I just use the plastic square cups that fit 18 to a 1020 tray. They do great. They're in Fancy Dirt (Coast of Maine Sprout Island seed starting mix) and get fed with "trout juice" (32 oz. - Brown’s Fish Hydrolysate) once their true leaves are out.
This summer was just a lost cause. We have a groundhog that is apparently uncatchable, as its territory covers several yards. Just when we'd think it was safe to plant again, he'd come through and wipe out another patch. Then the heat/drought, then I got sick, then blah blah blah. When the rains started up again, the tomatoes were maturing and split from the excess water. Also the skeeters. The blackberry patch, started and maintained completely incorrectly, is chugging along and next year should look legit.
I fought ground hogs for years. I can't tell you how many I "got rid of". They just kept coming. I finally built a nice fence with the 2X4 mesh holes in it, 4 feet high. The ground hogs started digging under it, and rabbits would do the same, plus squeeze through the holes. I installed 1 inch mesh chicken wire, 1 foot high at the bottom. As long as their were no holes dug under it, that would do the trick. Eventually though, a ground hog would dig under that. For years I had ran a single strand of electric fence around the top of my fence to zap the coons when they would try to get to my sweet corn. It worked great. Two years ago, I decided to move the fence down to near ground level. It now stands about 3 inches off the bottom of the fence posts, two strands, one about 2 inches off the ground, and another about 4 or 5 inches off the ground. Turn that baby on and there is no digging under the fence, coons stay away, ect. I haven't even needed it this year because I put black plastic down over most of my garden, and I don't think these ground hogs and rabbits like to venture out on it. Put some flash tape up to ward birds away and build a fence like this and you should have a pest free garden, minus the deer. You have to do one of those optical illusion fences for deer.
I did order a decent size bottle of fish fertilizer that I used early on. I like the stuff. Used it on the tomatoes, figs, grape, peach, peppers, etc. I just broadcast the handy ole 13-13-13 on the melons, corn and beans and such in the open areas of the garden. Even the roadside "garden" we use they said they had struggled with tomatoes. Pretty impressive how they set up their tomato growing. And they built a windowless and doorless log cabin for the produce. They started taking cards this year, but they still have a metal lockbox for after hours honor purchases. Weigh it, and drop the money in. Only thing out after hours is maters. Cukes and stff go back to cooler. They grow most everything in tunnel houses and roll the sides up as the season warms. And fairly competitive to the stores, if not slightly cheaper. The corn is $.50 an ear v. $.25 at WM, but what I stop and get at lunch today is will be picked this morning. Got Romas for $1/lb.
Garden Center guy told me to put stakes up around my new fruit trees and wrap fishing line around. About 12 inches from trunk. Keeps deer (bucks) from rubbing them in the fall rut. The light refraction spooks them. I also read that using reflective stuff for deer you have to choose maybe the refelctive stuff with a blue side.
I started that this year on most all my stuff. Except my personal melons I just ran two strips with a small row gap. Still would have been better with the holes though. My step son planted alot of pumpkins, and didn't want me to put the cloth down. I went along with it. Needless to say, the pumpkin space is rather weedy.
I actually just used the standard white plastic protector that you spiral on the truck. Dual purpose for damage and freeze protection. Took it off when it got warm. Will put it back on before the rut starts. I had some black corrugated pipe I initially put on, then I read not to use black pipe cause of excess heat. So I switched out.
You know, this has given me an idea.
Sounds like you will have an easier time of it then me! My garden is 110 feet X 55 feet. It was a multi day effort.You know, this has given me an idea.
We have a tiny back yard with a wooden privacy fence. The “garden” consists of three 14’x4’ and one 16’x4’ raised beds with 24” paths between. (I once worked it out, and area under cultivation is literally 0.01 - 1% - of an acre.) Separately fencing this area would make it look like a mini maximum security prison.
But we could put stakes in each corner of each bed, run wire around maybe at 3” and 6” above the edge, and use a battery-powered electrifier (is that a word? lol). Turn it off when we’re outside.
I prefer not to shock myself or the grandkids
- we don’t have deer or bears in the yard (so far), and the cat’s presence scares off the rabbits, except for the dumb babies who wander in. But the cat took one look at the groundhog, which is twice as big as she, said “oh hell, naw,” and retreated to the deck.
@Orangeslice13 are there any rechargeable batteries that would work for this? Total of 132 or 264 linear feet (one vs. two strands) of wire. Solar with plug-in backup would be wonderful.
- actually, we could REALLY cheap out and just electrify the perimeter of the whole area. Turning one bed off and leaving the others hot would only lead to one thing! zzzt
