Tech Support Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Retired Garden Status 2015

24K views 495 replies 8 participants last post by  SABL 
#1 ·
2014 has been cut loose and allowed to go adrift. Time to start a new year and hope the chipmunks don't come back.....:sigh:
 
#3 ·
Got mine a few weeks ago.....Park Seed. Like I said last year, the Blue Lake pole beans are no go. Diablo Brussel sprouts will get another try.....may have to keep 'em caged the whole season.

OSU 3
Alabama 0

Gonna be a tense game.....
 
#4 ·
Got a nice snow yesterday, about seven inches of dense, wet snow. That's going to do the area good as it's probably the most moisture we've gotten at a single time in six months or so.

Went out with the snow blower twice yesterday and thought I'd gotten the job done, However, last night it started blowing and this morning the drives (both 25 x 50 ft.) were drifted a foot deep. I sure do appreciate having a blower. I figured today that it took about 1/5th the time to clear as with a shovel, with much less work too.

Weird weather, there was no wind to speak of today but the temperature kept dropping. Must have been some high cold air that was falling onto the area. It was 28 F when I started and 17 F when I finished. Now, it's 9 F.
 
#5 ·
Got a light dusting last night.....just enough to see. Pretty warm the night before and I woke up to 54F temp (5AM) with rain. Started dropping like a rock there on out and it's 12F with a high of 16F for today. Wednesday night it may drop to -6F.......time to stay indoors.....:hide: I switched the heat pump to 'emergency' heat....

I'll order seeds in a few days.....still making my selections. May try a different bush bean this year and use the rest of last year's seed.....I still have 4oz left over from 1lb of Blue Lake 274. I'll only buy 1/2lb this year.
 
#6 ·
Saw some rabbit tracks this morning. A few years back we had about 30 rabbits around here but like everything else wild their numbers have fallen in the drought. With the snow the rascal is going to be heading for the new fruit trees to chew on the bark. Hope I remembered to put guards on all of them.
 
#8 ·
I see rabbit tracks all the time......and the rabbits. They come right up to the house and sometimes enter the back yard....which is fenced. So much for dog hair keeping rabbits away.....four dogs roam the backyard and the male keeps the perimeter well watered and sheds lots of hair. Now that gun season is in I haven't seen any deer......and it ends today.

Here's one SABL I wonder if they named after the racecourse Seeds Runner Bean Aintree
What's the maturity date on those?? The Blue Lake 274 is 55 days and I found another one that's a week earlier. Still haven't made up my mind on seeds....I've got another week or two to decide.
 
#9 ·
Under sowing.

General Information
Phaseolus coccineus General Sowing information: Sow outdoors after last frost, use a cane structure trellis or wigwam 22cm between canes, in rows 60cm apart to support beans. Sow in rows 5cm deep 1 seed per cane. Sow indoors mid April or in situ May/June harvest August to October, for late crops sow direct up to early July for harvesting until first frosts. Keep well watered and feed weekly. Tip; sow a few extra beans along the row for transplanting out later. Dwarf runner beans are ideal for the smaller garden, exposed garden or patio containers.
 
#13 ·
All over the place?? My area goes from 100F+ in the summer to -20F in the winter....at least once a trend sets in it stays pretty close. When the growing season starts it stays relatively warm....end of May means good weather for growing crops. I may push it this year and plant mid-May.....but I've lost many plants with late frosts in early June.
 
#12 ·
Tis the season for the best collards here in SC. I heard the world's expert on moles the other day who says forget grub killers (they'll eat any insect they can get), pellets using the pointy thing through the top of the tunnel and all the other things we've heard or used. He claims trap and remove is the only answer. I'd only add, permanently remove.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I heard the world's expert on moles the other day... He claims trap and remove is the only answer. I'd only add, permanently remove.
I trapped a lot of moles in grad school; they are easy to catch with bayonet traps (less so with live traps). Victor traps seem to be the best at catching them. Sometimes I'd hear one or two spring before I'd even finished setting a run of ten. It's hard to permanently solve a mole problem though. When I lived in Oregon they would tunnel under 50 ft. of paved parking lot to come up in my lawn.

Victor trap



Live Trap

 
#16 ·
No real problem with moles....I've got 'em but it's not a problem. Chipmunks are another story.....they eat my crops. They may be cute but they need to be controlled.....relocation is not the answer and they need to be killed. It doesn't take long for a colony of chipmunks to infest an area if the conditions are right.....trying to grow vegetables makes the perfect environment. I may try to fabricate some traps to gain a little bit of control this year.

Time to take a serious look at the new seed catalogue and get some seed ordered. Looks like I'm close to being on time.....last year's seed was shipped Jan 25th.
 
#18 ·
I checked a site on growing seasonal vegetables in the UK......doesn't sound promising. The season is longer due to moderate temps......but that's all they are.....moderate. With proper protection you can get started earlier and grow longer than I can. Your weather sounds great for growing cool weather crops.....peas should do fine.....:laugh:. I didn't even plant peas last year because the temps were too hot by the time I remembered having them....:sigh:.
 
#19 ·
Like I said all over the place, so you fall for the early good weather, then it gets decimated because it turns frosty. Cool weather plants can do well provided the rain fall is reasonable, which is not as often as you would like. It can be hard for any gardener, but the newer folks really need to do their homework or they waste a lot of time and cash.
 
#20 ·
Well paint my toenails and call me Mable . .

I had entered into "soft negotiations" with the neighbor behind me about thinning some of his trees that shade the north 40 and dump tons of seeds on it . . We talked a bit and left it that he would think about which ones might be trimmed back ( I offered to pay half )

This afternoon I woke from napping to the sound of multiple chainsaws and lo and behold, he had all five taken out . . Will make all the difference in the world for the garden this year! I asked him what I owed and he said he would not take a penny . . that the damn things bothered him as much as they did me and he just needed a push! !

I'll be buying a bottle of good scotch tomorrow!
 
#25 ·
Better get a youngster working on the roots......I have the same trouble with a scrub bush (Honeysuckle) in my garden. Garden keeps expanding.....I cut the bush down but need to get to the roots.....:sigh:. I'm too cheap to buy a pick-axe.....:blush:

I'll have to trim the neighbor's pine trees again this spring......they planted right on the lot line. The garden is nowhere near the trees but if I can't duck low enough when mowing it's time to do a little pruning......had my hat knocked off more than once......:angry:

The 'maters will love being in the ground. The only thing (other than herbs) I've tried in a planter was radishes......the potting mix I bought was garbage and was all fiber. The poor critters pushed right out the the 'soil'....I won't use that stuff again.

Still haven't ordered seeds.....haven't made up my mind on what to buy.
 
#30 ·
New Toy . .

Neighbor got this up for me last week . .

Property Greenhouse Shed Outdoor structure Garden buildings


I'll be starting seeds this weekend if the sun comes out! It keeps the temps about 5 degrees warmer than outside with no sun. It covers about half of the North 40

The patio is still crappy from the sawdust from taking the 5 trees out . .
 
#35 ·
Re: New Toy . .

I'll be starting seeds this weekend if the sun comes out! It keeps the temps about 5 degrees warmer than outside with no sun. It covers about half of the North 40

The patio is still crappy from the sawdust from taking the 5 trees out . .
Where's the women folk?? :rofl: (gonna get in trouble with that comment....:angel:)

Does the patio need to be that big??

When I was in Grove City I didn't even bother with a garden.....the back yard wasn't even big enough for the three dogs.....:nonono:. But I did slip a few 'maters into the flower bed out front and had a potted rosemary that didn't make it through the winter when I brought it inside...:cry:

The weather better hurry if we're gonna make it to 45F today......still 25F outside. May stay above freezing tonight at 34F.....but 60% chance of rain.
 
#31 ·
That'll work......:thumb:. Wish I had something to start my plants in.

I have to start everything indoors......it's still too cold in March to do much outside. I take the 'little ones' outside on warmer days and set them on the deck benches or a picnic table. They spend the rest of the time on the kitchen table that gets some real nice morning sun.
 
#32 ·
I have been using a smaller version that was about 3' X 3' . . it got torn up pretty good in one of the storms last year. This one is much larger and lets me walk in

The temp inside is up to 60 already and the sun is not fully out. I may start some seeds this afternoon . . I can't wait! !
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top