The Gardening Thread

#501
#501
Go aeiou said:
Typical cat. More of them seem to be a little off in the heead these days. like humans?

WE need more outdoors cats in our neighborhood to keep down the varmints. we have moles, rabits, squirrels---------
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She’s incredibly useless in the hunting department. She once found a vole and did the classic cat-playing-with-prey bit, but couldn’t figure out the part about killing it. She let it go and watched it scuttle away in bewilderment.

She’s death on human ankles, though.
 
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#505
#505
VolNExile said:
She’s incredibly useless in the hunting department. She once found a vole and did the classic cat-playing-with-prey bit, but couldn’t figure out the part about killing it. She let it go and watched it scuttle away in bewilderment.

She’s death on human ankles, though.
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One of our dogs is a killer. An old one too. We have a wild cat that keeps up at the house. She's rearing 3 of her litter now. There were 4. THose are the only kittens of her 3 litters that have survived the beast. And only cause we moved them to the old fenced in hen house out back. I even saw that old mutt catch a sqiurrel. Haven't figured out how she did it yet since she can't catch the mama cat. They are clueless about the moles though. I have noticed on occasion she knows something is up under foot, but doesn't know what to do.
 
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#506
#506
(Cross-posted from Endzone Garden Thread)

Heads up for vegetable gardeners!

So one of my many weird and wonderful tasks as an EMG intern is to review and categorize all the emails and phone calls to our local Master Gardener helpline. Just saw this one:

Q: Rhubarb bed w/poison ivy. Does she need to wash/treat rhubarb before eating it?
A: Consumption is not recommended this year. Oil presence and sensitivity are too risky. (per the Field Crop Specialist)

I had never thought about that. I did once (inadvertantly) burn poison ivy vines in a campfire and developed a spectacular asthma attack. If there's poison ivy in your area, maybe go check your veg beds!
 
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#507
#507
VolNExile said:
(Cross-posted from Endzone Garden Thread)

Heads up for vegetable gardeners!

So one of my many weird and wonderful tasks as an EMG intern is to review and categorize all the emails and phone calls to our local Master Gardener helpline. Just saw this one:

Q: Rhubarb bed w/poison ivy. Does she need to wash/treat rhubarb before eating it?
A: Consumption is not recommended this year. Oil presence and sensitivity are too risky. (per the Field Crop Specialist)

I had never thought about that. I did once (inadvertantly) burn poison ivy vines in a campfire and developed a spectacular asthma attack. If there's poison ivy in your area, maybe go check your veg beds!
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#511
#511
I finally got it finished. Built an 8’x16’ raised bed. Had to go purchase 3 more bags of soil to fill in the hole you see in the back middle. It’s now filled and I have sticks where I will be planting 6 blueberry bushes and 5 raspberry bushes. I have just enough left over space to plant the garlic I have coming in early October.

AB4638E4-4D42-45FF-993E-39520F190B95.jpeg
 
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#512
#512
zhangliao04 said:
I finally got it finished. Built an 8’x16’ raised bed. Had to go purchase 3 more bags of soil to fill in the hole you see in the back middle. It’s now filled and I have sticks where I will be planting 6 blueberry bushes and 5 raspberry bushes. I have just enough left over space to plant the garlic I have coming in early October.

View attachment 469215
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It’s amazing how much Fancy Dirt a raised bed will swallow!
 
#513
#513
VolNExile said:
It’s amazing how much Fancy Dirt a raised bed will swallow!
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No kidding! I dug an extra 3-ish inches down to add a little extra room for roots. That took forever! Overall it took over 5 cu. yd. of soil/compost mixture to fill. And it will still pack down some so I will probably need to keep adding some each year is my guess.

I’m hoping my plants like it. Will be creating a cage for the berries next year when it’s time to keep the birds and rabbits at bay.
 
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#514
#514
zhangliao04 said:
No kidding! I dug an extra 3-ish inches down to add a little extra room for roots. That took forever! Overall it took over 5 cu. yd. of soil/compost mixture to fill. And it will still pack down some so I will probably need to keep adding some each year is my guess.

I’m hoping my plants like it. Will be creating a cage for the berries next year when it’s time to keep the birds and rabbits at bay.
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I’m starting some berry patches as well, so when you start building the cages, please pop some pictures up!
 
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#515
#515
VolNExile said:
I’m starting some berry patches as well, so when you start building the cages, please pop some pictures up!
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The plan right now is to use metal stakes at each corner and along the longer sides as support. Fit PVC pipe snuggly onto the stakes and create an angled truss at the top tall enough to allow walking inside the netted area. Then drape netting overtop the PVC pipe (which will allow it to freely move and not snag on anything) making sure to bury the ends of the netting into the dirt up against the inside walls of the bed. Will manufacture one end where I can easily get inside the netted area. I’m also going to use chicken wire around the outside so that the rabbits don’t chew through the netting.

I will take some pictures along the way.
 
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#519
#519
In past years, deer have come through my area in Fall and Spring, as they head from and to higher elevations. This year, they’re more frequent visitors during Summer nights. They’re eating my white hydrangea and hostas. Their spoor is in my front yard. So far, they’ve not entered my fenced yard or bothered my vegetable garden, though I do not doubt that deer can clear my standard chain link fence.
 
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#521
#521
walkenvol said:
They are quite fond of our hosta and have eaten most all the leaves
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Just planted two blues in my backyard. Takes extremely well to Clay soil, heat and cold resistant. Can take sun or almost none. Grows very large. My fave plant, actually.
 
#523
#523
Rabbits will also destroy hostas. I planted some black eyed susans and they’ve been eating them to the ground as well.
 
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#524
#524
Jackcrevol said:
Just planted two blues in my backyard. Takes extremely well to Clay soil, heat and cold resistant. Can take sun or almost none. Grows very large. My fave plant, actually.
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I’m not familiar with “blues”? On solid green and variegated
 
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