Garden 2011
 

we are trying some thing New this year , the youtube vid is still up loading , ill be back later to post it

very ingenious Best of luck to the new planting year!


I sure would like to plant lettuce, heirloom carrots and a blood orange. I think I will, try.

Cool idea! Gets you outa that clay.

cool!

I have a container potted cherry tree this year!
I'll have to photo-document her progress.

And also growing a hanging basket of strawberries.
I am the soft fruit Queen this year. At least in this garden, where no other soft fruit is grown!

ETA it was so good to hear you, Zip!
So many funny furrin words :)
Meant in fun of course, but when reading I rarely hear an American prounciation, so things like tom-AY-toes still surprise me.

I also cheered when I saw the lettuce.
Tell it is has worldwide support.

Over the weekend, I planted 10 geraniums in the window boxes, 8 tomato plants in the back yard, 4 blueberry bushes near the tomatoes, and two red bell pepper plants.

It was a tremendous amount of work. I moved the garden back to the area where we used to have it in the back yard. I'm hoping the tomatoes will do better back there, since they have done well there in the past. Last year's diseased tomatoes were a huge disappointment. The garden plot had been completely taken over by crabgrass, which had grown through the weed blocking fabric I had used back there years ago. So I had to pull up the old fabric and crab grass, and then work some misc stuff into the bad clay soil back there.

Hope it goes well.

Hey, Zip. How're the hay-bales doing?

I planted August beauty sunflowers. First time!

I will have sunflowers for Halloween as they are now just a morsel in the chickadee's eye.

My original strawberries simply didn't happen.
My fault for buying discounted stock from Aldi.
Still, I bought some plugs from eBay and have planted three in the hanging basket and the others around Penny (my baby cherry tree).

She's doing beautifully -- I really should have taken photos. She's gone from a single stick into a little sapling.
No fruit from her this year of course - and perhaps not next year.
But it's supposed to be a bumper year for strawberries, thanks to the conditions.
I don't mind feeding the birds with my produce, but if they look like becoming edible, I'll be buying nets.

A vid to show the tiny extent of my personal gardening.
I might attempt to cut the grass this weekend (usually Dad’s job). Part of me feels bad that he will come back to a jungle otherwise.
But on the flip side, Mum has forbidden me, thinking I am likely to go over the power cord or sever my own toes…

This time it's personal...
 

Before I get into (again) I want to tell zippy that looks like an awesome alternative plan for wet, heavy clay. Maybe get out the back how and set the bales just below ground level so you don't have to water them?

There was a farmer I knew in Vermont who would stand up a 100# bag of dehydrated manure/compost then punch a bunch of holes in the sides of the bag, stick a hose into it and fill it until it was rehydrated, then he'd plant lettuce seeds into the holes he'd punched. When it was rocking it looked like a giant potato that had sprouted.


Anyway, onto Arctic Gardening 2011: This Time, It's Personal

So, the woodchuck is back and despite last season's numerous head and body shots with my buddy's pellet gun and some Gamo teflon tipped destroyer pellets (That ripped right through steel cans and 1" pine-- WTF are woodchucks made out of, the same shit that the Nemean lion was made of?

So today I finally went and picked up a Marlin 60 and snuck it into the house. (There is growing warm sentiment for the woodchuck and his friend the bunny among the family so this will have to be an entirely clandestine operation) I had to do some creative bookkeeping as well, to bring the purchase under the account of "Food budget" but I think many of you may be able to follow my logic here:
Marlin 60 comes under removing garden pests
Removing garden pests comes under garden supplies
Garden supplies comes under garden
Garden comes under food budget

The plan is to use a subsonic round fired from within the house in the unfinished addition. The muzzle will be about ten feet from the window opening. The window opens onto the backyard where the neighboring house is vacant, the other houses are not in a direct sightline of the window.

I have a neighbor who uses this technique all the time and he says it makes no more noise than someone slapping a ruler on a desk. Nevertheless I will have to wait a week until the family are visiting grandma and I will have the house to myself.

I also need to go to my buddy's house and sight in the scope.


OF course I wouldn't actually do any of this, right? IT's just a joke. I have grown fond of feeding that woodchuck and consider him part of the fragile ecosystem or something.

Does this neighbor have a direct sight line on the wood chuck from his house? Because that would be a whole lot easier for you. You could offer him a case of beer. That's cheaper too.

No, I spoke with him about it and he would have done it for a cup of coffee, sadly, he only has a direct sight line on his own woodchucks...

Wow, that's sophisticated! They paint the house numbers on the woodchucks where you live?

I've been told the best way to kill a wood chuck, but have never tried it, so I pass this along untested. You want to shoot it in the belly so it can limp off to its burrow and die in there. Saves you the effort of getting rid of the body. Although, you've got to hope its burrow isn't under your new addition, or it might be a ripe summer for a while.

That was my plan too. Its burrow would then be corrupted for the next year or two so no new chucks would move in. The burrow seems to be the basement of my neighbor's vacant tear-down.

So it doesn't matter what kind of flies it attracts.

I'd be really worried about that bullet going places it shouldn't go. What if it hits a rock or some such?

Have you tried trapping it?

http://www.batguys.com/articles/trap...oodchucks.html

ed zachary

This one is wily and trap resistant. My shot angle is rather steep since I am in a second story. The neighborhood is empty during the woodchuck visiting hours, between the vacant houses and the distances betweeen them and the people off at work, we are pretty much in a ghost town. Also there are not many rocks downrange. Besides, I am just pretending. I would never really do this.

I'm pissed off. My blueberry bushes have been in the ground for 3 days. 3 days! And something tall has already nibbled all the leaves off the top of one of the plants. It's almost bare. I doubt it will make it. The roots aren't established.

So I just fenced them in and threw a net over the top. I planned to do that this weekend, but I was just out there in the dark doing it. Seriously? 3 days?

My wife and both kids have each seen deer on this block, so I bet it was a damn deer. I can't believe I have to worry about deer here.

Deer suck, and between them and the rabbits, you'd better get some hardware cloth or chicken wire. Seriously.

Just out of curiosity are the blueberry bushes in your line of sight from the second floor?

This much trouble to nail a goddamn rodent? No wonder it took you guys ten years to get Osama.

Hmm, maybe you should send in a SEAL team.

This is no ordinary rodent...He's got huge, sharp... er... He can leap about. Look at the bones!

Oh you stupid man, get out of the way ...

Charge!

Penny is growing well and the strawbs are coming on.
As per my video, I know she won't fruit this year (all the cherry trees I pass on the way to school are already showing green fruit) but she's put on such a spurt I'm wondering if next year might be feasible.

And the strawberries are really loving this weather!
I went out to water the garden tonight - clouds/ sunshine today but no rain.

Yes I know what we have is barely a patio by US standards, but if I get any fruit this year I'll be made up.

Any update on the straw bale growing method?

The garden will soon be safe for democracy!

Sighted in my scope today. Groups of three. 100'
First round was way off.
Second round over compensated.
Third round close enough for now. I think all the years of photography have paid off.

Exhale slowly and gently squeeze the shutter button.

use Hollow point ammo,
More damage ,
less chance of ricochet,
Be DAMN SURE of yer Back stop ( where the bullet will hit )
and Fuck the gut shots , that's WAAAAAAAAAAAAY In Humane !!!
Head shot will drop him in his tracks
Good choice on the Marlin , yer white trash rating just stepped up to pearl ;)

1 question , well actually 2
How did the Subsonic ammo act in the action , as in did it feed and eject ok ??
And Most importently do you keep it LOCKED when Not on use ?? and in a Locked location ???

Using hollow point, the subsonic feeds and ejects great so far, but it's a new gun. Time will tell, I guess. Backstop is the foundation of an empty house, I'm shooting at a downward angle of almost 20 degrees. I am confident I can put one in his head. I have a straight shot at his exit hole, I'm using a tripod and I can see him as soon as he pokes his head out. I want the skin, Merc's snake pics inspired me, so it won't help me if he goes underground. Can I go for pearl and a half since I also bought a $30 Bushnell scope at Walmart?

Yes, Locked and in a locked, secret location. AND no one knows it's even in the house so they won't go searching for it to satisfy their curiosity. The lock that the gun ships with locks the trigger, bolt, and safety. It looks like a metal straight jacket.

I am super delighted with my new rifle. I forgot how much I like to shoot.

Good on the back stop and Betterer on the gun lock !!!

Now Get to SNIPEN !!!

Oh and pearl and A Half for the Bushnell scope , I approve ;)

I got four outa five bullseyes yesterday. Was archery, mind you..... the fifth bugger went high...but deep -only the feather stopped it going right through the straw bale behind the target :lol:

EGGGGGSALANT Mon !!

:D my group thought so too....

I am mildly amused by how much of the Garden thread is about guns. You crazy merkins...

I'm not sure what to make of that, coming from a 'Stralian and all.

Ned, what's his name?

No garden this year. Back problems. Guess the flappin deer will go hungry.

Reminds me of a Merkin chap I met in Japan. His parents grew cucumbers in the garden. He hated cucumbers. He could see the little buggers growing from his bedroom window. He had an air rifle. Problem solved. :lol:

Patricide isn't funny. Ned Kelly. That's the chap.

Ok so far the hay bails seem to be doing great ,
Happy Tomato plants
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2322/...5f7b5661_z.jpg
DSCF7153 by zippyt, on Flickr
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/...a12d2bb0_z.jpg
DSCF7151 by zippyt, on Flickr
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/...de91193d_z.jpg
DSCF7155 by zippyt, on Flickr
the squish and zucs are comeing Right along
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2452/...02a7b0ae_z.jpg
DSCF7146 by zippyt, on Flickr
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/...3cd23d79_z.jpg
DSCF7145 by zippyt, on Flickr
we even have a cucumber
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/...a5e78854_z.jpg
Dscf7144 by zippyt, on Flickr

Sadly the lettuce didn't make it , :(

dawg
damn

Very nice, zip! Sure makes me wish we had a growing season longer than 2 months.

I have horrible strawberry envy.

I was pleased with my lickle plants.
Then I looked over at my neighbours'.

Not deliberately - Diz-the-coward when it comes to cats with balls is also Diz-the-bully when it comes to cats without. He was in their garden trying to menace Skipper - the most laid back cat in the world.

Now my plants are sproutlings, or whatever you call first year plants.
Her plants have a couple of years under their belts.
But they are HUGE! Leaves like you'd see in a rainforest!
Green fruit already, and as big as my tongue!

Here's hoping mine grow that way before I tire of them :)

God damned lousy rain
 

Goddamn rain
Well it's cold, it's wet, it's been raining all night....

I couldn't post any of the live performances I found.
I loved the Bangles.
But if all you have to go on is YouTube, they were bloody awful live.

I hope they weren't.

Max ate the first strawberry out of our garden yesterday. Tomorrow we should get the first tomato.

We replanted two of our raised beds about a month ago. We'll probably do the third one this weekend, and maybe spread a bit of cane mulch around too.

we have been eating Asperagoose from our bed ( its been a GOOOOD Asperagoose year !!)
we had the first cucumber just the other day in a salad , soo good !!!

I know it's been said here before, but there's nothing more satisfying than producing your own fruit and veges.

Too true !!

I don't know what's happened, but our zucchini and squash plants have stalled. They're not dead, but they're suddenly not making any more progress either. But right before that we did manage to pick the biggest freaking zucchini I've ever seen. The size of about 3 put together. I put the whole thing into a veggie and chicken soup. It was awesome.

Some plants, like zukes and cukes, when they get a fruit that big send a "mission accomplished" signal and they start to shut down and die. That's why you want to keep picking the fruit and dead-heading flowers. Then the plant sends the "Drat! Curses, foiled again" signal and keeps on producing. It could also be their sheer lack of will or that they really don't like you very much. hard to say.

In ohter news I got a dozen strawberry plants in, and will do about 20 more later today or tomorrow.

Talked to our neighbour this afternoon.
Confessed my strawberry envy.

Turns out, they were growing in wild on her compost heap last year!

She transplanted them into a trough this year and is equally amazed at their growth.
She does have wonderfully green fingers though.


I showed her my little strawb sproutlings and she was gratifyingly impressed. Or pretended to be - she's known me all my life after all. She was amazed that I bought them off eBay and they arrived through the post though. Hey, that'll do.

Awww...I'm so envious of you who can grow stuffs. Rather than a green thumb, I have a brown thumb. Everything I grow dies. :lol:

Welcome Lola!

Just stay away from my strawbs.

Tip for everyone (including me who upended an entire packet of carrot seeds with wild abandon into a single pot): carrots do not take well to being transplanted. They will demonstrate their displeasure by dying.

At a community garden I once gardened at there was a person who was carefully planting radish seeds in little circular clusters. She figured out on her own that was how to plant them, based on seeing bunches of radishes at the store.

Nope, not kidding

Had I ever planted radishes Foot, I would think you were stalking me.

Based on that premise, I guess you'd have to plant carrots, shallots, spring onions and beetroot in circles too!

Wow, I'm glad my garden beds are round!

I will until fruits start coming out. I love strawberries. :D Unless you mean don't help tend them because I will them somehow. :p: