by Noel | Jun 28, 2009 | Gardening
I put up this tunnel to protect my cole crops from insects. It was very quick and easy. My son Geoff gave me the idea. I’m not sure who showed it to him. Material List: 12 pieces – 3/8″ reinforcing rod cut into 18″ lengths by my local lumber cut the material to length for me. 6 pieces – 3/8″ ID PVC tubing. Cut from 2 – 10′ lengths bought at my local Ace Hardware. I used pruning loppers to cut it to length. 2 –...
by Noel | Jun 12, 2009 | Gardening
Two day ago I caught momma groundhog. I posted about it and got a comment from Beckie who noted, “I am sure she will do fine in the wild, but be on the look out for the pups – they may be big enough to make it on their own.” We’ll, sure enough. I caught this guy this morning and put him out where his mother was let go. They seem to love broccoli, so I’ll keep trapping with the tasty stuff until I think I’ve got them all...
by Noel | Jun 10, 2009 | Gardening
I first noticed the damage last week. I thought it was deer, but there were no deer tracks. The sweet peas were nipped off and some eaten to the ground. Then I saw some asparagus eaten, and some strawberry plants. Yesterday I found my two tomatillos almost gone and one of my tomatoes eaten to nothing. Curiously, the most severe damage was to the sunchokes, which I really don’t care that much about. They are just there. We occasionally harvest a few, but they...
by Anneliese | Jun 8, 2009 | CobraHead, Gardening
I was very excited to see this video today. It was made by Shawna Coronado, a Chicago area gardener and writer. Here is the link to her blog, The Casual Gardener, where she first posted the video. Shawna also has a website and book called Gardening Nude, which is not at all about stripping off your clothes in the garden. In actuality, it features tips on making healthier and greener gardening and lifestyle choices. I first met Shawna back in March when Geoff and I...
by Noel | Jun 8, 2009 | Gardening
I picked our first pint plus of strawberries this morning. Even though most are ripe, I usually have to pick them before they are totally deep red or else the birds get there first. The berries with a little white on them will ripen just fine in the house. I could cover the berry beds with agricultural fabric, but that is too much work. I’ve already got my sweet potatoes, peas, and peppers covered to keep the deer from eating them and I’ll have to...
by Noel | May 25, 2009 | Gardening
Other than the perennial asparagus bed and a bed that was fallow last year but cleaned out for Anneliese’s gardening effort two years ago, I haven’t gardened any of the north beds since 2003. Besides the asparagus, I have a stand of perennial sunchokes and my compost pile, but the north garden is mostly in disrepair and has become infested with burdock, tansy, sumac and grass. I needed more space this year so I cleaned out the double bed that Anneliese...
