The garden's starting to come alive!

rkunsaw

rkunsaw

Well-known Member
Location
Clarksville, Arkansas,USA
Asparagus is poking through on several places now. Cut the first two spears yesterday. Peas have lots of skips but are growing, Radishes, beets, chard, carrots, and turnips are all coming up.

Onions and garlic we planted last fall are growing good. The onions I just planted a week ago are up too.

Plum, peach and pear trees have bloomed and are growing leaves. Apple, fig. and pomegranate trees aren't doing anything yet.

It will be another two or three weeks before I plant corn, peas and sweet potatoes.
 

Man, I love growin' stuff. But, mostly flowers . . . Sunflowers are on their way. Sweetpeas are peekin'. Gravenstein apple I planted to remember my Grandma is finally leafing out. Lemon and avocado took a beating in the freeze we had and will have to be pulled and replaced.

For some reason vegetables give me trouble. I think, maybe, they need too much attention . . . Now, weeds; leave it to say I'm thinkin' 'bout goin' with growin' weeds all the way. Heck, they take care of themselves!
 
Rkunsaw...I was wondering how your garden was coming. That is quite a spread you have, bet that keeps you and Mrs. R. busy canning.
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I wish I could grow a garden like that..but, alas, not really a good spot, no good soil and no good back..

My asparagus is not peeking yet, I'm getting worried. This is the spring I'm supposed to get to eat them. Hope they didn't get frozen out. I have to get busy and get some flower seeds in and want to do peppers, but don't know if I will be able to manage it this year. Going in Thursday for a back procedure and it may set me back for a while.


I am still debating on the guineas, but they are mostly mail order and they want you to buy lots of 30. Even with attrition taking it's toll..I think it's more than I need.

The one thing about ordering them is that they have several runs throughout the summer, and I can get them when I want. In the feed store, if you can find them, you have to buy them around the first of June and I will gone be for a while in June and can't commit to them.

That Guy...I envy you being able to grow lemons and avocados...I would have guac every day! I hear you about growing weeds..
We seem to spend most of the time beating the woodland flora and fauna back. Right now there are mega weeds popping out everywhere...One day I fully expect to wake up and have the house wrapped in vines and not be able to get out..LOL
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Your garden sounds great Larry, good feeling to produce your own fruits and veggies! :peach: We stopped planting our little garden due to the water restrictions, drought conditions, and the fact that we leave for a few week a couple of times a year to go on camping vacations. We planted fruit trees many years ago, but pretty much lost most of them.

Our peach tree never got really big, and had a lot of borer damage, etc. Our cherry tree always was picked clean by the birds and squirrels, unless we netted it. We did that for a couple of years, but it was too much of a hassle, and many times a bird or squirrel was stuck inside the net.

Anyhoo, one of the only trees we have in our yard that survived all these years, is our pear tree. Here it is near our back fence, with a pear thief that has a full belly. ;)

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Since moved from living along the cliff above my favorite spot to a just a mile inland, found living with deer not so "cute". Those "precious" monsters gobble everything in sight. What the heck did they eat before we started cultivating roses??? Anyway, learned about Liquid Fence which is great stuff as long as you keep upwind when spraying and started planting deer "resistant" things that they may not eat but sure enjoy trampling and pulling out of the ground. Ah, nature.... I know we've got mountain lions. Seen a couple and encouraged them to come around a BBQ a deer or two...
 
I know deer can be very destructive, but the ones here are not so friendly that they would come over the fence. With no fence, a garden would be almost impossible. Good to know about things like Liquid Fence, is it safe around pets?
 
I special ordered some heirloom giant celosia seeds last spring and as soon as they started coming up and getting heads on them the deer were after them. I found a couple of tips that worked well for me. One is to tie s few of those white plastic grocery sack on stakes near the plants, or on limbs of the trees they are munching. They do not like the movement of the bags and steer clear. Also, they do not like the strong smell of soap. I got a few of those cheap knee hi nylons and cut a couple of bars of Irish Spring in thirds and tied them near the plants also. I did both for the celosia, and only did the bags for my mimosa tree that I am trying to save. They left both alone after that, so I assume it was the bags that worked.

They hop our pasture fence every night, as in the winter hubby keeps an automatic feeder going with corn in it. When I take the dogs for their 10pm run, I shine the spotlight in the woods on the other side of the pasture and am usually met with three pair of eyes reflecting back at me. Kind of eerie...LOL
 
I had not heard this about the plastic bags yet, and am going to try that this year. I had to put netting around my beans last Summer, as the rabbits and deer munched them down twice. The deer also ate the tops of the pepper plants...I was hoping they'd take a bite of the super-hot peppers and learn a lesson, :p but they never did.

Haven't tried the Irish Spring yet, but hear it works well. Also heard good things about the liquid fence.

Btw, I am new as of today, and love gardening; DH and I can't wait for the season to begin, as usual!!
 
Liquid Fence is the greatest! Made with eggs and garlic, I believe. Totally save around everything and everybody. Just stay up wind!!! It STINKS! But, after it dries, no smell at all. Good defense against the deer but, I'm still thinkin' about gettin' me a big ol' mountain lion to hang around. Gonna name him Johnnie Cougar...
 
Wow, Seabreeze; that's a nice deer there.....but yes, not so good for fruit trees, or the gardens.

That guy, I've got the Liquid Fence on my list, and I've thought of a lion, too!! Maybe a little one...but then, they grow up. Probably wouldn't get along with the dog, either. :eek:
 
That Guy said:
Liquid Fence is the greatest! Made with eggs and garlic, I believe. Totally save around everything and everybody. Just stay up wind!!! It STINKS! But, after it dries, no smell at all. Good defense against the deer but, I'm still thinkin' about gettin' me a big ol' mountain lion to hang around. Gonna name him Johnnie Cougar...
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LOL...your comment about the mountain lion reminded me of an episode of "Trailer Park Boys". It's kind of a raunchy Canadian sitcom, that I love..Anyhow, the "boys" plant a huge pot field and discover that something is eating their plants. Turns out to be a mountain lion, and Bubbles, one of the main characters is a cat fanatic. He decides to rehab the addicted mountain lion, so he takes him home and names him Steve French, with a goal of being able to return him to the wild.
 
I put an electric fence around my garden but it's only afoot or so high. Deer haven't been a problem so far. Ground hogs, raccoons and rabbits are the garden thieves here. And crows, but if I cover the seeds until they are a few ubches tall the crows are no problem.

Ozarkgal got any asparagus yet? I've cut mine twice but it isn't all up yet. Everything seems to be doing well so far.
 
Yes...hooray!!..Found a few shoots peeking through...I can't believe you've already got two cuttings. It's amazing how fast it grows once it starts poking up. I planted some asparagus seeds from last year's crop. I was interested to see if they would grow, but I bet they got washed away. I have a few left, so I'll put them in too today.

Possums and racoons are a pest here, as well as deer eating the tops off my flowers.
 
I haven't even started planting yet; gardens too wet, and it got down to 30 last night again. I do have some things up in the herb garden, tho, and think I'll start some tomato seeds today. Late for this year, but we decided to order tomato plants, so expect they'll be here soon. Sooo anxious to get the garden in!!
 
Was just outside pullin' weeds and movin' rocks. HUGE lizard ran across the ground infront of me. Cool! Lots of blue-belly good ol' California fence lizards out and about enjoying the sunshine. Spotted the cat eyeballin' a gopher sticking its nose outta his hiddiehole . . . Was tempted to grab a shovel and see if I could whack 'em but decided to let the cat do her thing. Yeah, right. She showed up later with no gopher. That's going straight into her performance file for sure . . . !
 
We are just getting our little garden started here. I planted some green onions outside the back door, and those are doing good, we are getting little green onion tops for salads, and almost any meal that can have onions. The landlord came down with the rototiller and we got the garden tilled, then yesterday was all the rainstorm. So, waiting for it to dry enough to plant some things.
We had guinea hens once. We got them at the auction sale, and they chirped all the way home. Then we turned them loose, and for the next two or three weeks, they went everywhere, and never once stopped chirping. That nite, we put chicken food in the pen, and caught them all, and the next day, we took them (chirping) back to the auction for some other unsuspecting person to listen to. I have never wanted another guinea hen since. But, if you have a fenced in place for them, or don't mind listening to them, they will definitely catch bugs for you.
 
That Guy said:
Beware of those raccoons. They are MEAN! I don't know of anything the repels them, either.
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As I am writing this, hubby called me to the window to look at a big racoon in our driveway..He had put some seed on the ground for the redbirds this afternoon, and Mr. Racky was out there licking it clean. I thought the cat food bowls were licked too clean for the last few days. Tomorrow night he will be safely trapped, awaiting a gangster ride to a new location come daylight.

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That Guy said:
Regular ol' chickens are a lot quieter and some can be really sweet pets. No roosters, though. They're mean!
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I've tried to do a lot of research on guineas vs. chickens..the main reason I want them, aside from eating ticks, which is a huge bonus here in the Ozarks, is that they are snake killers. They will kill smaller snakes and if they spot larger ones they will circle it and keep it there while sounding an alarm. I live on a creek, and it's about time for those water mocs to start moving. :eek:

Also, apparently they don't scratch like chickens do and dig up plants, thus safe for gardens. Guineas are also much cold hardier than chickens.

LOL...I hope I can get past the cackling..they sound like rusty bed springs to me.

I like to hear a rooster crow, but I was flogged by one as a child and it terrified me..I would probably be like Peach in Lonesome Dove and wring it's neck for pecking me now.:(
 
I fought with raccoons setting up new digs under my house for years. Very dangerous animals. I read that they are related to bears. One thing that really amazes me is how they just don't care what we think. Most animals, even mountain lions, can be scared away. A raccoon will just stare you down and flip you off. Had a mama with babies behind her come at me in a rage one morning. There and then, my thinking how cute they are ended in a flash.
 
My racoon came back last night. It was almost time to let the dogs out, but waited until I thought he was gone. After they went out and did their business, I went back out to scout around with my spotlight. I opened the door of the chicken coop, which is actually the cat house. My white cat was sitting on the shelf, the only one in there, or so I thought until I shined the light in the corner of the shelf, and there he was. Standing on his hind legs flattened against the wall, with his face in the corner covered by his paws like some recalcitrant child.

I opened the door wide so he might run out, but he ran to the other side of the shelf, behind a wire cage and assumed the same position. I grabbed a piece of pvc pipe that was handy and poked him trying to get him to run out..nothing doing. He was glue to that corner like he had suction cups on his belly, standing up with his paws over his eyes. I finally managed to wedge the pipe between his head and the wall, at which point he made a very hasty exit out the door.

It amazes me that that stupid cat sat there on the shelf with him like they were courting. The live trap will be set tonight!
 
Aha! Water Mocs . . . now I understand the need for snake-killer birds. The only dangerous snakes we get here and rattlers. Your raccoon sounds hilarious, hiding his face in the corner . . . When you mentioned the cat sitting in there with him it reminded me of peeking out the door on a moonlit night waiting for the raccoons to make their way up the path to the house and seeing my cat actually come out of the bushes and touch noses. What? That traitor! Guess they had come to some kind of animal kingdom alliance...
 

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