What Are Your Garden Tricks?

[CTripps]

We're on a hillside here, so setting up the garden was tricky. We have three seprated areas, all basically triangular.

The uppermost area we tiered using materials found around the property. It took a lot of moving dirt, but we have an old water feature that we filled in to prevent standing water and skeeters. Bamboo grows in several places on the property here (which I'm allergic to, yay!). I try to prune it to grow tall instead of bushy, and cut them when they're big enough. I hang them in the garage for a season to cure and make trellises with them.

The middle garden has all our herbs, it's just above the low rock wall by the back door. The lower patch gets a bit swampy, but it's great for growing celery and a few other things.

I picked up a "Rainbird" irrigation kit, and we have that running through the whole works. I'd like to put a rain barrel on the garage downspout to feed the irrigation system, but it's at the wrong corner of the building to do it easily.

This is the upper garden (from 2011). Everythings an end-of-season mess out there now or I'd take new pics.

 

[CTripps]

We have run into a few problems, the worst being slugs. The damage the first season was ridiculous, and nothing we tried worked. From crushed eggshells to various slug killers bought at the store, the damage barely slowed down.

This spring I had an idea. I was looking for copper wire to make loops from, but at the recommendation of someone in Home Depot I ended up in the plumbing aisle and got just the thing. Copper strapping. The stuff used to secure your plumbing within the walls.



So, cut into 10"-12" lengths, just make a loop around the base of your plant and secure the ends together.


The slug excretes the electrolyte in it's slime, and thanks to the magic of chemistry, it zaps itself trying to get to your plants. It's not enough to kill them, but it seems to have stopped them getting the plants. We only went for the stuff they were targeting, they didn't go near the rows of carrots, radishes, onions, etc. For around $10 a roll, not a bad idea at all. Even though it was a bad growing season, we still got to eat most of what we planted.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

That copper strip with the round donut shapes may have been easier than my hole saw and big metal shears in making high temperature gaskets for my exhaust system on my motor bike. It did look maybe a bit small, but that reminded me of just what I finished from thin sheet of copper I worked with.

There are some strange things about California temperature where there are some buds and flowering of the blackberry plants making edible fruit all year round, although that it amounts to almost nothing compared to summer. I just picked some.

Blueberry plants just are dormant. In some other planters flowering bulbs are probably OK under some moss in a planter, but I notice probably a squirrel has been turning over the moss. I put it back again. It does not die, but was wondering why this happens. The orange tree planter had some nuts that were from that creature I saw when looking.

The trellis for the orange tree support that I just attached the stained and water proofed coat hanger rods to the wine barrel are working fine. Mild storm winds did not knock anything out of place. I don’t really have anything to deal with besides water and fertilize. The bugs just eat so small an amount and I find anything I do short of picking snails out by hand when I see them, I then just coexist.

MT

 

[CTripps]

Build your own apple-picking pole.



The property we rent on has a few trees that produce nice apples, but most of them usually go to waste. This past spring Harley was talking about buying an apple picker. I did a little net-surfing and came up with a few leads that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg, and built my own.

I tend to collect things that will eventually be useful. Stuff others discard. In the garage I had three different pieces of metal tubing, two of which happened to slide smoothly together. I used my hacksaw to cut an X in the end of one of the tubes that didn't, and gave a corner of each resulting tab a slight inward twist with the pliers. By pushing them together, then tapping a block against the end of the second tube with a mallet I ended up with a long handle (complete with rubber handgrip, from when the lower half was a broom or something) with a section that can be extended an extra 2 to three feet with the aid of a couple of hitch-pins. The long section is held together with #8 screws (predrilled the holes and locktited them) at the joint and taped.



The mid-section tube already had a pair of holes through it at one end. I measured and slid the last tube in until it was a couple of inches past the lowest hole and rilled the smaller tube there (for longest length) then made the middle and lowest holes. The twin hitch pins work out by giving the end a bit more stability.



The picker itelf is a 2 litre pop bottle. It's attached to the end of the smaller tube with 3/4" #8 screws (predrilled and red locktited in), and then taped with "magic wrap" tape.



I cut out about a third of the side of the bottle (but only from the half-way point down), and cut a V-shape toward the bottom of it, between the lumps on the bottom. The plastic here is slightly sturdier due to the shape it's molded in, ideal for providing the resistance it will need. By catching the stem of the apple in the V it comes free with a slight twist and tug. The 'upper' half of the bottle will hold two or three apples before we need to lower it and empty it.

 

[CTripps]

A couple more pics for the apple picker.

Here's another look at the opening in the bottle:



This is Harley59 holding the finished project at short and long settings:

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

I did not use the fresh ginger I bought quick enough.

It is using its own self to grow a ginger plant. I'll see if breaking off the knob that is at the base of the greenery that is growing tall now and putting it in some water with that vitamin B rooting power to see if I can get roots forming too.

Then probably use some potting soil and either put inside by the window for light first, or maybe OK for patio in California winter?

I'll see what is on the internet to see if the stuff really needs tropical weather.

MT

 

[rustycase]

Wow!
That ginger sprout is really impressive, MT !!!

Yer down there with William S. Hart, aren't you? WX should be fairly nice, with only a few frosties, IIRC....

I kinda like the Old Farmer's Rule of Fives, myself, when planting...

1 for the bugs,
1 for the crows,
1 for Mother Nature,
2 for me, if they grows!

It worked out real well for me, this year.

EXCEPT !
I gotta have a conference with the GoatHerder.
My hot pepper growin' skills really need help.
Had probs with germination, deer, bugs, bearing fruit... just about everything, across the board.

Best
rc

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

Orange tree is doing fine, but last night it was 34 degrees.

The days are about 50 degrees, but I did not get the forecast telling me it was going to be this cold in the AM. So tonight I put out the tree cover and a 60 watt incandescent lamp on the drop light for it.

The forecast now is supposed to be like 38 and the local airport says it is 32F now, 0C. Freezing!

Rain is on the way so it will be warmer soon.

I got a bit lazy and have not potted the sprout that I get with all the ginger root I buy to cook with. I guess I'm a bit lazy I did not cook enough of it before it started sprouting.

I think I can have two or three plants. I read that if you want to start roots you soak in 100 degree water and it softens and starts process of roots beginning. Maybe I'll try with one of these.

The biggest is now the length of the diagonal on an 8 an 1/2 by 11 inch paper. See pictures.

MT

 

[rustycase]

Looks very nice MT.
..maybe get a small bag of that cactus blend of potting soil at home depot that has a lot of perlite in it???
Would probably make for a nice, clean houseplant.
Best
rc

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

I have not transplanted the Ginger, but I better do it before it rots.

New news on the Orange Tree. The cold weather we are having has not stopped some strange late buds and flowering and forming fruit. I also saw another orange I missed while counting but it is like 1/3 the size of all others. There are 25 good size ones and should be ripe in 6 to 8 months.

The smaller ones and the buds and flowers, I'm tempted to pull them off to reserve strength for the others to be at there best.

It was around 29 F for a while in the morning last few days. I got a 4 pack of 59 Watt incandescent bulbs, before they become extinct. I put the bulb in my drop light swapping out the compact florescent bulb and hang it under the tree cover at night and early AM hours.

When not using the tree heater, the compact florescent bulb in my drop light became dark and rough surfaced on one side. I could not clean it off. I found that it was too close to my use of the angle grinder. The grit and metal dust sparks actually melted part way into the glass coiled bulb.

I turned the reflector around so that the other unaffected side was facing outward for better light. I guess I need a brighter light I can keep further away.

MT

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

The oranges are staggering 2013 and 2014 crops. It is like multi-tasking! The cover in the last picture behind the tree has been strung partially on my trellis.

They say the cover should not touch the tree, but I don't think this light weight stuff (new age type) not burlap hurts it. The trellis was added as a second thought to the four posts that I stabilized the tree with.

They say the sun gets though and can be in the rain too and it breathes OK. Only I do take it off in the daytime if high winds are expected as it will tear or push strong on the trellis and worse yet the tree.

I found the bub in my drop light was only a 15 watt incandescent bulb, and I upped it to a 57 watt one for a little more heat when it goes below 30 degrees F.

MT

 

[Goat Herder]

That has been a nice tree.


I am working on my seed collection again. Thanks to 2Door I have some seed that can be crossed next year as they are a generation off of high bred.

 

[Dave31]

My neighbor gave me http://www.topsygardening.com/ . Anybody ever use one?

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

Dave31, I was going to get one of those bags that the plant grows out the bottom. Never tried it myself, but saw a successful one growing by an apartment down the block.

I remember when I lived back in New York we would start seedlings in cardboard egg crates and they would be in the basement next to the oil burner. The basement was otherwise unheated except for a very small gas heater we much never used. My dad figured that since the heat on the exhaust to the chimney was metal, he put a fan in line with the electrical that ran the oil pump. Then the fan came on when the oil burner was heating and the fan pushed the cold air down over the pipe and onto the seedlings.

The ground level windows up at the basement sealing inside let in some sun light for the seedlings and you would get a jump on Spring time planting.

MT

 

[Greg58]

I have tried gardening but gave up, I got tired of the deer eating it up. So I started growing deer instead! If you don't believe me look at the picture from my deer cam in my back yard.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

There was an orange that had been inadvertently harvested. It was my fault about 4 days earlier I suspect I knocked it off the tree. I was looking at the tree and probably pushed on a branch.

Although an orange would not fall off just because a branch is pushed, it probably was that it was coupled with it being on a branch that was resting over the edge of the fence. Mechanical advantage took the orange off and left it just a few inches away on the fence and it stayed there until yesterday when I saw something awry.

It was good tasting just not very sweet. The Valencia Oranges are a juice orange and are not supposed to be very sweet. It could have been just a tad sweeter, but it was very juicy and flavorful.

I can't say that rock hard oranges are not ready to eat as I thought before. What I mean is the ones that are for the 2013 summer crop picking time, if already changed color from green to orange or orange yellowish, may be ready to eat in the winter 6 months early.

I know that none of the oranges are soft at this point. I thought the way to tell was not just the color change, but also the softness. They should not be hard. This was not actually the case I found out. Only a bit more sweetness is probably going to be the difference if I wait to pick the oranges in the summer.

Nearly all the 2013 crop on the tree is changed color. The 2014 crop are one of four states. They are buds, flowering, pea size green, or golf ball size green. I’ll not mess with them now, as I know there is no juice in them.

MT

 

[Goat Herder]

Well your dwarf tree inspired me I just ordered dwarf banana tree seeds. Got chili pepper seeds coming too. Some of my old seed stock of old favorite peppers dried out too much and I cannot sprout them now


I have Hot Black Pearl , Trinidad Scorpion Moruga , Chiltepin coming!! Plus second generation ''not hybrid'' Bhut Jolokia. Gonna cross those with something cool!

This should be interesting..

 

[rustycase]

Will they cross pollinate on their own, or are you doing some hotrod backyard laboratory stuff ????

many things, cross-pollinated won't stay true to the mix, but are random in their offspring.

Gosh, I've got to get my peppers started, indoors, soon, so I have a better crop of them, this year!

did poorly, last year.
rc

 

[GearNut]

Can anyone suggest a sure fire method of getting rid of gophers.... permanently?
I tried the bait pellets, what waste of time and money. I don't really want to dig up the yard to put in traps, but if that's what I gotta do.... darn it!
Soooo.... any better suggestions?

 

[rustycase]

GN, I'm pretty serious about my garden...
Reason?
I grow my own tobacco.
So I will get rid of gophers.
Last year I read most of what is available out there on the subject.
The only reasonable, sure way to get rid of gophers is the Macabee trap which is available at most hardware stores for just under $10.
You will need two, and they come with a small instruction sheet.

That being said, the youtube vids on exploding the gopher tunnels with propane are a lot of fun to watch!

Kill 'em all!
rc