Anybody got a fall garden going? I do and I am looking so forward to all those fresh greens and such.:-D Hope I can keep the pesky rabbits away.
3 types of lettuce scallions turnips collards cabbage carrots spaghetti squash cucumbers pumpkins (3 kinds) butternut squash broccoli ...and a few others I can't think of now.:mrgreen:
Kaci: I planted my collards at the end of August, last year. They did great. First time I ever planted any Fall crops. I've still got some frozen collards from last year, so I'll pass this year. - - - - - - Great gardening website recommendation for those who are interested: www.davesgarden.com I think it's the gold standard of garden websites. Most of the site is free. Full membership is $10-$15, I can't remember. Test drive it and see.
Here's a link from the NC extension office. It has a lot of information, scroll through it and there is a chart of what you can plant and when to plant it. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag-06.html Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping deer from eating gardens? We put up a little fence to keep the rabbits and squirrels out, but the deer jump in and are eating everything. They're eating all the growth on the tomato plants and are eating the pepper plants (but not the banana pepper ones). They also like the strawberry plants, DH was worried the plants would take over the garden. They are also eating the flowers in the front yard too. We're thinking about buying deer corn and just feeding them in another area of our yard.
No Kaci, not too late at all. Many veggies do better in cooler weather. The site Krattie listed is where I got lots of info on planting times. They have a section on fall planting too. Very helpful. I'm still planting a 3rd and 4th generation of turnips, collards, lettuce and onions. I like to section my rows and plant every 1-2 weeks again so I don't have ALL of my harvest coming in at once. I just planted my last generation of crookneck squash and zukes last week. Chris at Logan's ( http://www.logantrd.com/ Great place - nostalgic. And, very knowledgeable/helpful guy!) said in our area, you can really plant some summer stuff up to about Aug. 21. Really, if you look at the "days from planting to harvest" and compare with our usual first expected frost date, we can get away with lots of late summer planting. Also, growing up in South GA, my grandparents & parents taught me that greens (turnips & collards) "aren't worth a toot" (Grandpa's words) until they've had at least one or two good frosts hit 'em.:-D
krattie: if you have a small garden, Liquid Fence may help for the deer. I've used it in the past, with mixed results, but it is expensive in my opinion, and since I have a large garden, that's not a good option for me. Here's some info: http://www.liquidfence.com/ As for the fence, deer can jump pretty high over one fence, but they don't like to jump too far horizontally, so some folks have put up two fences. I guess you could keep your first fence and then put up something as simple as some heavy string with something hanging from it to give the deer some sense of depth that they'd have to clear. That may help. Just guessing on that. Another suggestion that works well, and is perfectly organic and FREE, is to collect some urine and sprinkle/pour it around the perimeter of the garden. You won't have to have a solid ring, but every so many feet would be OK. If you have a secluded garden site, then night time is perfect for your DH just to take a little stroll around the garden and mark some territory. I get alot of YUK YUK's and eye-rolling, but it works and doesn't cost anything. Plus, urine is sterile. Most hunters will tell you this method works, too. That's who suggested it to me. If anyone has ever watched the movie, "Doc Hollywood", with Michael J. Fox, there's a scene in the movie where he and his girlfriend do exactly what I'm describing to keep the deer away from a site so the hunters can't get a shot at them. Have a great a blessed day!
Hey Kent, that is a FANTASTIC site! Thanks so much for sharing. That's why I started this thread. I love to talk garden stuff and get new ideas & tips.
Well now, aren't you just full of great info. I am thrilled to learn this little tip. Just called DH and told him where his new nightime pottie breaks will be.:shock: :lol: I thought about telling my two sons....but...well...that could be a little TOO much fun for them. You know, I have also heard that human hair keeps critters out. I'm going to try that one too. I cut all 6 heads in our family so I've been saving up a bag.
Here's the link to "Growing a fall vegtable Garden" Kaci. Be sure to scroll down to the chart for plant times. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8001.html
I HATE WEEDS!! I HATE WEEDS!! That little bit of rain we got really helped my garden out. Helped the weeds out too!!:?
MommySAIDno: good morning. Since you mentioned weeds, I'm going to put a plug in for straw bale gardening. My motto: No weeding, no hoeing, no tilling! My thread is a few pages over, I haven't bumped it in awhile. Nothing really new to tell right now. Next year I'm going to experiment with gardening in saw dust. I'm going to make a form about 8 inches wide and about 12 inches deep, fill it with OLD sawdust and see how that works. It should do well. I've just got to find an old saw dust pile somewhere. It used to be easy when I was a boy, but that way of life has gone by the wayside.
Hi Kent, I have actually read some of the thread you have on straw bales. Great idea. I thought of doing that but I wanted a pretty large garden since we have four VERY hungry children. Would take a truckload of bales for us.:lol: I may do some next spring for the squash and tomatos just so the kids can see how it works. Maybe give each one their own bale and see how they do with it. Now the sawdust idea sounds like a great one. Please do let me know how that goes. Your idea takes me back too. My Dad used sawdust as a kind of mulch in the one acre garden we had when I was a kid. He'd lay the rows with his tractor and then have us kids help roll out plastic between rows and pile the sawdust on top. He had sawdust brought in to us in huge trailer. He also used peanut hulls (ever thought of trying that?). We lived in South GA so peanut hulls were easy to come by. Some of my best memories are of getting up in that empty trailer with my Sis and Brother and doing flips hanging on the chain that ran across it.
MommySAIDno: now you've got me strolling down memory lane! Some of my earliest memories are walking barefoot behind my daddy as he plowed our garden with a mule, and feeling the cool dirt under my feet. And finding a big sawdust pile in the woods that a lumber operation had left was a real treat. It was alot of fun jumping off the top of the pile into the sawdust below. The pile was probably only about 10 ft high, but seemed like a giant leap for us boys. The peanut hulls idea sounds like something worth trying, too.
Amazing what a small amount of rain will do for a garden vs a sprinkler :lol: Sure hope the afternoon rain keeps coming in. :?
YUMMY! MMMMmmmmmm!! MMMMMmmmmmmmmm!!! GOOD!! Garden is paying off now. Fresh squash, zukes and cukes coming in like crazy. Got some pumpkins close to ready also. :-D
With my 3rd year of bale gardening, about the only pests I have to deal with in the garden now are a few aphids, stink bugs, some japanese bettles on my okra, and the occasional cabbage looper. I didn't have to spray the first time on my potatoes that I planted in some straw this year. They were beautiful. Determine what type of worm you're dealing with and google a remedy for it. You'll probably find a quick answer at www.davesgarden.com. Tons of info there. Liquid sevin cures most of my issues. Here's the link to the bug files section at DG: http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/ Also the bugfiles, How-to's discussions: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/bugfiles/all/
