# Lifestyles & Discussion > Freedom Living >  Any Gardeners Out There?

## PineGroveDave

3 years ago I thought I'd try my hand at gardening. I built 2 10'x12' raised beds and filled them with topsoil. I've grown different varieties of tomatoes for eating/canning/sauce along w/ many peppers (I'm a pepperhead), tomatillos for sauces, squash, spinach, herbs, lettuce...you get the idea.

This year my wife and I have expanded the garden dramatically. I've excavated 2 large terraces on our back slope and have begun tilling getting the soil ready for compost and amendments. Once completed, we should have an additional 8 8'x4' raised beds. My wife has started a lot of lettuce, basil, corn, peas, beans...I forget the whole list now, but it's extensive. We've also planted 2 apples, 2 pears, 2 figs, and 1 peach tree.

We're certainly going to be busy canning and dehydrating come harvest time, but it certainly pays off I'll say that much. Nothing like eating your own veggies from your garden. It's amazing how much more flavorful homegrown veggies are than store bought (especially the tomatoes!).

Anyone else?

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## squarepusher

Hi, I run a small fertilizer business if you need anything   Its mostly synthetics but can make nearly any formula desired (tomato blend?)

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## amy31416

Yes sir!

Tomatoes, lots of herbs, broccoli, peppers, cantaloupe, sunflowers, cucumber, lettuces, spinach, chard and stuff. Oh, and we have a raspberry and strawberry patch.

Keep your fingers crossed for sun...it's been really, really rainy lately.

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## specsaregood

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## Krugerrand

I've added herbs and flowers to the garden for the first time this year.  A few things are sprouting, so it'll still be a while before I can say for sure how pleased I am with what I chose.

I'm starting to read a little more about companion planting --- but a lot of the stuff seems like a bunch of hooey.  It's hard to know what to believe.

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## pcosmar

> Anyone else?


My garden area is tilled up, and I will be planting this week. 1st of June is the rule of thumb here, but I will get it in a few days early. 
It's been warm. I have gotten away with it before, but I've also been caught by frost.
Chances look good this year.

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## Meatwasp

Our gardens are huge this year. Thank goodness I have sons and a daughter in law that love it. All our peaches 5 cherry trees bloomed and the apples and pears are done too. 
I found putting washed whole cherries in the freezer are delicious snacks in winter. My Sea berries still haven't bloomed. Darn them. I made the best pancake syrup out of the wild gooseberries that grow here. They are prickly but man the syrup is out of this world.

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## JK/SEA

2,000 sq. ft. here. Mostly sweet corn. Blue lakes going in on the north side this week. Potatos in, some tomatoes a few pepper plants. Sun is being a little bitch this year... Marigolds in the corners and south side, couple egg plants. Got strwaberries in separate containers. Slugs are everywhere. I go out in the morning and squash any i see. They seem to be slowing down now. I'm guessing i've slaughtered over a hundred now. Fun times....lol..will be assessing further plantings of other varieties as spring wears on.

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## Brian4Liberty

> It's amazing how much more flavorful homegrown veggies are than store bought (especially the tomatoes!).


Is there a store tomato that is worth buying? It's been years since any have been edible.

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## dannno

I used to have a kickass garden and a pretty cool thread to show it off, but apparently all of the threads I created before 2009 are archived.

I lived in a rental that had a HUUUGGE front yard. Got an entire season out of it, including the biggest artichoke plant I've ever seen that ended up producing about 30 or 40 artichokes. We also had two fig trees, a huge apricot and loquat tree, and an apple tree.

Then the landlord sold the house, and the new owners said we could stay for a year or two so we really went all out and planted an amazing garden the next spring. Then the new owners decided they wanted to tear up the house and turn it into units and kicked is out. $#@!in $#@!s. 

So now I am mostly doing containers. I have a dwarf lime tree, a dwarf avocado tree and I've cleared out a bed that I'm going to probably plant some brocolli or cauliflower (it doesn't get very hot here so they should be fine). Also planning on getting some tomato plants for sure. May expand from there, we have lots of bed space, I just need to get a pick axe and chop it up a bit and put some amendments in there.

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## specsaregood

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## James Madison

> Our gardens are huge this year. Thank goodness I have sons and a daughter in law that love it. All our peaches 5 cherry trees bloomed and the apples and pears are done too. 
> I found putting washed whole cherries in the freezer are delicious snacks in winter. My *Sea berries* still haven't bloomed. Darn them. I made the best pancake syrup out of the wild gooseberries that grow here. They are prickly but man the syrup is out of this world.


I just bought three or four sea berry bushes this year. Haven't decided where to put them yet, though. Any general comments or suggestions about sea berries?

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## Meatwasp

Sea berries are suppose to be richer in vit.C than oranges. Has lots of other vitemins. I forgot what they were. They are sour but with a little sugar will sweeten them up The article said to pick them in clumps wash them and put them in the freezer. They will fall right off.

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## Original_Intent

I've had 2 8 x 4 raised beds for a few years. This year I bought a tiller, tilled up about 1/3 of my back yard, and will be doing a fairly large garden (for me) about 40 x 70. Also put in a Ranier cherry, a bing cherry, an elephant heart plum, an apricot and an Elberta peach tree (bringing our fruit tree total to 8.)

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## CaseyJones

Imma move this to Freedom Living (it is the closest we have to a gardening forum)

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## Dreamofunity

I've been wanting to grow avocados and hops, but alas, I am lazy and live in an apartment.

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## OrigSEOH

We have multi plots that sum up to about an acre of maintained soil for cultivation. Starting with the trees we have about a dozen peach trees, yellow and white, two large apple, 3 cherry that are not bearing yet. Then on the tubers we grow red, white and yellow potatoes along with ~20 slips for sweet potatoes. When it comes to beans we have pole and bush, then lima and some peas. Cole crops include broccoli, cauliflower, 3 types of cabbage, Brussels, and some Kohlrabi. Then we have 3 types of tomato. Also, Carrots, beets, turnips. Also, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Yellow, icebox, and Carolina cross watermelons (rotted need to reseed). A really large variety of zucchini. Probably 3 or 4 types of pumpkin including Atlantic Giant. Two types of lettuce, radishes, 4 types of onions, bunches of garlic and herbs scattered about.
In the last 2 years we have incorporated cover crops into the crop rotation such as oilseed radish, pacific gold mustard, clovers, alpha, mammoth sunflowers, rye, and hairy vetch. I found a great source for those seeds @ johnnyseeds.

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## specialK

I used to grow figs, but had to cut the tree down last year as it grew like a weed and was planted too close to the foundation of the house. 

Last year I planted a male and female kiwi and can't wait to until the female starts to produce.

I also grow bananas, but they are more ornamental here in the PNW

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## oyarde

> Yes sir!
> 
> Tomatoes, lots of herbs, broccoli, peppers, cantaloupe, sunflowers, cucumber, lettuces, spinach, chard and stuff. Oh, and we have a raspberry and strawberry patch.
> 
> Keep your fingers crossed for sun...it's been really, really rainy lately.


Yes , I need some sunshine . Looks like the corn , green beens , tomatos , radishes , pumpkins , sunflowers , onions , blackberries , lettuce & squash are ok so far , but my bell peppers , watermelons , parsley , not so good .

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## oyarde

> 2,000 sq. ft. here. Mostly sweet corn. Blue lakes going in on the north side this week. Potatos in, some tomatoes a few pepper plants. Sun is being a little bitch this year... Marigolds in the corners and south side, couple egg plants. Got strwaberries in separate containers. Slugs are everywhere. I go out in the morning and squash any i see. They seem to be slowing down now. I'm guessing i've slaughtered over a hundred now. Fun times....lol..will be assessing further plantings of other varieties as spring wears on.


My marigolds and wildflowers are not faring well , need sun .

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## oyarde

> Is there a store tomato that is worth buying? It's been years since any have been edible.


Where I am , in very early spring ( March ) , there is a farm stand that sells vine tomatos they truck in from florida that are very good.

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## oyarde

> Yes sir!
> 
> Tomatoes, lots of herbs, broccoli, peppers, cantaloupe, sunflowers, cucumber, lettuces, spinach, chard and stuff. Oh, and we have a raspberry and strawberry patch.
> 
> Keep your fingers crossed for sun...it's been really, really rainy lately.


I should have planted cantaloupe ..... What do you do with the Chard ??

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## amy31416

> I should have planted cantaloupe ..... What do you do with the Chard ??


It's considered a "superfood" for it's nutrient content...and being a Yankee, I haven't tried cooking it as a traditional green, but have chopped it up and put it in to soup. It's actually quite delicious that way, as long as it's chopped up enough. (I found the larger pieces rather off-putting.) It's supposed to be pretty good chopped up and sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper though.

The recipe I've used (with variations):

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bean-So...le/Detail.aspx

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## oyarde

> It's considered a "superfood" for it's nutrient content...and being a Yankee, I haven't tried cooking it as a traditional green, but have chopped it up and put it in to soup. It's actually quite delicious that way, as long as it's chopped up enough. (I found the larger pieces rather off-putting.) It's supposed to be pretty good chopped up and sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper though.
> 
> The recipe I've used (with variations):
> 
> http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bean-So...le/Detail.aspx


I am a Yankee too and the only way I can enjoy spinach and greens is raw in a salad , but I will try anything.

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## Meatwasp

Amy put a little vinegar on them, and sprinkle with raw onions. My southern husband taught me that. Yummy.

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## osan

> 3 years ago I thought I'd try my hand at gardening. 
> 
> 
> Anyone else?


Excellent.  We currently have about 1/3 acre under till and about 5 acres of hay and feed corn growing.  I have two Gravelys on the way - getting a good deal on them.  If you cannot afford or need a farm tractor, a Gravely 'L' model is indispensible.  They are absolute beasts and little that you put in their way will be able to stop them.  I strongly recommend all small scale farmers to acquire one.  They are built like tanks and are almost impossible to wear out.  They are extremely versatile, powerful, fuel efficient, and long lasting.  They also have many attachments such as roto tiller, plow, paddle tiller, sickle bar mower, bush hog, cultivator, grader/snow blade, planters, sprayers, and so on.  One can also get a sulky for them so that you can ride along with the tractor rather than walk behind.  They come as manual or electric start, the engines are well built - latter models coming with Kohler power (e.g. L-8).

They are heavy as the devil and if you live on sloping ground, dual wheels are highly recommended, as are tractor-pattern tires.  Y0ou don't want your Gravely tumbling down the mountainside, especially if you are immediately in its path.

If you are tilling less than 2 acres, I would call the Gravely an ideal farming implement.  Up to perhaps 4 to 5 acres they are very handy.  More than that and by modern standards you are moving into the realm of full fledged farm tractors.

Find one.  Buy one.  Use one.  I do not think you will be sorry for it.

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## Arklatex

Osan those are really cool! Do they still make them or is there a similar manu you recommend?

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## Arklatex

This year I have just tomatoes and peppers, and 1 okra.

Apple tree has 9 apples on it, I'm happy because i just planted it last season!  I fertilized it like mad with fish.  Also have a service berry bush, which is a nice native understory shrub/tree.  Wildlife like it too much!

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## Arklatex

I'm so envious of those who live in tropical climates, when I visited Honduras I could not understand how anyone could possibly go hungry!  Avocado, Mango, Almond Banana Papaya etc. plus 10 or so fruit I had never heard of grow WILD all over the place!!!  Every 5 years or so there are so many mangoes and they have a problem figuring out what to do with them all!  They just lie ALL OVER the place rotting and it's a real problem because a mature tree, and they are literally everywhere, makes close to a thousand mangoes I bet during this freak year.

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## pacelli

I've grown all flowers and vegetables from seed this year.  I've also started a number of trees from seed just for fun.  We've been in rental mode for the last year and will be moving in the next month, so I've done nearly everything in containers.  Renting has also helped encourage me to engage in guerrilla gardening.  Public areas make for great places to plant small tree seedlings.  There's always construction going on too, which makes for a great opportunity to seed the freshly tilled soil with something useful.

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## osan

> Osan those are really cool! Do they still make them or is there a similar manu you recommend?


As far as I know, they are still manufactured.  Pricey, but probably worth the money.  They are nearly impossible to wear out.  The L-8 is an excellent machine with the added advantage of Kohler power.  I say advantage because though the Gravely engines were superb, they are no longer manufactured.  Gravely got smart and leveraged the dedicated manufacturing capabilities of a third party, in this case Kohler.  Given the current realities of manufacturing, this was probably the sound decision.

One of the Gravelys I am buying has had the engine rebuilt and it is a beast.  My friend in NJ got himself a tractor and is giving me a ripping deal on these two implements, so I cannot afford to pass it up.  May trade some firearms in part.  Can't eat my guns.

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## osan

> I'm so envious of those who live in tropical climates, when I visited Honduras I could not understand how anyone could possibly go hungry!  Avocado, Mango, Almond Banana Papaya etc. plus 10 or so fruit I had never heard of grow WILD all over the place!!!  Every 5 years or so there are so many mangoes and they have a problem figuring out what to do with them all!  They just lie ALL OVER the place rotting and it's a real problem because a mature tree, and they are literally everywhere, makes close to a thousand mangoes I bet during this freak year.


People go hungry there because they are lazy.  Wife just went to Guyana to see family - says it's the same old $#@!.  Lazy people not wanting to so much as cook for themselves, but they have plenty of time for booze.

I have no sympathy for these sorts.  As you wrote, you can barely take a step without tripping over food.  No excuse for being hungry in such places.

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## Arklatex

I hear ya Osan, people reap what they sow.  

Also I forgot the tree I've most envious of that grows all down that way are coconut palms!  Talk about paradise!

The good thing i've discovered about growing my peppers in containers is that you can move then inside during the winter and they'll keep making fruit.  I find in about year 3 they'll still be alive but stop producing.  It's cool to turn an usual annual into a perennial.  People will look at you strange when you have fresh peppers growing during January.

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## osan

> I hear ya Osan, people reap what they sow.  
> 
> Also I forgot the tree I've most envious of that grows all down that way are coconut palms!  Talk about paradise!


Coconut water is one of the most perfect things imaginable. 




> The good thing i've discovered about growing my peppers in containers is that you can move then inside during the winter and they'll keep making fruit.  I find in about year 3 they'll still be alive but stop producing.  It's cool to turn an usual annual into a perennial.  People will look at you strange when you have fresh peppers growing during January.


We grow a black pepper.  They are fabulously good tasting, fairly hot, and produce like crazy.  I have NO idea where they came from - they just started growing in our garden one day and being the sort I am, I was loathe to destroy them.  The young peppers are an almost black purple, turning to bright red.  Unlike habaneros, wiriwiris, and bird peppers, these things are the easiest things to grow.  I just put about 50 seedlings into the ground.  By fall we will be suffocating in them

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## osan

> I hear ya Osan, people reap what they sow.  
> 
> Also I forgot the tree I've most envious of that grows all down that way are coconut palms!  Talk about paradise!


Coconut water is one of the most perfect things imaginable. 




> The good thing i've discovered about growing my peppers in containers is that you can move then inside during the winter and they'll keep making fruit.  I find in about year 3 they'll still be alive but stop producing.  It's cool to turn an usual annual into a perennial.  People will look at you strange when you have fresh peppers growing during January.


We grow a black pepper.  They are fabulously good tasting, fairly hot, and produce like crazy.  I have NO idea where they came from - they just started growing in our garden one day and being the sort I am, I was loathe to destroy them.  The young peppers are an almost black purple, turning to bright red.  Unlike habaneros, wiriwiris, and bird peppers, these things are the easiest things to grow.  I just put about 50 seedlings into the ground.  By fall we will be suffocating in them

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## oyarde

> Coconut water is one of the most perfect things imaginable. 
> 
> 
> 
> We grow a black pepper.  They are fabulously good tasting, fairly hot, and produce like crazy.  I have NO idea where they came from - they just started growing in our garden one day and being the sort I am, I was loathe to destroy them.  The young peppers are an almost black purple, turning to bright red.  Unlike habaneros, wiriwiris, and bird peppers, these things are the easiest things to grow.  I just put about 50 seedlings into the ground.  By fall we will be suffocating in them


Ever try any date palm wine or rice wine ? makes the coconut water very good  .

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## osan

> Ever try any date palm wine or rice wine ? makes the coconut water very good  .


Rice wine, yes.  I am not a wine fan.  Now and again a glass of a good red, but white is utterly vile.  Good sake is OK now and again.  I am more of a beer, single barrel whiskey, and cognac man.  I do very much like the Louis.  Hennessy, IIRC, has a 120 year cognac which is hair raisingly expensive.

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## Galileo Galilei

> 3 years ago I thought I'd try my hand at gardening. I built 2 10'x12' raised beds and filled them with topsoil. I've grown different varieties of tomatoes for eating/canning/sauce along w/ many peppers (I'm a pepperhead), tomatillos for sauces, squash, spinach, herbs, lettuce...you get the idea.
> 
> This year my wife and I have expanded the garden dramatically. I've excavated 2 large terraces on our back slope and have begun tilling getting the soil ready for compost and amendments. Once completed, we should have an additional 8 8'x4' raised beds. My wife has started a lot of lettuce, basil, corn, peas, beans...I forget the whole list now, but it's extensive. We've also planted 2 apples, 2 pears, 2 figs, and 1 peach tree.
> 
> We're certainly going to be busy canning and dehydrating come harvest time, but it certainly pays off I'll say that much. Nothing like eating your own veggies from your garden. It's amazing how much more flavorful homegrown veggies are than store bought (especially the tomatoes!).
> 
> Anyone else?


*Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation*
_by Andrea Wulf_
http://www.amazon.com/Founding-Garde.../dp/0307269906

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## Corydoras

> Hi, I run a small fertilizer business if you need anything   Its mostly synthetics but can make nearly any formula desired (tomato blend?)


I notice that Schultz no longer makes 10-60-10, which was outstanding for tomatoes... is it illegal now or something?

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## psi2941

> Hi, I run a small fertilizer business if you need anything   Its mostly synthetics but can make nearly any formula desired (tomato blend?)


 do u sell ziram, dipel, rely 280 and 1477? if yes are you in MI? I rather support a fellow ron paul supporter then a $#@!en mindless republican.

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## oyarde

Well , I replanted my watermelons yesterday and planted some cantaloupe . Had a terrible time with my bell peppers this spring . All the seed was the California variety and I purchased it all from the same place , I am beginning to suspect there is something wrong with the seed . None of it sprouted and everything else did .... . I went ahead and bought three plants . Tomatoes look great so far .

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## oyarde

Yesterday was my birthday , celebrated with some steaks on the grill and a salad of lettuce and onions right out of the garden , tasty.

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## pcosmar

> I went ahead and bought three plants . Tomatoes look great so far .


My wife got a tomato and had me plant it. It got frosted, though it is looking like it might survive.

I have seed in the ground, and was just watering. My peas are starting to sprout.

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## AZ Libertarian

Thanks for asking, and starting this thread, dave!

Prior to last year, my only experience in gardening (other than houseplants) was putting a radish seed in a cup in kindergarden, and transferring the seedling into the ground.

After attending the 2010 Freedom Summit in Phoenix (where I live), my friend Kelly and I gave one of the speakers a ride to the residence he was staying at for the event.  It was Presidential Candidate and current President of the Continental Congress Michael Badnarik - a good friend of mine.  During the conversation, Kelly asked Mike "What should we be doing right now?" to which he replied "You should be securing the survival of your Family."

I took that advice to heart - _personally._ 

I put in a 4' x 4' raised bed winter garden with red & green looseleaf lettuce (Mesclun Mix), Buttercrunch lettuce, arugula, carrots, green onions, and some kind of bean that was supposed to be planted in the Spring (LOL).  We ended up with so much produce, my family of six couldn't eat it all to where I was consistently giving it away to friends and neighbors (did I just incriminate my self?  Marbury vs. Madison...)

I upped the ante for this summer, and put in four apple trees (two types of two each), three plum, one fig and one pomegranite tree, and six grapevines (two Thompson Seedless and two Flame Seedless).  I counted 75 tomato plants the other day (Beefsteak, Roma, and Cherry) and three-quarters have fruit on them.  Add to that cucumbers, eggplant, sweet banana peppers, red and green bell, habanero, cowhorn peppers, okra, pumpkin, cantalope, honeydew, watermelon, white and brown onions, garlic, and a dozen herbs (NO hemp - I'm a firearm enthusiast and I don't need unwanted intrusions from Law Enforcement, so I keep a clean garden!)

I have grown EVERYTHING from seed except for the trees and grapevines, and one Early Girl tomato plant I bought at Home Depot when I planted - which got up to 28 tomatos at one time, and I harvested about 3 to 5 a day while everything else was growing.

...and I did it mostly in my back yard in a major metropolitan city - with five of the trees in the front yard.  What suprised me most was the amount of seed I got from letting a small portion of the winter veggies go to seed.  I probably ended up with $80 worth of Arugula seeds, and about $50 in lettuce seeds - and that's not counting the onions that are seeding now.

I'm hooked!  I never really liked tomatos until I tasted them directly off of the vine.  The cucumbers were great, and I think I'm going to try and can some sauce I'll make with the romas.

Oh yeah - ask my 3 year old Grandson about "Grampas' Garden".  That boy is a hawk at spotting ripe strawberries, of which I have a few plants of.  Did I mention the berries?  Red and Black Raspberries, and Blackberries.  Too bad the Blueberries didn't live.  That, and an Apricot tree I couldn't get to take were about my only real failures.  But then again I still have the hottest part of the summer ahead of me, and 110 is not uncommon here.

What I couldn't do with a few acres....

Ed

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## oyarde

> My wife got a tomato and had me plant it. It got frosted, though it is looking like it might survive.
> 
> I have seed in the ground, and was just watering. My peas are starting to sprout.


We started with ten tomato plants , four frosted , but the rest made it and replaced three . Think I have ten bucks in  the tomato & pepper plants , everything else was from seed.

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## oyarde

> Thanks for asking, and starting this thread, dave!
> 
> Prior to last year, my only experience in gardening (other than houseplants) was putting a radish seed in a cup in kindergarden, and transferring the seedling into the ground.
> 
> After attending the 2010 Freedom Summit in Phoenix (where I live), my friend Kelly and I gave one of the speakers a ride to the residence he was staying at for the event.  It was Presidential Candidate and current President of the Continental Congress Michael Badnarik - a good friend of mine.  During the conversation, Kelly asked Mike "What should we be doing right now?" to which he replied "You should be securing the survival of your Family."
> 
> I took that advice to heart - _personally._ 
> 
> I put in a 4' x 4' raised bed winter garden with red & green looseleaf lettuce (Mesclun Mix), Buttercrunch lettuce, arugula, carrots, green onions, and some kind of bean that was supposed to be planted in the Spring (LOL).  We ended up with so much produce, my family of six couldn't eat it all to where I was consistently giving it away to friends and neighbors (did I just incriminate my self?  Marbury vs. Madison...)
> ...


I am fooling around with a little red lettuce this year , but I think it is an Italian blend.

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## oyarde

My cantaloupe are sprouting .

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## oyarde

Alright , looking for suggestions . My girfriend bought a huge cantaloupe at the grocery , maybe late April . It was full of seeds . I saved them , dried them out for about three weeks and sowed them thick in a row at the end of the garden , not expecting much. They all sprouted and are thick as weeds , probably three inches tall now.Should I thin them or just see what they do ? I have others spaced about right from some seed I bought .

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## Krugerrand

> Alright , looking for suggestions . My girfriend bought a huge cantaloupe at the grocery , maybe late April . It was full of seeds . I saved them , dried them out for about three weeks and sowed them thick in a row at the end of the garden , not expecting much. They all sprouted and are thick as weeds , probably three inches tall now.Should I thin them or just see what they do ? I have others spaced about right from some seed I bought .


Thin them out.

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## James Madison

What I've got so far: Aztec black corn, kidney beans, black turtle beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, great northern beans, peppers, tomatos, eggplant, strawberries, 2 fig trees, 4 sea berries, a peach tree, an elderberry tree, raspberries, and blackberries. Also have two gooseberry bushes, as well as a few artichokes.

Right now I have eight coffee plants and nine grapefruit trees (all grown from seed), a vanilla bush, and a dragonfruit cactus.

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## Brian4Liberty

Hey gardeners!

My peppers (bell especially) are suffering from curly, distorted leaves and stunted grown again. Anyone successfully fought this? After last research, it's supposed to be a virus of some sort, transmitted by bugs from other plants. The plum tree has similar symptoms...

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## Jandrsn21

> Hey gardeners!
> 
> My peppers (bell especially) are suffering from curly, distorted leaves and stunted grown again. Anyone successfully fought this? After last research, it's supposed to be a virus of some sort, transmitted by bugs from other plants. The plum tree has similar symptoms...


Exact same problem with my peppers too! Everything else is going crazy and I have over 14 types of vegetables. It's a shame because I love bell peppers!

On a positive note, just got my first harvest! Cherry Bell radishes nearly the size of my fist!

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## pcosmar

> Hey gardeners!


Have not had luck with Bell Peppers. ( not a big favorite) But did some looking.
I'm guessing you have a type of fungus, (common) and there are some natural remedies here,
http://www.ghorganics.com/page15.html

I am not an "anti-chemical nut", but like to keep any use of them to a minimum, so I always check for natural and cheaper alternatives.

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## Krugerrand

> What I've got so far: Aztec black corn, kidney beans, black turtle beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, great northern beans, peppers, tomatos, eggplant, strawberries, 2 fig trees, 4 sea berries, a peach tree, an elderberry tree, raspberries, and blackberries. Also have two gooseberry bushes, as well as a few artichokes.
> 
> Right now I have eight coffee plants and nine grapefruit trees (all grown from seed), a vanilla bush, and a dragonfruit cactus.


What do you do w/ your sea berries?  The first I heard of them was when dannno mentioned them a while back.

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## oyarde

Yesterday , I  picked apples , blackberries , cucumbers , tomatos and green beans . Ate some green beans last night . Tasty .

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## oyarde

Pulled all of my apples out of the dehydrater today .

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## oyarde

Apple pie for Thanksgiving.

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## XNavyNuke

I have a couple extra yacon plants that need a good home. PM me if your interested.

Never heard of yacon? Check these two links.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...mmy-Yacon.aspx

http://www.ourhappyacres.com/2009/11/i-dig-yacon/

XNN

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## WilliamC

I'm finally doing some vegetable gardening for the first time in my life, nothing big but I've actually got tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, yellow onions and okra in the ground and some corn going in tomorrow.

I'm also going to try and grow a big crop of cantalope, I've more time on my hands than I'd like so I'm going to try to grow enough to make it worthwhile to sell some at a farmers market.

I'm also thinking of raising some rabbits for meat, but I'd like to get with someone who already is first and learn how to slaughter them first.

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## Krugerrand

> I'm finally doing some vegetable gardening for the first time in my life, nothing big but I've actually got tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, yellow onions and okra in the ground and some corn going in tomorrow.
> 
> I'm also going to try and grow a big crop of cantalope, I've more time on my hands than I'd like so I'm going to try to grow enough to make it worthwhile to sell some at a farmers market.
> 
> I'm also thinking of raising some rabbits for meat, but I'd like to get with someone who already is first and learn how to slaughter them first.


I had started a rabbit thread a while back.  I still haven't convinced the Mrs.

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## oyarde

My rabbits get raised in the briar patch out back .

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## oyarde

Sunday evening , I planted some more green beans , put some of my tomatoes out , a few bell peppers and green onoins , my red and white onions, sunflowers , lettuce and white potatoes are doing well. Next weekend , I will put out more green beans , tomatoes and bell peppers

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## XNavyNuke

I have tomatoes and peppers waiting to go in the ground. Still have several frosts predicted before the end of the week, so that will need to wait.

XNN

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## WilliamC

I rototilled for the first time in my life today, a ~20 x 200 sq. ft. plot I'm going to turn into a cantalope bed. I've got plenty of information so I'll figure out how many 15 ft rows I can put it.

I have 72 seedling cups germinating with a half-dozen seeds or so each, I figure that will be enough to cover it.

I also got the corn started, but I need a couple three more packs of seed to finish up the ~25 ft diameter circle I'm planting with it.

Next week or so I'm going to get some framework to build a cover over the tomatoes and strawberries, they seem to be most susceptible to birds eating them.

It's a bit of work, and my poor stomach is going to be hurting tonight (several abdominal surgeries, eck) but I feel good for having done it.

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## James Madison

> What do you do w/ your sea berries?  The first I heard of them was when dannno mentioned them a while back.


Sea berries are too young to produce fruit. Should make some good juice or jam within a year or two.

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## oyarde

> I rototilled for the first time in my life today, a ~20 x 200 sq. ft. plot I'm going to turn into a cantalope bed. I've got plenty of information so I'll figure out how many 15 ft rows I can put it.
> 
> I have 72 seedling cups germinating with a half-dozen seeds or so each, I figure that will be enough to cover it.
> 
> I also got the corn started, but I need a couple three more packs of seed to finish up the ~25 ft diameter circle I'm planting with it.
> 
> Next week or so I'm going to get some framework to build a cover over the tomatoes and strawberries, they seem to be most susceptible to birds eating them.
> 
> It's a bit of work, and my poor stomach is going to be hurting tonight (several abdominal surgeries, eck) but I feel good for having done it.


 I feel for you, my tiller kicks my but too, bad shoulder .

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## WilliamC

I soaked in a hot tub last night so I don't feel too bad this morning, in fact I've already gone over the plot again, dug out the perimeter, and will hit it again later.

Got to go get some more corn seed first though.

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## oyarde

> I soaked in a hot tub last night so I don't feel too bad this morning, in fact I've already gone over the plot again, dug out the perimeter, and will hit it again later.
> 
> Got to go get some more corn seed first though.


 My problem is worse , I have a bunch of corn seed and no place to plant it , and not sure I want to start tilling up anything more , but probably will have to for my Gal

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## WilliamC

> My problem is worse , I have a bunch of corn seed and no place to plant it , and not sure I want to start tilling up anything more , but probably will have to for my Gal


I've got ~4,000 square feet tilled out of sod in really good soil, I'll have to go over it a couple more times but it's mostly done. I've also got enough room to probably triple this if I want, but I want to get my cantalopes in first. Just depends on how much I can make myself do, but damned if I can imagine how folks used to farm before gasoline powered equipment, that would be _hard_, not fun.

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## PierzStyx

Only GUY GARDNER!?! :P

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## oyarde

> I've got ~4,000 square feet tilled out of sod in really good soil, I'll have to go over it a couple more times but it's mostly done. I've also got enough room to probably triple this if I want, but I want to get my cantalopes in first. Just depends on how much I can make myself do, but damned if I can imagine how folks used to farm before gasoline powered equipment, that would be _hard_, not fun.


 Plots like I plant now , as a youngster on my family farm were not done with a small tiller usually , like I do now , my Grandfather had a team of two mules he would plow with ( for fun , not right , I know) , and we had an International A ( very small tractor ) that had a full set of implements that we used , we had slightly larger equipment for the large fields , I think you are right , not much fun really without gas engines, just needed , serious labor in order to eat.

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## oyarde

I did plant some more green beens, bell peppers and sunflowers today , did a small amount of tilling , planted a tree for my Mother . Changed the oil in my Honeys SUV , that is enough work for a Sunday.

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## WilliamC

I've got my plot well-tilled, raked and leveled and next will build up the rows along which I want to plant. I figure I'll have 5 rows with about 4 1/2 ft per row, each about 18 ft long. 

I'll work in some manure in the rows next, then mound it up, put down a cheap weed barrier over the rows and put down straw in between. Hopefully by next weekend the 72 seedling pots I started will have started to germinate, I may go ahead and germinate another batch just in case, it would only cost another 5 bucks.

Also going to put up a bit of a temporary greenhouse over some of the other plot with strawberries and tomatoes and peppers and what not, to better keep them from flooding or getting eaten by birds and such. I'm splitting the cost for the material, it shouldn't be more than $150 total, but it should easily last through multiple crops of various veggies.

I do have more yard I could till and would love to do so but I want to get what I've got going to work a bit first. Rabbits would still be a real cheap way to add tasty protein and I need to advertise around to see if someone can show me exactly how to slaughter and butcher them; if I can make myself learn this first then I'll do it.

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## oyarde

Rabbits are the easieast to skin , I pinch the loose skin together at the throat , pierce under the skin there , run the knife down to the ass , peel out the back legs by hand , pull all skin up to the the head , cut the head off , slice under the ribs to the ass , open it , pull out all , rinse it out , soak it in a bowl of water , quarter it like a chicken with a cleaver.

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## oyarde

Of course , mine are already dead by shotgun ,hunted with # 6 or 7 1/2 shot , so , no need to dispatch them . I do not intend to feed them , just eat them.

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## WilliamC

Rained last night, cooled things off. Weeded the vegetable garden, put in 8 okra seedlings, that's about it today.

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## phill4paul

'maters, bush beans, string beans, cantaloupe, squash, cukes all good to go.  Peppers next weekend.

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## XNavyNuke

> Rained last night, cooled things off. Weeded the vegetable garden, put in 8 okra seedlings, that's about it today.


In addition to eating okra fresh, it can be allowed to mature and used as an oil seed crop.

http://m.extension.illinois.edu/smal...o_the_test.pdf

XNN

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## Revolution9

> People go hungry there because they are lazy.  Wife just went to Guyana to see family - says it's the same old $#@!.  Lazy people not wanting to so much as cook for themselves, but they have plenty of time for booze.
> 
> I have no sympathy for these sorts.  As you wrote, you can barely take a step without tripping over food.  No excuse for being hungry in such places.


Steak doesn't grow on trees

HTH
Rev9

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## XNavyNuke

The yacon plants have found homes. Thanks for the interest shown.

XNN

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## SpiritOf1776_J4

> I've got my plot well-tilled, raked and leveled and next will build up the rows along which I want to plant. I figure I'll have 5 rows with about 4 1/2 ft per row, each about 18 ft long. 
> 
> I'll work in some manure in the rows next, then mound it up, put down a cheap weed barrier over the rows and put down straw in between. Hopefully by next weekend the 72 seedling pots I started will have started to germinate, I may go ahead and germinate another batch just in case, it would only cost another 5 bucks.
> 
> Also going to put up a bit of a temporary greenhouse over some of the other plot with strawberries and tomatoes and peppers and what not, to better keep them from flooding or getting eaten by birds and such. I'm splitting the cost for the material, it shouldn't be more than $150 total, but it should easily last through multiple crops of various veggies.
> 
> I do have more yard I could till and would love to do so but I want to get what I've got going to work a bit first. Rabbits would still be a real cheap way to add tasty protein and I need to advertise around to see if someone can show me exactly how to slaughter and butcher them; if I can make myself learn this first then I'll do it.


My experience in our yard is you may actually be growing rabbits and not the vegitables you think.

Small game hunting would be relatively easy around here.

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## oyarde

Tasty

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## 2young2vote

I need some help.  Every year I rototiller six rows of ground which is surrounded by grass (and grass grows up in the previously rototilled rows, before i rototiller it).  I plant pumpkin seeds and usually get a good amount of beautiful pumpkins.  The problem is I get other plants growing up around with the pumpkins, and I'm assuming it is because all i do is rototill it, i don't spray anything.  So, is there any kind of spray that I can use to kill the plants/grass before i rototill the rows so they don't come back when the pumpkins are planted?

Thanks for any advice.

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## pacelli

Got cucumbers planted, trellis up.

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## pacelli

> I need some help.  Every year I rototiller six rows of ground which is surrounded by grass (and grass grows up in the previously rototilled rows, before i rototiller it).  I plant pumpkin seeds and usually get a good amount of beautiful pumpkins.  The problem is I get other plants growing up around with the pumpkins, and I'm assuming it is because all i do is rototill it, i don't spray anything.  So, is there any kind of spray that I can use to kill the plants/grass before i rototill the rows so they don't come back when the pumpkins are planted?
> 
> Thanks for any advice.


The reason you are having more plants and grass come up in previously rototilled rows is because the bed is not planted with something else that would be more of a benefit for ya.  So the weeds and grass see the space and think, "virgin ground!".  The tilling itself is compacting the subsoil, bringing your "weed seed bank" up to the service so that they have access to light and are germinating.  And grass loves nice soft fluffy tilled soil.  If you start spraying, you'll get even deeper into this cycle.

A possible solution that I would use if I were in your shoes would be to cover the soil with black plastic sheeting for about a week during sunny weather (which will kill all plants/seeds under the first 6 inches or so of soil).  Make sure you weigh down the plastic over the beds so it doesn't blow off with the wind.  You'll still need to pull some occasional weeds by hand over the course of your season, but this will significantly reduce your labor.  

Instead of tilling the soil every season, you might consider planting a living mulch such as hairy vetch (after you use the black plastic to kill everything else), and just keep it trimmed down.  This chokes out the weeds and improves mineral uptake for your plants at the same time.  You can then move or pull some of the vetch (which grows like a net above the soil) whenever you want to plant something.  

I wouldn't advise tilling the soil after using the black plastic because you will bring more weed seeds up to the soil, and kill earthworms that will be attracted by the warmth of the black plastic.  Earthworms are great for living in garden beds but they learn to fear tillers and other chemicals that can kill them.  The worm juice and castings that they release into the soil is something that you want to encourage.  Garden plants really respond to that stuff, much better than synthetic fertilizer. 

  See my picture above for what living mulch looks like in a cucumber bed.

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## xFiFtyOnE

Me and my wife just started our first real garden.  Corn, beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, lettuce.  They only thing we have grown before was tomatoes and peppers.  Kind of hope we aren't getting in over our head, LOL.  Even thinking of getting a few hens for the eggs and free garden manure, if the city allows us.  Any pointers for a noobie backyard farmer?  

Edit:  BTW I realize it might be a little late to start the garden but we live on the gulf coast and it stays pretty warm here pretty late into the year.  On the packages it says we should be good to grow at this time still based on our location.

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## ClydeCoulter

I use a 30x40' area just for spices and herbs.  Most of them are heiloom, so they spread and have to be kept in check.  I even grow horehound, very bitter but good for coughs and the like.  Also hyssop, makes a good tea and the bees love the profuse little blue flowers (wish I could get some of that honey).  Catnip, Lemon balm, Italian spices, sage, etc.  Fresh spices and herbs are really flavorfull also.
Remember that bees, wasps and many other insects are a good thing for your garden.

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## oyarde

I picked some raspberries Sun .

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## fisharmor

Saturday I harvested from our one Apricot tree and got enough for about 3lbs of dried apricots, a pie, a crisp, fresh fruit for lunches for a week, snacks for the girls for a week, enough to give 3-6 to each neighbor, and at least 10% back in the compost because I didn't spray them again and stuff was living in them.
One tree, and it's only 3 years old.
This year I'm going to germinate pits, because apricots and peaches apparently grow close to parent form, unlike apples and oranges.
Trees FTW!

I only need about 50 sq ft for herbs.  I also have this year brussels sprouts, beets, parsnips, red lettuce.
I had strawberries but the deer got 'em.  They also took out half of my sunflowers.
Now I'm going out every night before bed and peeing all over the yard.  The occasional air pellet in the ass helps too.

I'm going, hell or high water, to get gourds next year.  I think the trick is to plant the seeds in late fall - they always seem to grow great in my compost bin, but never where I actually plant them.  So I'm going to bury raw kitchen scraps where I want them and throw seeds in there.

I sometimes wonder what I'd do if I had more than a quarter acre....

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## oyarde

> Saturday I harvested from our one Apricot tree and got enough for about 3lbs of dried apricots, a pie, a crisp, fresh fruit for lunches for a week, snacks for the girls for a week, enough to give 3-6 to each neighbor, and at least 10% back in the compost because I didn't spray them again and stuff was living in them.
> One tree, and it's only 3 years old.
> This year I'm going to germinate pits, because apricots and peaches apparently grow close to parent form, unlike apples and oranges.
> Trees FTW!
> 
> I only need about 50 sq ft for herbs.  I also have this year brussels sprouts, beets, parsnips, red lettuce.
> I had strawberries but the deer got 'em.  They also took out half of my sunflowers.
> Now I'm going out every night before bed and peeing all over the yard.  The occasional air pellet in the ass helps too.
> 
> ...


 You should have more than a quarter acre , when I was younger , I once had a house on the outskirts of town , ( last house before it turned to farmland ) , it was a half acre lot with a small three bedroom , two bath ranch home  , no garage , three small out buildings and a driveway ( gravel three cars wide and deep ) but , enough room for a nice garden.

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## Lindsey

I want to start a garden but I haven't moved my plants out of containers yet.  I may be too late at this point.  I am delaying because a family of groundhogs (aka woodchucks) moved into the foreclosed house - 2 houses away from mine (<25 feet from my yard to theirs).

How do you keep the groundhogs(woodchucks) from destroying your garden?  (and from destroying your pets - my little dog doesn't understand the damage these things can do to her and she keeps trapping them - luckily no contact yet.)  I called animal control - they want $175/trap to come set the trap - there's at least 3 groundhogs.

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## phill4paul

> I want to start a garden but I haven't moved my plants out of containers yet.  I may be too late at this point.  I am delaying because a family of groundhogs (aka woodchucks) moved into the foreclosed house - 2 houses away from mine (<25 feet from my yard to theirs).
> 
> How do you keep the groundhogs(woodchucks) from destroying your garden?  (and from destroying your pets - my little dog doesn't understand the damage these things can do to her and she keeps trapping them - luckily no contact yet.)  I called animal control - they want $175/trap to come set the trap - there's at least 3 groundhogs.


  Icymudpuppy is the RPF resident varmint specialist. Send him a P.M. and ask him to post his response here. Me? I'd just shoot 'em.

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## Lindsey

> Icymudpuppy is the RPF resident varmint specialist. Send him a P.M. and ask him to post his response here.


Thanks, I will look him up.





> Me? I'd just shoot 'em.


I don't think that will go over well with our proximity to our neighbors.

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## pacelli

Perhaps live trap them and relocate miles away?

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## phill4paul

> I want to start a garden but I haven't moved my plants out of containers yet.  I may be too late at this point.  I am delaying because a family of groundhogs (aka woodchucks) moved into the foreclosed house - 2 houses away from mine (<25 feet from my yard to theirs).
> 
> How do you keep the groundhogs(woodchucks) from destroying your garden?  (and from destroying your pets - my little dog doesn't understand the damage these things can do to her and she keeps trapping them - luckily no contact yet.)  I called animal control - they want $175/trap to come set the trap - there's at least 3 groundhogs.


  Also, I wonder if it could be considered a nuisance pest. If a neighbor has a rat infestation that was spilling over to your property that would make them responsible for the control. Would it be possible to ask the city to contact the foreclosure company and have them resolve the issue?
  On a side note I would watch out for little doggie. I have been 'up close and personal' under a crawl space with these critters. Those orange teeth are quite large in close quarters.

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## oyarde

> Perhaps live trap them and relocate miles away?


 Yes , trap $50 and tax , cheaper to do it yourself , I have a small one , borrowed my Brother in Laws larger one this year ....

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## Brian4Liberty

> I'm so envious of those who live in tropical climates, when I visited Honduras I could not understand how anyone could possibly go hungry!  Avocado, Mango, Almond Banana Papaya etc. plus 10 or so fruit I had never heard of grow WILD all over the place!!!  Every 5 years or so there are so many mangoes and they have a problem figuring out what to do with them all!  They just lie ALL OVER the place rotting and it's a real problem because a mature tree, and they are literally everywhere, makes close to a thousand mangoes I bet during this freak year.


Does anyone try to ferment and distill them?




> Hey gardeners!
> 
> My peppers (bell especially) are suffering from curly, distorted leaves and stunted grown again. Anyone successfully fought this? After last research, it's supposed to be a virus of some sort, transmitted by bugs from other plants. The plum tree has similar symptoms...


Deja vu. Another year with pepper disease...this year I only planted jalapenos which are usually tougher, but the curly leaf virus got them too.

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## donnay

> Saturday I harvested from our one Apricot tree and got enough for about 3lbs of dried apricots, a pie, a crisp, fresh fruit for lunches for a week, snacks for the girls for a week, enough to give 3-6 to each neighbor, and at least 10% back in the compost because I didn't spray them again and stuff was living in them.
> One tree, and it's only 3 years old.
> This year I'm going to germinate pits, because apricots and peaches apparently grow close to parent form, unlike apples and oranges.
> Trees FTW!



Apricot kernels are a great source of vitamin B-17.  B-17 (Laetrile) has been used to fight cancer.

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## Icymudpuppy

> Yes , trap $50 and tax , cheaper to do it yourself , I have a small one , borrowed my Brother in Laws larger one this year ....


Hiring a professional wildlife damage management company is just like hiring any other home service professional.  Plumber, Electrician, Mason, Painter, Etc.  When you hire a pro, expect to pay a professional rate.  Wildlife Management is a highly skilled career field, with a lot of overhead expenses.

Of course you can do it yourself cheaper.  IF you have the skills, tools, time, and physical/mental/emotional ability to do the job.  
Most of my clients are lacking at least one of those four criteria or they WOULD be doing it themselves.

Regarding relocation.  Relocation does one of two things...
1.  It gives the problem to somebody else.  Now, would you like someone to relocate an animal that has been driving them nuts into your neighborhood?  Of course no.  Follow the Golden Rule.
2. So you take the animal WAY OUT to the boonies.  This is usually a slow painful death for the animal due to starvation, thirst, exposure, or predation.  They don't know where to find food and water in the new place.  The animals that are already there will be actively running them out (remember when Granny relocates the fox in disney's "The Fox and the Hound"?), they have no shelter from the elements prepared, and they will be exposed to predators like coyotes, bears, and cougars that they did not have to worry about when they were in close proximity to the world's most dangerous predator, Humans.

The best option is to euthanize the animal quickly and humanely.  Those of us in the profession typically use a CO2 Chamber.  Carbon Dioxide first acts as an anesthetic to put the animal into a drugged sleep, then their oxygen runs out completely.  However, since gas chambers are expensive, and gas is expensive, this is generally not an option for the do-it-yourselfer.  The AVMA recommends blunt force trauma to the head as a "next-best" humane euthanasia technique.  Thus, shooting in the head, or hitting in the head with a hammer work well but are not for the squeamish as there will be blood and gore and twitching.  Next is the Lethal injection, but this requires a veterinary license to get the chemicals in most jurisdictions.  You can get lethal chemicals that aren't designed for euthanasia, but that is not considered acceptable as those chemicals are generally painful to inject.  Drowning is not considered an acceptable method by the AVMA, but I know it is the cheapest and cleanest way that most people will use.

Regarding keeping animals away.  There are products on the market that can be applied directly to the things you don't want them to eat.  These products need to be reapplied regularly, and will not keep the animals away, but just keep them from eating the treated objects.  Critter Ridder, Seadust, and others are just "TASTE" deterrents and only work on herbivores.  Don't expect a raccoon to be bothered by them at all.  A guard animal such as a border collie, Dachshund, or any other working or vermin hunting breed works well at keeping animals away.  Boston Terriers were originally bred to hunt rats in Garment factories, so should actually do fine against a groundhog since groundhogs while large, are generally non-combative and rather slow.  They Prefer to run and hide.  Your dog might get a few scratches and scars from fighting giant rodents, but ultimately he will be very proud of himself for helping you rid the yard of pests.

You can also (after getting the current animals out of the yard) install a wildlife proof fence.  This typically involves a typical 4 to 6 foot privacy or chainlink fence with heavy guage vinyl coated 1/2" wire mesh attached to the bottom and buried into the ground in an "L" shape to prevent digging under the fence, and a three-strand (positive negative positive) electric fence on the top set extending about 1 foot above the top of the fence with wires about 3 inches apart and angled at 60 degrees.  The electric fence keeps climbing animals like raccoons and squirrels out, and the angled top keeps (most) deer out because they have poor depth perception and angled fences confuse them so they are afraid to jump over it because they might get hung up on the fence.

Harassment of the animals is another option but requires a lot of time.  Using a paintball gun is the best harassment tool.  It will give the animals a nice bruise that will leave them sore for a week so they remember where they got it, AND it will mark the animals so you can keep track of how many you have, and if they aren't learning.

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## Lindsey

> Hiring a professional wildlife damage management company is just like hiring any other home service professional.  Plumber, Electrician, Mason, Painter, Etc.  When you hire a pro, expect to pay a professional rate.  Wildlife Management is a highly skilled career field, with a lot of overhead expenses.
> 
> Of course you can do it yourself cheaper.  IF you have the skills, tools, time, and physical ability to do the job.  
> Most of my clients are lacking at least one of those four criteria or they WOULD be doing it themselves.
> 
> Regarding relocation.  Relocation does one of two things...
> 1.  It gives the problem to somebody else.  Now, would you like someone to relocate an animal that has been driving them nuts into your neighborhood?  Of course no.  Follow the Golden Rule.
> 2. So you take the animal WAY OUT to the boonies.  This is usually a slow painful death for the animal due to starvation, thirst, or predation.  They don't know where to find food and water in the new place.  The animals that are already there will be actively running them out (remember when Granny relocates the fox in disney's "The Fox and the Hound"?), they have no shelter from the elements prepared, and they will be exposed to predators they did not have to worry about in close proximity to the worlds most dangerous predator, Humans.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I may have to go borrow a paintball gun.

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## oyarde

> Thank you! I may have to go borrow a paintball gun.


 Check the classifieds in the newspaper , I see them all of the time in my local paper

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## 2young2vote

I've just realize how easy pumpkins are to grow.  I plant them in early May, they take about a week to bud, then they grow really fast after that.  I already have some that are spreading vines.

I've also realized that it is best to use fresh seeds.  I had a packet of seeds from around 2003 and those are either growing really slowly or aren't growing at all.  I got a new packet this  year and those seeds are creating large, healthy plants.

----------

