Benighted again?

'Mom, He's/She's picking on me again,' is the war cry of all siblings (often regardless of age) and certainly these scenes are seared across my childhood memories and I'll bet most of you know how that story goes too!

I am being picked on, I'm sure of it. Is it because I collect all these beautiful flowers and lock them in clay chains to serve as my servants in the production of more imprisoned captives? Or is it Mother Nature taking Baa down a peg or five? (Again!)

Those of you who have read the occasional gardening confessions of Baa will know that the garden and occupants conspire against her. So what's happened this time? Last week I had a bundle of tiny seedlings, carefully sown in trays of the finest compost. A labour of love? Certainly.

Today I find a greenhouse pillaged by the local wildlife yet again. Small rodents, slugs and aphids have banded together in guerilla warfare to chomp, stamp and suck the life out of these tiny babies. The saddest sight of all were the little baby stalks of the seedlings, nibbled with great care. I can just imagine the creatures sat around the trays with tiny napkins about their necks discussing the latest gourmet offering from Chez Baa. I'm sure they lie in wait for me to serve up the latest course. I wonder if the queue for the privilege?

To really make my day complete, the ducks have finally succeeded in totally mashing the Corydalis, or duck settee as it is known here, the chickens dug up the Silybum which has no disappeared beyond trace and something with claws (madcat is chief suspect, I swear she is grinning) has killed the largest fish in the pond. This is just the beginning, just wait until the lawn has had its yearly rogaine and the rest of the wildlife come out in force. I always think I'm ready for the onslaught and I'm always sadly mistaken ;)

I must be a total idiot because I went off and bought some nice, young, juicy plants to make up for the empty feeling in the greenhouse and my benighted gardening soul. My turn again for the garden dunces hat, you don't need to tell me where the corner is, it's become my second home :)

This message was edited Sunday, Mar 24th 6:23 PM

Oh (((Baa))) hope your new babies survive.
You bought karati experts i hope?

Oh, Baa! How disheartening! But good for you to go out and get replacements. Love your attitude and your stories are fun to read!

Oh Baa I am so sorry. It sure hurts to loose those babies. I sure hope the new babies make it.(without the critters getting to them) Hey pass that dunce hat I have been known to wear it a time or 2.lol(or maybe 3 or 4 times) I kinda figure that corner is going to get mighty crowded. (Baa)

Ladies thanks for the tea and sympathy ;) much appreciated. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve yet and I rarely sow a whole packet so all is not entirely lost.

Mystic I think I've stretched the hat by wearing it too much *BG*

((((((((((BAA))))))))))) but then, it could be snow! LOL oh what we put ourselves through! and all for one little bloom or leave on a plate!

Oh, Baa. How disheartening. You can't fool me...you like the fuzzy & feathered ones as well as the green ones, or you'd have run them off a long time ago. There's not a duck, bunny, or cat in my kingdom, and the dogs don't dig...the ones that are still living (joke).

We do, however, have voles & mice that snuggle under the mulch all winter eating the root systems out of everything, so I don't mulch til the ground is well-frozen, and I haven't lost anything so far...(knock on wood). As for birds, we don't feed the bluejays and other big birds and the dogs chase them off.

We do, however, have slugs, so I plant most things in containers so that I can move the pots to foil them... make them work for their salads! I consider each slug a potential 1000 slugs, so I snip them all in half with the scissors when I see them.

Moose wander through my yard from time to time, but an off key rendition of the "Mr. Ed" theme song seems to disgust them and they wander off. The bears that drop by aren't interested in my plants, though one of them helped himself to a neighbors bucket of blood meal...he's probably still licking his paws in bliss.

In short, I'm just not very hospitable to the wildlife that eats my stuff. I've even chased off a robin or two for wolfing down my worms. You, Baa, are just to compassionate! I have some grizzly stories of my DH, the yard squirrels, and a shotgun I won't trouble you with!

Kathleen

Yes thank goodness it isn't snow. Poor you, it must be frustrating being nearly April and snow on the ground.

WZ

You haven't read the Benighted Gardener thread, I can tell LOL.

Shotguns and suburban England do not go well together, hear a shot go off here and everyone starts calling the police.

An Irish friend wrote to me telling me his slug population had a very rapid evolution. He used to go out each evening to slice them in half and now they are tiny and twice as many. He can no longer slice slugs, he has to rely on his chicken pest patrol force.

Must admit we no longer have a bear problem here or wolves, reindeer and wild boars either. Some would like to see them back again, I am not among them!

You are right, Baa. I haven't done my homework. Will check out the other thread.

I bought my DH an air rifle, soundless and deadly if you practice, but he prefers the foolproof shot gun...rather grizzly for me.

My understanding is that slugs do not regenerate from "cuttings", but I could be wrong...where is MaVieRose.. don't know if she'll want to research those ugly little buggers!

You have to travel to Kent or Sussex for a wild boar problem Baa. We've got trips arranged to try and see them at work!

They're all farm escapes, but some are pure blood and two populations can even be traced to French and Polish origins through DNA!

A long time ago WZ my DH tackled a rat problem with an air rifle. You're right Baa, it wasn't too popular with the neighbours, but it was pretty effective against the rats!

Philomel

In the New Forest some of the houses have commoners rights attached to them so cattle, ponies and donkeys are a regular sight (and sometimes a problem). Sheep and pigs have set times of year they can go out on the forest (rights of pannage and mast I think), I avoid going out there when the pigs are about in Spring and Autumn. The agisters and verderers are pretty good at keeping the whole Forest management working but I'm glad I don't live out in that area as beautiful as it is. My brother used to work out in the Forest hotels and has a few stories about people being trapped by rutting stags LOL.

It's been a while since I've travelled east of Hampshire, I must do that again this year.

I have a friend who was raised in the New Forest Baa and she and her brother had ponies that grazed in the forest. She's got plent of tales. I'm trying to encourage her to get on line, if she does she'll be able to tell you first hand.

I used to help break in NF ponies straight off the forest LOL no wonder I'm an old crock! I kept a couple of ponies in Minstead.

Used to work out there too but right on the edge close to civilisation. I'd love to hear your friends stories!

She's in Washington at the moment (visiting son, DIL and newish grand daughter), but i'll get her to send some when she gets back.

My Dear Baa,
I can sympathize with you! I myself am fighting the dreaded damping off. Eight years raising seeds indoors, and never a problem. Waaaaah!!! Okay, did have one slight problem before-those blasted fungus gnats!
If your Silybum was S. marianum and you would like more, please E me. I have some. :)
Michele

Oh Poor Baa....I'm not having such a good year myself. It's the goofy fungus gnats. I sow seeds in my "dungeon" - walk in crawl space and just as my 6000 babies germinate, the little critters eat them. I have put moth balls in and around the trays, sprinkled them with crushed red pepper, sprinkled them with cayenne pepper, cut out yellow squares and smeared them vaseline and hung them all over - I seem to be the only that walks into them - LOL...Sooooooooo...I guess at this late stage of the game I'm going to direct sow the rest of my seeds and hope for the best! Bless you dear Baa...Hang in there...If I have any seeds you need you are welcome to them...Of course that would require me to fill out the journal thingy that Dave and Trish have so kindly provided and I haven't done that either...Too busy declaring war on bugs!!!!!!!! vic

Philomel

Great stuff!

Badseed

Thanks a lot for the offer, much appreciated :) I planted some seeds up last Saturday, covered the trays with cling film (HAH! that foiled the oppositions plans for the time being) and 3 S. marianum have germinated already. Wow and I thought they were supposed to be difficult seed to germinate.

Can't stand fungus gnats but they never seem to have that much effect on the seedlings here, perhaps I'm just lucky! Do you have a product called Cheshunt Compound in the USA its great for preventing damping off.

LOL Vic

Come join me in the corner. So even after all your precautions they still got you? Your wildlife must be much cleverer than ours, gosh I feel so lucky now LOL. It sounds like you are more in need of seeds than I am right now! Can't beat direct sowing :)

Please excuse a dumb Yank, but have you tried using the domed trays for seed starting...With a few rocks on top, critters couldn't get in them, nor gnats. You probably have them in your neck of the woods...you know the plastic trays (I call them flats), with the clear plastic lids. I just raise the lids every day and spray a bit of misted water onto the seedlings and the dome lids. Of course, it hot weather, I guess they'd cook...just a thought.

For damping off - CHAMOMILE TEA - make a quart with 1 tea bag and water once a week until the plants have two sets of real leaves, and after that whenever you remember. Works amazingly well, good for the plants, you and the world.
As for furries, rat bait. chewing gum in tinfoil wrappers, mouse traps, Stan in the window (open) with the air gun.

Weez, I know what you mean about shotguns and squirrels, wonderfully effective, though!

The three dogs don't hurt, either, but I think the clematis roots would be happier if they'd try to dig the creatures up elsewhere.

Forgot slugs - I've cultivated some lovely relationships with a group of toads, rather well fed toads actually. Very effective.

This message was edited Wednesday, Mar 27th 8:03 PM

Ducks & chickens eat slugs, but they also eat what the slugs eat. I read about the Chamomile Tea on one of the other threads. Might have been your posting, Kathleen. I tried it on some lobelia that were dampening off, and it helped! Thanks for the tip!

My favorite slug cure is a slug bait that is has iron phosphate in oat based pellets. It's safe for other critters, but makes mush out of a slug's innards...they can't feed so they die. The pellets stand up to average rainfall, as well. You can find it in garden supply catalogs under the name "Sluggo" or "Escargot".

WZ

The seed trays with domed lids are called unheated propagators here and yes I do use those too but once the seedlings are up you need to give them more ventilation than the lids provide. No chance of them cooking until June/July here.

Kathleen

Well, I learn something new everyday. Thanks for the Chamomile tip :)

Well at least you all have a garden!!!! Mine is slowly and methodically disappearing to the deer. Now that's what I call discouraging!! In fact, I really do feel down this morning after witnessing the disappearance of a clematis that was bursting with new growth, and of course the roses!! Maybe that's why the neighbours have all taken down their trees - to discourage the deer!! Still sorry to hear of the demise of your seedlings!!

Oh the benefits of living the life of a countrywoman Louisa! I hope the Roses and Clematis recover.

Me too Baa :-)

1 table spoon of bleach to a gallon of water seem to take care of both problems i've been having to spray as soon as you see any sign of plant this year