Garden 2024

[blissful]

@Meryl in the midwest (Wisconsin in the US), the Dept of Natural Resources (DNR) studies the populations of all the animals, wolves, coyote, muskrats, raccoons, badgers, other small animals, and white tail deer. They allow and license hunting and trapping in some or all of the state by district and they choose starting and ending dates for when it is permissible. My husband is a hunter and trapper for 65 years (since he was 8 years old) and still enjoys trapping (mostly muskrat and some nuisance trapping for otters). During the education program required by the DNR trappers learn to leave a small population, not to clear it out completely, safe trapping practices, methods... We don't have boars here but they are in the southern states and some day we might see them 'up here' in the more northern states. Any approach that is all or nothing, is a bit childish.

 

[taxlady]

Part of the problem with boars in the US is that they aren't indigenous to North America. They are an invasive species. They don't have the predators that they would have in places where they are from. That makes it hard, if not impossible, to try to let them exist in some sort of natural balance with other species out there.

 

[caseydog]

Part of the problem with boars in the US is that they aren't indigenous to North America. They are an invasive species. They don't have the predators that they would have in places where they are from. That makes it hard, if not impossible, to try to let them exist in some sort of natural balance with other species out there.

Yep, the more food the boar consume, the less there is for other animals, especially the native animals that are being starved in their own natural habitats.

CD

 

[blissful]

I found a website that claims WI has up to 1000 wild boar or feral pigs.

The DNR says :

• Feral pigs are considered unprotected wild animals with no closed season or harvest limit.
• Feral pigs are prohibited invasive species under Wisconsin's Invasive Species Rule, ch. NR 40 and are classified as a Harmful Wild Animal under the Captive Wildlife Rules, ch. NR 16.
• Feral pigs may be removed any time throughout the year as long as you possess a valid small game license and the permission of the landowner where you hunt. Note: it is the hunter's responsibility to determine if a pig is feral and not a domestic pig that has escaped from its owner and is running loose.
• Landowners may shoot feral pigs on their own property without a hunting license, under DNR's animal nuisance control authority.

Sounds like our DNR has it covered, though I've never seen one.

 

[caseydog]

I found a website that claims WI has up to 1000 wild boar or feral pigs.

CD

 

[blissful]

Texas has 10 people/wild boar.
Italy has 30 people/wild boar.
Wisconsin has 5839 people/wild boar.
Shouldn't this be in 'what's for dinner?'

 

[caseydog]

Texas has 10 people/wild boar.
Italy has 30 people/wild boar.
Wisconsin has 5839 people/wild boar.
Shouldn't this be in 'what's for dinner?'

There is a movement going to donate more harvested wild pigs to feeding the poor and the homeless. It can be processed in to sausages, chili con carne, and other foods that provide protein for diets.

Chef Tim Love of Lonesome Dove restaurant in Fort Worth has a handful of wild boar recipes that sometimes appear on his menus.

CD

 

[Meryl]

Meryl, but are they still allowed to hunt them in other districts?

Yes, in all regions the hunting season for wild boars starts around October until January. A law has been approved that farmers who are forced to watch their cultivated lands being destroyed (losing their yearly profits) have the right to shoot them too, to protect their territories and themselves too, as there have been many attacks.

 

[Meryl]

@Meryl in the midwest (Wisconsin in the US), the Dept of Natural Resources (DNR) studies the populations of all the animals, wolves, coyote, muskrats, raccoons, badgers, other small animals, and white tail deer. They allow and license hunting and trapping in some or all of the state by district and they choose starting and ending dates for when it is permissible. My husband is a hunter and trapper for 65 years (since he was 8 years old) and still enjoys trapping (mostly muskrat and some nuisance trapping for otters). During the education program required by the DNR trappers learn to leave a small population, not to clear it out completely, safe trapping practices, methods... We don't have boars here but they are in the southern states and some day we might see them 'up here' in the more northern states. Any approach that is all or nothing, is a bit childish.

We don't want to destroy them all, we want to control the overwhelming production rate and would like them to stay in their natural wildlife habitats. There are too many of them because they are not only our native ones, many years ago they were imported from Eastern countries for hunting, but the authorities obviously didn't take into account that mixing them with ours would provoke unmeasurable amounts of "babies" which would grow up and multiply and multiply and multiply......
.... Before that, we never had this problem!
Another problem here is that cultivated lands have diminished over the years because of lack of incentives and subsidiaries from the govt, or people just preferring to move to towns and cities. So apart from large agricultural areas run by big companies, producing huge amounts of crops, which of course are numerous over here, it's just not worth farming anymore for private individuals , too many taxes and the sums they receive in return wouldn't even cover the costs. We obviously still have huge amounts of agricultural products , so apart from industrial vast production, the smaller areas are being left uncultivated, leading to the boars getting nearer to housing areaas.

 

[Meryl]

Part of the problem with boars in the US is that they aren't indigenous to North America. They are an invasive species. They don't have the predators that they would have in places where they are from. That makes it hard, if not impossible, to try to let them exist in some sort of natural balance with other species out there.

That's just what's happened here. Like I just said to @blissful , most of these boars are not our native ones, that's why we are facing this invasion. We wouldn't mind if they remained in their own habitats, but there are just so many of them, not enough food for them there, so they have to dig up our lands for nutrition.

 

[caseydog]

We don't want to destroy them all, we want to control the overwhelming production rate and would like them to stay in their natural wildlife habitats. There are too many of them because they are not only our native ones, many years ago they were imported from Eastern countries for hunting, but the authorities obviously didn't take into account that mixing them with ours would provoke unmeasurable amounts of "babies" which would grow up and multiply and multiply and multiply......
.... Before that, we never had this problem!
Another problem here is that cultivated lands have diminished over the years because of lack of incentives and subsidiaries from the govt, or people just preferring to move to towns and cities. So apart from large agricultural areas run by big companies, producing huge amounts of crops, which of course are numerous over here, it's just not worth farming anymore for private individuals , too many taxes and the sums they receive in return wouldn't even cover the costs. We obviously still have huge amounts of agricultural products , so apart from industrial vast production, the smaller areas are being left uncultivated, leading to the boars getting nearer to housing areaas.

In Texas, I read that the goal is to reduce the wild boar population by 60-percent. Since they have no natural predators here, the herds have to be culled by humans.

As for farming, the US Government gives out billions to farmers. Intended to benefit indecent farms, a lot of that money finds its way up the food chain to the factory farms.

CD

 

[blissful]

Our lettuce gardens are in, and the 50-60ish tomatoes, and the 100-300 onions but I didn't count. I harvested the greens off the kale that was from last year and was going to seed. We've been watering the newly planted transplants, the flower gardens that are just starting now. We usually don't put anything in until next week-end to be sure they don't get frozen off but we put in the tomatoes early, taking our chances.

 

[larry_stewart]

Today is going to be a long hard day in the garden. It's been raining the past week, so couldn't really do much ( planting , weeding ...). So today I have take advantage of the nice day, and being off/ having the time to do it. Everything will go in today, except sweet potatoes, as I haven't seen them available yet ( usually late may ). That means cukes, beans, melons, the rest oof the tomato , peppers, eggplants , basil. I have the okra , but waiting for them to get a little bigger before I plant them in the garden, so they will be more resistant the the bugs. The okra will be replacing the lettuce , so it will give me another week or two to eat al the lettuce up. Got to weed everything else, especially the onions and leeks. I started with the flowers in the yard, but got to start working on the pots. Also got the mulch, just needs to distribute it . I ran the sprinklers a few weeks ago, and made any repairs that needed to be made ( I think). Haven't done a real test to see if what I fixed was actually fixed ( due to the rain). Today I'll run them to see if I have to make another trip back to the irrigation store. Probably the best thing is that after today, other than the okra, I dont have anything left indoors for me to have to worry about forgetting to water. It's all on Mother Nature. That means I have to clean up the plant rooms, but will save that for a rainy day, or when my wife yells at me to do it, which ever comes first.

 

[dragnlaw]

I've run out of beds for planting vegies. Have two left that I will today (hopefully) put in the two pea (mange-tout & sugar) and beans (yellow and green). Have some poles to put in another spot on the garden edge for runner beans (always wanted to do that tent thingy for the kids). Some sunflowers for the side fence. So I have no idea where I will put the leeks and seed onions. I may still try for putting them in with the garlic - but thinking it will be a horrendous job (gulp).

I got the few brussel sprouts in and the broccoli in a bed with some more thyme and basil plants. 3 tomatoes went in the other day along with three eggplant and three peppers.
Know it's not a lot but don't do much of any canning anymore. Other than freezing some beans and peas, that's about it.

I did get a red currant plant (in beside the raspberries- which never produce much, don't know what they're doing to them. Will see how the currants do. Also bought two blueberry plants. Have a space along side the deck for them. Should do well. Will have more space there but that garden bed might not get done until next year. Son is busy building the chicken coop - have seven Red Sex Links coming next month... ready to lay. FINALLY my whining for chicks has paid off!

Never got the spinach in nor the radishes. They turn over quick so still might throw a few seeds in the broccoli and brussels before they get too big?

Think my coffee's ready now, so will lumbar over a pour a cup, might wake me up a bit. Restless night.

 

[larry_stewart]

I did get a red currant plant (in beside the raspberries- which never produce much, don't know what they're doing to them. Will see how the currants do.

My red currant plant is the most productive fruit bearing plant I've ever had. It just doesn't stop producing, year after year ( although After typing this, I probably just jinxed it). We get quarts and quarts of currants each year. They are not even planted in an ideal spot, and still do well. What makes it even better, is my wife hates currants ( so more for me). Hopefully yours takes after mine.

 

[dragnlaw]

Thank you Larry, I hope so too!
At the farm the summer before I left I had just planted some Grapes against the paddock fence closest to the house and a couple of blueberry plants down at the back along another fence. Then I moved and have no idea how they are doing or if they are even still there.

 

[pepperhead212]

I saw open flowers on my second variety today - Juliet - and some flower buds on my tomatillos. Things are going good! And that napa rose is still the largest plant of all the plants, though some are catching up. And every one has buds, but just the two varieties opening.

 

[caseydog]

Thank you Larry, I hope so too!
At the farm the summer before I left I had just planted some Grapes against the paddock fence closest to the house and a couple of blueberry plants down at the back along another fence. Then I moved and have no idea how they are doing or if they are even still there.

You may be better off not knowing. When I sold my last house, I left very specific instructions with the buyers about caring for the big peach tree, that yielded about 300 peaches a year. One year later the tree was just a stump.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

You're right but I was more concerned about the 200 yr old house itself. Plan was to tear it down and rebuild, but he promised to keep and incorporate the logs somehow on pain of my haunting him, LOL.
Then they changed their minds and were just going to renovate, then plans changed again as the parents had to move in - so down it came to become a multi-generational home. But told by the neighbours he did keep the logs somehow. Have been invited to come see it anytime. I'm sure it's lovely and maybe I should, to get closure. Crazy how we get attached to inanimate objects.

 

[Meryl]

As I thought, my cherries have been ruined by the torrential rain we've been having and strong winds which knocked them off the trees . It's all stopped now, but it's too late!
I only managed to pick a few, but most of them have gone mouldy, no good. Not even the birds will eat them, probably .