Gardening: 2013–2015

[liamsaunt]

Okay, here is my garden.  For context I live just outside Boston.  Don't laugh. This is my first ever in the ground vegetable garden.  I lived in the city and then a small home for a long time and only had container gardens.  We moved to my current home in December 2013 and a selling point for me was the established garden plots in the yard.  The prior owners were a multi-generation Greek family and the grandfather was a big gardener.  When we moved, I had cancer and so was not well enough to plant last year.  Here is the main garden

 

 

Yeah, I need to weed badly!  It is hard to keep up because I work in the city during the week.  The garden has squash, cucumbers, 21 tomato plants, green beans, eggplant (being eaten by something) there kinds of peppers, nastursiums, and sunflowers.

 

The only thing I have actually growing fruit so far are the peppers

 

 

The plum tomato vine has really taken off.  All of the heirlooms are kind of lagging.

 

 

I have a secondary garden with squash and watermelon but it is getting eaten because it is not securely fenced.  My house is surrounded by woods and we have a lot of wildlife. I am looking out my window and see a hedgehog (eating poison ivy so good for him) and a bunny (eating grass so hmmm)  I also have a separate in-ground herb garden which is doing well except for the dill which was eaten by someone.

 

Here is what I am better at.  Container gardening.  Thai basil because it is impossible to find in the store

 

 

regular basil and other herbs

 

 

container tomatoes

 

 

and the prior owner's mint patch.  I can make mojitos for 100!

 

Edited July 5, 2015 by liamsaunt (log)

[Shelby]

It's just so lovely LiamsAunt!  (I'm sorry you had to go through cancer...I'm glad you're better now).

 

Please send Mr. Hedglhog over here.  I can keep him full of poison ivy for months lol.

 

 

I know some don't do chemicals, but if you do, try some Sevin dust on your eggplant.  I get bugs too....and grasshoppers seem to love the hell out of them.  Sevin helps.

[FauxPas]

liamsaunt, thank you so much for sharing. I never get tired of seeing people's gardens and both of yours are looking pretty good, as well as the container gardens. Maybe you could try some mulch to help keep the weeds down? It looks great though and I hope you will give us some updates! 

 

Okay, here is my garden.  For context I live just outside Boston.  Don't laugh. This is my first ever in the ground vegetable garden. 

 

Oh, meant to add that one of the reasons why it's tricky to garden here is because we have tons of these critters:

 

 

Cute little twin fawns in our yard last week, but they and their relatives can chew through a garden in no time. We need to get some secure fencing for some of the yard before I can even think about gardening. Looking for tips, if anyone has any. We get a lot of deer here. 

Edited July 6, 2015 by FauxPas (log)

[Smithy]

liamsaunt, thank you so much for sharing. I never get tired of seeing people's gardens and both of yours are looking pretty good, as well as the container gardens. Maybe you could try some mulch to help keep the weeds down? It looks great though and I hope you will give us some updates! 

 

 

Oh, meant to add that one of the reasons why it's tricky to garden here is because we have tons of these critters:

 

IMGP4708.JPG

 

Cute little twin fawns in our yard last week, but they and their relatives can chew through a garden in no time. We need to get some secure fencing for some of the yard before I can even think about gardening. Looking for tips, if anyone has any. We get a lot of deer here.

A dog does wonders for that problem. Failing that, I wonder whether bird netting would help? Something difficult to see that's too floppy for deer to be able to jump? It might spook the deer enough to discourage them. I've heard mixed reviews (mostly negative) about the various chemical scents that are supposed to scare deer away, and I've seen adult deer clear 10' chainlink fences with ease.

[AlaMoi]

we had a dog, fenced yard.  had no critter problems.

 

dog died of old age; first year got a groundhog.  previously and again this morning DW tells me we've got deer in the yard, inside the 4' fence.

 

yup.  tracks in the garden; green beans munched off, tomatoes munched (?!), peas chewed down, potato foliage mashed on exit....

 

height is near meaningless to deer.  you'll need about 10' of very visible fencing to be sure.  however comma, deer get antsy about the _width_ they must jump.  even 3' wide orange plastic fence _horizontal_ is extremely effective.

 

just be sure you think the placement through.  my grandfather had a setup - almost perfect, a deer got in - and chasing the deer it opted to leave via the driveway non-horizontal blocked fenced - landed on the car, did several hundred bucks (....ohhhh bad pun..........) damage to the hood/roof.

[Shelby]

We have a lot of deer, too, but they haven't eaten anything (yet) this summer.  I have tracks all through my sweet corn patch, though.  

 

My mother-in-law used to hang soap bars up.  She said it worked.  

 

Deer also hate the smell of mint.  Maybe a few containers placed strategically around?

 

I tried a blood based spray a few years ago.  Didn't do a thing but make my garden STINK.

 

I've seen scarecrows that are motion detectors that squirt water when they "see" movement.  Might be worth a shot?

[Smithy]

I've seen scarecrows that are motion detectors that squirt water when they "see" movement.  Might be worth a shot?

Remember to disable them before you go out to weed or harvest. :-D

[FauxPas]

Thank you all! And thank you for the laughs! 

 

What i'm taking from this and some other info I have gathered is that the fence around the yard isn't the right thing to focus on. We can't extend the height of the fence w/o considerable cost and we would have to have agreement with the neighbours on two sides. The fence at the back of the property is almost 10 feet high, but the deer make their way in on the other sides. They can jump those fences and they can also make their way underneath one side fence. I was amazed when I first saw a good-sized deer squish itself through that small gap. It would have gone over except there is a small group of trees/shrubs very close to the fence in that area so under seemed safer than over, I guess. 

 

I'd love a dog and so would my husband but we don't really know if we should have another animal. 

 

AlaMoi, when you talk about the width they must jump, it made me think of something similar. I've been told that deer don't like to jump into narrow spaces, so if I made some long narrow raised beds and surrounded them with chicken-wire at a decent height, that might work. Along with some other deterrents - easy to try soap or get a couple of the motion detectors or add some mint. It will have to wait until next year, but I would like to have a plan for the Spring so I can get started. 

[AlaMoi]

"deterrents" have a very spotty record.  if they work for you, wonderful.  just don't bet the corn on it.....

 

chicken wire / bird netting / etc - this requires some care and consideration.  our neighbors had 8' bird netting put up along the back of their yard to keep the deer from eating the (gasp!) ivy when food got tight.  like ivy would never recover....but anyway....

 

we had to call the state game wardens to extricate a yearling from the bird netting.  the deer jumped, didn't make it - likely didn't see the netting.  snow&ice, perhaps it didn't have the "footing" it thought.   in the end the deer had to be put down due to the injuries it suffered struggling to get out of the netting.

 

"deer" visible is good - what they see and don't like - works best.

[Smithy]

So much for my suggestion of something they can't see well. Thanks for that information about an unintended consequence.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I just picked a twelve inch cucumber and saw an okra flower finally opening -- or thinking about opening.  I snagged a couple strawberries.

 

Yesterday I got a blueberry.  (Note singular.)  There had been several but I was beaten to them.  A small catbird was hanging upside down above my sliding door.  I pounded on the glass to no effect.  When I opened the door the bird, perhaps not wanting to be crushed, flew over to the railing above the blueberry bushes, and scolded me.

 

Being mocked by a tiny bird made me think of the pie crust dough in the freezer and of a feathered appetizer.  It was not in the least afraid of me.  Finally I had to push it off the balcony.

[djyee100]

"deterrents" have a very spotty record.  if they work for you, wonderful.  just don't bet the corn on it.....

"deer" visible is good - what they see and don't like - works best.

 

I didn't have deer problems in the last place I lived (too urbanized), but I've become a deer expert since I moved to this place 3 yrs ago. I call the fire lane beyond the back deck the Wildlife Freeway. The deer and other critters ramble along it because it roughly follows a path between 2 open space areas. They browse for food en route. I've discovered, the hard way, that hungry deer will eat anything they can chew. The only exception is a really strong taste, like mint or other herbs--they have to hate the taste to leave it alone.

 

Deer prefer not to eat any texture that is rough or prickly or fuzzy, but they will selectively eat what they can. Hence, they leave the foliage and stems of rose bushes, but eat the blooms. Also, as the season wears on and they prepare for winter, they become less picky to store up fat. I stunned a nursery guy by telling him the deer ate my abutilon one September--that plant is usually deer-resistant.

 

I've tried some deer-proofing sprays that seemed to work, but the smell made my back deck so unpleasant I didn't want to be there. So what's the point? Also, those sprays have to be applied regularly, and they're expensive. Other than that, I've never known deer to be deterred by smell alone. Either they can't chew it (camellia leaves, rosemary, bay leaves, lilies) or they detest the taste (mint, lavender, most herbs).

 

A tall fence will work--9 or 10 feet. Deer will still jump it if they are very motivated and somewhat dumb. A rosarian I know keeps his extensive heirloom rose collection behind a high cyclone fence like that. The deer look in and salivate. Over the decades a couple deer have jumped that fence, feasted on roses, and then, very sated, discovered they couldn't jump out. They panicked and died of heart attacks. The rosarian had to haul their carcasses out of the garden.

 

Someone told me that deer will not jump into a space they cannot see. Keep in mind that they can stand on their hind legs, so a tall fence has to be a TALL fence. But still, when I consider if I will fence off my back deck, I think a solid redwood fence might do the trick.

 

FauxPas, pls let us know how it goes--I'm always open to more deer-proofing/resistant ideas.

[liamsaunt]

I have tons of deer in my yard also.  The winter this past year was incredibly bad for the Boston area and the deer were starving.  They ate everything they could get access to.  I had to replace all of my landscaping in the front and back of my house because of deer damage.  They even ate my holly, which I understand they typically hate.  My landscaper says that the replacements he put in are things that deer really hate.  We shall see. I had one in my front yard the day after the front was re-landscaped and she came over to check out the new plantings but opted to eat the stuff growing in the woods that surround my home instead, which is fine with me.

 

The local wildlife uses my very long driveway to come out of the woods and then down into the neighborhood and back again.  It makes for interesting patterns in the winter snow and an occasional exciting sighting during dinner.

[Anna N]

So far deer have not proved to be much of a problem! My first crop. Basil.

[cyalexa]

We got 2 inches of rain last night. As a result, this morning was perfect for yanking bermuda grass out of the herb garden. I filled two 5 gallon buckets (packed!) and could have gotten a little more except I ran out of steam.  Fortunately, the deer seem to prefer my husband's hostas to my garden. 

[ElainaA]

Shelby - Your cat looks just like Izzy, my daughter's cat that we are currently cat sitting.

 

Here's tonight's dinner from the garden:  Salad. watermelon radishes A few beets to go in the salad This also shows the very few stalks of broccolini that I was able to salvage. We were away for a few days and almost all of the broccolini burst into flower while we were gone. What I got was delicious. The jars in the background of the second picture are green apple jelly - apples from our trees - that I will use as pectin in other jellies and jams later this summer.

Elaina

Edited July 8, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[FauxPas]

Aw, Izzy and Newman do look alike! Does Izzy eat any garden produce?   

[Kerry Beal]

Shelby - Your cat looks just like Izzy, my daughter's cat that we are currently cat Izzy 2.jpgsitting.

 

Here's tonight's dinner from the garden:DSC00049.jpg  Salad.DSC00047.jpg watermelon radishesDSC00048.jpg A few beets to go in the saladDSC00043.jpg This also shows the very few stalks of broccolini that I was able to salvage. We were away for a few days and almost all of the broccolini burst into flower while we were gone. What I got was delicious. The jars in the background of the second picture are green apple jelly - apples from our trees - that I will use as pectin in other jellies and jams later this summer.

Elaina

Tell us more about making the green apple jelly you use for pectin - sugar added? Percentage?

[ElainaA]

Tell us more about making the green apple jelly you use for pectin - sugar added? Percentage?

It is a recipe from Christine Ferber's  Mes Confitures. This has become my jam/jelly Bible. You use the green apple jelly in preserves with low pectin fruits instead of commercial pectin. It is a very simple recipe: 1.5 kg of VERY green apples (green as in not ripe -rather than apples that stay green. I have a former orchard on our land so there are lots of wild apple trees.), 1 kg sugar, 1.5 kg water, juice of 1 lemon. Stem and quarter the apples - do not peel. Cook with the water - bring to a boil, simmer 30 minutes. Strain the juice - I first use a fine strainer, then strain again through cheesecloth. Combine 1 liter (4.25 cups) of juice with the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, cook about 10 minutes. Skim. Check for set (221 F) Bring back to a boil, pout into jars, process 5 minutes. Ferber uses 7 oz for a batch of jam/jelly. Since my jars are 8 oz I usually use the whole jar. If you are substituting it for pectin, cut the sugar some since there is sugar in the green apple jelly. I love her flavor combinations so I usually use it in her recipes. So far this year all I have made is strawberry jelly with pinot noir, star anise and cinnamon - using green apple jelly. I'll probably use all of this batch before fall.

Elaina 

Edited July 8, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks Elaina - I actually have Mes Confitures - haven't looked at it in a few years. I recall the recipe combinations were very interesting. 

 

Was noticing some green apples, nice and close to the ground on a tree on a friends property today - think I'll go snatch some while I'm here.

[ElainaA]

Aw, Izzy and Newman do look alike! Does Izzy eat any garden produce?   

Not that we know. We have only had her a week so our relationship is still evolving. 

 

Re: the critter issue - In my experience the only effective solution is a dog. As ours is aging the critters are getting bolder. 

Elaina

Edited July 8, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[Shelby]

Elaina!  They could be twins  My Newman has a little more fluff around his cheeks, but boy they look alike!

 

I just finished dinner and am full, but I think I could eat that whole salad you showed.  

 

The watermelon radishes are so beautiful. How do they taste?  I didn't do radish this year as it seems we really don't eat a lot of them and they get so hot tasting.

 

Those beets are what have me drooling.  

 

I really really like the long bowl that you use to serve.  Any way you'd tell me where that came from?

[ElainaA]

Elaina!  They could be twins  My Newman has a little more fluff around his cheeks, but boy they look alike!

 

I just finished dinner and am full, but I think I could eat that whole salad you showed.  

 

The watermelon radishes are so beautiful. How do they taste?  I didn't do radish this year as it seems we really don't eat a lot of them and they get so hot tasting.

 

Those beets are what have me drooling.  

 

I really really like the long bowl that you use to serve.  Any way you'd tell me where that came from?

Izzy came from a shelter in Trenton, NJ - a long way from Kansas!

 

The watermelon radishes taste (to me) pretty much like the Easter egg radishes that I also grow - not too hot. I just love the way they look. Salad is a nightly staple here so I grow lots of salad greens. The first crop of mizuna and arugula are flowering so its time to pull them and replant. My spinach is also almost done but I'll have lettuce, cress, endive and chicories into September with replanting. I'm kind of a lettuce freak - this year I planted 12 varieties. I like the way it makes salad look. Last night on a cooking show someone said "You eat first with your eyes." I guess that's me. (Actually, the show was Chopped. Is that really about cooking? Real life cooking? I find it addictive.)

 

I'm picking my beets early this year as last year either mice or voles ate 3/4 of the crop. I'd grab some nice looking greens and pull up a shard of beet covered with tiny tooth marks. Does anyone have any ideas of how to deter mice?

 

The bowl was a gift from a niece quite a few years ago so I'm afraid its origin is probably lost in time. She lives near Boston so it is probably a shop there.The bowl is 3' long - you can't see it all in the picture. Great for parties.

 

Elaina

[ElainaA]

 

Aren't garlic scapes just so cute? I hate to let them know but these are going into the food processor to become garlic scape pesto for dinner. 

 

Elaina

[Thanks for the Crepes]

djyee100,

 

I was not familiar with abutilon, so Googled, and when I saw images of the flowers, suspected it might be in the mallow family with okra, cotton, cacao and hibiscus. Come to find out, also in that family is durian and hollyhock.

 

From looking at some of the abutilon images with pendulous blooms, I see where I got the idea that fuchsia and orchids might be in the same family, but it turns out they are both not in the mallow family, and both belong to their own separate families. Durian and cacao also have pendulous blooms reminiscent of fuchsia and some orchids.

 

I learn something new everyday on eG. 

 

cylexa,

 

I found it really surprising that deer would eat your husband's hostas. That plant is poisonous to dogs, cat and horses. I would truly hate to see the lovely equines in your avatar get into that patch of hosta!

 

liamsaunt,

 

Did the holly your deer ate have thorns like mine does? If so, wow!, those were some really hungry deer. This is a plant that is poisonous to humans, pets, and livestock, even goats.

 

Deer may have evolved to eat stuff the rest of us can't. I know in VT, when there was deep snow for months and months, they subsisted on foraging bare twigs mostly. Succulent produce wouldn't have a snowball's chance around these cervids!

 

I think deer are beautiful, graceful creatures, but I feel all of you guys' pain at having them chomp up all the plants you've put so much work and expense into.