effective! Every animal I've used them against doesn't want a do-over after a run-in with one, even black bear and pigs.

 

[Eutycus]

I'm a big fan of electric fences. As fences go they are pretty simple, cheap, and flexible. And effective! Every animal I've used them against doesn't want a do-over after a run-in with one, even black bear and pigs.

I love the sound of a dog yelping.I've never had the pleasure of seeing a cat get zapped though.

 

[Brokennock]

We use a couple of different types of raised bed / planters. We like the growing bags with handles on them. Seems they always need to be moved at some point during the summer and the handles let you drag them around. Wheeled planter boxes are nice if the area is paved (we use them on the porch).
The sites below can give you some ideas on what's available or could be built. Whatever container is used it needs to be well drained and allow for air to get to the roots. We fill ours with a mix of Walmart composted cow manure and potting soil, which helps keep the weeds down. The Miracle Grow brand does seem to help, but you can always fertilize any soil with the fertilizer of your choice. A durable planter can be made from a watering trough, like what you find at Tractor Supply. You can raise it on legs or wheels to keep the dog out of it. You would need to add drain holes to a water trough. We are thinking about using a Tractor Supply Galvanized trough, raising it on legs, and using planter bags in it. Gets the plants off the ground (no bending over), the bags allow more flexibility than filling the tube with soil and they provide excellent air circulation. If any disease developes you can remove the one bag, instead of loosing the whole planter. You can spend as little or as much as your budget supports, by building or recycling materials. Hope this helps, NE
Cedar Raised Beds, Fabric Raised Beds, Planters | Johnny's Selected Seeds
Wayfair.com - Online Home Store for Furniture, Decor, Outdoors & More
Fabric Pots - Organic Growers Supply

Thank you.

 

[pilot]

I've read for electric fences for deer, one strand 30 inches high and fold a piece of aluminum foil four by four inches over the wire every five feet or so and smear peanut butter under the foil. It should be folded at 90 degrees like a tent or roof top over the wire. The peanut butter attracts the deer, the shock gets their attention. So to speak.

 

[Eutycus]

I've read for electric fences for deer, one strand 30 inches high and fold a piece of aluminum foil four by four inches over the wire every five feet or so and smear peanut butter under the foil. It should be folded at 90 degrees like a tent or roof top over the wire. The peanut butter attracts the deer, the shock gets their attention. So to speak.

That foil/peanut butter is giving me ideas about cats and dogs. Foil and sardines maybe?

 

[pilot]

Dogs love peanut butter. No idea about cats.

 

[jefair1]

I set mouse traps in the garden for cats. Really gets their attention when they step on one.

 

[pmccoywss]

My electric fence keeps the cows out, but deer go right under it or over it. You'd need several strands, from low enough they can't get under to high enough they can't get over, with strands in the middle the can't get between. At our elevation and lattitude, the only we we can grow is in a greenhouse. Haven't used it for a couple years due to medical issues, but I'm in process of remodeling to include raised bed and will be planting in a few weeks.

 

[nkbj]

Saved scarlet runner beans from last year. Now it looks as though my seedlings have leaf crumple virus.
Oh well, only growing scarlet runners for the humming birds. When I plant them will put them somewhere away from the veggie garden.
The hard part will be keeping the deer from eating the vines before the hummers can enjoy the flowers. Don't know how much time and labor I want to invest in happier hummers.

 

[Tn poor boy]

Plant potatoes in old used tires stacked on top of each other works sounds dumb but works

 

[3 trees]

65 and still blowing smoke and planting a garden!

 

[cynthialee]

this was going to be a fallow year but with current events being what they are, I will plant my garden this year and add in some industrial fertilizers to the soil

not my preferred course of action, but I think it is the wisest course of action

 

[Needstuff03]

Lettuce is up in the garden about an inch, peas are about 6 inches tall. I always start my own seedlings kale, collards and cabbage are what's in the picture. I love collards more than almost anything else in the garden.