I just figured out how to build these this year and they work very well.
As an aside, I also built something similar for keeping out Squash Vine Borer ( !!!), that will also let in pollinators. I will post that later if it ends up successful.
@Vexed87: Those are hybrid ball squashes. They might be called eight-ball or pool ball squash if you have them where you are at. They taste is very similar to regular zucchini, only a bit crispier and sweeter.
Today's harvest: the first of the butter lettuce, carrots, chives, zucchini. It's amazing how tiny seeds have transformed into beautiful vegetables. After years of yearning for a little piece of land for vegetable garden, we feel so fortunate.
That is a nice haul of cherries! We got fruit fly larvae in ours this year. Sticky traps and beneficial nematodes spray on the ground around the tree in fall for those buggers. Still managed to make a nice little pie.
From the look of it you might have them as well. The small little dimples on the fruit form when the fly pierces the fruit and lays an egg. Hope you didn't!
@cmonkey--Yes! I wasn't wearing my glasses when I picked them or took the picture. When I went to wash them, I saw it. I'm so pissed because we've watched them carefully, but we were out of town the last week and they got into half of them. GRRR!
4th harvest from our strawberries, slightly smaller than the other 3 harvests.
Blueberry bushes are so loaded that the plants are leaning over and I've had to truss up the smaller plants.
Out in the sunnier parts of our woods, thimbleberries are ripe. Meanwhile, in the deep shade, they're still green rocks.
Dug up one of my early potato plants. Probably shouldn't have, as the silly thing had 18 spuds growing and they weren't up to medium size yet... dang, though, earlies are so much tastier, though!
A big cat visited the garden early Saturday, hopping the elk fence in a weak spot, and sprayed the spot where I'd kicked dirt up onto an onion. Judging from the marks (no discernable footprints), I think it was a bobcat. Might have been a cougar. Wish I'd bothered to watch the garden that morning. Black bear is still visiting the wild berries (trailing blackberry/raspberry) and leaving a calling card, but not as frequently as 2-3 weeks ago.
jennypenny wrote:@cmonkey--Yes! I wasn't wearing my glasses when I picked them or took the picture. When I went to wash them, I saw it. I'm so pissed because we've watched them carefully, but we were out of town the last week and they got into half of them. GRRR!
Boy that is a bummer. The DW was very distraught by it! I was so determined to have a cherry pie, though, I went through all of it and got the larvae out by hand. So frustrating even thinking about it now. I am not even going to think about all the cherries that went from the tree to my mouth.
I just eat the cherries and don't worry about it. I think humans should probably be eating more bugs anyway, and less normal meat. The larvae apparently taste just like the cherries.
After trying to grow vegetables around the house with mixed success have (I hope) found the perfect place to plant veggies. A good 5 hours or so of morning sun in winter and should get a bit of shade in the afternoon in summer where heat is a huge problem. So have used pallets to make 5 1m x 1m beds - the area will eventually hold 9. Then will make various covers for them, some mini green house, shade netting - making it modular.
Have budgeted $100 for everything that I did not have lying around (ex water)- if I do not get a half decent return I am going to limit my veggies to a few herb pots! Also made a drum composter from a free drum and free pallet wood https://mytinyurbanfarm.wordpress.com/2 ... ost-maker/ which I am hoping will turn out some half decent, free, compost - again, something that I have never had much luck with.
But nice to see the lovely produce coming out of other peoples garden - it's so satisfying growing and eating your own vegetables, isn't it? hmmm, actually do have a few kale that can be picked this weekend.
George the original one wrote:A big cat visited the garden early Saturday, hopping the elk fence in a weak spot, and sprayed the spot where I'd kicked dirt up onto an onion. Judging from the marks (no discernable footprints), I think it was a bobcat. Might have been a cougar. Wish I'd bothered to watch the garden that morning. Black bear is still visiting the wild berries (trailing blackberry/raspberry) and leaving a calling card, but not as frequently as 2-3 weeks ago.
After this episode, father-in-law has gifted us a trail-cam and told us to have fun
My first seedlings have risen from the soil. The excitement was palpable, but for some reason totally lost on my SO. Lucky for me I could let you guys know... my first ever harvest in 3-4 weeks or so I hope
FFJ - lovely peppers! I have never grown a decent pepper, always scrawny, miserable specimens.
This year I am try to be a bit more "by the book" - and see if I have better luck. So been looking at companion planting as well as crop rotation. Thing is, these often clash - does anyone practice these methods and/or both, or in your mind does one supersede the other?
Last year I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, but didn't do as well with the peppers and had very few squash. This year I have the opposite problem. I hardly have enough tomatoes for my daily tomato sandwich. I will say that the few that have ripened have been delicious. I love the taste of heirloom tomatoes. I'm not going back to the pretty boys.
@frugalfox--I rotate the peppers, squash, and tomatoes every year. I have no idea if it does any good.
!!!), that will also let in pollinators. I will post that later if it ends up successful.
Sticky traps and beneficial nematodes spray on the ground around the tree in fall for those buggers. Still managed to make a nice little pie.
