Fed up with the garden

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
The year I had my field reclaimed I bought 600 lbs of winter rye and broadcast it over the 2 acres. I had planted tons of conservation mix, oats and winter rye on roadsides and never turned it under. In my field though, the turkeys found it. They started at the top of the field and worked their way down, cleaning up the seed lkke vacuum cleaners. Every night I would go out and see where they left off. Somewhere I have a (poor) picture of 40 turkeys in a snow storm. By the end of the week they had cleaned the field.

 

[CalG]

Deer have gotten ALL the green leaves off the late season Golden raspberries. Those four leggeds are getting on my nerves! ;-)

 

[Jstpssng]

Deer have gotten ALL the green leaves off the late season Golden raspberries. Those four leggeds are getting on my nerves! ;-)

They did a number on my fruit trees this year, also. 5 of the younger trees may not make it. This spring I meant to put a fence up but didn't have time... no matter I thought, there aren't many deer around anyways.
This year there were several. Hopefully I will be able to put one in the freezer.

 

[Alan W.]

Picked the last of our Jade green beans and a few pitiful tomatoes that were still growing.
Should have planted some late crops earlier but other projects took my time. Cover crop is up and doing well. Have not had a killing frost yet. Will probably get a hard freeze in the coming days.
Already looking forward to next year.

 

[CalG]

Picked the last of our Jade green beans and a few pitiful tomatoes that were still growing.
Should have planted some late crops earlier but other projects took my time. Cover crop is up and doing well. Have not had a killing frost yet. Will probably get a hard freeze in the coming days.
Already looking forward to next year.

Most garden "plantings" don't really take that long. An Hour for some things seems like excess.

But getting to it is the big time cruncher. There are so many things that need doing...

The vegetable garden is like so many projects, It gives one a pleasurable feeling to look upon a newly planted strawberry bed and see all the small plants taking hold and doing well, seeing the first shoots of the cover crop poking up. You know the feeling.

Strange, I cut back and cleaned up the four Concord Grapes that are trellised at two locations around the buildings. The "open space" doesn't give the same sense as looking upon something growing out. But I have hopes there will be grapes again next season.... and that is a good way to feel about things.

 

[masseyrider]

Deer have gotten ALL the green leaves off the late season Golden raspberries. Those four leggeds are getting on my nerves! ;-)

They should be getting in your belly.

 

[Oaktree]

Old timers call winter rye green manure. It serves two purposes for me, the deer feed on it and I'll till it under in the spring. You cannot add too much organics to my heavy clay. It survives the first few frosts and will be knee high by Thanksgiving.

Doesn't it introduce yet another type of weed seeds to your garden? Regular manure is bad enough in that regard.

Nice crop. Our neighbors used to raise Blue Hubbard every year, often getting several 20+ lb fruits. I don't remember what they used them for, it was just the two of them but she probably cooked and froze it.

I grew Hubbard squash for a few years. Bought one, and saved the seeds for next time. Never got squash anywhere near the size of the ones I've seen in supermarkets or farm stands, but they were good. That and some sort of mystery squash my sister gave me a few years ago that I've done the same with are probably my favorite kinds (she didn't know what kind it was either...just started growing in her manure pile one year).

 

[JJT]

"Doesn't it introduce yet another type of weed seeds to your garden? Regular manure is bad enough in that regard."

I've never had a problem with winter rye reseeding itself, and I've been using it as a fall cover crop for over 30 years.

Benefits - Improves Soil Texture, Boosts Soil Fertility, Prevents Erosion, Chokes out the fall Weeds, and the deer love it.

 

[Yander]

They should be getting in your belly.

Backstrap fried up in butter......yummmm!

 

[masseyrider]

Friends son owns a fairly large landscaping business.
Just dropped off over 40 bales of straw people had out for Halloween.
More to come next week.
Great for mulching and around here it costs $10 a bale or more.
SCORE!