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A Pack of Kobolds posted:Prune your tomato plants aggressively or it will be a jungle. Tomato plants have no respect for timid gardeners. Yeah, I think part of my hesitation was just that I've got two indeterminate ones that are overgrown and one determinate that is basically perfect all on it's own, so it made me wary not to overdo it. I haven't done any pruning except removing flowers before 18" and then removing suckers before the first flowering, but I'll cut with more confidence knowing it will redirect development sideways. A Pack of Kobolds posted:How are you liking the SIP setup? I'm doing 5 gallon buckets and 18 gallon Rubbermaid bins and holy gently caress are my tomato plants burly. I'm using some DIY pots that are probably 8-10 gal in size, and it's doing great. I've got three tomatoes, two peppers, two cucumbers, a horseradish and a "mix pot" I sowed some beets and greens into. I also have one with some brussel sprouts I started back in March in the hopes of an early spring harvest, but I think I underestimated how long they'd take to mature. The SIPs work out so much better than even the larger pots I used last year. The soil in everything has stayed the perfect level of moisture, and the extra drainage capacity has actually helped I think during the two weeks where we for like 10" of rain. I will say that I'm amazed at how much water the tomatoes are using. The soil is staying moist, but I end up refilling the reservoirs almost daily.
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Jun 24, 2018 18:02
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I let a bunch of bolted radishes go to seed, and I ate one of the pods today while out in the garden. Why is this not a thing? They're better than the root part! Edit: Google tells me this is a thing, just not one I'd heard of before. Schmeichy fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Jun 24, 2018 |
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Jun 24, 2018 21:27
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Hubis posted:The only thing I think of is being made of some uncoated metal and having it heat up in the sun? Or some sort of electro chemical reaction? Yeah, they're uncoated metal. It's possible I'm misunderstanding what happened, but most of the leaves near the cages are brown now. It's in the mid-90s most days, and I think our stone patio creates some extra heat island problems.
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Jun 25, 2018 13:38
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turing_test posted:I ended up getting ladybugs - I tried neem oil, squishing them daily for about a week, and Dr. Bronner's and none of them seemed to do the trick. My eggplants were literally COVERED in aphids before and are looking much better now so I'm hoping this will do the trick. My understanding is that the only downside to buying a bunch of ladybugs (or praying mantis') are that once they kill off all the local stuff, they tend to run off in search of other food and then your garden is vulnerable to a new crop of pests showing up. But if you have a big rear end infestation like you had, engh. One of the things I'm trying to plan for next year is having a bunch of pollinator/beneficial predator attractor stuff planted in a living fence around my garden fence in an attempt to build a somewhat stable ecosystem. This year is crazy because it's been so drat hot and dry.
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Jun 25, 2018 14:50
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God drat. My garden was going fine this year. Tomato plants were starting to really start to get big and viney and my first round of pepper plants were starting to look tall and good (which I never have luck with) and then I woke up this morning and the tops of all of them were eaten off. I had this problem last year and whatever it is (I'm guessing deer from the height) just destroyed my garden and I got nothing. I contemplated putting up a fence this year but I would have to but up a giant one to still give me room to garden and it will be ugly as hell in a very open backyard. I just have no idea what to do. I bought this piss smelling "liquid fence" stuff and was spraying it regularly but apparently that was no good. loving deer (I'm assuming). loving lack of a fence (on the garden or property).
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Jun 25, 2018 17:17
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Turns out two of the hot pepper plugs I bought are actually aubergine, the totally different leaves were confusing me. Bonus aubergines!
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Jun 25, 2018 18:37
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Schmeichy posted:I let a bunch of bolted radishes go to seed, and I ate one of the pods today while out in the garden. Why is this not a thing? They're better than the root part! I discovered this two years ago and thought it was the most amazing thing ever, too. Those pods stay fresh forever in the fridge. I can't believe how many a radish plant makes, and the flavor is very mild and delicious.
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Jun 25, 2018 20:54
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Are there any amazing tricks for dealing with mosquitoes that I'm not aware of? I'm not going to spray. I've got mosquito dunks (Bti) anywhere they might be useful, but I'm next to a creek so a lot of good that does. Pants, shoes, and long sleeves are the only solution I've come up with, but it loving sucks when it's 95 out. I would be way more productive in the garden if I wasn't swarmed with the things the entire time.
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Jun 25, 2018 21:00
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Look into the permethrin treated stuff if you're stateside. I wouldn't wear it as underwear but it's extremely effective for socks and loose outer layers. InsectShield does good stuff, shoot me a PM if you order anything I might know a guy that can help. They also will treat your own clothing.
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Jun 25, 2018 21:12
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mischief posted:Look into the permethrin treated stuff if you're stateside. I wouldn't wear it as underwear but it's extremely effective for socks and loose outer layers. I say this every time permethrin is brought up - it's very effective and about the only thing that works on ticks, but it's highly toxic to cats and fish.
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Jun 25, 2018 21:55
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Are there any amazing tricks for dealing with mosquitoes that I'm not aware of? I'm not going to spray. I've got mosquito dunks (Bti) anywhere they might be useful, but I'm next to a creek so a lot of good that does. Pants, shoes, and long sleeves are the only solution I've come up with, but it loving sucks when it's 95 out. I have heard these are amazingly effective (if you are willing to pay) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcNRSF_sbsc Hubis fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Jun 25, 2018 |
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Jun 25, 2018 22:06
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Thanks, I hadn't really looked into either of those. Looks like with permethrin clothes I'd still have to suit up to go outside, and yeah those machines are a bit pricey. Sometimes I wonder about these fan traps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BhV-o77RqQ
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Jun 26, 2018 14:27
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Thanks, I hadn't really looked into either of those. Looks like with permethrin clothes I'd still have to suit up to go outside, and yeah those machines are a bit pricey. Permethrin apparently works really well if you just spray it on your boots (for ticks). Spraying on clothes work as well, but it breaks down when contacting the oils on skin so you'd have to probably reapply whenever you went out. Still, it's a useful tool to have for the ticks alone -- spray it on some shoes and a hat. The propane traps are a big hammer, but they kind of work on the same principle as some DIY mosquito traps made out of old soda bottles. You put some sugar water in the bottom and cut the top off and invert it so it's a downward facing cone. The sugar water ferments, releasing CO2 which attracts mosquitoes. They dlyfly in but have trouble getting out. You could put like 1/4 of a mosquito dunk I'm there too to kill any larva that might get laid. I was contemplating one of the fan traps, but I have to imagine it would catch just as many beneficial insects as well. Maybe worth it if you really just have an insane volume of mosquitoes or your more interested in making the space human-friendly like on a lawn or patio, but possibly less appealing around a garden.
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Jun 26, 2018 14:40
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STAC Goat posted:God drat. My garden was going fine this year. Tomato plants were starting to really start to get big and viney and my first round of pepper plants were starting to look tall and good (which I never have luck with) and then I woke up this morning and the tops of all of them were eaten off. I had this problem last year and whatever it is (I'm guessing deer from the height) just destroyed my garden and I got nothing. I contemplated putting up a fence this year but I would have to but up a giant one to still give me room to garden and it will be ugly as hell in a very open backyard. I just have no idea what to do. I bought this piss smelling "liquid fence" stuff and was spraying it regularly but apparently that was no good. loving deer. I'm told they're tasty, but my wife tells me I'm not allowed to find out. We have a 10' high fence around our garden . 6' didn't do it, I watched Bambi's Mom hop over one afternoon and nip the tops off lettuce and strawberries before I chased her out. I agree, I really don't like having a miniature concentration camp in the yard but at least I'm only fighting with voles, birds, and insects now. Outside the fence the only deer repellant I've found that works is Bobex, and only if applied weekly or after rain. Plantskydd is supposed to be similar and lasts longer but I haven't tested it yet. There's a possibility that there are regional differences in deer taste so what works in one place might not in another. I only spray the plants that absolutely must not get eaten like new grapes being trained up above browsing height. That way the deer still have my wife's roses and the lower branches of the fruit trees to keep them amused. The does are giving birth and lactating right now so they're ravenous.
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Jun 26, 2018 16:17
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Are there any amazing tricks for dealing with mosquitoes that I'm not aware of? I'm not going to spray. I've got mosquito dunks (Bti) anywhere they might be useful, but I'm next to a creek so a lot of good that does. Pants, shoes, and long sleeves are the only solution I've come up with, but it loving sucks when it's 95 out. I put a bat house way up in a tree (or rather paid someone to do that for me) - I'm still not really sure if bats are using it or not, but if it does work out they would probably help...
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Jun 26, 2018 22:27
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Hexigrammus posted:loving deer. I'm told they're tasty, but my wife tells me I'm not allowed to find out. We have a 10' high fence around our garden . 6' didn't do it, I watched Bambi's Mom hop over one afternoon and nip the tops off lettuce and strawberries before I chased her out. I agree, I really don't like having a miniature concentration camp in the yard but at least I'm only fighting with voles, birds, and insects now. Sadly I bit the bullet and bought and threw up a 6 ft fence. Its ghetto but I had to do something to avoid a repeat of last summer. Part of the fence was partially pushed down this morning so I think the deer might have returned and tried to get in but it doesn't look like they succeeded. I'm probably gonna get some higher stakes to give the fence more support, especially high. But I burned my hand cooking today so I'm not doing any gardening or fence construction for a few days. Luckily I think my garden is too small for any deer to jump in and land safely. If they try they'll destroy the whole thing and I'll probably wake up to a deer with a broken leg. I have no idea of the spray stuff was effective or not. The attack DID come after a big rainfall at night so maybe it just washed it away. But I have no idea if it was doing anything before then or if I was just in a "this magic rock keeps the monsters away" sorta situation. I guess I'll keep spraying just for added protection. I'm not one for hunting or any of that but I had murderous fantasies yesterday.
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Jun 27, 2018 00:12
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Fences are great because you can grow vines on them. Don't let that vertical space go to waste!Mozi posted:I put a bat house way up in a tree (or rather paid someone to do that for me) - I'm still not really sure if bats are using it or not, but if it does work out they would probably help... I'm probably going to look into bat boxes when I buy a place, but just because I think it'd be neat. I don't think they have a huge impact on local mosquito populations. They actually roost in our carport sometimes which is pretty cool.
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Jun 27, 2018 00:33
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I got 99 problems but deer ain't one. I've been recommending people try a fishing line fence and it seems to work for people that have actually tried it. One guy just strung a single line about 4' high (or about shoulder height for a deer) and it really spooks them when they run into an invisible barrier. Just make sure people can't clothesline themselves on it. It's a little cheaper than a palisade. Edit: all the rain and heat has been making my tomatillos go nuts. This is my 5th? season growing them and I've never seen them top 3 feet; but this year I let 3 tomatillos volunteer and transplanted two. Here's the volunteer I didn't transplant currently topping 5 feet in my "mini hugel" bed (sorry for the lovely cameraphone pic):  Leaf for scale   And since I like sharing pictures, my entire side yard around the mini hugel bed looks like this after it rains:  In a few short weeks all the grass in that side yard will be 100% covered by butternut squash vegetation. Big Nubbins fucked around with this message at 15:17 on Jun 28, 2018 |
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Jun 28, 2018 12:08
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Hubis posted:Permethrin apparently works really well if you just spray it on your boots (for ticks). Spraying on clothes work as well, but it breaks down when contacting the oils on skin so you'd have to probably reapply whenever you went out. Still, it's a useful tool to have for the ticks alone -- spray it on some shoes and a hat. We looked at putting down like nuclear option triazicide on our lawn because the ants and biting insects are so out of control but I didn't want to decimate what little bee population we have left. I've got a 30+ foot long row of flowers next to the garden and pollination is still pretty low percentage right now. I swear there are flying bugs out here that only exist for the sole purpose of flying in your eyes and bumping into your head the second you walk outside. They don't bite, they don't sting, they just bug the ever loving piss out of you for no apparent reason whatsoever. It's infuriating. The treated clothes, InsectShield in particular, are nice because you can just have a couple pairs of the socks and a hat and realistically eliminate a lot of tick and mosquito issues without spray cans and the rest of it. I need to get out there and knock the crabgrass back again but I'm having a hard time getting motivated. It's hot as dammit and the crabgrass is just relentless. Next year I'm investing in some landscape fabric before I put rows in, this is really sucking any joy out of the gardening process for me this season.
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Jun 28, 2018 21:37
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I have a lot of crabgrass too and at one point I just got pissed off and threw down some cardboard wherever I could. It actually took care of most of it.
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Jun 28, 2018 21:54
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Yeah, I cleaned out the crabgrass from half my garden last week, then got distracted with the fence, and now just am being lazy. Its pouring today so maybe tomorrow.
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Jun 28, 2018 21:58
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Fitzy Fitz posted:I have a lot of crabgrass too and at one point I just got pissed off and threw down some cardboard wherever I could. It actually took care of most of it. I can get literally tons of cardboard from work, that's what some local folks were recommending at least over the winter. Just layer the crap out of it and then top dress with compost again and keep on trucking. Whoever decided that yards should be lawns was a real rear end in a top hat and should be shamed forever. What a dick. I hate grass.
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Jun 28, 2018 22:21
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mischief posted:I hate grass. At least it gives us suburbanites something to do other than eat opioids and ignore our kids. Actually those are both great reasons to mow the grass.
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Jun 28, 2018 22:46
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Fuuuuck, ants have built hills right on top of the crowns of a few of my strawberry bushes, which doesn't seem coincidental. How can I kill them without killing my plants?
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Jun 29, 2018 02:52
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Oh my god I go away for three days and nutsedge has taken over a few of my raised beds. I’m so sick of pulling them, can anyone recommend any veg safe chemicals to nuke them with? I’ve looked into a few ‘organic’ ones and they’re contact based and appear to be safe to use around veggies, but I’m really looking for experience with their effectiveness.
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Jun 29, 2018 03:07
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Mikey Purp posted:Fuuuuck, ants have built hills right on top of the crowns of a few of my strawberry bushes, which doesn't seem coincidental. How can I kill them without killing my plants? Diatomaceous earth definitely won't harm your strawberries, you just have to re-apply every time it rains; it loses all effectiveness if it gets wet. Edit: VVV oh, cool! I'll have to try that as it's kinda "clumpy" when you apply it dry. Thanks! Big Nubbins fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Jun 29, 2018 |
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Jun 29, 2018 14:23
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Shame Boner posted:Diatomaceous earth definitely won't harm your strawberries, you just have to re-apply every time it rains; it loses all effectiveness if it gets wet. Apparently you can actually apply it with a sprayer by mixing it into a slurry with water. It goes on thin enough that it leaves a nice coating when it dries. Rain will wash it away though.
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Jun 29, 2018 15:38
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Borax solution. Look for the plastic traps with it in the pest control section. I used Terro brand traps when I had ants in the house. It basically destroys their digestive system and kills them in a few days.
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Jun 29, 2018 22:31
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 Butternut squash blossoms are huge!  First time harvesting favas, delicious but kind of a chore getting the inner beans shelled.
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Jul 1, 2018 22:38
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[TELL] me how to murder spider mites without honor or humanity
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Jul 3, 2018 00:33
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This murders them easilyNosre posted:Aphids and other softbodied stuff (killed off some random caterpillars in my Broccoli just recently) are quite easy to handle with a simple gentle/bio soap (sounds like Bronners would be perfect) + veg oil mix in a sprayer. I use ~1 tablespoon of each in .75L water
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Jul 3, 2018 00:52
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Hubis posted:[TELL] me how to murder spider mites without honor or humanity I think it really depends on which kind of spider mite in particular you are dealing with. When I get them in my greenhouse they must be some local kind which are pretty much pushovers, one good neem spray and they are gone for good (make sure to focus on the bottoms of the leaves.) I could also just move the offending plant outside and let the elements take care of that for me. But obviously there are much more tenacious varieties of spider mites out there. Probably good to start with neem and see how it looks a week after that. As far as spraying neem I only do that at or after sundown now, this way I never have any leaf burn issues to speak of. And if you use the soap don't spray too much in succession or it will damage the leaves severely.
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Jul 3, 2018 14:47
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Nosre posted:This murders them easily Interesting. What's the veg oil for --- does it smother the eggs? I've been using insecticidal soaps (probably not frequently enough) but that might be the missing ingredient for me. Mozi posted:I think it really depends on which kind of spider mite in particular you are dealing with. When I get them in my greenhouse they must be some local kind which are pretty much pushovers, one good neem spray and they are gone for good (make sure to focus on the bottoms of the leaves.) I could also just move the offending plant outside and let the elements take care of that for me. But obviously there are much more tenacious varieties of spider mites out there. Probably good to start with neem and see how it looks a week after that. I'm dealing with two separate hop plants that are already outside. I've done my best to get good coverage when spraying, but the foliage density makes it a challenge to get both sides of every leaf, which probably contributes to the problem. On the plus side, foliage density is much lower now  I'd mostly written them off, but it looks like they've spread to one of my tomato plants, which simply won't stand.
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Jul 3, 2018 18:15
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Yikes... well good luck. You can also try rotating in spraying something like rosemary oil (1% concentration I think? Too much will burn the plant) I grew a corn this year:  Fun fact: corn have cool looking feet things.
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Jul 3, 2018 22:51
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I've grown strawberry popcorn the last couple of years. It's surprisingly easy, and I love how small the dwarf varieties stay. I had issues with corn earworms last year. I should probably do something to prevent that soon...
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Jul 4, 2018 00:36
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Hubis posted:Interesting. What's the veg oil for --- does it smother the eggs? I've been using insecticidal soaps (probably not frequently enough) but that might be the missing ingredient for me. Smothering but also adhering the solution to both (adults and eggs). Neem oil in particular also has insecticidal properties in itself apparently, but any light veg oil will help
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Jul 4, 2018 11:21
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A Pack of Kobolds posted:Prune your tomato plants aggressively or it will be a jungle. Tomato plants have no respect for timid gardeners. Christ is this ever true. This is my 2nd year growing tomatoes and my Cherokee Purple and Striped German plants are loving insane. I can't keep up with them, so I'm supporting their thicker outgrowth with sisal rope tied up to a rung of the tomato tornado trellis.
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Jul 4, 2018 14:20
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A Pack of Kobolds posted:Prune your tomato plants aggressively or it will be a jungle. Tomato plants have no respect for timid gardeners. Quoted for truth.  First year growing indeterminates, and I think I maybe should have been more aggressive, but it seems like I've had suckers popping up right and left and I was afraid of over-pruning and welp. They weren't even THAT bad, then I had to go away for five days during a heat wave and had the bright idea to set up drip irrigation and give them a good feed with organic fertilizer before I left, and I came back to this.  I think I may need to shore up that trellis or Gozer the Destructor here is going to pull the whole thing down once the fruit gets going.
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Jul 4, 2018 16:37
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Gozer the Destroyer would be a great name for an heirloom tomato
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Jul 4, 2018 19:16
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Hubis posted:Gozer the Destroyer would be a great name for an heirloom tomato Well, these are heirlooms (Rutgers), so we're not far off.
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Jul 4, 2018 19:36
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