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  1. OaklandCityFarmer

    Cat litter box :((

    I think chicken wire is your best bet. Heavy coarse mulch has worked in the past for me. The cats don't seem to like it. I've heard that moth balls and citrus peels work but have never tried them. Dog urine also could work if someone has a dog, maybe borrow it? There is also commercially...
  2. OaklandCityFarmer

    Mystery mini "pumpkins"

    I'm guessing it's "Baby Boo" a white pumpkin variety, it's a common mini variety. I'm guessing that's the variety they'd put in a mix. They also go by other names too.
  3. OaklandCityFarmer

    Italian Ice Tomatoes?

    It may be that also the plants are shading the ground too much so the sun can't get in there to heat up the soil? Just a thought. We usually grow out tomatoes very close, by most standards and really never have had a problem other than disease spread.
  4. OaklandCityFarmer

    Corn woes!

    Bt is a naturally occurring bacteria that attacks many insects in their larval stages. It mostly targets soft bodied insects like caterpillars. It is used in a wide variety of applications and is safe in organic gardening. You can usually find in sold under Foray or Dipel.
  5. OaklandCityFarmer

    Those Suckers!!

    Welcome to the forum! Typically for most trees, stress will cause more suckers to grow. Basically what's happening is the roots/rootstock is try to grow more branches in efforts to reproduce. Over watering, shallow watering, drought conditions, over pruning and over fertilization are usually...
  6. OaklandCityFarmer

    Peas crossing?

    It is very possible that some cross pollination occurred but this probably wouldn't affect the taste. The proximity of the plants to one another would be the best indicator of cross pollination. How close are they? There are many other reasons for bad tasting peas. Have you explored those...
  7. OaklandCityFarmer

    Squash Bug Blues

    They are both in the same family (Heteroptera) and do look very much the same but the squash bug is Coreidae sp. and the stink bug is Pentatomidae sp..
  8. OaklandCityFarmer

    Garlic Help??

    Chilean Silver from Seeds of Change is a great variety. Stick to stuff that's recommend easy to grow right now. I've successfully grown garlic in containers so don't be discouraged.
  9. OaklandCityFarmer

    who knows about commercial birdseed sunflower plants? (PICS added)

    I think you might have something there! Pat, it kind of does look like Amaranthus, possible?
  10. OaklandCityFarmer

    Tomatoes in trouble?

    If the leaves are curling then it could be a couple of things. Sometimes leaf curl is as simple as the ground being too wet or too dry. Other times, when there are signs of yellowing of leaves and drying out or browning out this could be a sign of blight, wilt or another disease. Copper and/or...
  11. OaklandCityFarmer

    Can you identify this veggie?

    I'm thinking it probably is radicchio. Normally the outer leaves are green and as the head starts to form it begins to turn red. I've never grown the variety you have but this has been my typical experience with radicchio.
  12. OaklandCityFarmer

    Tomatoes in trouble?

    Welcome to the forum! So, can you describe the problem a little more? Are the leaves curling? Are they browning also? If the leaves are just turning yellowing and not browning or not curling you may have a nutrient deficiency. When is the last time you fertilized? Hopefully it's not a...
  13. OaklandCityFarmer

    Italian Ice Tomatoes?

    How has the weather been? They just might not be setting fruit because of temps? Proximity shouldn't be a problem.
  14. OaklandCityFarmer

    Nitrogen for corn ?

    Yes, it is time to fertilize. I would use chicken poo that's as old as possible. I've had mixed results about using the fresher stuff so I try and stick with what's older. Good luck!
  15. OaklandCityFarmer

    who knows about commercial birdseed sunflower plants? (PICS added)

    LOL the feeling is mutual with the posts, btw. So what's wrong with plankton samples? I actually enjoy working with them. Plankton studies were actually some of my first projects, it's always fun to see what you find. Thanks for the good 'dissertation vibes', I sure can use them!
  16. OaklandCityFarmer

    Pumpkins

    Think of it as nature's way of announcing a buffet. Often with most cucurbits the male flowers come first. This works as an attractant to pollinators, letting them know that there are flowers there. This is so when the female flowers start coming around the pollinators are present and can...
  17. OaklandCityFarmer

    who knows about commercial birdseed sunflower plants? (PICS added)

    Wow, mutant sunflowers and miniature axe-murders sounds like you have some exciting times there. Hopefully they do make it to flower, you may have a very interesting sub-species there. It really doesn't look like any sunflower I've ever seen. Nice perennial garden though. I'm focusing...
  18. OaklandCityFarmer

    We Feed the Hungry

    Welcome to TEG! I would love to know more about the farm and the work you guys do. It sounds great and very exciting! Good work you're doing there.
  19. OaklandCityFarmer

    !Garden Gnomes - the new Pink Flamingo!

    Gnomes scare me. Seriously. So, I've told this story here before. When I was a kid I was at Sears or some store with my grandparents. I wandered off and got lost. As I was wandering around, crying, trying to find someone I walked down this row of gnomes and it horrified me. To this day. No...
  20. OaklandCityFarmer

    Brugmansia this morning (resized but big pics!)

    Simply amazing Ann! I remember seeing Brugmansia nearly 25 feet tall in Ecuador that was truly a sight. Which cultivar do you have? My grandmother used to have some but the county where she lived made her take them down because kids were using them to get high. It's a shame because they are...
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