Gardening: (2016– )

chromedome · May 31, 2018

On 5/25/2018 at 6:29 PM, Okanagancook said:

We have deer all around but they stay out of our property which is fenced and gated with 5 foot high fencing. We've had one deer jump the fence in the 14 years we have been here. We had three dogs which kept pretty much all the critters avoiding our space. Especially all the California quails living here. Our dogs would chase them away the instant they made their way out of hiding. But now, no dogs, we have quail. So brash they run across our patio right in front of the patio door. And the little beggers are pulling up my bean seedlings. So, I now have some chicken wire around specific raised beds and the strawberries.

LOL Forget the fencing, and use snares. It still protects the beans, it's easier, and the quails make an entree to go with your garden veggies.

Okanagancook · May 31, 2018

Now I think it is mice that are eating my strawberries. Traps set.......a la Monty Python....mice on a stick!

Okanagancook · May 31, 2018

@Kerry Beal nice chervil plant. Did you buy it or grow it from seed. I find it difficult to get the seeds to germinate.

Kerry Beal · May 31, 2018

2 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

@Kerry Beal nice chervil plant. Did you buy it or grow it from seed. I find it difficult to get the seeds to germinate.

I've forgotten how it started - I think it might have been seed - I've had it for years - it took over the neighbors yard (he worked hard getting rid of it) and now it's back in mine. It was missing last year. I love it for my Provencal tomatoes.

Okanagancook · June 1, 2018

It is an annual so it must have self-seeded. I got it going one year but it bolted because it is too hot here. The next year I did find a few scattered plants but I have none now. They do not transplant well because of their tap root. I love the flavour of it. Never see it commercially grown.

heidih · June 1, 2018

They are only annual in colder zones though they do go bit dormant even here. I've grown them up for sale in gallon pots and they transplnt well.

Kerry Beal · June 2, 2018

It begins.

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Kerry Beal · June 2, 2018

Today the hubby and I took the rugrat to the Royal Botanical Gardens - in particular the iris gardens where iris, peonies and day lilies predominate

Was trying to get a picture of a red squirrel but this guy ran him off.

View from the top.

Funny you should mention it.

Hubby and I were the only two who noticed the two snappers laying their eggs. We did get staff involved to prevent injuries.

Edited June 2, 2018 by Kerry Beal (log)

Kerry Beal · June 2, 2018

What's in my back yard right now.

Not meant to be decorative - should really cut my chives!

JoNorvelleWalker · June 2, 2018

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

Funny you should mention it.

Three days ago walking into work I watched a woman turn her car around, park diagonally in the middle of the road blocking traffic in both directions, while she moved something to the curb. I was not quite close enough to see exactly what. However as I passed that spot I saw a small turtle in the grass. A wood turtle I believe. Knowing turtles it waited for the woman to get far enough away and then continued on its mission.

Disclaimer: I have moved a turtle out of the road myself, but if you are moving a turtle out of the road move it in the direction it is heading, not in the direction it is coming from.

heidih · June 2, 2018

@JoNorvelleWalker Absoutely true - turtles and tortoiss on a mission are relentless. Here is my Tommy (African hingeback - my cell # on his back as he is escape artist)

Anna's tablets emind me of the tabby kitten my pittie "found". I only had him for a day bfore I found him a good home. He is now a huge male who terrorizes the family labrador The image is my neighbor holding him awaiting adoption

ChocoMom · June 3, 2018

No pics at the moment, but I hoed 36 hills in the garden and planted red, yellow, and white (Idaho) potatoes this afternoon. Cooler temps, wind and partial sun made it pleasant to work out there- with minimal bug interference. Always a plus! I'm late in planning where I want to put things- but it will come together eventually. We're about to get stormed upon, so I shall take pics when it is sunny out again.

Loving all the turtle pics! We have turtles galore down at the farm, so I will keep a look out when I drive down again.

dcarch · June 3, 2018

SLUG IT OUT!

Don't you hate it? You spend so much money and energy in planting your garden, then just when you are ready to harvest, come these slimy thieves to ruin everything for you.

There are many popular "surefire" tricks on the internet to get rid of slugs. I have tried them all. None of them really work very well.

After a lot of research, I decided to give the electric barrier a try for my strawberry patch.

This method is very easy and inexpensive to implement. It has the potential of being 100% effective, 100% nontoxic long lasting and maintenance free.

For the electric tape, I used self-adhesive copper tape (for stained glass work) and a 12v (old) battery for power. I expect one charge will last more than a season since it really is not powering anything.

Two months later, so far so good. Have not lost one single strawberry yet.

dcarch

Edited June 3, 2018 by dcarch (log)

JoNorvelleWalker · June 3, 2018

Speaking of pest abatement...

Has anyone tried methyl 2-aminobenzoate on blueberries?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_anthranilate

It's said birds don't like the stuff. EPA (the US Environmental Protection Agency) approved for blueberries, methyl 2-aminobenzoate is the active agent in grape Kool-Aid. According to the University of Massachusetts Kool-Aid at the rate of four packets per gallon makes an effective avian abatement spray.

Methyl 2-aminobenzoate is found in our native V. labrusca grapes, particularly Concord (two vines of which I'm growing on my balcony) though not in V. vinifera. I have yet to see a grape but it's said Concord is attacked less than other Vitis varieties.

Interesting (to me at least) methyl 2-aminobenzoate is also excreted by foxes in their musk. Perhaps this is why our fine feathered friends developed an aversion to the chemical. Not a fact, mind you, just a musing on my part.

Anyway there is always strychnine.

Edited June 3, 2018 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

**Shelby** · June 3, 2018

Oh Kerry how I love those peony pictures!

Kerry Beal · June 3, 2018

27 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Oh Kerry how I love those peony pictures!

I really love the Japanese tree peonies. Lost mine when we moved 18 years ago - still miss it!

KennethT · June 4, 2018

I finally got a chance to finish (well almost - it's functioning but not yet perfect - more parts coming in soon) the setup for the strawberry experiments, and not a moment too soon!!! These guys were crowding each other around in the nursery - so much so that one of them was almost completely shaded - we'll see if it can recover in the main garden...

This is how it looked as of this morning - the black container with yellow top is a homemade humidifier - there is an ultrasonic fogger floating in that reservoir and 3 cheap fans push the mist out of the box and into the tent. The hose going into it is coming from a trough underneath the cold water air conditioner - it's basically just a heat exchanger with about 40degF water running through it and a couple of fans blowing the tent air through it, so the heat exchanger gets lots of condensation - so by draining the condensate back into the reservoir, it's self sustaining. The heat exchanger is quite effective at sucking heat out of the room.

Here's a closeup of the "nursery"....

This is the new setup (without the plants) going through a testing phase. In hydroponics lingo, this is called an NFT setup which stands for Nutrient Film Technique. Nutrient water is pumped into the left side - it flows like a river down the trough which is sloped at a 2% grade, and then drains out the right side into a sump underneath. The sump then pumps the nutrient back into the main reservoir located outside the tent (for heat purposes - the nutrient is kept around 65degF, which is different from both the daytime and nighttime temps in the tent, plus it's big, so it frees up real estate inside).

Finally, the plants are home! #2 is the runt that was shaded by everyone else in the nursery.

Added this shot of the outside - 30 gallon reservoir and chiller

Edited June 4, 2018 by KennethT (log)

dcarch · June 4, 2018

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

Nutrient water is pumped into the left side - it flows like a river down the trough which is sloped at a 2% grade, and then drains out the right side into a sump underneath. The sump then pumps the nutrient back into the main reservoir located outside the tent (for heat purposes - the nutrient is kept around 65degF, which is different from both the daytime and nighttime temps in the tent, plus it's big, so it frees up real estate inside).

It there a need to prevent slime buildup?

dcarch

KennethT · June 4, 2018

@dcarch There shouldn't be. Usually slime is caused by bacteria, which would be an indication of other problems - primarily root rot caused by anaerobic bacteria. The good thing about NFT is that all the agitation highly oxygenates the water, and since it's only a film on the bottom and there should be no standing water, it should be pretty resistant to anaerobic problems. Theoretically. Over time, as the roots grow, they can block the flow somewhat causing ponding, which is a haven for anaerobic bacteria. The 2% grade usually helps with that, as does "air pruning" which can be done by cycling the nutrient flow on and off letting part of the root get dry and die back. From that point, you get lots of secondary roots, but it keeps the clogging to a minimum. Also, keeping the nutrient cool does a good job of keeping oxygen in the water and the anaerobes at bay. Luckily enough, research has shown that strawberry crowns' optimal temperature is about 65F which is also good for keeping plenty of dissolved oxygen. Most problems start when your nutrient gets over 70.

There should also be no algae, since algae needs light to grow, so keeping the root zone and nutrient dark keeps that away.

**Shelby** · June 4, 2018

For @HungryChris

picked the first zucchini yesterday—yours will be soon

**Shelby** · June 4, 2018

Pickage today.

there were 5 cucumbers until Chum helped herself to one

Edited June 4, 2018 by Shelby (log)

Anna N · June 4, 2018

4 minutes ago, Shelby said:

there were 5 cucumbers until Chum helped herself to one

She works hard for her treats. Don’t begrudge her one little cucumber.

TicTac · June 4, 2018

You Southerners are lucky with your early (or constant) produce! Looks great. And Ken, those are going to be some expensive strawberries!

Up here in Southern Ontario, we have thus enjoyed:

- Various types of lettuce started from seed in early May

- Garlic Chives

- Asparagus

- Ramps

First snap peas of the year showed up from my local farmer, so that is always exciting...

Oh, and young spring garlic....one of the loves of my life!

KennethT · June 4, 2018

@TicTac This is an experiment to grow some relatively rare (in the US) wild strawberries. I have been considering using some unused warehouse space and growing them commercially, but before I put down that kind of capital, I want to check yields, costs, etc. to see if the investment makes sense.