How does your garden grow?

[Old Junk Man]

I've been pretty lucky with worms. We found two or three about a month ago. I sprayed a couple of times after that, and haven't seen any more. The peas were not as buggy as last year either.

sprays & poison are not a option for us. We simply pick the worms off. If you see a tomato worm that appears to have what looks like lots of little grains of white rice on it don't kill it. Those are the larvae of a parasitic wasp that is beneficial . We have free ranging chickens that eat lots of insects. However they will also peck the tomatoes even the green ones. So we have chicken proof wire around the tomatoes. there are also lots of rock lizards and striped lizards and toads. If we spray the lizards & toads might get secondary poisoned. Also we have nesting barn swallows that eat lots of bugs.

 

[Old Junk Man]

Isn't it amazing how things from our own garden always taste better? I was lucky this year, the only thing that got into my garden were insects and weeds.

Yes lots of times we have entirely home grown meals. everything on the table grown and processed by us. and it certainly seems to taste better.

 

[Larro Darro]

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I had planned on working the new sweet corn with the push plow this morning, but after the first row I decided it was just too darn hot. So I took up soaker hoses, clipped the last few sad looking melons and disced up the 1st plantings of melons, sweet corn, peas and cucumbers. Was going to do green beans too, but a thunderstorm chased me inside. My 2nd planting of cucumbers are looking good. I just need to do another row or two. I had such good luck with starting the Armenian cucumbers in trays that I did four more. They are sprouting quicker than the others did. The seeds were from a different cucumber, so I will put this batch of seeds to the front of the list for next season.

 

[TomSeller]

I still have some tomato plants I bought and are still in 2 gallon pots waiting to go in the ground. I have been losing ripe cherry tomatoes off of the plants and today green golf ball sized ones. I can't think of anything but rats or bushy tailed rats (squirrels), although the teeth marks look like something larger. Maybe they are bird pecks with their heads cocked to the side? I put the potted plants up on an aluminum racks spanned between saw horses. Then put cayenne pepper and and pepper flakes on the tops of the saw horses to chase off rodents. If the onslaught continues, I may conclude birds? Any other ideas?

My planted tomatoes are at a remote property in black fabric and on soaker hoses with timers. I think I will sprinkle pepper flakes on top of the fabric, although I have not seen this same thing happen there.

 

[Larro Darro]

That might be bird sign. Just not sure. We have farm cats, so no bird or rodent problems. We do lose a few plants because they think the garden is just a huge sandbox.

 

[KevT]

I am amazed at the fact the field corn around us has be harvested , and the corn I see here in OH is only 3-4 foot tall

 

[Sysop]

Tonight's garden fresh salad: Butter crunch lettuce, Spinach, Baby Carrots, Broccoli, red and white onions.

I've got some golfball sized tomatoes on several plants, and a few peppers the size of half a pinky-finger, but nothing large or ripe enough to do much with yet.

 

[Larro Darro]

Sysop, that looks like a good salad right there.

I got everything in the garden plowed and hoed this morning. You could tell from when I started til I wrapped it up, it was already drying out. I was afraid if I didn't get it soon, it would dry so hard nothing would grow off like it should.

 

[Larro Darro]

And since I had such good luck planting the Armenian cucumbers in trays, I started some regular cucumbers, and both yellow and acorn squash in trays today. My 2nd planting of all of those didn't have a great stand, so I'll put these in the skips.

 

[Tororider]

Sysop, that looks like a good salad right there. I got everything in the garden plowed and hoed this morning. You could tell from when I started til I wrapped it up, it was already drying out. I was afraid if I didn't get it soon, it would dry so hard nothing would grow off like it should. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/rural-living/432110-how-does-your-garden-grow-005-jpg"/>

I think you've said before, but you really like that high wheel cultivator, right? I'm looking at getting one.