[wastoute]

Thanks! I am making a list and will start the reading program. I just hope I an get up to speed fast enough to feed us before TSHTF. It may be close. My list of questions just keeps growing and growing. I have been reading some of Elliot Coleman's stuff on the internet but his problems in Maine seem different from what I may face in Virginia.

I grew gardens twenty years ago when we lived out west and one thing I could never do is harvest my sweetcorn. I could grow beautiful sweetcorn but just as I got to the point where I told myself, "Tomorrow I will harvest this stuff", that night the raccoons did it for me. I could never get a single ear. Now I have a hound dog and I figure he could keeps the coons out but how do you keep the dog out? LOL. Lots to learn and it will be frustrating and fun I am sure.

Μολὼν λάβε

[Diana in Wisconsin]

It works that way with ANYTHING ready for harvest. Got a PERFECT tomato on the vine? A groundhog will take a nice big bite out of it for you overnight.

Got green beans ready to go? The rabbits will harvest them for you.

How about melons? Gophers just LOVE melons.

Ready to harvest Blueberries? Birds beat ya to it!

Nature always knows where the best treats are. :)

[Gabz]

I would add Jerry Baker to your list of authors. I swear by his book on garden tonics, the majority of which you can mix up with stuff you have on hand!!!

I don’t know what part of VA you’re in, but here on the coast we had been having absolutely weird weather. It’s been great sleeping weather for people like me without central a/c, but over night lows in the low-mid 60s is just plain weird in July.