patience needed

patience needed, a photo by Pike-uliar Gardenings on Flickr.

Gardening, in a nutshell.

Mouthful of White Grubs

Click on the Picture for a close up...it's worth it!

Sometimes when I am out digging I come across tons of these white grubs. I usually put them somewhere that birds can get at them and then watch the party. I may even have a movie of this somewhere. I guess I unthinkingly assumed that they were bad for the garden. Just now I started wondering if maybe they turned into some beneficial insect, so I looked em up. Turns out they are bad - they eat roots of corn, potatoes, strawberries and other plants, so I will continue with my program.

Here is some more info: http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG271/corn_sorghum/white_grubs.html 

Beer Bottle Raised Beds

From:
http://urbanfoodproduction.tumblr.com/post/2395098664/using-rolling-rock-beer-bottles-to-make-a-raised

Woah! Idea of the year. Raised bed built from beer bottles. Nice one, mate! So...I must admit that this is, in no way, a new idea. In the recent past, I have stumbled past the embodiment of this idea in one of my favorite Seattle neighborhoods and thought, "oh my...that's a bit odd." But then I saw this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14903992@N08/3457062590/ and after a bit, I have started thinking it might be worth a try. Here's to beer bottles in the garden! Oh...I should add...I will be using 22's. They have greater length and stability. Also, they are delicious.

This is interesting as well: http://www.digginfood.com/2008/11/innovative-raised-beds/

PVC Pipe or Blow Gun?

IMG_1819, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

Hmmmm...very tempting. This could change the nature of my relationship with the local squirrel gang.

Polytube or Cloche test case

IMG_1814, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

So pvc is very flexible apparantly. I guess I need two more poles of this 3/4" pvc pipe and I will have a decent place to grow lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, etc in the winter. ONly problem...this spot doesn't get much sun in the winter.

The Madness Begins

IMG_1816, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

So here's my first PVC structure. The base is clamped to the bed. I will need some adhesive for some of the top pipes; one came loose while I was testing it's sturdiness. What's the purpose you ask? Well...I am thinking that at some point netting will be added to stop squirrels from eating too many tomatoes. I know they can never be totally stopped, but a few years ago I made a much more primitive structure and it actually cut way down on rodent depredations. And then in the fall, some clear plastic can be added to extends the growing season....if the thing lasts that long.

Mostly, it is 3/4" pvc pipe. The longwise top pipes are 1/2". Might be a mistake as they are a smidge wibley. I am picturing some daring squirrels having some fun with those. The only reason that happened was because the three way connectors I used for the corners were 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/2. I probably shoud have made the short upper pieces the 1/2" pipe. Oh well...next time.

Detail of 3/4" pvc pipe clamped to raised bed

Cloche - or PolyTube?

Wow...really good resource from Oregon. The picture is from the article, not my garden, sadly. I need to build one o' these: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1627-e.pdf . So they call it a cloche, which is French I think and comes from these cool glass bell jars they used to grow lettuce in the winter. Personally, I don't think it's a cloche, to me...it is a polytube.

Gardening Podcasts

The host has a few...um...quirks, but it may be the best gardening podcast out there. It comes out of WHYY in Philly. Mike McGrath, the host knows a lot - he used to be connected with Organic Gardening Magazine and so it's worth putting up with some of his eccentricities. As Mike would say, "It's a phone call cats and kittens" and he just answers a whole bunch of phone call questions.

I don't agree with everything he says (he does not like using kitchen waste compost) but he has been very influential in the building and designing of our garden. He is all organic and on the side of goodness and light.

His site also has  a very useful Garden Answers A-Z section. Check it out: http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/

PVC Pipe = Future Greenhouse

IMG_1809, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

So here's the stuff I will turn into a Greenhous/squirrel defense system. Only cost about $24 (not including plastic or bird netting.) The materials I bought are for a flat topped structure, and I am already thinking that might be a mistake - the next one will be curved or cornered roof.

Working with the piping was pretty easy, there are all kinds of connectors and adaptors. All I needed for tools was a hack saw and a tape measure.

Sedum Under Ice

IMG_1800, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

Yep, Sedum is tough. It can survive drought, foot steps...and frost. Is it doing some photosynthesis under that ice? It wouldn't surprise me. Oh...and it can be propagated just by pulling a piece off and moving it somewhere...just like that you have a new plant. It's native to the area an d makes some merely ok flowers...but something's gotta be eating that pollen, though I have never seen it happening. Yep, I love sedum.

Winter Berry Holly...in the winter

IMG_1799, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

So recently I decided to start posting about the front garden. Here's a very early in the morning shot of some winter berry holly. We planted it because it is native and the red berries add some color in the winter. Turns out the berries also bring the birds which seems to be one of the benefits of having native plants

Cover Crop in Winter

So here's the Red Clover in winter. It is holding up pretty well - still green, still alive despite the snow. It is organic seed from High Mowing. Hopefully it is fixing nitrogen in the beds. One other benefit I forgot to mention earlier is that it reduces soil compaction that might be caused by precipitation. This stuff has been fine. It took about a pound to do about 6 beds. I reseeded a couple times when squirrels vandalized the seedlings. Next year, I will try something a little different - A Rye and Hairy Veitch mix from the Maine Potato Lady. I am hoping it will be a little tougher for squirrels to destroy it.

New Soil Machine

IMG_1692, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

Couldn't stop myself from getting a second Soil Machine composter made by Good Ideas. I got it online from Hayneedle.com because they had a great deal and free shipping so the whole thing only cost $105. It is made in the USA (well the lid might be Canadian, but...) from recycled plastic. It has a very simple design and took only a few minutes to assemble. It seems very durable and has a spigot for compost tea. I decided to build a base for this one - makes it easier to get the compost tea if it is off the ground a bit. Some might say it is tricky to turn after it gets mostly full. I'm ok with that and it makes up for that with it's simplicity and sturdiness. I've seen others with various mechanisms for turning and they always seem like they won't hold up over time.

Proof of Evil

IMG_1651, a photo by okfuskee on Flickr.

Squirrels devouring our art.

Squirrels and the Evil They Do

Yes...I hate squirrels. They are evil incarnate. They randomly dig up gardens because they "feel" like it. They gnaw on pumpkins and squashes,  haphazardly destroying months of work for a few seeds. They bite tomato after tomato in search of that "just right" flavor and then they organize rodential fireman's brigades to carry the entire crop out of the garden. They laugh at me when I install motion detector activated water sprinklers. My slingshot reduces them to hysterics. True, I was using acorns as ammo, which was a somewhat ironic twist which they fully appreciated. Although merely rodents, they have caused this primate to totally revise planting patterns. No more squash and reduced tomatoes. Instead the following are favored in the garden: eggplants, peppers, carrots, lettuce, onions, broccoli, potatoes, herbs. All of these can handle the squirrel onslaught in this region. But no more will we grow monster squash vines that produce buds that get snipped off like clockwork. Those days of feeding the local squirrel brady bunch are over. Here is a partial list of other actions taken to deter the invaders:

1. Chicken wire installed at the base of fencing - ineffective, though perhaps creating inconvenient moments for them as I chase them screaming like a banshee and wielding various weapons.
2. Fox Urine - ineffective and once I left it out and they stole the lid to mock me, perhaps it provided a savory accompaniment to my green tomatoes.
3. CD's on strings twisting in the wind - the dancing reflected sunlight provided amusement to both me and the squirrels.
4. Giant Tripod built of former christmas trees with maniacally spinning wire arms at the apex- The neighbors began to notice me. The squirrels did not. However it did have a sort of Blair Witch-ian charm that I often reminisce about.
5. The ScareCrow by Contech - I had high hopes for this device. After all, if it can handle bear, why not squirrel? This one actually worked a bit and was also amusing to me. It definitely reduced incursions and helped seedlings sprout and survive. However, as the summer wore on, I noticed that the squirrels were purposely triggering it at the hottest time of the day, just to see the way the hose heated and piping hot water would wilt the leaves in the middle of the day. So...a good solution for early on, but not later. 

Next steps?

Is there any hope? Someone recently mentioned trying other kinds of urine - can't recall - coyote maybe. Or Mountain lion...that sounds promising, though perhaps difficult to acquire without injury.

I also found this recipe for anti-squirrel pepper spray which I might try despite all the bad press pepper spray has gotten lately. 

Other things to consider:

in My Empire of Dirt , Manny Howard details how he trapped squirrels in his backyard farm and was then uncomfortable with the next step and so left them to sit for a week or two. The screams and shrieks of the trapped animals proved a sufficient deterrent. Eventually he drowned them in a garbage can. Witnessing this probably helped watching squirrels make up their minds. Manny was seldom bothered going forward. Not sure I could do this one.

The husband of a friend has shot and skinned a couple squirrels. I think this was moderately successful, but I am pretty sure that would get me arrested in the highly dense area in which I live. Nevertheless, a boy can dream.