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It's time ~ the garden goes from hobby to necessity

32K views 548 replies 57 participants last post by  peanut 
#1 · (Edited)
Just returned home from my Dollar General coupon day (spend $25 - save $5...do it right, spend exactly $25 & it works out to 20% off everything you buy. That's all those $1 items now costing .80 cents)...My DG lets me do as many 'deals' as I want and I calculate them right to the penny of $25.... $25 worth of goodies for $20!!!

But this story is not about DG - so anyway, as I was driving home I noticed that gas has now gone up to $3.79 gal (that's 10 MORE cents since yesterday)....this is not good folks!

The weather is breaking and I have been staring at my garden plot in the backyard for the past few weeks, saying to the DH that I will once again plant a garden for us (Dh laughs hysterically at this comment every time. Where is the moral support here)...

Every year I plant. Some come up, most don't. The ones that make it above the dirt I somehow kill (by lack of water or weed takeover - I admit it...I kill them).

This year must be different. This year I can no longer call the plot my hobby that I can abandon at will when I grow tired of it. This year a garden is going to become a necessity everyone. Prices are going thru the roof and I see no end in sight.

You may say that not everything has gone up but let me tell you. I work in a grocery store. I watch items come in everyday that are now much larger packaging but have reduced contents inside and the prices are still the same. The manufacturers are playing with us consumers and your prices are very much going up on everything!

We need to do every tiny thing we can to keep as many of our dollars in our pockets as possible. A garden is one of the greatest ideas ever invented. It's very little outlay and a boatload of sweat equity. But the rewards can be stupendous!

I have a girlfriend who has a canner & the knowledge to use it so I made a deal with her the other day that if the garden has a bounty this year she comes with her supplies and shares the knowledge and I will share the bounty and we will can, can, can till we can can no more....
 
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#299 ·
Chemical free bug spray ~ I am making this today to see how it works out

Making Organic Bug Spray - YouTube

Whenever I have planted cabbage it gets eaten up by the darn bugs. Then they go after the broccoli/cauliflower & move on to the brussel sprouts and everything that is left.

Not this year!

I did some research - I don't have to wait for bugs to be present - I am being proactive and preventative.

This spray will only last a few days and has to be reapplied often because there are no oils in it causing it stick to the leaves That is why it is good to use for prevention without covering all the plants leaves with slimy oil when they need to be able to absorb water, sunlight, etc (so I am told anyway)...If I find that I seeing actual bugs then I will switch to this:

1 garlic bulb (about 6-10 cloves)
3 large or 6 smaller hot chilli peppers (any variety will do, or if unavailable try 1-2 tablespoon hot chilli powder)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Ivory soap cut up, microwaved for a few moments to soften
4 cups water. (Use 1-2 cups in the blender)

Add all items to the blender but soap and blend well. Then add soap (it foams so add it last and don't get crazy on the blending at this point). Strain the mixture thru a strainer, coffee filter, muslin.... Pour into spray bottle, top with water & you are good to go.


Both mixtures can be used on any veggies at all. Be careful when using the pepper spray and don't touch your eyes & skin as the mixture will be very hot!
 
#302 ·
Here's what I made today:

6 garlic cloves
4 small jalepanos
tsp of red pepper seeds
2 slices of lemon
1 small bar facial soap (like travel size)

threw all veggies & lemon in blender, added a little water, blended like crazy- then added the soap (slightly microwaved to make it soft), little more water- pureed for a minute. Then used small strainer and strained into a funnel inserted into the mouth of spray bottle. Added more water to bottle, shook and ready to go.

The strained items I put into small container and put in freezer to use another time.

I added the lemon to the mix because I read that lemon juice was another natural bug deterrent. Can't hurt I thought.

So out to the garden I went with my 'secret weapon'...

The bugs have found a few of my plants already. And they have done a number on the leaves since just last night! There are tiny black bugs on the plants and I really let them have it. I sprayed all plants (on top and lifted their leaves and soaked their underbellies). One thing I did notice is the black bugs took off like their rear-ends were on fire. Hopefully they will stay away too!

We will be out of town for the next 5 days and I am really worried about the garden & pots. I have a friend that says she will water them - (and I have no reason to not believe it won't get done) but you never know- anything can happen. And she can tell me how terribly sorry she is that something came up, but the fact of the matter is - the garden is still DEAD now. I am hoping everything goes ok, especially after all the time and devotion I have given the place.

So today I dug deep motes around each plant (and that's a LOT of plants folks) - anyway, I dug the trenches, filled them with water (about 2-3 inch deep trenches) and then backfilled them with dirt. At least they are getting the soaking of their lives right now, and if the worst happens and they don't get the care they need - maybe I will have done enough to sustain them until I return on Wed. Everything will get one more watering tomorrow morning and I will drown the pots as much as I can.
 
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#300 ·
Thanks for the recipe SS. We had bugs on our radish one year. Ate them all up. Also, great idea about the TP rolls! I'll have to try that in our main gardens. I have the same trouble, telling weeds from plants I want. Today I'll be weeding the main gardens. It's a big job. Hope my back is up to it.
 
#301 ·
Plant Road surface Tree Grass Sidewalk
~ This is outside the garden - tomato plants, the timbers continue to wrap around the back side and so do the plants. The plants were just transplanted from pots, so they are still a little pissed off and sulking. Eventually they will perk up.
Plant Plant community Tree Land lot Grass
~ Going to the right wrapping around the garden - green peppers
Plant Groundcover Agriculture Grass Landscape
~ Broccoli, cauliflower & more green peppers - to the rear is green & red cabbage plants, to the left is snow peas
Plant Plant community Land lot Grass Groundcover
~ My crop of snow peas ~ from SEEDS~! (Behind the snow peas are brussel sprouts)
Plant Property Window Stairs Building
~ Pots of plants on the back deck - the left side is peppers & the right from top down is leaf lettuce, salad blends and a lone tomato plant. Also in the pepper pots are seeds started (inside TP rolls) yellow & zucchini squash plants - they will go to the garden when they sprout
Plant Ingredient Flowerpot Houseplant Grass
~ asst of seedlings started to go to garden when they sprout & a few herbs
Plant Flowerpot Houseplant Green Grass
~ chili pepper plants & herbs (and a few plants awaiting homes in the white tub)

The pots housed all the tomato & pepper plants until they got large enough to go out into the 'big boy garden' a few days ago ~ now I am restarting everything from seeds in the pots...

... so far so good - got lots of little seedlings sprouting in the garden but they are not much to look at yet- more pics to follow in the future....
 
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#304 ·
I have been reading that marigolds planted all over the garden will repel just about everything that comes by (4-legged, winged & hairy)....guess the DH will stay away too ~ hahahahaha

Sprayed all the plants for bugs again this morning. I sure hope that my eggplant survive the bugs. Found out they are Flea Beetles and they can destroy a young plant in a day...(and they are certainly trying)....

When I get home from FL I will be mulching the garden pretty heavily (that also helps keep the larvae from coming up thru the dry dirt - something they like to do)

I may not win the WAR ~ but I WILL win this battle
 
#305 ·
It's raining today. I'm keeping watch on the birds. The robins come within a foot of the patio pots and then veer away. You don't think I might have gone a bit heavy on the cayenne and cinnamon? Ah well. I guess a foot is a good berth to have around the pots.

Love the photos SS. When it clears up I'll have to get out to the patio and take some of my garden.
 
#307 ·
Ugh. Was out after the rain stopped and company left, and there were big depressions in the pots again. I am suspecting squirrels, but I wouldn't put it past the pushy robins around here. I spread more cinnamon and cayenne. This could get expensive. Cayenne is $6 for a small bottle here.
 
#308 ·
Okay. I think I solved my problem. I have some curtain sheer fabric someone gave me. Yards and yards of it. Seems a waste for good sheer fabric, but I have no use for it otherwise. So I am going to cut it up and use it to cover the pots till the seedlings come up.

Anyways, tonight they are forecasting frost, so DH and I are going to cover everything we can with ice-cream buckets. That should help.
 
#312 ·
We harvested another 15 cucumbers yesterday, that makes 42 cucumbers in the last 6 days!! I grilled some of the squash yesterday it was good. i wonder how it would taste pickled??
 
#314 ·
No, I haven't. Right now the birds are staying away. So are the squirrels. Must be better pickings elsewhere. ;)

I had help weeding two more beds today. Half of three more to go. It's starting to look good.

Harvested the first crop of rhubarb today, and gave it away to my garden help. I still have 3 gallons in my freezer. Plus I will get 2 more crops of it this year. Plus I have friends who give me rhubarb. Honestly, there is only so much I can do with rhubarb as I can't eat sugar! I don't really want a whole bunch more.

Gave away my hosta, some delphinium, and some lily-of-the-valley.
 
#315 ·
Great pics guys! I was a little reluctant to post my photos 'coz I thought my plants were too small.... (I hope when I get home they are still alive)...!
 
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#317 ·
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#320 ·
We just can't get rain here. None predicted for the week either.

I am back and the garden (most of it) is still alive. My friend did a great job of keeping it all going. I did, however, lose 3 tomato plants, 2 cabbage & a pepper. I think they must have succumb to the flea beetles & then the sprays that I had to use on them to kill said flea beetles before I left.

Most of the new seedlings that I planted last week are up already. It is amazing to leave a pile of dirt and come back 5 days later to little plants about 2-3" tall...

I plan to get my pine needles in the next few days and get them on the ground. Next I will research cheap trellis & climbing options for everybody that is going to be needing them. I want to get them built and in the ground so that I do not disturb the roots around the plants later getting them in there.

How's everybody else doing with their green thumbs???
 
#321 ·
I'm doing pretty good here. The radish are up and I've been thinning them in-between rain showers. I washed them off, cut off the root ends, and popped them into a green salad tonight. Nice taste! I think I'll keep planting them every couple of weeks throughout the summer so I have the sprouts to eat. Or maybe I'll take up sprouting. Now there's a thought!

So...tally so far...

~ 1 grocery bag of rhubarb given to a young lady who helped me weed the garden (for her mom, dad & 3 siblings),
~ 1/2 c. of radish sprouts for my salad.
 
#322 ·
we harvested again yesterday and got another 15 cucumbers, 9 squash, 2 zuchinni, and a large pot full of green beans! Need to see if i can find some more kentucky wonder been seeds around so i can plant another round! The peanuts are doing great! I have loads of tomatoes on but none turning colors yet, should be soon!
 
#323 ·
Wow, everyone has great sounding produce coming from their garden. They only thing really taking off are the herbs so yesterday I made a salad and added fresh basil, chives, and parsley. It will be a long time before the carrots are ready. The celery is sprouting more leaves.
 
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