Anyone Garden?

[mass_burner]

Chipmunks will take a bite out of every tomato here. Always on the bottom out of sight, they look great until you go to pick them and grab a handful of rotten slime.

we have a small rock pile right in the center of the four beds where an outcropping is, so i just pile unwanted rocks around it for weed control. since then, garter snakes have taken up residence. i imagine they keep the smaller rodents away.

 

[begreen]

Chipmunks will take a bite out of every tomato here. Always on the bottom out of sight, they look great until you go to pick them and grab a handful of rotten slime.

You might also investigate if in some cases this is blossom end rot. It's common in tomatoes that get irregular or too much water.
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000082444023571.html

 

[bsruther]

Everything has started growing like crazy in the past week. The plants in the foreground of the big garden are sunflowers, I read that stink bugs love them.
I planted them as a diversion to keep them off the tomatoes. Thing is, they will die when they go after them because I'll be spraying each flower with the only stuff I know of that kills them. Don't want to spray it on the tomatoes since it has long lasting residual effects, even though they say it's not harmful to humans when dry.

Bagged a second chipmunk recently and haven't seen any since, so I'm hoping they're all gone. The wife used to have a nice bed of strawberries where the corn is. She was perplexed as to why she never got strawberries, even though she'd seen them growing on the plants. The day she discovered chipmunks were eating them was the day they stopped being cute little animals. She watches for them like a hawk now. The last one I got was on the back wall 30ft from where we were sitting. She says "you gonna get him" I said, "eh, I'll get him in the morning, he'll be gone by the time I get to my sniper nest". She says "no, get him now while you have the chance". That's how much she's come to hate those things. And another thing, chipmunks almost always give you a free shot. If the first one misses, they look around to see what the heck just happened.

I've seen squirrels many times that will pluck a ripe tomato, take one bite and drop it. They're around, but they try to stay out of sight.

Oh and check out the mockingbird on the left garden post. He was yelling at me when I took the pic.

 

[mass_burner]

The wife used to have a nice bed of strawberries where the corn is...
View attachment 134713 View attachment 134714

won't even think about planting strawberries or any other berry. chipmunks are one thing, the squirrels and 10 times smarter. we do have a wild raspberry patch in our yard we didn't plant. every year for 2-3 weeks we have fresh raspberries every morning. the blue jays get a lot these. but its a huge patch, so there's plenty to go around.

 

[DBNH22]

i think the most destructive is the common squirrel.

Are you referring to red squirrels or grey squirrels?

I've found the red ones to be much more brazen. They chewed a hole in the screen on our storm door and came into the kitchen once.

 

[valley ranch]

Squirrels is squirrels! My daughter paid for her rifle with the bounty on squirrels.

At this time I'm dealing with kangaroo Rats at the lower ranch. they're getting into the garden area, even though it's like Fort Knox. and mowing down the seedlings. I've caught one each night for the last two nights in a live catch trap. [peanut butter works great as bait] I've used up all the poison bait I had. As I catch them I drop them into a 5gal bucket half filled with water, for a good swim.

 

[johnpma]

Very nice garden bsruther We have a huge influx of chippies this year. My son popped 10 of them the other day. Seems they are living in my wood stacks

Been humid here for a few days, tomato plants are going crazy with the rain storms followed by humidity

 

[mass_burner]

Are you referring to red squirrels or grey squirrels?

I've found the red ones to be much more brazen. They chewed a hole in the screen on our storm door and came into the kitchen once.

grey, never seen a red squirrel, I thought they were european.

 

[mass_burner]

Squirrels is squirrels! My daughter paid for her rifle with the bounty on squirrels.

At this time I'm dealing with kangaroo Rats at the lower ranch. they're getting into the garden area, even though it's like Fort Knox. and mowing down the seedlings. I've caught one each night for the last two nights in a live catch trap. [peanut butter works great as bait] I've used up all the poison bait I had. As I catch them I drop them into a 5gal bucket half filled with water, for a good swim.

yea, the last thing I need is to open up a war with squirrels/chipmunks. We have hawks and snakes. Wish I knew how to attract more snakes, is there such thing as a snake house?

 

[begreen]

Wish I knew how to attract more snakes, is there such thing as a snake house?

Be careful what you wish for.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2015331099_snakesonahouse16.html

 

[mass_burner]

Be careful what you wish for.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2015331099_snakesonahouse16.html

i stepped right into that one. Waiting for the plane jokes...

 

[DBNH22]

grey, never seen a red squirrel, I thought they were european.

It's funny. I grew up in southeastern Maine and on the NH side of the NH/MA border and saw grey squirrels all the time but never a red squirrel. About 5 years ago we bought our home just outside Manchester and I see red squirrels in the yard all the time. We use to have one of those big trash cans on wheels that we'd keep at the top of the driveway and the red squirrels actually chewed through the hard plastic. They chewed a decent size hole so that i couldn't easily repair it. After that I tried wiping the container down with ammonia and leaving an ammonia soaked rag on top of the trash inside but ti didn't work. The red squirrels kept getting in and making a mess. That particular container has been retired as trash receptacle and now serves as a leaf disposal/general yard work container.

We got two steel 55 gallon drums and instead of sitting in the driveway they are a good 100 yards from the house in the woods adjacent to the driveway. I haven't seen a single red squirrel around since then. Where I live we see a lot of chipmunks, turkey, red fox, deer, possum, and fishercat among others I'm sure.

Here is a link to the different types of squirrels in MA.

 

[billb3]

grey, never seen a red squirrel, I thought they were european.

battled red squirrels under my grandparents mobile home in Wareham. Destructive little varmints. I've only seen one here once. Tiny bit smaller then the usual grey squirrel.

 

[begreen]

We have Douglas squirrels out here, but unfortunately grey squirrels have invaded and are now taking over territory from the natives. They are responsible for planting hazelnuts everywhere.

 

[valley ranch]

mass_burner, We have quite a few snakes here, gopher and garter snakes. Haven't seen a rattler. But still enough rodents to go around.
Once in a while they will steal and egg. If they supprise my wife when she has a shovel in her hand they're in trouble.

Richard

 

[mass_burner]

mass_burner, We have quite a few snakes here, gopher and garter snakes. Haven't seen a rattler. But still enough rodents to go around.
Once in a while they will steal and egg. If they supprise my wife when she has a shovel in her hand they're in trouble.

Richard

the rodents are pretty low key around where I live. they'll only cause trouble if you put food out for them (garden strawberries, bird food, etc)

 

[johnpma]

Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...

I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic

 

[mass_burner]

mass_burner, We have quite a few snakes here, gopher and garter snakes. Haven't seen a rattler. But still enough rodents to go around.
Once in a while they will steal and egg. If they supprise my wife when she has a shovel in her hand they're in trouble.

Richard

just saw a shed snake skin where the chipmunks like to hide in the stone wall. Looks like they're on the job.

 

[Warm_in_NH]

Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...

I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic

My first year with it. I understand that hard neck varieties are the best for new england. Planted in rows about 6" apart. BUT you need to have it in the ground in the fall about a week or so before the first hard freeze. Harvest mid July then you need to Google how to "cure/dry/hang" it.
I have several friends who are really into it and have been getting guidance from them, keeping my fingers crossed. Tough growing something you can't really see.

 

[johneh]

Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...
I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic

Here is a very good page on garlic.
I have been growing it for year and have a small
plot of wild garlic which does not grow big and is
more flavour full in soups and stew it also comes
back year after year
http://www.almanac.com/plant/garlic

 

[JustTom]

Anyone grow garlic??? Looking for advise, ideas on how to begin. I know it's a bulb but I'm wondering if you plant it in rows, and how far apart ect...

I have a small raised bed I was going to use for onions and garlic

Order garlic in august. Hardnecks shorter shelf life and taste better, softnecks are the braids that keep longer but much milder. Elephant garlic not garlic but leek, but works same but with little flavor so I've never bothered.

Plant on columbus day. Choose largest cloves as size directly correlates to bulbs.

In raised bed 4 cloves/square foot. If doing row in bed, every 4" then stagger next row.

Mulch heavy w/straw to overwinter. Pull mulch back as weather warms.

If you do hardneck, they will develop flower heads called scapes a bit before harvest. Cut them off to direct energy to bulbs. Saute them in butter and enjoy.

Usually early julyish here, tops will start to yellow and droop. Harvest when about a 3rd of it browns. Do not yank them out. Use fork and gently lift them out without damaging skins.

Eat any with poor/damaged skins fresh. Dry and cure rest. Save biggest bulbs for replant.

Crack bulbs open and select largest and prettiest. Replant and start again on columbus day. Hardneck garlic is a microclimate influenced plant that adapts to its area, so after few years, your garlic will have unique taste only found in your garden.

Note: the little seeds in the scapes are called bulbules. If you want a lot of garlic faster, you can let the scapes flower and harvest and plant them in fall. They grow small though, so it would be many years of replanting bigger bulbs before you get good size, but sometimes bulbules are only way to get rare varieties that produce fewer cloves to share.

hth,
tom

 

[Adios Pantalones]

JustTom hit the highlights.
I plant about 150 of them in 3-4' wide bed, several across (space at 4-6").
I mulch with some compost and then several inches of shredded leaves from the yard.
Don't fertilize too late in the spring, or you will get top growth and limited bulb development.
Snap the scapes off when they do a full 360+- make a spicy pesto, or add to stir fry etc- yummy. If you leave them on, the bulb will be smaller.
I have planted the bulbils in waste spaces in the garden/yard- harvest as spring garlic chive type deal- great in soups, or in cream cheese on bagels.
Harvest when there's just a few leaves still green- I hang them in bunches in a shed until I plant- they get air, and don't get sun- which would screw them up.
I just yank mine- my soil is very loose/heavy organic content, however.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Oh- and NEVER STORE IT IN THE FRIDGE! Put it in a paper bag after curing, and store in a cabinet. I made very large garlic keepers for mine, and the rest goes in a bag- I am still using stored garlic almost a year later and it is fine.

 

[briansol]

Chipmunks ate all my strawberries too. i had one or 2 out of 50 plants ;/

I don't have a big yard, so i make do with the space I have.

Using the rocks (all dug up from the garden area mind you) as a border was a mistake... bugs made it home. I need to get rid of those for next year.

I also have grape vines, 2 apple trees, a peach/plum/nectarine grafted tree, blueberry bushes, rasp/blackberry vines, lemon/lime trees in buckets

 

[mass_burner]

only time i ever had success with strawberries was in california, with 2-3 german shepherds in the yard full time.