frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Yay rain!After daylight and going into the front yard I noticed we did get .8"and some storm damage
Boo storm damage...
What did you do in your garden today?
- Thread starter tortoise
- Start date
Boo storm damage...
farmerjan
Super Self-Sufficient
@CLSranch ... boy, .8 would be very welcome after nothing. Hopefully the ground soaked it right up,. Sorry for any damage... but better than those poor folks in TX that got devastated by the storm and demolished everything in it's path.
We have had .1 inch rain here in 20 days... Totally not what we are used to... we normally get 3/4 to an inch a week average in May and June, then it turns drier... our plants and grasses are not developed for these drier conditions.
We have had .1 inch rain here in 20 days... Totally not what we are used to... we normally get 3/4 to an inch a week average in May and June, then it turns drier... our plants and grasses are not developed for these drier conditions.
farmerjan
Super Self-Sufficient
Have been putting the soaker hose on the garden rows for several hours at a time then moving to other rows. Putting down the mulch after the soaking, on places there is not already some mulch down. Next is starting down the rows of potatoes...
Had deer in the garden when starting and they ate on the peppers, and every sunflower that was coming up. and then I got the electrified netting .... no more hoof prints in the garden. Only one part is electrified as the 2nd "bundle" is too long... the first bundle went all the way around nearly 2/3 of the garden and it is on the side where they were coming through the yard and across the garden so that was good. Not saying that they might not jump it, but for now....
In the meantime, I planted the green beans and the netting was up just as soon as they came through the surface... last year they mowed off the green beans. So, the other day, I noticed a couple of plants looked like they had been chewed... I have a bunch of volunteer marigolds that I was going to transplant around as soon as we got some rain.... So yesterday I was looking at the green beans and all, and said I was going to spray with the liquid blood meal "critter deterrent" as it had stopped any more nibbling on the peppers until I got the netting up. But I was going to wait for evening after I turned off the soaker hoses as they emit a fine mist in some places. I found a hole/leak in one and had made a trip to the co-op (3 miles away) earlier... so went back as they had some 1/2 hose ends so I could cut out the hole and put 2 ends on and then be able to use it as a long or a couple of shorter hoses ..... and so in the course of 2 hours from when I switched the hoses... and doing stuff and then coming back... a SOB miserable ground hog had come from the pine tree side ... under the netting (electrified part) and ate off some green beans and had practically strip pruned the volunteer marigolds and several more of the sunflowers were just GONE.... MIDDLE of the afternoon... I was FIT TO BE TIED....
So I sprayed all the beans and sunflowers I could find, and the sadly pruned marigold plants except for the ones that the actual soaker hoses were on. When I turned them off last night, I then sprayed the rest of the bean plants...
I was so mad that the air was blue when I found that... and I know it wasn't deer in the middle of the hot afternoon and there were no hoof prints in the soft damp soil there... I had just watered them that morning and then had switched soakers to other rows. The netting was "pushed out" on the bottom on that side, so I know that is where he went under.
Set the live trap with some cherries I had in the fridge since I didn't have any cantaloupe or watermelon... but I will get one next trip to the grocery. There had been a big ground hog killed on the road about 2 weeks ago, and hadn't seen any since, so had hoped that was the one from the pine tree area... but there must be more.
It might take a few tries, but his a$$ is grass just as soon as I can get him... Have gotten 2 coons in the trap in the last 2 weeks around the chickens... they are safely locked in the crates at night.... had a coon killed on the road a couple weeks ago also... and 2 possums.... this must be the illegal wildlife trail through here....
.
One reason I planted so many potatoes.. some to try new varieties and so I can sell some this fall... because the deer and the ground hogs don't seem to eat them... BUT.... I want some green beans and some peppers and some squash.... there are 100's of acres all around with fields and woods the stupid wildlife can go eat their NATURAL forages... Stay the HE// out of my 50x100 garden......
Had deer in the garden when starting and they ate on the peppers, and every sunflower that was coming up. and then I got the electrified netting .... no more hoof prints in the garden. Only one part is electrified as the 2nd "bundle" is too long... the first bundle went all the way around nearly 2/3 of the garden and it is on the side where they were coming through the yard and across the garden so that was good. Not saying that they might not jump it, but for now....
In the meantime, I planted the green beans and the netting was up just as soon as they came through the surface... last year they mowed off the green beans. So, the other day, I noticed a couple of plants looked like they had been chewed... I have a bunch of volunteer marigolds that I was going to transplant around as soon as we got some rain.... So yesterday I was looking at the green beans and all, and said I was going to spray with the liquid blood meal "critter deterrent" as it had stopped any more nibbling on the peppers until I got the netting up. But I was going to wait for evening after I turned off the soaker hoses as they emit a fine mist in some places. I found a hole/leak in one and had made a trip to the co-op (3 miles away) earlier... so went back as they had some 1/2 hose ends so I could cut out the hole and put 2 ends on and then be able to use it as a long or a couple of shorter hoses ..... and so in the course of 2 hours from when I switched the hoses... and doing stuff and then coming back... a SOB miserable ground hog had come from the pine tree side ... under the netting (electrified part) and ate off some green beans and had practically strip pruned the volunteer marigolds and several more of the sunflowers were just GONE.... MIDDLE of the afternoon... I was FIT TO BE TIED....
So I sprayed all the beans and sunflowers I could find, and the sadly pruned marigold plants except for the ones that the actual soaker hoses were on. When I turned them off last night, I then sprayed the rest of the bean plants...
I was so mad that the air was blue when I found that... and I know it wasn't deer in the middle of the hot afternoon and there were no hoof prints in the soft damp soil there... I had just watered them that morning and then had switched soakers to other rows. The netting was "pushed out" on the bottom on that side, so I know that is where he went under.
Set the live trap with some cherries I had in the fridge since I didn't have any cantaloupe or watermelon... but I will get one next trip to the grocery. There had been a big ground hog killed on the road about 2 weeks ago, and hadn't seen any since, so had hoped that was the one from the pine tree area... but there must be more.
It might take a few tries, but his a$$ is grass just as soon as I can get him... Have gotten 2 coons in the trap in the last 2 weeks around the chickens... they are safely locked in the crates at night.... had a coon killed on the road a couple weeks ago also... and 2 possums.... this must be the illegal wildlife trail through here....
.One reason I planted so many potatoes.. some to try new varieties and so I can sell some this fall... because the deer and the ground hogs don't seem to eat them... BUT.... I want some green beans and some peppers and some squash.... there are 100's of acres all around with fields and woods the stupid wildlife can go eat their NATURAL forages... Stay the HE// out of my 50x100 garden......
farmerjan
Super Self-Sufficient
And the score is now : FarmerJan 1..... small young ground hog 000000...One game OVER....
Went out to turn off soaker hose; stick in a few bean seeds to fill in spot and some more sunflower seeds to put at end of rows of each potato variety.... AAHHHH trap door is down... turn around come in for .22...and some more cherries out of the fridge..... go out... smallish young ground hog and he was threatening and chattering at me... like I was in HIS PERSONAL GARDEN. WRONG and DOUBLE WRONG.... End of his story.
Reset the trap.... then proceded to move the long soaker hose off the onions, and put between 2 potato rows...switched hose to that soaker... took a watering can to water the "hill " of butternut squash, and the cukes around the wire cage for them to grow up, and did the couple of very short rows of yellow squash I had just planted... popped in the extra beans in between the "stumps".... stuck sunflower seeds in ends of rows where there had been some....
Will leave this soaker on for a few hours then probably switch it to another long row and put it there... will put down mulch on this row once soaked good to retain the moisture....
Went out to turn off soaker hose; stick in a few bean seeds to fill in spot and some more sunflower seeds to put at end of rows of each potato variety.... AAHHHH trap door is down... turn around come in for .22...and some more cherries out of the fridge..... go out... smallish young ground hog and he was threatening and chattering at me... like I was in HIS PERSONAL GARDEN. WRONG and DOUBLE WRONG.... End of his story.
Reset the trap.... then proceded to move the long soaker hose off the onions, and put between 2 potato rows...switched hose to that soaker... took a watering can to water the "hill " of butternut squash, and the cukes around the wire cage for them to grow up, and did the couple of very short rows of yellow squash I had just planted... popped in the extra beans in between the "stumps".... stuck sunflower seeds in ends of rows where there had been some....
Will leave this soaker on for a few hours then probably switch it to another long row and put it there... will put down mulch on this row once soaked good to retain the moisture....
farmerjan
Super Self-Sufficient
Mulched the row between the first 2 rows of potatoes after the soaker hose really got it good and watered, last evening. I had tomatoes actually wilting; so put the soaker on them for several hours last night even though they are saying rain/showers and such you never know if it will materialize. They look so much better this morning... But they sure aren't growing much with the cool temps. I see about 3 actual flowers and the pollen does not fertilize with temps regularly below 55 ... so not going to do much.
Got a ground hog yesterday in the trap. This morning there was a possum... disposed of it since it is close to the chicken shelter and feed. At least he did not mow off any plants in the garden. Need to go out and take a few more cherries and reset it...
Then I went and put hay mulch down the next row between potato rows 2 and 3. It was a little more humid this morning... Part sun and part hazy clouds. Hoping that the rain does come in this aft/eve. Was starting to sweat and then realized that I hadn't eaten anything before going out to let chickens out and all, so came in to eat.
Will see how the day goes, might try to go out and put some more hay down so the rain will settle it down between the rows. And might wait for the rain and then put more down to retain the moisture. I did see a few cantaloupe seeds had sprouted after I watered the other day... It is so slow coming on this year. Too cool for the normal warm weather plants... and the soil is very dry overall.
Got a ground hog yesterday in the trap. This morning there was a possum... disposed of it since it is close to the chicken shelter and feed. At least he did not mow off any plants in the garden. Need to go out and take a few more cherries and reset it...
Then I went and put hay mulch down the next row between potato rows 2 and 3. It was a little more humid this morning... Part sun and part hazy clouds. Hoping that the rain does come in this aft/eve. Was starting to sweat and then realized that I hadn't eaten anything before going out to let chickens out and all, so came in to eat.
Will see how the day goes, might try to go out and put some more hay down so the rain will settle it down between the rows. And might wait for the rain and then put more down to retain the moisture. I did see a few cantaloupe seeds had sprouted after I watered the other day... It is so slow coming on this year. Too cool for the normal warm weather plants... and the soil is very dry overall.
flowerbug
Super Self-Sufficient
many perennial grasses will just go dormant - as long as they are not trampled, soil compacted, burned, etc. into oblivion they'll likely recover after some rains return. the important thing is to keep animals off them to minimize the damage (however if you have compacted soil areas some animal hooves can help break it up but you don't want to do this until after some rains return as breaking up a crusty soil won't help if it ends up blowing or washing away).
farmerjan
Super Self-Sufficient
We are getting rain... it started out as a soft easy light rain and now is raining seriously... not pouring, but steady rain. Very thankful to get it... all hay that was raked got baled this morning while we had some sun/clouds...
I did get another row of mulch down before going and starting to move round bales off the field. So there is mulch hay between potato rows 1-2-3-4... 3 full rows of mulch down plus the rest of the planted garden is already mulched. Not heavy mulch, but it has helped to retain the moisture when we did get it. I could pull some back and feel the difference in that and the ground that was just open and drying out.
Moved some bales off 2 small fields and they are going into the new "hay barn" .... there will be less waste with the roof over the round bales now being stored under it. That will make up for 2 places we are no longer making hay on, by cutting the waste on the outer layers from near 20% to less than 10% at least. That is like saving 3-5 sq bales worth of hay each roll...
Rain is coming down pretty heavy right now... but you got to take the good with the bad. Hopefully the ground was "opened up" enough with the early gentle rain that it is mostly soaking it up at this point. I believe it is going to let up some then come in some waves of rain tomorrow... Wednesday is supposed to be heavier though, and wet weather right for the next 5-7 days...
I did get another row of mulch down before going and starting to move round bales off the field. So there is mulch hay between potato rows 1-2-3-4... 3 full rows of mulch down plus the rest of the planted garden is already mulched. Not heavy mulch, but it has helped to retain the moisture when we did get it. I could pull some back and feel the difference in that and the ground that was just open and drying out.
Moved some bales off 2 small fields and they are going into the new "hay barn" .... there will be less waste with the roof over the round bales now being stored under it. That will make up for 2 places we are no longer making hay on, by cutting the waste on the outer layers from near 20% to less than 10% at least. That is like saving 3-5 sq bales worth of hay each roll...
Rain is coming down pretty heavy right now... but you got to take the good with the bad. Hopefully the ground was "opened up" enough with the early gentle rain that it is mostly soaking it up at this point. I believe it is going to let up some then come in some waves of rain tomorrow... Wednesday is supposed to be heavier though, and wet weather right for the next 5-7 days...
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Great timing!
murphysranch
Super Self-Sufficient
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We got off and on rain Sunday and yesterday. Not enough to soak everything, but good to wash off leaves of plants and weigh down the potting soil in places.
flowerbug
Super Self-Sufficient
planted more beans, taking a lot of time to bust clay clods and pick rocks, making progress is all i can do and i'm happy with how it is going.
daily watering, weeding.
saw some flowers on the peas.
daily watering, weeding.
saw some flowers on the peas.
