I used to grow both potatoes and asparagus. Would loved to have kept it up but the moles seemed to devour both of these to the point that i had to get rid of them, because i thought they were attracting moles to the garden.
thats a bummer, i am not a vegetable expert but i think moles are attracted to grubs and as they eat the grubs the roots of plants get taken out. if you get rid of the grubs your plants might be ok
My radishes and spring lettuce are done... my chard is sill putting out beautifully. Herbs: english thyme, german thyme, italian parsley, sage, oregano, rosemary, basil, mint For cucs, all I grow are the pickling variety... for eating and pickling. I have a half dozen or so tomato varieties, eggplant, yellow and green squash, pablano peppers, and small hot chilis for salsa. I've gown potatoes with great results... little redskins.
I rage war daily with the voles. I've found that constantly changing tactics (live traps, bait, death traps) yeilds pretty good results. War commenced when those Mfers cleaned out my lettuce 2 years ago. If anyone has good ideas on vexing voles please share.
Some solid Dr green thumbs on here. I have a small garden but try to max it out each year. Strawberries did awesome this year. Green beans are pouring in. Pickling cucumbers and tomatoes ( mixing the two with some onion and red wine vinegar and herbs and salt is summertime to me). Cherry tomatoes too. I would say my pepper game is tight. Bells, Thai, Jalepenos. Herbs- basil,thyme,sage,oregano...something killed my two year old rosemary this spring. Need some tips on worms, squash bugs, blueberries (two plants only but they give me very little harvest...three year old plants). I try to stay oraganic but when I grow broccoli and collards, th worms are crazy and I use 7 dust early but hate using it...any thoughts.
Blueberries won't give you much of anything until years 4 or even 5. I go pretty much organic... some fertilizer, but very little. I put a lot of work getting the soil as rich with organics as possible, and a vigorously growing, productive garden will outperform many pests. Do you use netting to keep out birds? If you do, it makes your pest problems worse. Encourage birds and do a lot of mechanical removal.
When I gave you some strawberries plants years ago we had a killer asparagus garden right along side. When we tore down the fenced garden I dug a trench, put in some manure and transplanted the asparagus over. It literally took 5 years from that disruption to the first full harvest this year. You need lots of space for asparagus and they look a mess as the grow to ferns but they are so fun in the spring, you can almost sit there and see them grow right before your eyes. Thankfully we don't have a mole issue....yet
Man, y'all got some nice groceries growin in yer yards. I have really been contemplating doing my own garden, for salads mainly. I eat a LOT of salads in the summer. After being outside in 100F+ heat index all day, there ain't nothin better than eatin a big ol COLD salad. I would probably just do the easy stuff, lettuce, maters, and onions. Still buy the green olives and a few other things at the store. I don't really have a yard to use, though. Would prolly have to do it in containers on my very large porch. I do get freebies from some friends' gardens. Always nice to pick your dinner from the yard.
No netting. 4' chicken wire fence to Keep the rabbits, nutria, muskrats, and dog out. For soil enrichment I mulch enough leaves in the fall to cover floor of garden then work it in springtime. Add two bags of manure each year...that's it. Everything is growing nicely, then out of nowhere, worms. Only late summer and fall...from spring until now I'm enjoying some success thankfully How's the big green worms...size of your pinky? Those things will chow down on foliage! I will be hopeful on the blueberries!
^^^ Friends with gardens are even better than having a garden yourself! I just traded some eggplant for some foraged Chicken of the Woods mushrooms. He put in miles... I walked out my back yard. Lol!
Asparagus harvests are done but I'm currently waging war against the fvckin beatles which have moved in the the foliage. The second strawberry harvest is starting to flower now and will be ready in a few weeks. Tomatoes and cucumbers will be ready in the next couple weeks. Sugar snap peas were decimated by the new chipmunk that moved in. Beets/carrots harvesting currently but they grow like **** in my garden for some reason. Blueberries will hopefully be ripe and ready in the next week, just gotta get them before the chipmunk and birds.
Thuricide works pretty well controlling various caterpillars. Prolly worms too? They were goin through my bougainvilleas like friggin buzz saws. At night when I was sleepin. No longer. It's a bacteria you mix in a sprayer with water. They say you can even eat the plants right after. Only if you ain't a caterpillar. Home Depot.
That's a fence collar. I have over half an acre of property for the tiny dog to play on and she will always run for the road, a fairly busy one too especially in summer. Ten years ago I got so frustrated I installed the fence and trained her on it. It only took 2 shocks and she never went out again. The best thing about the collar is I don't even have to turn it on anymore. I trained my cat the same way. I've heard people say they think the collars are cruel, i think it would have been more cruel to keep them on a leash or have them splattered on the road.
