Finally! I have a veggie garden!

=D

He is very cool. He caused quite a sensation when we moved in here. I was scared that someone was going to mistake him for a wild critter and shoot him. He's so big and then by January or February he's got so much fur that he looks like some wild animal.

Orange cats are the best. They have such great personalities. I can see that Sneakers also appreciates the finer things in life such as...dinner and...the sofa. It's a wonder that with all that "appreciating", either of them can catch a mouse. Fred comes home with field mice in his mouth pretty often. Always brings them to the door and I hear him meowing funny and when I look he's got some critter in his mouth that he wants to bring inside.

Well, my garden is under water. We had a huge downpour and water is standing everywhere. I was so proud because I leveled it out so that it was all flat and the whole thing was draining. I'll have to wait and see how quickly this drains off. I'll definitely spend the winter building it up to be higher next year.

Nope, he is not shy! I wonder how he would fare with a big cat like that....? I think maybe it's a big dog I need!! Although next door has two pyranean mountain dogs and he still comes close. Brave little guy!!

I am building a fence to put my containers in (they are currently being lifted in and out of the garage still) so hopefully that will work. And we have a barricade on our deck to protect the stuff there!!

gmun, you just need to catch that groundhog and save him for Groundhog Day -- Chester Springs Chester takes over from Punxatawney (sp??) Phil as the forecaster of spring! You could be famous -- and we could all say we knew you when you were just trying to get rid of the little guy!

:-)

lisa - you need a higher deck. LOL

Lol!!! I don't really want to catch him - we have wild land behind us and I feel he deserves to be here as much as I do... I just wish he keeps away from my plants!! He can eat all the grass he likes!! Hopefully the fence will work....

chuckl, the snakes? i didn think you were afraid of snakes, its just that they can eat ur baby chix and will steal eggs from under ur layers. this far south we have raised gardens whenever possible, tho find ur flood zone depth in that area. entire plant could be voles, no footprints suggests it came from underground, tamp the earth around ur plants looking for tunnels, and to reseat leftover plants. moles dont like onions, alliums, by the way. we have enuff moisture that if u tamp early in the day, u may rescue a plant. always walk with a shovel or tool in ur hand when u walk aroun chix, gardens, comes in handy for rodent smacking, and snake removal, chuckl. My dau hates the crunchy bugs too, June bugs would send her into pure terror when young. Spiders and I eyeball each other, but the black furry ones get reduced esp! when aggressive. wistful memories, the game chix are best at termite control, but geese weed ur garden without eating the veggies, unlike a chicken that eats anything not fast enuff to escape, (xcept skinks and spiders).

My garden used to be lower. Like you I live close to someone who raises horses. Every year they let me help myself to composted horse manure. It's been a slow effort, but over time the garden bed has come up a little. Also, we put a drainage ditch on one side of the garden and lucked out when our town dug a drainage ditch for a town road on another part of our property. I own a tractor that I used to move the topsoil into the garden.

Where I live you can shoot up to 6 deer a year if you can show where the dear has caused damage. In many areas of our country the deer population has become too large for the animals to find sufficient food where they live. This also puts stress on the plants that they overgraze upon.

If you consider replacing your mantis look for a tiller that has the tines in the rear. They are so much easier to use. Test before you buy because not all rear tined tillers are the same. I have an old Kubota rototiller that is so wonderful to use. Unfortunately Kubota doesn't sell them in the US anymore. You never know when you might happen upon a used one though. Good luck and I hope that gardening brings you all the joy that it has brought me.

I like the little mantis. It takes the work out of the day to day maintenance and once the garden is established, it will be easy to work with. But, I am losing the battle with water. About a quarter of it is too low to be of much use right now. So I'm going to raise it later with a load of top soil and then lasagna layers over the winter. By next summer it should be fine. And for now, most things are doing well. The Zoom fertilizer was hard on the peppers and I was very careful with it. They'll be ok but were given a pretty good jolt and lost some leaves.

It has been extremely hot here and storms late every afternoon. Saturday's heat index was 111 degrees. Humidity is AWFUL. Some of the flowers on my deck are looking poorly too.

I think we are going to get your weather when you are through with it. This weekend is supposed to be very hot and humid. Maybe storms and maybe not. I only have a few, very brave roses blooming right now. I do have some tomatoes with fruit and more with blossoms, but I am starting to worry that the blossoms are going to drop in this heat. My watermelon is starting to look good, though! And the birds ate my pumpkin seeds, then pooped them all over the yard. I have pumpkin vines coming up in some very unplanned places!

It has been hot and STICKY. Very yucky stuff. My pumpkins drowned. But I'm getting some top soil this weekend to mix in and I think I'll stick some more seeds in the ground. I don't think this is "pumpkin territory" down here but I'm determined to try. I have baby 'maters that I'm very excited about. But is is soooo hot and humid. I dunno how they're going to do. My watermelon is looking pretty happy too! Something keeps eating the cantaloupe so I just gave up on them for now.

The house is being painted this week. In Tennessee I had roses and the black spot battle was minimal. I bought a climber that is going to spend the summer in a container on my deck but then go in the ground. I'm guessing that roses in this environment are a constant challenge.

Wouldn't it be nice if random pumpkins vines could choke out this horrible grass! I'd have a pumpkin lawn.

LOL! That would be COOL!

Ok, I've got two questions.

I did a Ph test this morning and in some places (near the squash) the soil is a 5. Very acidic. My squash vines have flowers but the vines are not growing. I have something more like flowering squash clumps. Could this be because of the acid soil? I am getting some top soil tomorrow. Will mixing in the top soil around the plants lower the Ph (assuming it's not acidic itself) or should I go ahead and put in some lime today?

Where is the best place to put fertilizer? Should I sprinkle it down the row or sprinkle it between the rows? I thought between rows might be safer and it should still disperse the nutrients over the whole garden?

Lisa, what kind of squash do you have planted? Most summer squashes (exception being tromboncino, but that's "dual" season) are bush type, and don't vine.

Sorry, I can't help with amendments, I do that before planting, if I do it at all...which is sadly unlikely. That may be why I have the majority of my garden in bales :)

You know, I have no idea what kind of squash this is. Some kind of yellow crookneck but I don't remember the name of it. I thought all squash made vines. Maybe it's doing fine then. Lots of blooms.

8 tomato plants?!? Whew... I have three and am pretty sure I will inundating everyone I know (as well as canning, drying, etc).

EIGHT?!?

Welcome to the friendliest garden spot in the world... you will LOVE this site...

LOL, I know that's a ton of tomatoes. I'm down to a mere 7 now. One bit the dust. Since this is my first veggie garden I figure I'll be lucky to get ANY veggies at all out of it. I do have some peppers on the pepper plants.

Charlie (the donkey) ate 3/4 of my corn plants yesterday. I hadn't thinned the row yet so I pulled out the extra plants and made pretty much a full row with them. I don't know how corn is going to like being pulled up and replanted though. Tomorrow will be dedicated to making some kind of scary things to keep him away from the garden. 25 acres of grass and he eats my corn.

Well, this sure isn't the Tomato Forum *VBG*. I have about 60 plants (and still trying to find himes for the extras), and about 30 varieties, but on Tomatoes I'm a rank beginner, and I think they wonder why I'm so limited....

Charlie admires your dedication to his happiness, I'm sure. Why else would he find those pretty rows of gastronomic delight surely meant just for him....

My cows feel the same way *G*

I'm in awe. 60 'maters. That's a lot of fried green tomatoes and bacon & tomato sandwiches. I LOVE fried green tomatoes. It will be a miracle if any of mine survive to be ripe before I snatch them off the vine and throw them in a skillet.

My daughter said the same thing about Charlie. That he was probably very appreciative that I had planted him a gourmet salad. The corn that I transplanted to replace the eaten part looks pretty good actually. Very slightly wilted but not much.

I put in fertilizer, 10 pounds of garden lime and topsoil and everything is looking better today. Squash is greening up nicely. There were a lot of yellow leaves.

I shudder to think how much every veggie I get out of this thing cost me. But I'm having fun playing with it so that's worth something.

I have always had a cow fantasy. Do you have milk cows or beef cows? My fantasy is the family milk cow. Completely outfitted with bell and straw hat. Although I'm the only "family" other than the critters and I don't even like milk. The cats would be happy I guess.

"I shudder to think how much every veggie I get out of this thing cost me. But I'm having fun playing with it so that's worth something."

Lol. I'm thinking the same. As silly as it sounds, I just never thought about how much soil I would need!! However I ate my first peas at the weekend and they were great, so hopefully it will all be worth it!! (Although there were 3 of us and we got 5 pods each... not really sustaining, but definitely delicious!)

LOL! Above my head is the book "The $64 Tomato". I think he underestimated. But it's really quite easy for me to justify the expense. It's all "organic", and it keeps me off the streets...

My SO had a cow fantasy as well. Be careful, his materialized. These are "useless" cows, if your disregard their therapeutic value. And the perfect picture they make in the field *G*. They are Pet Steers. Long story, but they enabled the transport of my rescue full of critters from FL to SC. They get to live out their lives in peace.

Although I would prefer that they stay in their fields, and not meet me at the front door, as T did yesterday :)

Oh, that's cute, catmad! Your cow met you at the door? I would like some farm animals as well. Alas, I am not in farm country, and they're not allowed here. There is farm country nearby and I get to see cows and horses at least every other weekend as I drive by. Not the same as having them though.

LizaMouse-I've been reading your thread. I love hearing about your neighbor donkey Charlie! Very cute. My next door neighbor is Charlie too, but he's only a human. I totally share your excitement at having a garden. For me this will be my 6th year and I still feel excited about things too. I hope that feeling never goes away. I'd like to add chickens, goats, lambs, and cows, but that's not going to happen. So I'll just be happy with my tomatoes (64 plants!) and other veggies.

You wrote: Forgive my childish enthusiasm but this is a really huge thing for me! Next spring...chickens!!!!!

I hope you never lose that childish enthusiasm! I too began to really concentrate on "farming" my little city plot after I retired and got past a bout of illness. I never knew there was such diversity in a city lot and in growing things! Every morning is new and exciting; those first (and later) products may have monetarily cost an arm and a leg, but I guarantee the joy and satisfaction you feel is priceless.
Lane

This message was edited Jun 3, 2010 7:35 AM

Jen, I love Charlie. I couldn't even be mad at him when he ate the corn. He's the cutest little thing. And as soon as he sees me he makes a beeline to scoot under the fence and come visit. I'm sure that has more to do with the gingersnap cookies than it does with affection on his part.

Cat, you have rescue cows?! That is just the coolest. I'm really jealous! My cow would probably be ornamental as well. Since I could never raise any animal for slaughter and I don't like milk. I think I should just concentrate on chickens for next year and keep the cow purely fantasy. I could justify chickens because I love eggs.

gmun, I had to laugh at your pea rationing. I used to like to think that if I had to, I could grow my own food. HA! Not likely! I mean I really had visions of canning lots of tomatoes and green beans. I don't think that's going to happen this year. Maybe next year....

I'm so glad that I started this thread. I almost went back and deleted it a few minutes after I first posted. I never dreamed that there were so many "farmer wannabe's" like me. And so many people eating VERY expensive vegetables!

LizaMouse, we're everywhere....

Yes, the cows are from a dairy farm. The calves are taken away from the cows pretty much at birth, and the females are usually kept to increase the herd, but the males go _elsewhere_. Think veal :(. A friend of mine was invloved in saving a bunch of them, but the place she'd been keeping them after they grew into big critters (they had lived in her back yard while they were bottle fed) was being sold. I needed to transport a bunch of animla to my new homw, so we reached a deal. If I woul;d take her cows, she (actually her husband) would put me and the majority of my critters into a motor home (actually moblie office) and bring them here. It was interesting, but actually worked well. The cows (there were seven, four of hers plus two "girls" that were unwanted) arrived not long after. We had to rehome 5 (4 of the originals + 1 calf) when hay prices were so high I couldn't feed them, but they went to good homes, I hope. I still have the option to take a female calf, even if I don't take back the original two girls. They were wild, so I think better off in herd where they don;t have to interact with humans much LOL.
One thing to remember is that in order to be a "milk" cow, they have to be bred every year, and then you have to deal with the calf. I'm not a milk drinker either, but I had visions of artisinal cheeses. I think goats would work better than that. I like goats, too. And I have a place for a burro, or donkey...

May I suggest you consider a Dexter (or other mini) steer? They're small, and much more manageable, and if you squint right, they look fine and just like big cows in a field :)

Lizamouse-you just wait until those tomatoes come in! 7-8 plants can yield a lot of tomatoes. My first year with a veg garden, I had 6 paste tomato plants. I had no idea how many tomatoes I would end up with! I made a dozen quarts of sauce that first year. I learned how to can right away! Not in my plans, but then my family and I were hooked. That first year, all I had grown was 6 paste tomatoes, 1 grape tomato, and some pumpkins and watermelon. I soon realized that the pumpkin and watermelon took up too much of my garden space, so they didn't return to the garden except in mini form. Sunlight is an issue on my property. We have so many darn trees! So the garden isn't as big as it could be. As I write this, there are tree guys here cutting down a couple of trees behind my garden. It's so nerve racking. So far they are being very careful and no branches have touched the garden. Hopefully, this will yield me more sunshine!

Yay, Catmad! I was hoping you would tell us the story behind how you got your cows/steers! Good for you.

Oh my. I certainly shouldn't go researching the things I post. I wondered what kind of miniature cows other than Dexters were out there...

http://www.miniaturebull.com/

And worse...oh, so much worse, the Fuzzy Ones...

http://www.minihighlandcattle.com/blog/MiniHighlandPhotoAlbum

Aaaaaargh....

Oh my goodness! I want! I want! A mini fuzzy cow! I can tell the neighbors it's a dog, right?

LOL! I once had a horse meet me at the bathroom door......He was very proud of himself as he taught himself to unlatch and turn door knobs.

Cat, what a great story about the cows! I (a city girl) didn't even know until recently that you had to keep your cow pregnant to get milk. So that wouldn't work. I'd never let the babies go because I'd be so afraid they would end up in some horrible situation. Veal is a huge issue for me. How horrible. So I'd end up with a herd of cows crammed onto my little acre. We think alike though. I bought books on "keeping the family cow", "raising milk goats" and "200 homemade cheese recipes"!

Now those little cows...especially those little fuzzy ones...That's a real temptation! Wouldn't a mini cow look cute socializing with his mini donkey friend? Jen you might be able to pass him off as a dog. Just keep him brushed and maybe tie a bandanna around his neck. He'd look like he just came from the groomer!

I dunno how many tomatoes I'm gonna get. A lot of these plants are just sitting there. Not really growing. Hopefully the fertilizer and lime and topsoil will do something!

There are no large trees on this property which is one reason I wanted it. When I lived near the Lake (Pontchartrain) there were huge trees everywhere. After Hurricane Katrina, almost all of them were down and most of them fell on houses. Including mine. I love trees but living in a hurricane prone area, I definitely don't want big trees again.

LizaMouse - we lived in south Florida for 30+ years. I guess we were lucky - we only had one tree fall on a house we lived in. That was in 1975 - hurricane David. The eye came directly over us. We were not home at the time, as we took shelter in a "sturdier" building, but the tree took-off an entire corner, plus crushed my hubby's car!

Gessievoilet - have you read or seen the book called "City Farm" by Novella Carpenter? She is really inspiring. She ended up growing plants in an abandoned lot next to her apartment. She had goats, chickens, geese, even pigs (tho she later admitted the pigs were TOO much!)... All this in a terrible neighborhood in Oakland, Calif.

Highly recommended...

-Patty

happygirl, I goggled and found a website--it is fantastic! Thanks, I already have a hero in Mr Lincoln, and I just read one entry! Wish I could direct others to it, but you know the rules on DG.

Honeybee, I have the same Florida history :(. I left after pretty direct hits by Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma took out the house. So I high-tailed it to SC, trailing my critters behind me LOL. Oddly, I did go for big trees, and they're close to the house.
The plan had actually been for NC, specifically Bat Cave, but I couldn't find what I needed for what I could afford. It all for a reason, though, I think. This is a wonderful area, and my house is pretty much perfect.

catmad - my son still lives in Palm Beach County. I keep hoping he'll get fed up dodging 'canes one of these years and come live with us. Our daughter lives a half mile away from us here in NC

My reason for leaving Florida was not the hurricanes, but the humidy and bugs! Now I keep reading that thanks to global warming, NC could become hotter and more humid. I told my hubby if that happens - we are moving further North.

On the money *G*. Loxahatchee. I have former neighbors there that will be there happily for ever.
I'm pretty confident that that much climate change won't happen in my lifetime (knock on wood). Truth is, I HATED Fl for 30 years. Until the hurricanes happened, I just couldn't seem to do anything about it....

catmad - I'm hoping the change won't happen in my lifetime either. I lived in Fla for over 30 years and would not have stayed past the first summer if it were not for my husband saying he loved the warm climate.

When our daughter decided to more here to NC, I pretty much said to him that I was leaving with or without him LOL I sure don't miss Palmetto Bugs!

Ahh yes...the giant cockroach also known by the more sociably acceptable name, palmetto. A giant cockroach by any other name.......... it's the lubber grasshoppers that completely, totally freak-me-out. You have never seen a grown woman act such a fool right in her very own front yard in full view of the neighbors as when an ENORMOUS, BLACK, HISSING, POISONOUS, NON-KILLABLE WITH A CONCRETE BRICK grasshopper flies at her. They rare up and HISS at you. They have no natural predators because of the toxicity. Talk about your nightmare bug.

I moved here from Tennessee and it is a love/hate relationship. I stayed through Katrina and honestly, I'm glad I did. I work in a veterinary hospital and we did a lot of animal rescue. Actually, I lived at the clinic with my own band of critters for about 6 weeks since a tree was on the house. Most of our employees were displaced so someone needed to be there to take care of all of the animals. We had almost 100 dogs in the kennel. Plus wildlife (mostly birds) rescued from the toxic floodwaters. I washed a ton of cranky pelicans and assorted other water birds. Then the race was on to find something to feed them in a community with zero working resources. We bought up every sardine and goldfish we could find. And I'm here to tell ya, nothing smells like pelican poop. Holy moly.

Subsequently I moved some miles north during a tropical storm whose name escapes me. I was moving north as the floodwaters were creeping up the street from the south.

I guess I'm here to stay. The oil in the Gulf makes me so sad that I can't stand to think of it. I'm on the list of wildlife volunteers but so far, have not been called. I've been told that most of the animals they are finding have already perished and that the need for volunteers is small because of this.

On a more positive note, I picked five big chili peppers from the garden today! Now the strange thing is...I didn't plant any long chili peppers. I planted jalapenos, mexi-bells and sweet bells. These are definitely not any of those things and they are fiery hot. Which is ok with me. Something must have been mislabeled. At any rate, I figure I've spent roughly $400 on this garden from digging to plants to soil amendments to garden tools. So that makes these pretty danged expensive peppers. I'm not even going to add that up. Maybe I should have then taxidermied and hung on a plaque in the living room.

Bless you for your rehab efforts. Folks that love animals respect the work you have done and do.

On the peppers, did you buy the seed from a "named" company? Many times peppers will cross and the end result is a large "?". Last year I got seeds from another gardener for Wonder bell peppers. Found out why they were called that. I wondered what the heck they were!

I don't think I could live with myself if I thought I had just turned and walked away when animals needed help and I had the resources to accomplish something. I can't help but wade into the middle of a disaster. For 15 years I worked with people in catastrophes. Working with animals is much more rewarding for me personally.

If Home Depot counts as "named", then yes. But tags could get switched or like you said, they could be wonder peppers. They're prolific though. There were four more today and the plants are still small. Whatever they are, I at least get the thrill of going out there and picking them!