Garden 2024

[Kathleen]

@pepperhead212 Thanks! I am going to give the hydrogen peroxide a try. The copper fungicide has helped but it is lingering.

 

[caseydog]

Somewhat off topic, but the cicadas are out and loud right now in North Texas. The kind of cicadas we have here emerge every year, not every decade. They don't bother my garden at all, but they fly with rather poor navigational skills. Getting smacked in the face by one is not pleasant. However, watching someone freak out when one lands in their hair is somewhat amusing.

CD

 

[blissful]

The sandhill cranes found the strawberries in the flower garden and had to be run off today.
We moved our old strawberries into the flower garden and have picked 3 hand fulls. The new strawberries are in the raised bed, they are too new to give us berries.

No cicadas here @caseydog . They did emerge 30 miles south of us, they claimed they were blanketing the area-so we drove down to see what it was all about. We saw nothing unusual, they weren't blanketing the area. They were having a cicadapalooza celebration. Cicada foods and beer, and cicada merchandise. https://www.visitlakegeneva.com/blog/post/bug-love-story-coming-to-lake-geneva/

 

[pepperhead212]

Only an occasional, stray cicada around here - some years a few more, but nothing like those areas! Too bad...I would have been willing to try them, and have a few friends that also would have!

As always, the mint has taken over the bed, with little attention from me - basically all I did was put that drip line in, like I always do, before it starts growing, and eventually, when it stopped raining around here, set it to water every 3 days.

Something I'm going to try using the mint against this year is that spotted lanternfly - a pest that has become a serious problem around here. It is even attracted to basil, which is unusual, for insect pests. So I might blend some mint with some water, then strain it, and use this to water and/or spray with, to see if it repels it from the basil, okra, cucumbers, eggplants, and anything else I find them on. I never found a single lanternfly in that mint bed.
As usual, the mint had taken over by early June, much of it 18" by now. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

On the shady end the peppermint - the larger leaves - gets a few more growths every season, but the spearmint is still the strongest. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

It's not quite ready, but today I took the strips of landscape fabric out of the garlic bed, that I put between the rows, since it's best to be dry when harvested. Fortunately, the weather is cooperating, and there has been little rain this month. I harvested a few small almost dried up stalks, that had very small heads. Always a few like that - hopefully not a lot more.

And here's that first ripening Juliet tomato! So that one that hinting wasn't just teasing me! Still no others, however.
The first Juliet, starting to ripen, 6-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[rodentraiser]

Deer. The trapper says that deer are too high strung and will injure themselves if trapped. Instead the dnr (dept of natural resources) if provided with enough evidence of the deer causing destruction within a small area that usually can't be hunted, will give a license for shooting them under certain circumstances. Then they are tested for brain disease, and if they pass can be used for human or animal food.

*pouts and sulks*

I read that story years ago and I was delighted to read it again. Thank you for posting the link.

As usual, everything is happening when it shouldn't. It's been so chilly here again I've had the heat on and of course, only the strawberries are happy. But on Thursday, it's supposed to 86°. Maybe the tomatoes will finally start to grow a little.

All I did this week was weed the driveway area. Tomorrow is weed the iris area. This is an area between the driveways of my neighbor and I. It's a triangular patch that goes about 10ft from where the driveways split to the trees that separate our lots.

My neighbor planted three cedar trees up the middle and his side is seeded and mowed. I planted about 20 irises on my side along with gladiolas and dahlias which just gave up and died this year. Along with the irises, though, are a complete blanket of weeds and clover. In between the cedar trees, the grass gets long and has numerous daisies and lupine plants. They're very pretty there, but they're all encroaching on my space and I noticed there is one HUGE thistle plant and at least one Scotch broom plant that will have to come out as well.

Along with that, my contractor informed me he is coming out to spread the last two piles of topsoil and hopefully reseed. So now I have to go out and also take out the small Scotch broom plants in that area. I'll also have to get up early tomorrow and water everything. And I also need to go to the bank to get him some money.

Naturally, I found out a couple minutes ago tomorrow is now a holiday and the bank will be closed. I can use the ATM, but...just why?

I think Imma take the cat for a walk now and then go to bed early tonight to contemplate my woes.

 

[dragnlaw]

Rodentraiser - you do realize that the gladiolus and dahlias should be taken out of the ground for the winter? I know Washington State is borderline weather for leaving them in but I think from what you've mentioned about your winters... well, if you ever put more in, keep in mind it is best to lift them out for the winter and replant in the spring.
One of the reasons why I don't have any! LOL

 

[pepperhead212]

Anyone else growing any okra this year? If so, it should be taking off, since it is HOT just about everywhere, and okra loves heat! I just grew Emerald and Little Lucy this year - no luck with new varieties last few seasons, so I just grew those. And, as usual, Little Lucy was the first to flower.
First okra blossom - Little Lucy, 6-19 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Still no more ripening tomatoes, but many of those plants are over 5 ft tall already, and loaded with tomatoes. No blossoms dropping yet, but it's stayed in the low 90s, and it's usually when it gets in the upper 90s it starts.

 

[larry_stewart]

Your okra is way ahead of me. I always considered okra a slam dunk crop until last year. I had such a poor year and this year is not looking much better. I usually plant a dwarf variety that gets no taller than 2 feet, as not to shade out anything behind it. Hopeful things will kick in with this week of heat .

 

[blissful]

I had 2 packets of okra to plant. I soaked the seeds overnight, then planted. I only got a few plants to germinate, or something ate off the sprouted ones, or they take a long time to germinate and they will. I'll probably be replanting those holes in the landscape fabric with something else if they aren't sprouted by tomorrow. We're expecting a 74 deg F day, instead of high 80's almost 90 here lately. I've never grown them before, so I have no idea how this will turn out or not turn out, or why.

I ate our first raspberry today. The plants are loaded, so it may be a great raspberry year.

 

[rodentraiser]

Rodentraiser - you do realize that the gladiolus and dahlias should be taken out of the ground for the winter? I know Washington State is borderline weather for leaving them in but I think from what you've mentioned about your winters... well, if you ever put more in, keep in mind it is best to lift them out for the winter and replant in the spring.
One of the reasons why I don't have any! LOL

*smacks forehead*

No, I didn't know that. Now I planted the gladiolas two years ago and they came back last year, but never bloomed. Course you know who ate most of them. But this year nothing is coming up. Ah, well, live and learn and learn and learn and learn.

Yeah, I don't think I'm going to plant anymore. That's too much work for me, considering how I would probably plant them in April when we had an 85° day only to watch them rot in the ground since it's been like February ever since. Except for tomorrow of course. Tomorrow all my plants will have heat stroke.

 

[blissful]

Another rabbit had to be dispatched today, urg. We also believe the white deer is eating in the west flower garden, a whole 2 foot tree is missing. We haven't been shining flashlights out at night but we'll check tonight and in the following nights to see if it is out there.

The mosquitos are bad this morning. Once the sun comes out from behind the clouds it'll get better for working out there.

 

[rodentraiser]

I finally saw a bunny this morning. We had about four or five a couple years ago that would hop around my yard until the squirrel chased them off, but none since then. Then this morning, one came hopping across the road and down the driveway. I don't know if my cat would attack anything that large.

And I had an I'll-be-damned moment this morning.

Several years ago, I made the mistake of ordering an azalea from Publisher's Clearing House. I may add that that azalea hasn't grown an inch in three years. But I digress.

When it started to put out its three leaves, I noticed there was another plant growing right next to it. I thought it was a weed and tried to yank it out, only to strip all the leaves off. So I figured it was probably part of the azalea and I should let it alone.

This year the little plant was taller than the azalea and looked nothing like it. So I gave it a good, careful yank, pulled it out and replanted it in another container. Well, I'll be...it's got little nubby blossoms on it now and it looks just like - exactly like - the large butterfly weed I have in my flower bed. I'll let it bloom to make sure and then the flower bed is where it will go, next to all the other butterfly weed plants.

Does anyone know if I should keep my parsley or not. It went to seed and now I have 3ft stems that look just like weeds. Should I cut them? Pull the plant? Ignore it?

And the Shasta daisies are blooming! But I remember buying and planting Shasta daisies and those were big round bushes. My daisies are big round bushes, too. But the flowers are on stems that are shooting up into the air. I'd like to have bushes back with flowers all over them instead of waving over the top like antennae. Is that going to happen or are my Shasta daisies just weird?

 

[dragnlaw]

Sounds like your Shasta's are reacting to the weather. Try, as they die off, clip the stem back to the bushy part and hope for the next ones coming up to behave like they should. JMHO

 

[taxlady]

I finally saw a bunny this morning. We had about four or five a couple years ago that would hop around my yard until the squirrel chased them off, but none since then. Then this morning, one came hopping across the road and down the driveway. I don't know if my cat would attack anything that large.

And I had an I'll-be-damned moment this morning.

Several years ago, I made the mistake of ordering an azalea from Publisher's Clearing House. I may add that that azalea hasn't grown an inch in three years. But I digress.

When it started to put out its three leaves, I noticed there was another plant growing right next to it. I thought it was a weed and tried to yank it out, only to strip all the leaves off. So I figured it was probably part of the azalea and I should let it alone.

This year the little plant was taller than the azalea and looked nothing like it. So I gave it a good, careful yank, pulled it out and replanted it in another container. Well, I'll be...it's got little nubby blossoms on it now and it looks just like - exactly like - the large butterfly weed I have in my flower bed. I'll let it bloom to make sure and then the flower bed is where it will go, next to all the other butterfly weed plants.

Does anyone know if I should keep my parsley or not. It went to seed and now I have 3ft stems that look just like weeds. Should I cut them? Pull the plant? Ignore it?

And the Shasta daisies are blooming! But I remember buying and planting Shasta daisies and those were big round bushes. My daisies are big round bushes, too. But the flowers are on stems that are shooting up into the air. I'd like to have bushes back with flowers all over them instead of waving over the top like antennae. Is that going to happen or are my Shasta daisies just weird?

If you don't need that space, just let it be. You can use the leaves. If you leave them, they will be back next year. I planted small parsley plants one year. They kept coming back every year for about 10 years. Parsley is actually a biennial. It makes seeds one year and just leaves the other year, but eventually some of the seeds take longer than a year to sprout. Then you get both first year and second year parsley every year. It's all good. The leaves look a little different on the second year parsley, the stuff that goes to seed, than the first year parsley, but it's fine for cooking.

 

[caseydog]

I finally saw a bunny this morning. We had about four or five a couple years ago that would hop around my yard until the squirrel chased them off, but none since then. Then this morning, one came hopping across the road and down the driveway. I don't know if my cat would attack anything that large.

And I had an I'll-be-damned moment this morning.

Several years ago, I made the mistake of ordering an azalea from Publisher's Clearing House. I may add that that azalea hasn't grown an inch in three years. But I digress.

When it started to put out its three leaves, I noticed there was another plant growing right next to it. I thought it was a weed and tried to yank it out, only to strip all the leaves off. So I figured it was probably part of the azalea and I should let it alone.

This year the little plant was taller than the azalea and looked nothing like it. So I gave it a good, careful yank, pulled it out and replanted it in another container. Well, I'll be...it's got little nubby blossoms on it now and it looks just like - exactly like - the large butterfly weed I have in my flower bed. I'll let it bloom to make sure and then the flower bed is where it will go, next to all the other butterfly weed plants.

Does anyone know if I should keep my parsley or not. It went to seed and now I have 3ft stems that look just like weeds. Should I cut them? Pull the plant? Ignore it?

And the Shasta daisies are blooming! But I remember buying and planting Shasta daisies and those were big round bushes. My daisies are big round bushes, too. But the flowers are on stems that are shooting up into the air. I'd like to have bushes back with flowers all over them instead of waving over the top like antennae. Is that going to happen or are my Shasta daisies just weird?

We get large numbers of rabbits from time to time, but then they disappear for a while. I figure the coyotes get them. Both animals are out at night.

I had a rabbit with a litter of little bunnies in my backyard once, and didn't know they were there until I let Psychopoodle out. He ran and grabbed one in his mouth, but didn't bite down. I yelled, "Drop it," a command he knew well, and he did. He was very smart, and obedient (most of the time, LOL). He then just watched them wander around the yard. Mama-rabbit ran off, but came back later, I guess.

Over the last year or so, raccoons have moved into the neighborhood. At 5:15AM the other day, I woke to the sound of godawful animal screaming. Three raccoons were fighting in front of the house two doors down. They ran into the storm sewer, and disappeared.

CD

 

[blissful]

I let all my parsley go to seed last year-collected the seed in the fall, used it to share and start parsley this spring.
Another bunny today, gone. He said that was 8 so far this spring/summer. A squirrel but it climbed a tree and we couldn't find it after that.
We have a box trap out for raccoons, he saw some scat. And smaller rat traps for chipmunks baited with peanut butter.
Tonight 2 deer were in the neighbors yard, both little, or yearling, one albino (same one as before) and one regular white tail.

 

[caseydog]

Another bunny today, gone. He said that was 8 so far this spring/summer. A squirrel but it climbed a tree and we couldn't find it after that.
We have a box trap out for raccoons, he saw some scat. And smaller rat traps for chipmunks baited with peanut butter.
Tonight 2 deer were in the neighbors yard, both little, or yearling, one albino (same one as before) and one regular white tail.

It shouldn't be hard to keep rabbits out of your garden. I don't think they can climb over even a 2-foot fence.

I have no idea how squirrels can be a problem for a garden. They eat nuts and acorns.

Raccoons are a menace to garbage cans and bags. Our trash carts in my suburban city seem to be working to keep the raccoons at bay. Funny side story, the mascot for the main High School in my city is the Raccoons... well, now. 25 years ago, they were the "Fightin' Coons," but that obviously had to change. I actually have one of the old football jerseys that said "Coons" on it tucked away to show friends who are new to the city.

Then again, in the early 1990s, there were six brothels in my city.

CD

 

[taxlady]

It shouldn't be hard to keep rabbits out of your garden. I don't think they can climb over even a 2-foot fence.

I have no idea how squirrels can be a problem for a garden. They eat nuts and acorns.

Raccoons are a menace to garbage cans and bags. Our trash carts in my suburban city seem to be working to keep the raccoons at bay. Funny side story, the mascot for the main High School in my city is the Raccoons... well, now. 25 years ago, they were the "Fightin' Coons," but that obviously had to change. I actually have one of the old football jerseys that said "Coons" on it tucked away to show friends who are new to the city.

Then again, in the early 1990s, there were six brothels in my city.

CD

They also eat tomatoes, even while they are green. They eat strawberries and probably anything else that sets fruit. They dig some things. I found that putting raw onion rings in the yard prevented the misbehaviour. Well, they worked until they dried out. Then I had to put more or wet the dried up onion bits with a hose or hope for rain.

Squirrels also eat maple seeds, those little propellers. That's not really a problem. While maple seeds are edible, I don't really bother collecting those.

 

[dragnlaw]

Squirrels dig in your garden burying what ever they happen to have. They can also dig up your newly sown seeds - and eat them!
Possums, raccoons, squirrels and rabbits - take your choice, will take one nasty bite out of each tomato and/or eggplant and walk away...

 

[caseydog]

Squirrels dig in your garden burying what ever they happen to have. They can also dig up your newly sown seeds - and eat them!
Possums, raccoons, squirrels and rabbits - take your choice, will take one nasty bite out of each tomato and/or eggplant and walk away...

The biggest problem I had when I had a yard big enough to grow tomatoes was birds. They poke holes in every tomato, mainly looking for worms and other insects in the tomatoes.

CD