What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Evo]

My squash are rotting and I've read that it may be due to a calcium defiency. Unfortunately I've read that once the squash start blooming, it's already too late, the calcium has to be added prior to planting. Some people suggest adding epsom salts to encourage calcium uptake, but every AG college says it won't really help.

I'm hoping that it may just be improper fertilization. I just hand fertilized a few more squash this morning & I am keeping my fingers crossed. I have almost no pollinating insects. I have only one cucumber pollinated so far. I read that it takes a minimum of forty visits by a pollinator like a bee to pollinate a cucumber. My main problem with the cukes is that they are producing an incredible amount of female blooms and no males. Typical male behavior. I've got 50 females and one sorry male sitting there scratching himself and belching waiting for the females to come to him.

 

[Andre]

Such a sad flora romance

 

[rewebster]

Typical male behavior. I've got 50 females and one sorry male sitting there scratching himself and belching waiting for the females to come to him.

well, at least its not that way with the H. s. Sapiens here on the PF

 

[rewebster]

I have two battery-operated sprinklers at the corners of my garden. They have IR motion sensors, and when a large enough animal crosses their beams, they trigger, and make a pretty good racket for a few seconds. They are the reciprocating-type sprinkler heads and they are made out of plastic so they are pretty loud. They don't help with cutworms and beetles, but they discourage deer.

I looked into those for the squirrels and nectarines---What brand are you using?


it may not make too much difference this year. I went out to look at the nectarines this AM, and most have some kind of spots all over a lot of them which I've seen once or twice before. I'll photo it, and also see if I can find out waz up with them.

 

[turbo]

I looked into those for the squirrels and nectarines---What brand are you using?it may not make too much difference this year. I went out to look at the nectarines this AM, and most have some kind of spots all over a lot of them which I've seen once or twice before. I'll photo it, and also see if I can find out waz up with them.

I don't remember the brand for sure - I think they were called "ghosts", and they were horrendously expensive. They came with big owl-eye decals to scare birds, but I don't have much of a bird problem in the vegetable garden. In fact if the insectivorous birds want to hang out down there and eat bugs, caterpillars, and slugs, I'll serve them champagne, too. Now the local garden shops carry models that are well under $30 per. You may have a problem with squirrels because they are small and may not provide enough cross-section to trigger the motion sensors. I have never tried setting the sensitivity that high on mine because just the swaying of plants in the wind can trigger them.

 

[rewebster]

I don't remember the brand for sure - I think they were called "ghosts", and they were horrendously expensive. The came with big owl-eye decals to scare birds, but I don't have much of a bird problem in the vegetable garden. In fact if the insectivorous birds want to hang out down there and eat bugs, caterpillars, and slugs, I'll serve them champagne, too. Now the local garden shops carry models that are well under $30 per. You may have a problem with squirrels because they are small and may not provide enough cross-section to trigger the motion sensors. I have never tried setting the sensitivity that high on mine because just the swaying of plants in the wind can trigger them.

yeah--most of the ones I saw were at least $70 plus shipping, on-line

I was going to put it on the garage roof (where they jump from onto the tree)--the only thing else up there are cats (and I wouldn't mind a double use, the way they eat all the baby birds in the yard, and use the garden as a litter box)

I'd really like to find a way to guarantee I could get about 2 or 3 robins to nest in the tree. The year one was nesting in it, I even had a hard time getting close.

 

[Evo]

rew, I forgot to say what a great garden you have. You put a lot of work into it.

 

[rewebster]

rew, I forgot to say what a great garden you have. You put a lot of work into it.

Well, thank you very much---


sorry, I haven't grown squashed to know what the problem is with yours.



And to pat (or scratch) your back, back,---I find it very interesting how well you've done with your 'garden' under the conditions that they've been through (storms, having to be moved in and out, etc.).

 

[turbo]

rew, I just looked up the sprinklers on-line and mine were "scarecrows".

http://www.nixalite.com/scarecrow.aspx?gclid=CPGn2uuzuJQCFQVcswodDCpCUA

If you can mount them on a roof with the beam parallel to the roof line, and no moving vegetation (branches in the wind) in the beam, you might be able to set the sensitivity high enough to be triggered by squirrels. I forget the brand that the local Agway carries, but it is marketed by a pest control company (maybe Haveahart) IIR, and they are under $30 per unit.

 

[rewebster]

rew, I just looked up the sprinklers on-line and mine were "scarecrows".
http://www.nixalite.com/scarecrow.aspx?gclid=CPGn2uuzuJQCFQVcswodDCpCUA

If you can mount them on a roof with the beam parallel to the roof line, and no moving vegetation (branches in the wind) in the beam, you might be able to set the sensitivity high enough to be triggered by squirrels. I forget the brand that the local Agway carries, but it is marketed by a pest control company (maybe Haveahart) IIR, and they are under $30 per unit.

yep---that's the one I found most often surfing for them

 

[Evo]

And to pat (or scratch) your back, back,---I find it very interesting how well you've done with your 'garden' under the conditions that they've been through (storms, having to be moved in and out, etc.).

More pictures? Well, yes, I just happen to have more pictures.

It looks like I am going to be swimming in eggplants soon, I am so proud of them. <sniff>

After several months of only a single bell pepper produced, the plants are finally setting fruit.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5020/camerapictures289tt3.jpg

Did you see Moonbear's garden picture? I didn't realize that she had such a green thumb.

 

[rewebster]

More pictures? Well, yes, I just happen to have more pictures.

It looks like I am going to be swimming in eggplants soon, I am so proud of them. <sniff>

After several months of only a single bell pepper produced, the plants are finally setting fruit.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5020/camerapictures289tt3.jpg

Did you see Moonbear's garden picture? I didn't realize that she had such a green thumb.

That eggplant may turn out to be a 34FF soon, Evo!---

(--For some reason, women like to grow eggplants.)

yes--MB's got the edge a little (having full sun--Sunbear)---I'm surprized to see more members not doing pot gardens

 

[Borek]

(--For some reason, women like to grow eggplants.)

Hm, could be I know the answer - I have been shopping today and that's what I found:

It is not full grown yet, but looks like its has a potential

 

[Evo]

That's nasty!

(you could sell that for a lot of money on e-bay)

 

[baywax]

That's nasty!

(you could sell that for a lot of money on e-bay)

Excellent green thumb Evo!

Really beautiful stuff you guys. Do you realize the amount of physics involved in
all this growing a garden activity!? I guess its "biophysics" but... really, come on
now... its physics and its amazing, too!

 

[turbo]

Excellent green thumb Evo!

Really beautiful stuff you guys. Do you realize the amount of physics involved in
all this growing a garden activity!? I guess its "biophysics" but... really, come on
now... its physics and its amazing, too!

Actually, it's biochemistry. I admit that I am a chemistry geek when it comes to my vegetable garden. If plants are doing poorly, I'll take soil samples and test for pH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium. They are all interlocked. For instance, the N, P, K levels can all be optimum, and a too-acidic or too-basic pH can restrict uptake of those nutrients and lots of hard work can go down the drain.

 

[rewebster]

That's nasty!

nasty?---

nasty in what way?

it's just an eggplant!

 

[hypatia]

I ate my first garden tomato last night! A giant juicy beefsteak! it was soooo good.

 

[Evo]

I ate my first garden tomato last night! A giant juicy beefsteak! it was soooo good.

Not fair! How early did you start your tomatoes?

 

[turbo]

We have ripe cherry tomatoes right now. My sister-in-law started them in her daylight basement in March. The larger tomatoes are growing fast, but it will be another month before we're in the thick of them. Zucchini and cucumbers are setting on, though the cucumbers got a late start due to being flooded out (had to replant). The buttercup squash plants are climbing the fence and seem to grow at least 8" a day.

A tip for people who grow squash and cucumbers. Using grade stakes and 3' high plastic mesh, make a fence along the sunny side of your rows. The plants will vine toward the sun and that will train them to the fence with little or no effort on your part.

 

[rewebster]

I ate my first garden tomato last night! A giant juicy beefsteak! it was soooo good.

mmmm--mmmmmm!---and one of the big varieties, too----

the first one is just about always the best----photos of the garden?

 

[Evo]

We've had another cold front sweep in, it's only 64F outside with a 20 MPH wind. It's like fall, I'm outside tending to my garden in a sweater! It's the middle of July! I have to say I love it. I don't know what the plants are thinking though.

 

[turbo]

Here is the squash climbing the fence. I put up a fence for the squash last year, but I put it on the side of the row away from the strongest sun, and had to re-train the squash to the fence every few days as the vines developed. Smartened up a bit this year and put the fence on the sunny side of the row, so the squash vines would hunt for sun and train themselves.

Here are some clusters of round tomatoes deep within the plant. The tomato plants are flowering heavily, so we should get a good crop.

Can't leave without a shot of some hot stuff. There is a nice bunch of jalapenos growing in the shade of the plant. Again, the plants are blossoming steadily and I'm hoping for a good crop. We are dangerously low on dill-pickled jalapeno rings.

 

[hypatia]

Not fair! How early did you start your tomatoes?

I cheated this year and got the plant from a greenhouse, already well grown with little tomato's on it. Cherry tomato's re-seeded them selfs, and will have them soon. Green peppers are still not doing well, but they are green plants again{not yellow}.
Herb plants are doing great!

 

[turbo]

Now that the common yellowthroats have chicks to feed they are spending a lot more time on the open part of my property where bugs (esp Japanese beetles) are plentiful. Here is a female hunting for bugs. I watched her for over 20 minutes as she patrolled the pepper plants and tomato plants. She was quite thorough and as she went up and down the rows, she hunted from the ground level to the tops of the plants. Eat all the beetles you can stuff in, friends.

 

[baywax]

If and when small dogs or rats are ruining the garden we are lucky enough to have
the wide-mouthed wood ducks to eliminate the problem.

 

[rewebster]

your garden has really taken off, it looks like, turbo

 

[turbo]

your garden has really taken off, it looks like, turbo

Yeah, it has! It was in a death spiral what with all the cold weather, the torrential rains, and the lack of sun. I've got the soil built up as well as can be, though, and all it took was a week or two of heat and sun to perk things up. I'm worried about the habanero plants because they started out really small and seemed to have stalled even though the other peppers are thriving. Habanero relish is my favorite condiment for hot dogs, cheeseburgers, etc, and it's really going to stink if the crop comes up short.

 

[turbo]

If and when small dogs or rats are ruining the garden we are lucky enough to have
the wide-mouthed wood ducks to eliminate the problem.

I'll have to start raising those to keep the rabbit-foraging to a minimum.

 

[baywax]

I'll have to start raising those to keep the rabbit-foraging to a minimum.

Your garden is the best Turbo...

What do you do about the "Tomato Horn Worm"... I found one huge one that had taken 2 tomato plants out... it was almost transparent with leaf juice... very fat and about the size of this one... with a big black horn on its backside..

 

[turbo]

I have lost a tomato plant and two nice chili pepper plants to those rascals. I don't use chemical insecticides, so I go out at night to see if I can find any of them and squash them. There has been no more damage in the past week, so maybe I'm out of the woods. I've got some caterpillar-specific BT spore concentrate, but during the weeks of rain, the stuff got washed off as soon as I applied it, and the caterpillars had free rein.

 

[Evo]

If and when small dogs or rats are ruining the garden we are lucky enough to have
the wide-mouthed wood ducks to eliminate the problem.

Those are scary!

Your garden is the best Turbo...

What do you do about the "Tomato Horn Worm"... I found one huge one that had taken 2 tomato plants out... it was almost transparent with leaf juice... very fat and about the size of this one... with a big black horn on its backside..

My assasin bug killed most of them and I picked off the others. Those things are voracious eaters.

turbo, wish I had some birds in my plants, that's a pretty one.

 

[turbo]

turbo, wish I had some birds in my plants, that's a pretty one.

The phoebes generally catch their food "on the fly" and I have seen them catch Japanese beetles in mid-air. The yellowthroats are pretty content to patrol my vegetable plants, and I'm glad to have their help. They are very efficient, and they can find caterpillars and beetles in places that I would have a hard time searching. I'd pay them if I could. Actually, I have two ponds near the garden so they have water available, and the garden is a pretty good "bug magnet" - kind of an insectivore diner. They have a safe place to eat nice bugs that are not laced with insecticide, so in a sense, they are getting "paid".

There are more yellowthroat pictures in the Wildlife Photos thread, including a shot of a female with a Japanese beetle in her beak, calling softly to a chick.

 

[rewebster]

at least we have almost the same types of weeds--except for that five (approx.) leafed one on the middle right, I have never seen that variety around here---what is it?

 

[turbo]

at least we have almost the same types of weeds--except for that five (approx.) leafed one on the middle right, I have never seen that variety around here---what is it?

I've got to 'fess up... Except for common weeds like plantain, mustard, etc, I'm pretty much ignorant. My rule is "If they ain't vegetables, they's weeds."