AMKuska's 2020 Garden

[AMKuska]

@flowerbug I think you might have solved the mystery. I definitely am not visited by any squash bees. I'm also probably the only person in the area who tills my garden, but I'm planning not to do that next year. Let's see if the squash do better next year.

 

[flowerbug]

@flowerbug I think you might have solved the mystery. I definitely am not visited by any squash bees. I'm also probably the only person in the area who tills my garden, but I'm planning not to do that next year. Let's see if the squash do better next year.

i sure hope it does help. it may take some time to get them back around. anything you can do to grow cucumbers, melons, squash even if only for the flowers alone will encourage them.

i don't do complete no till, but i do not turn every garden completely each season. about 10% of the garden space is turned each season and that is done with a shovel and not a tiller. Mom is finicky about leaving any kind of cover crop or surface debris left behind so i have to get that buried as much as i can by the end of the season. the rest of the season i have to scrape (using a stirrup hoe) or hand weed any gardens.

 

[ninnymary]

I would declare ware on the creature that killed your little hen ~ and all his or her friends ~ I made one much like the one in the video ~ it's the Catchenist trap I've ever had ~ I give the rodent a bee bee or how many it takes and plant them in the garden ` sorry about your little hen ```

Valley, can you post a picture of it. I need a new rat trap.

Mary

 

[ninnymary]

Well I didn't even know there were squash bees! Gotta remember to look for them next year. Thanks Flowerbug for that video. Learned something new.

@Ridgerunner and @digitS', If I covered my beds with lots of compost this fall will the nutrients leach out with the rains? Is it better to wait till Spring to add my compost?

Mary

 

[AMKuska]

@ninnymary I'd like to know this too. I learned just this year that tilling actually releases the nitrogen, so I'm planning to mulch it, but I've got 10 bags of compost to lay down and I don't want to waste those nutrients.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If the compost is fully composted I'd wait. If it still needs to compost some it needs some time to work. Mary, that compost will still do you a lot of good, everything will not leach out. It's not a disaster. But the nitrogen and such is water soluble. If water runs through it some will leach out.

If you could find some fuchsia colored plastic maybe you could cover it to keep water out? Do you use cover crops. Maybe plant something n there that you can just turn under next spring.

 

[digitS']

And,

if'n you don't have lots or heavy rain, the plant nutrients may not leach below 2021 plant roots. But, a thin layer may dry out and loss of nitrogen, especially, to the air may be more damaging to the value of the compost. I would be just as concerned about that.

Leaving it piled or covered would be best.

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

Ridge and Steve, I bought a half yard of compost and added it to my beds. I usually don't tilled but I did lightly this time because I planted fava beans as a cover crop. I also just topped my containers with it.

Right now it's covered with shade cloth to keep the squirrels out! I guess once those beans start growing I won't be able to cover it. With our drought we normally don't get heavy rains or much rain for that matter.

Mary

 

[AMKuska]

My daughter saw me taking pictures of the various plants in the grow tent today, and decided that she absolutely MUST take a photo of her plant herself. Also her toes. Also her own eyeball. Here's a photo of her big green beauty.

 

[AMKuska]

The female flowers are here!