On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:32:57 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .


The kids have all fledged, and there is just so much we can consume,
even over the winter, so I have cut back on some of what I grow.
And except for that bed up front, the rest of the food gardening is
done in tubs. We are critter-ridden, so using large tubs on the deck
is the best way to actually reap the harvest.


The blueberry bushes and the asparagus in down in the back garden, but
they are fenced/netted. Actually that tomato patch up front is fenced
and netted, too. The netting gets put on when the tulips start to show
in the spring, or the deer would have them for midnight snacks. The
deer cannot get into the back, but the groundhogs, possums, raccoons
and squirrels seem to have given me top honors on dining. I am the
first garden off a 150 ace woods, so I am the appetizer, I think.

Boron

On 1/31/2015 7:28 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:32:57 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:

It is odd to direct sow here in northern NJ, but seed is cheap, and
after the first experiment, I have continued it the last 5 years or
so.

Then this starts daily happening in late July and continues until
frost in October.

http://i57.tinypic.com/11rdkp5.jpg

Nice ! Not exactly what we're looking for though . This year I'm trying to
maximize the type of tomato that we use a lot of for cooking . There will
also be slicers and cherry tomatoes , but the biggest portion will be San
Marzanos along with a few Romas . We're growing for later use , not only the
tomatoes but several other veggies - green beans , squashes , peppers ,
berries and other fruits will all be preserved for next winter .


The kids have all fledged, and there is just so much we can consume,
even over the winter, so I have cut back on some of what I grow.
And except for that bed up front, the rest of the food gardening is
done in tubs. We are critter-ridden, so using large tubs on the deck
is the best way to actually reap the harvest.
Ours fledged years ago, they are approaching their middle fifties now.
Of course we have grands in their early thirties so we still plant a lot
and share plus trade with neighbors for their excess. We find deer
tracks behind our fence but no predation due to a six foot board fence,
required by the HOA. Lots of empty land behind us but is now filling up
with more subdivisions, newest is 300 homes going in.


The blueberry bushes and the asparagus in down in the back garden, but
they are fenced/netted. Actually that tomato patch up front is fenced
and netted, too. The netting gets put on when the tulips start to show
in the spring, or the deer would have them for midnight snacks. The
deer cannot get into the back, but the groundhogs, possums, raccoons
and squirrels seem to have given me top honors on dining. I am the
first garden off a 150 ace woods, so I am the appetizer, I think.

Boron

Sounds like time for a little archery practice or maybe an air gun for
the smaller critters. Groundhogs, raccoons, and squirrels are good meat
in this part of Texas. My mother always had me catch possums alive and
then put them up in a cage for a couple of weeks to "purge" them. Never
liked possum myself but the others were okay. Might try one of those
water guns that operates automatically. Friend in Ohio got one and the
deer eventually quit coming around.

Boron Elgar wrote:
....
they are fenced/netted. Actually that tomato patch up front is fenced
and netted, too. The netting gets put on when the tulips start to show
in the spring, or the deer would have them for midnight snacks. The
deer cannot get into the back, but the groundhogs, possums, raccoons
and squirrels seem to have given me top honors on dining. I am the
first garden off a 150 ace woods, so I am the appetizer, I think.

once you get an elder who knows where you are they will
bring their youngsters to your gardens. we had a similar
problem as we are about the only garden for some distance
from several wooded areas. once the local hunters took out
the ring leaders we've not had as many deer come through.
there are still plenty of deer around, but they mostly do
not know we are here.


*shhh!* *be vewwy, vewwy quiet*


we were able one year to get some old rusted fence from
someone who was throwing it away and that we've put along
the edge that they were coming through most of the time.
that helps a great deal.

we also put large field stone patches around, deer have
a pretty tough time walking through those. kinda like
cattle guards for deer. they won't work in the winter if
we get a heavy snow, but once the snow is gone i won't
see any tracks in those areas. other than the fact that
they are heavy to put in place they do ok. we put down
heavy black plastic in a few layers under them so we don't
have to spray for weed control. raccoons go through them
at times looking for hornet nests.


songbird