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Garden Geeks thread

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Re: Garden Geeks thread

MattS said:
I plant all of my plants like zucchini, squash, pumpkins, etc. along the perimeter of my garden and "train" (move the vines) to grown towards the outside of my garden boundaries. It makes mowing around the garden a bit of a pain but that way they don't take over their area of the garden and I can let them get as big as they want.
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They are on an outside row, I will try this as I don't want them to encroach too much on my bell peppers...as those are my favorite food I grow.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

I appreciate that mother nature has blessed our yard with the dragonflies as of a couple weeks ago. Perfect no-maintenance way to keep the mosquito population way down. However, question to anyone who's been as lucky: Is there any one plant type or combo of plants that will attract them year after year?
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

The raspberries are just starting to bear fruit. We covered the raspberry patch with bird netting over the weekend. Looks like many quarts of berries to come.

overall, the garden has been a bit slow-starting so far, although the beans are looking good now. We have a few green tomatoes on the vines already.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

owslachief said:
I appreciate that mother nature has blessed our yard with the dragonflies as of a couple weeks ago. Perfect no-maintenance way to keep the mosquito population way down. However, question to anyone who's been as lucky: Is there any one plant type or combo of plants that will attract them year after year?
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I tink it has more to do with available water. That is where the breed.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

owslachief said:
I appreciate that mother nature has blessed our yard with the dragonflies as of a couple weeks ago. Perfect no-maintenance way to keep the mosquito population way down. However, question to anyone who's been as lucky: Is there any one plant type or combo of plants that will attract them year after year?
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HGTV has an article on how to attract dragonflies each year.

http://www.hgtv.com/gardening/invite-dragonflies-into-your-garden/index.html

Attracting dragonfly delicacies in the landscape is easy. Just plant a diverse landscape of trees and shrubs around the perimeter of the yard to provide hiding places for young dragonflies, and add a variety of blooming plants. Cook suggests incorporating plants like black-eyed Susan or Rudbeckia hirta, swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, or even the Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum). These plants will attract tiny pollinators, which also serve as food for the dragonflies.

Bees, flies, moths, butterflies and the occasional fellow dragonfly may be what's for dinner, but there are lots of predators that eat dragonflies, and that's especially true near water where these winged wonders spend a good portion of their lives. "As larvae, they can spend two months to several years living underwater. Then they emerge and become flying adults," says Cook. Dragonflies also return to the water to mate and oviposite (lay their eggs), and for that, a water source is necessary. It can be as basic as a barrel full of water or, as in Cook's case, as elaborate as her neighbor's pond. If you provide water, they will come to hunt, reproduce, perch, play and generally entertain anyone lucky enough to catch a glimpse of these fascinating characters in the garden.

What you plant in and around the pond is critical to a dragonfly's survival. Rocks provide hiding places for larvae during the insects' underwater growth stage.

Cattails and grassy foliage allow the larvae passage out of the pond. Water lilies are a favorite birthing place for some species of dragonflies. Not only do the lilies provide the shade that keeps algae in check, they're also easy to plant. To plant water lilies, she recommends selecting a container with no holes in the bottom. "Water lilies tend to be a bit aggressive, so I want to keep them contained." Fill the container with soil about three-quarters full. Cook uses soil that is rich in organic matter. Then place the water lily in the soil.

Backfill the container with soil, leaving the top portion of the tuber exposed. Add some gravel to the top to finish it off so the soil won't float up. Be careful not to cover the crown with gravel. And when that's done, place the lily in the water. Place the lily container about 1-1/2 to 2 feet deep. Slowly release it into the water. When the weather gets cooler, Cook moves the lilies from the edge to the center of the pond so they won't freeze.
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As Mrs. Les said, the key element is the breeding ground. Either you need to live near a pond or marsh or build something comparable.
 
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Re: Garden Geeks thread

Got sandbagged by a cucumber. Lots of nice yellow flowers, but no cucumbers yet, or so I thought. Moved a leaf and there was Frankencucumber. It's waaaayyy bigger than a pickling cuke is supposed to be, so I doubt it's any good. Odd, because a close inspection yielded no other larger than about an inch.

Jalapenos are doing much better than last year. There are some that could be harvested, but I'll wait, since they're ahead of everything else.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

In a little wedge of soil next to patio about 4' x 9' x 8', chives, tomatilla, tarragon, sage, arugula, oregano, basil, cilantro (bolted, unfortunately), rosemary, catnip, green onion, Greek thyme. Better close off that oregano - it can really take over.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

Cleaned out the last remnants of the spring planting, with a few beets harvested. Only the asparagus left now in the garden. Time to plan the fall planting schedule.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

We had a nice surprise this year. Several years ago we planted four blueberry bushes, which have struggled to survive. Until this year, we've rarely seen any yield because various critters got to them first. This year, we put fencing / netting around and over them, and voila! over a quart of blueberries this year.

The raspberries have provided about three quarts of berries so far, with perhaps as much still left to come.

We picked the first row of beans over the weekend. More than enough for a meal. Lots more on the way.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

Use Round up in your garden, here is an interesting read.
http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/gl...tant-bacteria-kidney-disease-and-infertility/

One quote
"In fact, beer brewers are having a problem with glyphosate. A few years ago, when one of my colleagues wanted to get more Abraxis test strips for testing materials for glyphosate residue; he was told that they had a 3 month backlog. He asked, what was causing this? He was told that every load of malt barley coming out of North Dakoda has to be tested, because the glyphosate levels were so high that it kills the yeast in the brew mix. "

I'm sure the farmers on here will tell me its BS but maybe its not
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

walrus said:
Use Round up in your garden, here is an interesting read.
http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/gl...tant-bacteria-kidney-disease-and-infertility/

One quote
"In fact, beer brewers are having a problem with glyphosate. A few years ago, when one of my colleagues wanted to get more Abraxis test strips for testing materials for glyphosate residue; he was told that they had a 3 month backlog. He asked, what was causing this? He was told that every load of malt barley coming out of North Dakoda has to be tested, because the glyphosate levels were so high that it kills the yeast in the brew mix. "

I'm sure the farmers on here will tell me its BS but maybe its not
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Used this stuff all of once- had huge infestation of poison ivy we just couldn't kill. Felt like a terrible person using it. Stuff is nasty toxic
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

I guess I don't have a problem using it when I need to clear things out. I don't buy the list of diseases it's linked to though. Seems off.

On a related note, what's the best way to get rid of a bad case of white clover in and around trees where the roots are exposed? Frankly, it's beyond hand pulling and that hardly works with clover anyways. Thoughts?
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

Potentially. But then again, a LOT of stuff kills brewing yeast. A hell of a lot of stuff.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

In general I try not to use too many chemicals. After watching all the research in medicine that assured us things were safe (and then they weren't) I tend to be skeptical. After all, the people paying for most of the research have self interest at heart. It may take a bit more work to use less or no chemical but if I wouldn't drink or eat it straight up I leave it on the store shelf.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

Don't get me wrong , I don't like to use them but quite frankly, I'm going to chalk this up to making sure you (general) use chemicals properly. Maybe I'm somewhat desensitized to harsh chemicals because of my background in chemistry and chemical engineering as well as working in chemical plants for most of my career.

So going back to my previous question, I assume I'm not going to get much help on that front.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

dxmnkd316 said:
I guess I don't have a problem using it when I need to clear things out. I don't buy the list of diseases it's linked to though. Seems off.

On a related note, what's the best way to get rid of a bad case of white clover in and around trees where the roots are exposed? Frankly, it's beyond hand pulling and that hardly works with clover anyways. Thoughts?
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Thought I posted something but now I can't find it. I would leave the clover because it is good for the soil but if you really want to get rid of it you can't use chemicals because the tree roots may absorb it. Best way is to smother it. Lay down a very thick layer of newspaper/cardboard or something papery that is thick. Top with at least a foot of shredded leaves, grass clippings or straw (leaves work best). make sure to pull it away from the actual trunk of the tree as if you bury that too deep it will screw up the tree. Guy down the street cleared a 1/4 of an acre that way. laid logs around the tree and piled all his leaves up in the area with a little hollow around the trunk. Now it is all grass.
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

We tried planting some watermelon and canteloupe this year, and we have two watermelons on the vine and several canteloupes. I hope the growing season lasts long enough for them to ripen! If we have an early autumn to mirror our late spring, we might not make it. OTOH, if we have a long summer we might actually get a few!
 
Re: Garden Geeks thread

Got some kale, lettuce, and tomato starters going with seeds in egg cartons. Kale are just starting to poke out. May do the same with some arugula and swiss chard if there is time this coming weekend. The asparagus plants made it through the summer for the most part. Also planted some l'itoi onions our nephew gave us. They're quite interesting, as they apparently were brought to Arizona by Catholic priests in the 1700s and have been grown by the Tohono O'odham indians since then.
 
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