JohnyMac's Garden 2023

[JohnyMac]

2,000 sf Garden:

1) Raised beds are planted.

2) Weed control fabric laid and pinned down.

3) Today I will finish the drip tape install. I started it last night and hopefully will finish this AM if Murphy does not show up.

4) Fence is up. I am trying something new this year called electrified poultry fence. It is about belt high (42") and once you  put an electric fence charge to it the whole fence is electrified. Here is a link to it.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php?fence_id=96

It was a bitch to put up as it comes in a 170' continuous roll. Due to MrsMac's mobility, it was a one man show. And quite a show it was for my chickens. They all sat there and watched my antics.

5) I will start planting my seedlings next. Probably start with tomatoes as they are going crazy in the green house.

How is your garden coming along/

 

[Felix]

Much the same here.   I figure I'm two weeks behind though, due to health issues.    That's two weeks out of a short growing season (bracketed by hard freezes) at 7,000ft elevation.   Could be a problem, might still be OK - seed-to-seed propagation requires full maturity!
Thankfully, my "Indian corn" is already sprouting with high germination from last years plant seeds, the home-grown seeds of kale are going gang-busters compared to store=bought seeds as are the turnips.    Need to take some "before" pics to compare with the later on "after".

[JohnyMac]

Cool beans Felix! 

[Jackalope]

    Our gardens are doing okay.  We haven't had any rain in over two weeks, and it has only rained once since the gardens were planted.  So, I've been spending my evenings watering the gardens, using our rain catchment system.  I have some tomato plants in our greenhouse that should have ripe tomatoes within the next couple of weeks.  Overall, it's about normal for this time of year, though we could certainly use some rain.  We've had thunderstorms come close with plenty of lightning and thunder, but no precipitation, which is really weird, and it happens frequently...very frustrating.

[JohnyMac]

Yes, we are having a drought too. 

[grizz]

We'll be finishing up the garden today

so we have
potatoes
cabbage
about 1500 carrots
300+ carrots
tomatoes
bell peppers
cucumbers
garlic
lettace
and I know I'm forgetting things but thats ok

Also worked on the electric fence. A cow moose and her twins were trying to make the garden a daily pit stop but they got a shocking surprise one morning and hopefully won't be back. We've taken out a few bunnies but they are getting harder and harder to sneak up on.

We will be butchering 13 chickens after the new chicks start laying plus 25 meat chickens that only have a few months left before they meet the pressure cooker

Only a small fraction is mine but I enjoy helping my buddy and his family

[JohnyMac]

Great job Grizz!

[grizz]

We are going to try beer traps for the slugs because they did a number on our garden last year. Does anyone have any other good ideas to stop slugs?

[JohnyMac]

Diatomaceous Earth.

Pick it up at Tractor Supply (If you have one near ya') in Alaska.

I think that a lot of pool supply stores carry it too.

Here is a link at Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/DiatomaceousEarth-DE10-Organic-Diamateous-Powder/dp/B00025H2PY/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=3Q5CY9BBUCW3U&keywords=Diatomaceous+Earth&qid=1686256832&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=diatomaceous+earth%2Clawngarden%2C151&sr=1-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSEdDQTIyVEUxQlAwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTYwMjYyMUxOQkczU0hNVzFHQiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjIwOTA0MzZZVVBKQjhFUk9OVyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Diatomaceous Earth is commonly used in food factories to kill iinsects because it's basically inert and no a threat is a tiny amount were to get into the (alleged) food.

[Felix]

Dittos on the DE.   And, (yuck, yuck) it's "dirt cheap".
Between DE and reserve stock of Neem oil, I don't know what I'd do without.
(although Guinea Hens would be great if I didn't have extremely prey-driven  bird dogs).   
((anyone like to chat about Wirehaired Pointing Griffons?    I'd post my CV  on that and welcome questions  but it would be both embarrassing and like;y taken the wrong way by more than one)).

[JohnyMac]

Before I acquired our Dutch Shepherd, I seriously looked at buying a Griffon. The reasoning was for hunting birds. Not much bird hunting here though in NE PA except for Ruffed Grouse.

While in RI, we had pheasants, quail, dove, ducks, etc.

Based on my research, they are a great bird dog. 
   

[grizz]

Diatomaceous Earth.

Pick it up at Tractor Supply (If you have one near ya') in Alaska.

I think that a lot of pool supply stores carry it too.

Here is a link at Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/DiatomaceousEarth-DE10-Organic-Diamateous-Powder/dp/B00025H2PY/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=3Q5CY9BBUCW3U&keywords=Diatomaceous+Earth&qid=1686256832&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=diatomaceous+earth%2Clawngarden%2C151&sr=1-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSEdDQTIyVEUxQlAwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTYwMjYyMUxOQkczU0hNVzFHQiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjIwOTA0MzZZVVBKQjhFUk9OVyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Thats an interesting product but will not ship to Alaska 

The packaging look familiar, one of the local stores probably carry it.

[Nemo]

We are going to try beer traps for the slugs because they did a number on our garden last year. Does anyone have any other good ideas to stop slugs?

Sneak up behind them and pour a half teaspoon of salt on them. 

Nemo   

[JohnyMac]

Our garden was completely planted on June 15th with the planting of the bush beans. We have already harvested radishes and lettuce.



This is the third year we have used weed barrier felt. The same felt I might add. In the fall I roll up the cloth and store it at the back of the garden. To make spots for plants, I burned holes in the felt using a hand propane burner.

This year I added two things to make the garden easier to manage. Drip irrigation hose and electrified poultry fence.

I purchased a kit called Small Farm Kit from Drip Depot. I also purchased a gravity water timer. This system allowed me to disperse water where needed when I wanted to do so. Last year I lost most of my veggies to a drought. I used traditional lawn sprinklers, and this dropped my well down to a dangerous level. Not this year!  So far it has worked flawlessly.

Next, instead of the traditional step n? post fence with four stands of electrical wires fed off my neighbors electric fence, I sprung for electrified poultry netting from Premier1. So far it has worked flawlessly too. Other than a few birds descending into the garden for a free dinner of worms, it has kept out other critters including my chickens.  I purchased a 164-foot by 42? high kit minus the electrical controller. Afterall, I like free electricity from my neighbor?s fence.

We are growing the following veggies this year. Bold items were grown from seed starting in March and then the seedlings were replanted post Memorial Day. We have received frost here up to that weekend.

Basil
Broccoli
Bush Beans
Cabbage
Colliflower
Cucumbers
Tomatoes (Amish, Brandywine, German Pink)
Lettuce
Melons (Amish, Water)
Peppers (Hungarian, Jalapeno, Sweet)
Radish
Strawberries
Squash (Acorn, Butternut, Jack O? Lantern, Yellow, Zucchini)

So there you go. Share with the group comments and pics if you have 'em.

[Felix]

Almost all is now out of greenhouse, some direct reseedings too) - a hard freeze, wasn't in the forecast, took out roughly half or better of everything - the potatoes are mostly sprouting back up but not all.    Due to heavy hit on the squashes/cucumbers, I've got more hopefully, going to be ready out of second try from my little greenhouse in a week or two.
But no matter how one slices it, 24f showing up on June 23/24 (had my cardiac ablation early 23rd), those are probably lost weeks in an already short growing season.
Divorce is in the works, wife already bought condo in town with her daughter and if the division of assets leaves me too strapped, I might just move after all - this property is big pricey compared to, say, Missouri (which has much better growing circumstance).    Any other states where I should possibly look?    Of course I started looking up in Idaho and such but the California refugees have priced that out of my budget...
The measure of my ambitions     :-)

Corn (sweet & dent/Indian for drying/flour)
Anasazi beans
Peas
Turnips
Cabbages
Cucumbers
Sunflowers
Potatoes
Beets
Onions (bunch, red, yellow)
Kale
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Basil
Dill
Rosemary
Squashes:
  Acorn
  Butternut
  Banana
  Kombucha (sp?)
  Spaghetti

& last but not least

Pumpkins (3 varieties)
 

[JohnyMac]

Awesome Felix. Right now if I was you just focus on your health. Both physical and mental. Folks have equated divorce to a death. It is true as I have seen quite a few friends go through them.

73 & God Bless Brother 

[grizz]

We are going to try beer traps for the slugs because they did a number on our garden last year. Does anyone have any other good ideas to stop slugs?

Sneak up behind them and pour a half teaspoon of salt on them. 

Nemo   

Then I would need to dig out my gilly suit and get all dressed up, its too warm for that 

[Nemo]

We are going to try beer traps for the slugs because they did a number on our garden last year. Does anyone have any other good ideas to stop slugs?

Sneak up behind them and pour a half teaspoon of salt on them. 

Nemo   

Then I would need to dig out my gilly suit and get all dressed up, its too warm for that 

Thats the really fun part and its worth it.

Being properly dressed the don't get an adrenaline rush going and you can use 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Nemo

[grizz]

We are going to try beer traps for the slugs because they did a number on our garden last year. Does anyone have any other good ideas to stop slugs?

Sneak up behind them and pour a half teaspoon of salt on them. 

Nemo   

Then I would need to dig out my gilly suit and get all dressed up, its too warm for that 

Thats the really fun part and its worth it.

Being properly dressed the don't get an adrenaline rush going and you can use 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Nemo

If I do it I'm gonna do it with the right equipment

https://youtu.be/HJ7aCd9DFqs

[Nemo]

That works if you want to play sniper.  But you do really need to go ghilly with that.

Nemo

[mfitzy111]

wow nice work JohnyMac! that's an epic garden! - I have made a few mistakes last year or year before- never use cardboard for gardens for weed control- it attracts slugs. I did that. one thing a neighbor showed me, that works for insects that eat your plants -and slugs - dawn dish-liquid. get a bucket and a little bit of suds...pour it over everything you want to save...and throw a few copper pennies in the raised beds -some how that's supposed to help, but I'm not sold on it yet. also try and keep the weeds near the fence lines short- cause moles love high weeds, and will use it to get cover in and out of your raised beds...use that weed paper under those- had a few beds that the moles loved to visit, that weed paper kept them away as they don't dig through the paper!
this year- repel all powder is my new thing for keeping mice (and everything else) away... why? because field mice ate my wiring harness in my 2014 Tacoma- costing me over $1k...Toyota wiring now has soy in the wiring harness, they have been sued over it - but they somehow got away with that shady stuff...love the truck, not happy with them for pulling that...so I want all chipmunks, mice, and even the squirrels I used to feed seeds (since I was hoping to make them a food source later) out of my way...I don't really want them all dead, just not in any of my cars, mower or quad...

we are getting a great rain as of 3:30pm monday - 7/3 here on the backside of Elk mtn, PA...

this year- I didn't bother doing sweet potatoes -though I found that last year they were easy "plant them, and forget them" until the plants die off in the fall (they require almost zero work- making them a really great local food source here in PA growing season!). next year I will likely expand the garden again and add more rows for sweet potatoes because I know they are easy to grow!..this year I tilled up about 4 or 5 rows and planted white potatoes and focused on zucchini, squash, egg plants, watermelon, hot peppers, garlic and onions. I also planted 5 potato bags -since I got one five gallon bucket from them last year. over all- my idea this year is just to try and produce as many calories for the least amount of work expended. - last year purchases included a vacuum sealer and a low end food dehydrator (both work well enough to create dried veggies that can be stored a little longer term)- made my own hot pepper flakes and powdered onion last season. Want to make jalapeno powder seasoning...never know when you might get meat and need just the right spices to fix a meal...kind of like while in the military and in every MRE they have tabasco hot pepper sauce -because hot sauce fixes almost everything!   added garden bonus is lambs quarters growing in the same raised bed as my kale plants, and onions. if you already love lettuce, get to know these weeds "lambs quarters" or goose foot, have a comparable taste to spinach... https://www.ediblewildfood.com/lambs-quarters.aspx (thank you Linda Ruynon DVDs)...she had a good video on that dvd of her taking the green seeds in the fall off the top of the weed and adding it to boiling water to create a nutrient rich mush drink!

keep up the good work -and killing those slugs all! -MFtizy111