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Gardening

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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    We have had blackberries and peaches the last several mornings

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    The Champagne Seedless are just about ripe

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    We have 14 varieties of tomatoes this year. Mostly heirloom varieties. We have had a few so far. I forget over the winter how much better ours are than the ones in the store. This is the heart shaped Kosovo variety. They are looking good. We have eaten several black Crimson.

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    These are called Brandywine Sudduth. We had Brandywine OTV with our fresh Persian cucumbers for dinner.

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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well so far I have eliminated...ahem...7 squirrels. It's amazing the level of destruction these rodents can wreak on a garden! They bust pots, dig up starts, gobble tomatoes, break the bird feeders...... Obviously I have some kind of ecological imbalance in my area with no natural squirrel predators. I think the most efficient enemy of the squirrel is the owl, which alas are not easy to just "come up with". I may consider building an owl box.

    So many squirrels, so little time.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,242
    Did you consider just ordering some owls online? Amazon.com has EVERYTHING.

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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited July 2012
    I am keeping the squirrel population under control along with the rats. They both take the same bait. We are over run with rabbits. The only thing they seem to be hard on are the sweet potato vines. They love the Morning Glories which is fine with me. The Heirloom tomatoes are getting ripe. Picked the first Terehune and Cherokee Green this morning. I will have them for lunch with our fresh persian and Japanese cucumbers. My wife canned a bunch of tomatoes and pickles while I was at jury duty this morning.

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675
    Cherokee green!

    What is the taste on those? Do they taste like a normal red tomato? I'm not sure I could get past the color.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675
    >"eliminate"

    I am not able to use a good "elimination" method inside the city limits on a normal lot without the neighbors turning me in.

    But we do use a fox urine granule around the bird feeders. It keeps them away. It only takes a little. It seems that the more weeks I put it down per instructions the better it has worked. Today it rained (after 5 weeks 0f none) and I'll put down a small trail under the feeders.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I am not sure what the Cherokee Green tastes like. That is my first one off the vine. It is very ripe now. We also have black Crimson that are very dark purple and tasty. Of the 14 varieties we planted, we have tested 8 so far and my favorite is an orange colored "Virginia Sweet". The Kosovo in this picture is still green and 4.5" across. I will weigh it when it gets ripe. The Kosovo are bright red and very few seeds. A great slicer. We are eating lots of tomatoes and cucumbers this year.

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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    It has also been a great year for grapes and peaches. This is the first year we have gotten good grapes from our 7 grape vines. Not sure what we did different. I did cut back heavily in the winter and have kept them trimmed regularly this year. And the birds have not attacked them as in the past.

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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited July 2012
    I use a German made remedy. It's quite efficient, and quiet.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    My neighbor has a humane trap and at last count, had bagged 25 chipmunks. He takes them a couple of miles away on the other side of a big creek.

    All the trappers over there probably dump their chipmunks back on us. :-)
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I don't think I could kill a Chipmunk. They don't seem to be as destructive as so many other rodents. I am Death on rats, mice, moles, voles, gophers and Squirrels. I shoot an occasional rabbit. I can't kill the baby rabbits just too cute. I rip out morning glories for them to eat. They don't bother my tomatoes. We have the most quail in memory. They are every where. Kill a squirrel and save the quail.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited July 2012
    They dig in our gardens but not too bad. Mostly I worry about them getting in the garage and nesting in the Subaru that I don't drive too often. They can really do a number on the wiring when they decide to start chewing on it.

    Ask Juice. :sick:

    I got pretty good at snagging gophers in Boise. Miss the California quail (and orioles) we had there.

    Had some ants in the kitchen the other day but a damp mop with Citra Solv chased them off.

    I dreamed about my neighbor's tomatoes last night. Must have been your fault!
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675
    edited December 2011
    >They don't seem to be as destructive as so many other rodents.

    They dig into the soft beds around the house where there are tulip and other bulbs. They eat the bulbs or at least they drag them out and leave them on top of the ground. Touch my wife's bulbs and she goes bonkers.

    We put the chipmonks into a national reputation natural preservation area. Ours go high class. It's across a large river. That's good for squirrels as well with an occasional possum and one time a raccoon caught in the HavAHart trap.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675
    >I dreamed about my neighbor's tomatoes...

    What would Dr. Freud do with this in dream analysis? :shades:

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

    And yeah, we have had a few bulbs displaced.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    We don't have chipmunks, so unaware of their habits. Ground squirrels can destroy a garden in short order. Also possums and racoons can make a mess especially when you have a pond with plants and fish.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited July 2012
    I opened a cabinet one time in a basement apartment in Chattanooga when I first moved there and came face to face with a possum. Kitchen tongs on his tail got him out of there. :shades:

    Probably an old wive's tale, but I've heard that if you make the sides of your pond vertical with no slope to them, the raccoons won't mess with it, and won't eat your expensive koi for dinner.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited July 2012
    A friend has a BIG pond with bass, bluegill and Koi. He uses one of the water sprayers with a motion sensor to keep the racoons out. If I build a pond I will go at least 4 foot to give the fish a fighting chance. I will look into that straight sides to discourage the racoons.

    PS
    He has a shade cloth over the pond to keep the herons from eating his fish.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Herons can clean out a pond a lot faster than a raccoon, and far more efficiently.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Came back from a 3 week vacation to find my best crop so far was ... banana yellow peppers.

    They're HOT too! Time to make some chili...
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    My wife picked this one today. There are two on the vine still green that are bigger. I am sure they will go over 1 pound. I am eating a lot of tomatoes. We canned a lot so far and have given a lot away. Best tomatoes I have ever grown. We will decide soon on our favorites and concentrate on harvesting the seeds for next year. Our Japanese and Persian Cucumbers are doing well this year. Made a batch of bread & butter pickles.

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It's so dry here...no wonder only hot peppers are making it.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I can grow peppers. I have one jalapeno that is producing a few peppers. We can only use so many. Wife did chop up one with some tomatoes she canned. I picked a tomato I thought would be over a pound this morning. It was just 15 ozs. Still waiting for the BIG one. I just started some Bulgarian Tomatoes an Edmund's poster sent me seeds for 3 years ago. I am hoping to get my greenhouse built before it gets cool. So I can have tomatoes all year long.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Let's combine them and make some salsa. :shades:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    so I put the lettuce in a rain gutter and hung it a good 5 feet on a wire fence---still not high enough--the deer are mowin' em down. I'll have to go higher or else grow it in planter boxes on the back deck, where they don't climb to.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    They ate all my hasta and most of the cabbage. I'm sure they can jump fencing.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited July 2012
    I love smoked venison and venison hot dogs, not to mention venison roast and steaks. Kill it and Grill it. :) A nice young lettuce fed doe would be best. I don't know about your area, but CA whitetails that have fed on acorns are some of the best venison you can find. Where we live used to be the main deer hunting area for San Diego in the 1940s and 50s. I have not seen a single deer up here in 5 years. I think the fires killed a lot off and forced them to other areas of the county. Use a bow and arrow if you have neighbors that don't like you shooting a gun. :blush:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hmmm....I'm not good with a bow and arrow--I'd be afraid of wounding it. Problem is of course, the deer have no natural predators anymore.

    My squirrel abatement program has been working out great, though. :P
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    CA has killed off all the Grizzlies and Wolves, and made hunting a dirty word. There are areas where deer are as big of a nuisance as rats. You could buy some of that $28 a bale alfalfa to keep them happy and out of your lettuce. I think my largest tomato is now in the kitchen. 1 pound 4.8 ozs. A Kosovo heirloom. One of 5 that we will be getting seeds from and planting again next year.

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  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2012
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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Birds are real picky about the size of the hole in a bird box. I don't think doves like being inside. I had one pair that used my hanging planter for several batches. It only got watered in between her using it.

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yeah, different size means different birds.

    I have over my deck but it's empty now.

    Found 2 nests in my bushes this year. Small birds.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I am starting the fermenting process on my tomato seeds. My wife picked another big Kosovo tomato this morning. Biggest so far. We started extracting seeds from the nicest ones for next year. We will probably cut down from 14 varieties to 6 or 7 next year. Our neighbors and friends at church are all enjoying our bountiful crop this year.

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Those look ripe and yummy.

    I have spindly vines due to the dry conditions here. :sick:
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,242
    We have horribly dry conditions here as well. I believe my town got 1/4" of rain in all of July. We broke down and installed a micro-irrigation system, and put it on a timer. My plants have improved dramatically since then, and it has reduced our water bill.
    http://www.misterlandscaper.com/default.aspx
    I think the basic kit (which is enough for most yards) was $53 at Lowe's. Really easy to set up & expand, too, though free water from the sky would be most welcome at this point.

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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    We have to water them every day as they are mostly in 15 gallon black pots. Our water bill goes up to about $100 per month in the Summer. Which is cheap as people with lawns spend 2-3 times that much keeping them green. Last rainfall we got was April 11th 6/10ths of an inch. Total for April was 2 inches.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Zero inches here for July.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I am totally on drip irrigation, even hanging plants, all veggies, etc. On super hot days, I might water manually as well.

    Biggest problem I've had is that I use only planter boxes or rain gutters to grow things, and on very hot days this causes some of the veggies to bolt early and go to seed prematurely.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,242
    I had to move some of my herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil) indoors because they were in shallow pots, and I had the same issue.
    It's sprinkling here right now. Even though I know the 1/4" we are getting won't make a difference, it's nice to see that it actually CAN rain again.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    We're used to a "no rain season" here--it never, or hardly ever, rains from May through September in norther California. You pretty much don't even have to consult the Weather Channel out here for those months---it's just about the same every day, give or take a little. We have a 12 month growing season for some vegetables.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    My wife likes the Japanese Cucumbers best for her Greek Salads. We have 4 plants that keep us more than supplied.

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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited August 2012
    Two of our favorites out of the 14 heirlooms we are growing this year are the Cherokee Green and the Virginia Sweet. Virginia Sweet is a yellow color with some red. The Cherokee green is bright green and very tasty. We have harvested seeds from both of these for next year. And a Kosovo for comparison.

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  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2012
    The local tomatoes did a lot better this summer. Last year the tops all rotted. Neighbor gifted these on me this morning.

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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    A few of ours suffered from end rot or black bottom. All the tomatoes get watered the same so not sure why. We will not plant those next year. The worst were the Black Crimson. A tasty tomato at least the part you could eat. Almost all had that black bottom. Very ugly.

    Those are dandy looking tomatoes, enjoy them. I am eating tomatoes 3 times a day and no problems from acid. I know they are good for me.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2012
    They are good for you. It's the bacon and mayo on the BLT that'll get you. Not to mention all the salt it needs. :shades:

    Around here, with the food allergies, at least the mayo is the"healthier" vegan stuff. Can't tell any difference from the real stuff, unlike, say, soy bacon.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Thankfully we can eat the apple smoked bacon, Best Foods Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado on a nice Sourdough toast. Here is a Bulgarian Tomato with a nice ham sandwich. Chris an old timer on Edmunds sent me the seeds. I have some plants from those 3 year old seeds about a foot tall now. Hope to keep Tomatoes into late October early November.

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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    This one sneaked up on us. I thought we were done with the over one pounders. We took a bunch and gave them to all the tellers and bank manager today. Treat your banker good and he will treat you good. Doing a refi down to 3.7% on 30 year fixed. Saves me $250 per month.

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  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Neighbor dumped another batch on us yesterday and my wife got her beet fix thanks to them (they just grow them for the greens). Meanwhile I broke up a 4x6' slab where the previous owners had a BBQ grill. Probably the sunniest spot in the yard, but the plot there will likely wind up being flowers too.

    We have some volunteer plants growing in the alley that look like short corn at first blush. It's not tasseling up like corn though; maybe an ornamental grass. Will have to post a pic and have y'all key it out for us.

    Also have enough okra growing in a container to be able to fry up one batch. Should be picking the pods soon.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Any idea what these are. They just popped up in a barrel with potatoes...Pictures do not do the bright yellow justice. They are 4 inches across.

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  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
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