stubbed toes and mud pies
- Thread starter flowerbug
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Shades-of-Oregon
Deeply Rooted
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For a path across the garden I put down weed cloth first then 3” layer of pea gravel then large stepping stones for a path around a large portion of the garden. There is not one ground critter in that area ever. Which is the only area treated with that technique. When weeds grow they are easy to pull up because of the barrier weed cloth , roots don’t grow down in the clay soil. But not practical for every garden .
The pastures have zero underground critters because I can spray with pasture type herbicide made and recommended by the Oregon state university, to eliminate weeds that attract underground pests. That is very helpful and have no critters underground or above ground. Even deer have left the building taking a few hydrangeas with them from the garden with no protection . I put down Plyantskid works great in these areas with no fence. But some of these technique are not always practical for the garden area.
I am on the war path. Yesterday I did a test using peppermint spray. I sprayed it in several holes after watering the soil back in the ground, leaving a huge opening in the ground. All the holes I sprayed were not disturbed today. Only the open holes with peppermint spray remained untouched. Other area not sprayed mounds were back . I have used peppermint horticultural spray for many years , they just move to a different site. For now I’m just concentrating on the foundation areas. They have totaled a concrete walk ways by tunneling under the concrete slabs. Concrete porches are cracked. I have a list a mile long of all the damage caused by under ground critters.
The pastures have zero underground critters because I can spray with pasture type herbicide made and recommended by the Oregon state university, to eliminate weeds that attract underground pests. That is very helpful and have no critters underground or above ground. Even deer have left the building taking a few hydrangeas with them from the garden with no protection . I put down Plyantskid works great in these areas with no fence. But some of these technique are not always practical for the garden area.
I am on the war path. Yesterday I did a test using peppermint spray. I sprayed it in several holes after watering the soil back in the ground, leaving a huge opening in the ground. All the holes I sprayed were not disturbed today. Only the open holes with peppermint spray remained untouched. Other area not sprayed mounds were back . I have used peppermint horticultural spray for many years , they just move to a different site. For now I’m just concentrating on the foundation areas. They have totaled a concrete walk ways by tunneling under the concrete slabs. Concrete porches are cracked. I have a list a mile long of all the damage caused by under ground critters.
- Thread starter
- #973
flowerbug
Garden Master
on my list for today: onions, n_garden weeding.
on my list for next gardens to get weeded: a bunch of other gardens.
on my list for walking around and checking things: dry bean pods to bring in... fresh beans for eating (often right there in the garden), beaver dam peppers.
on my list for someday sooner rather than later: fence wild grape vine removing, trimming back anything else by or on the fences
on my list for daydreaming: fixing some edging and transplanting some creeping thyme (easier to weed than the bare clay that has some gravel in it).
on my list for gotta do before winter: poison ivy in the south cedar trees,
other daydreams: weeding other thymes, transplanting other thymes
probably won't get done but i remain optimistic in spite of repeated failures: turning under some or all of the strawberry patch and replanting. fixing erosion gully so i can mow it, better fences, etc. etc. etc.
new projects i didn't want but ended up with anyways, fix a bench, paint the doors, staining some boards... it is actually nice enough today to do some of these things, but by the time i get other things done i'm tired enough to say "some other day", which often becomes some other year...
on my list for next gardens to get weeded: a bunch of other gardens.
on my list for walking around and checking things: dry bean pods to bring in... fresh beans for eating (often right there in the garden), beaver dam peppers.
on my list for someday sooner rather than later: fence wild grape vine removing, trimming back anything else by or on the fences
on my list for daydreaming: fixing some edging and transplanting some creeping thyme (easier to weed than the bare clay that has some gravel in it).
on my list for gotta do before winter: poison ivy in the south cedar trees,
other daydreams: weeding other thymes, transplanting other thymes
probably won't get done but i remain optimistic in spite of repeated failures: turning under some or all of the strawberry patch and replanting. fixing erosion gully so i can mow it, better fences, etc. etc. etc.
new projects i didn't want but ended up with anyways, fix a bench, paint the doors, staining some boards... it is actually nice enough today to do some of these things, but by the time i get other things done i'm tired enough to say "some other day", which often becomes some other year...
Shades-of-Oregon
Deeply Rooted
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2024
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- 517
- Reaction score
- 1,358
- Points
- 145
Wow sounds like “The List”, is practical solution for maintaining a good balance in your gardens.
- Thread starter
- #975
flowerbug
Garden Master
ugh, the onions, last year i had a few which had issues of fermenting in part like they had gotten damaged or baked in the sun or something. this year i have about 20 onions that will need surgery to get the useable parts removed from the fermenting layers. for the moment i just left them outside on the dirt to get some sun on them and perhaps that will sort it out. i may also just decide to bury them in a row and whatever comes up next spring can go to flower.
this is probably due to all the rains we had but i've not had any other season with this many problem children. perhaps i need to pick a different variety than Candy? Kelsae's never had this sort of issue that i recall. only one bulb has any kind of damage that might be from an insect, so pretty much i'm assuming that it's all the rains we had which really affected things this season.
on the good side of things, as usual the Candy onions did put on a respectable show for some of them getting 10-15cm across and then some the next step down and a few in the smaller size. we'll enjoy eating all of them - they usually don't last longer than a few months (we eat a lot of onions).
this is probably due to all the rains we had but i've not had any other season with this many problem children. perhaps i need to pick a different variety than Candy?
Kelsae's never had this sort of issue that i recall. only one bulb has any kind of damage that might be from an insect, so pretty much i'm assuming that it's all the rains we had which really affected things this season.on the good side of things, as usual the Candy onions did put on a respectable show for some of them getting 10-15cm across and then some the next step down and a few in the smaller size. we'll enjoy eating all of them - they usually don't last longer than a few months (we eat a lot of onions).
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- Thread starter
- #976
flowerbug
Garden Master
hopefully get tomatoes picked tomorrow morning and put up tomorrow evening. probably need to water sometime the next few days.
digitS'
Garden Master
That is a very respectable size for Candy. Ours are never that large.
Candy is rated day-neutral and I think that we would have to stay with long-day at this latitude to see that size. Walla Walla is larger for us but doesn't keep as well. With Candy's longer keeping benefits, and if harvest of the 2 is not overwhelming, our basement provides what is needed for good, long-term storage. Shallots, from the garage of all places (!), can pick up the slack in late Winter.
Onion planting was very limited this year and with the amount of record heat, it is just as well. Nowhere in the basement is much below 70⁰ (21⁰C) and just too warm right now. Downsizing this year turns out okay.
Steve
Candy is rated day-neutral and I think that we would have to stay with long-day at this latitude to see that size. Walla Walla is larger for us but doesn't keep as well. With Candy's longer keeping benefits, and if harvest of the 2 is not overwhelming, our basement provides what is needed for good, long-term storage. Shallots, from the garage of all places (!), can pick up the slack in late Winter.
Onion planting was very limited this year and with the amount of record heat, it is just as well. Nowhere in the basement is much below 70⁰ (21⁰C) and just too warm right now. Downsizing this year turns out okay.
Steve
- Thread starter
- #978
flowerbug
Garden Master
not all of them get that big. maybe 30%. it is interesting how onions grown just a few inches from each other can vary in size so much. it would be nice if i could figure out what variables are affecting this, but so far i'm still learning each year...
- Thread starter
- #979
flowerbug
Garden Master
i went out to see if i could find the tomato worms, could not find any of them so either they were not active enough yet or they were already done and down in the ground or something ate them. by how much was eaten of each plant i would guess that they matured and went to ground.
today's plan is to bury tomato scraps, water a bunch of gardens and work on some of the edging (and transplant some creeping thyme along it). the first part i did a while ago looks nice except the ground is so hard i may not really be able to do much of the edge. we'll see... it might also get to be too hot too soon for me to do such a heavy chore. gotta listen to what my body tells me and so far it has consistently telling me that overheating is really bad.
the first batch of tomatoes all sealed up fine so i can box those up and get them put into storage. next round in a few more days.
today's plan is to bury tomato scraps, water a bunch of gardens and work on some of the edging (and transplant some creeping thyme along it). the first part i did a while ago looks nice except the ground is so hard i may not really be able to do much of the edge. we'll see... it might also get to be too hot too soon for me to do such a heavy chore. gotta listen to what my body tells me and so far it has consistently telling me that overheating is really bad.
the first batch of tomatoes all sealed up fine so i can box those up and get them put into storage. next round in a few more days.
- Thread starter
- #980
flowerbug
Garden Master
about ten feet of creeping thyme edge transplanted and watered in then watered all the rest of the gardens and noticed how many dry beans are getting ready to pick. that will go on the daily routine now along with weeding and cleaning up gardens for the coming cold season. this also means i'll be dry bean shelling when i get moments here or there and that always makes me smile.
that will go on the daily routine now along with weeding and cleaning up gardens for the coming cold season. this also means i'll be dry bean shelling when i get moments here or there and that always makes me smile. 
