The Vegtable Garden Thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter rusty_tlc
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Thanks guys! You cannot beat cooking with fresh produce!
beer traps??? never heard of those. more info, please.
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
- Thread starter
- #67
Beer traps are used to control slugs and snails.
They are very complicated to construct and use.
I'll try to summarize;
Put a shallow container of beer in the problem area.
How they work:
Slugs and snails like beer almost as much as I do. They are attracted to the beer and drink until they pass out and drown.
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
- Thread starter
- #68
Toad houses are another good biological control.
An old terracotta flower pot makes a perfect toad house, you want something with enough mass to keep it cool underneath. Just put it in the garden upside down with a place for toads or frogs to get under it. The amphibians take up residence and dine on the bugs in your garden.
This won't work well if you use chemical pesticides since that will kill the good guys along with the bad.
An old terracotta flower pot makes a perfect toad house, you want something with enough mass to keep it cool underneath. Just put it in the garden upside down with a place for toads or frogs to get under it. The amphibians take up residence and dine on the bugs in your garden.
This won't work well if you use chemical pesticides since that will kill the good guys along with the bad.
From what I can tell, they give mixed results but fun to try at least a few times. Except that there is no way I'd use the beer I actually drink and buying crap even just for that would still be against my religious convictions. I'm gonna experiment with water and sugar and yeast. Supposedly works just as well.
found what looks to be a great deal:
set of 3 watering nozzles and 3 /2 quick disconnects at Costco for $20+tx.
Looks very good quality at first glance. Solid metal construction, definitely does not feel like cheap pot metal or plastic. All nozzles have both a trigger and a flow control (very nice). 2 have a 10 stream settings head. 3rd is infinitely adjustable from cone to jet like a "usual" nozzle but less useful I think unless it gets a more forceful jet for longer range (not sure). Shower setting is very nice for low-impact watering. (Some of the other settings appear sorta useless and for show.) I'll be doing it all with 3 or 4 settings.
Only con so far is that they put a wide corrugated plastic ring around the metal ones to help tighten things up on the hose and head and one got loose right away. Can be replaced but does not seem prone to staying there when under stress. Still usable without it but a bit harder to tighten.
My watering is even more enjoyable now. Love having the trigger for good control and stop and go. No more watering the ground between pots...
set of 3 watering nozzles and 3 /2 quick disconnects at Costco for $20+tx.
Looks very good quality at first glance. Solid metal construction, definitely does not feel like cheap pot metal or plastic. All nozzles have both a trigger and a flow control (very nice). 2 have a 10 stream settings head. 3rd is infinitely adjustable from cone to jet like a "usual" nozzle but less useful I think unless it gets a more forceful jet for longer range (not sure). Shower setting is very nice for low-impact watering. (Some of the other settings appear sorta useless and for show.) I'll be doing it all with 3 or 4 settings.
Only con so far is that they put a wide corrugated plastic ring around the metal ones to help tighten things up on the hose and head and one got loose right away. Can be replaced but does not seem prone to staying there when under stress. Still usable without it but a bit harder to tighten.
My watering is even more enjoyable now. Love having the trigger for good control and stop and go. No more watering the ground between pots...
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
- Thread starter
- #71
Here is a picture of how I have my drip system set up, the lines have a 1.5 gal/hr emitter every 12" and I stagger them from row to row.
Another birds eye view with Cruiser content, you can see the flower bed I am in the process of annexing into the garden too.
Another birds eye view with Cruiser content, you can see the flower bed I am in the process of annexing into the garden too.
Nice work!
Potatoes au growin'
Not too much new to report here. I saw the first potato beetle a couple days ago. It's been an unusually warm spring. If it ever stops raining, It's time to mix up some Spinosad. I took a gamble and planted my sweet corn a bit early this year. It's coming up nicely. It's around 4-5 inches tall today. I wish I had just planted the rest of the garden when I planted the corn. The ground has been too saturated to work since then. We went from having to water the young potatoes, to showers about every day for two weeks, or so. It's all I can do to keep the grass cut lately.
Not too much new to report here. I saw the first potato beetle a couple days ago. It's been an unusually warm spring. If it ever stops raining, It's time to mix up some Spinosad. I took a gamble and planted my sweet corn a bit early this year. It's coming up nicely. It's around 4-5 inches tall today. I wish I had just planted the rest of the garden when I planted the corn. The ground has been too saturated to work since then. We went from having to water the young potatoes, to showers about every day for two weeks, or so. It's all I can do to keep the grass cut lately.
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
- Thread starter
- #74
Thanks.
Looking at the pictures of your garden I bet you buy very little produce.
Must be nice to have crops that far along. I just planted yesterday and it's still a crap shoot, we may get another cold snap yet this spring. One of the challenges of gardening in the mountains.
much smaller beds than the above here, unfortunately.
But enjoying my apple mint tea just now... mmm....
Had fresh peppery radishes with cottage cheese this morning... mmm... mmm...
chives are taking their sweet time
zukes doing their usual crazy stuff
sowed a variety of heirloom small lettuces too, coming out fast, will see what happens
But enjoying my apple mint tea just now... mmm....
Had fresh peppery radishes with cottage cheese this morning... mmm... mmm...
chives are taking their sweet time
zukes doing their usual crazy stuff
sowed a variety of heirloom small lettuces too, coming out fast, will see what happens
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
- Thread starter
- #76
Beets are popping!
Finished most of the flower bed annex project.
Still have some drip lines to run but we will be planting taters, eggplant, tomatoes, a couple of summer squash and a hard squash, plus a cantaloupe. Oh yeah, I have a bag of seed onions yet to plant and I need to find some basil to augment my marigolds for pest control.
Finished most of the flower bed annex project.
Still have some drip lines to run but we will be planting taters, eggplant, tomatoes, a couple of summer squash and a hard squash, plus a cantaloupe. Oh yeah, I have a bag of seed onions yet to plant and I need to find some basil to augment my marigolds for pest control.
Man there are some killer gardens on here. Dan I love your layout, what is the width of your walkway?
You guys are killing me.
All I have is a couple strawberries, tomato plants, basil, jalapeno, Serrano, habanero, lettuce (may have gone too far already), asparagus, and artichoke
F'n lab loves the asparagus..
All I have is a couple strawberries, tomato plants, basil, jalapeno, Serrano, habanero, lettuce (may have gone too far already), asparagus, and artichoke
F'n lab loves the asparagus..
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
- Thread starter
- #80
Beans and peas are all up, birds got some of the pea sprouts before I had time to put foil flags up to scare them off. I planted Marigolds anyplace a plant was missing as well as randomly throughout the beds. Also have chard, beets and carrots up.
Also got the eggplants, cantaloupe, cucumber, yellow squash and zukes in the ground. Planted four different kinds of spuds and about 30 onion sets.
We have a cold snap predicted for next week, nothing below 40'ish so we should be okay other than slowing down the growth.
Also got the eggplants, cantaloupe, cucumber, yellow squash and zukes in the ground. Planted four different kinds of spuds and about 30 onion sets.
We have a cold snap predicted for next week, nothing below 40'ish so we should be okay other than slowing down the growth.