Weekend Recap

[nekosensei]

Friday, doomsey and I got Mexican food for dinner and then we went to voidness' place where we watched Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark and Time Bandits. I hadn't seen the first one in ages and I had never seen the second one. I enjoyed both.

On Saturday, doomsey and I celebrated Passover with his folks.

Today, I did work outside. I removed the tarp from the old vegetable garden, cleared the area underneath it of weeds, and loosened up the soil there. Tomorrow, I want to put some fertilizer down and, in early May, I hope to plant a vegetable garden. So far, I have summer squash, watermelon, cucumber, sweet corn, and winter squash. I also want to put tomato plants and eggplant out there. I also ordered two hanging baskets with strawberry plants in them. Tomorrow, in addition to buying fertilizer, I want to buy some chicken wire to keep the squirrels and rabbits out. I was also thinking about buying a little plastic owl with a motion detector in it to scare critters away. Does anybody else have any other ideas as to protecting the plants from critters? I heard that predator urine also scares them away, but from what I heard, it has to be male or something, and, well, doomsey doesn't want to participate in that. I also heard that scoopings from the cat box may work too...

This is the first time I'm planting a vegetable garden. This is going to be a learning experience for me. I have a feeling that, if I fail spectacularly, doomsey will continue telling me I have a brown thumb and he will make fun of me in general.

This evening, doomsey and I went out to get all you can eat sushi and then we took a three mile walk. Then, we watched an episode of Doctor Who.

By the way... nekosensei <-- very tired...

Comments

[1koolspud.livejournal.com]

I bought some deer off. It is supposed to be a pretty harmless way of keeping off rabbits, squirrels and deer. Shake Away is supposed to be even more safe... it apparently smells like fox.

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

*reads a little bit about Shake Off*

Apparently, it smells like fox, coyote, and bobcat. Hmm...I'll have to look into those. Did you buy it in a store or online?

[1koolspud.livejournal.com]

I found the Shake Away online, but decided to go with whatever Home Depot had that didn't sound like poison, and I went with this: Deer-Away (http://www.planetnatural.com/site/deer-away-concentrate.html)

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice. I went to the hardware store today and found some Shake Away.

[silme711.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the vegetables!
Love the idea but I've had no luck in the past...even parsley hate me...:)

[nick-101.livejournal.com]

I feel very tired right now as well.

As for starting a garden, have a great time at that. :D

[1koolspud.livejournal.com]

I had had had to get chemical help. a week after I planted lillies last year the leaves had been stripped bare by the rabbits in my sub. I am planting squash this year since I use so damn much making soup, and I would like for it to get to the point of having little fruits for me to pick.

vegetables

[forestdruid.livejournal.com]

How large is your garden btw?

You have chosen some very.... well... space intensive vegetables.

The corn will be problematic as it is wind-pollinated. Talk to Marty =)

The best way to keep critters away from your veggies is to have a dog. Second to that, the best thing you can do is harvest the produce the very second it becomes ripe (or even before). If you wait for it to reach size or a certain color, you will likely have cute little nibble marks.

Rock on with your gardening self.

Re: vegetables

[doomsey.livejournal.com]

Not big enough for all that, that's for sure!

I've been mostly ignoring what she chose because she's going to fail miserably and I'll just seed grass over it in the fall :)

Re: vegetables

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

Do you have any advice for me as to what to plant? The garden is 16 X 6 feet. I have decided to nix getting eggplant seeds. I'm still considering getting tomato plants though. I could use them to make Caprese salad, which I can eat. I also picked up a package of carrots thinking that it's small.

I'm really hoping to not fail so doomsey doesn't seed grass over it in the fall. I'll be ticked at him if he does that.

Re: vegetables

[forestdruid.livejournal.com]

watermelon is both difficult to grow this far north and an atrocious space hog. We are talking 20-30 square feet per plant here.... if the plant is nice to you.

Most things in the squash family are bad, although they have bush cucumbers which are specifically designed for container growing. Tomatoes, eggplant and peppers all grow vertically and come in easy to grow varieties. There is usually a trade-off between flavor and ease of growing. For tomatoes, try Sweet 100 (nice cherry tomato that can be grown in containers). The best tasting tomatoes are the "heirloom black" varieties from Russia, but they are harder to grow and can get to be 8 feet tall (indeterminant growth types need staking)

Try growing herbs. These are expensive at the store and it is nice to have a good source on hand for cooking. Thyme (try lemon type), chives and sage are completely indestructible and require practically no watering (and will come back the next year). Basil is a bit harder, but by far the most useful herb you can grow (get the normal stuff or larger leafed varieties).

[fuzzyscribble.livejournal.com]

If nobody's mentioned it...a good way of keeping critters out is to save the hair from your hairbrush and put it around your plants. Dig it in or weigh it down a little to keep it from blowing away. Less embarassing than having your husband go out and pee on the garden.

My uncle used to put cellophane on the ground around some plants...the crinkle would scare the animals. If you have one that's getting poached pretty badly...cut a potato chip bag in half and weigh it down around the plant. We had the shiniest tomato plants. ;-)

[judygs.livejournal.com]

Zucchini are fun, though they take a lot of space. But you only need one or two; they make lots of fruit. And you can watch them grow, I swear.

The only thing wrong with growing tomatoes, peppers, et al, is that they are dirt cheap at the grocery store and the farmer's market at about the time that yours will become ripe. And Greg wasn't joshing about picking things the moment they become ripe. We stopped growing veggies the time that the raccoons stripped our corn plants bare over the night after we looked and said, they'll be ready to eat tomorrow.

His suggestions to plant spices is good; many are even perennials.

But eating a tomato still warm from the sun is so good.