Posted on 05/13/2023 6:07:30 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Regarding Mason Bees :
Yes, they will fly away, but providing a good habitat
they will return and lay other eggs in the remaining areas of the nesting box.
They are feral and clumsy which is why they should increase fruit and vegetable production,
since they are solitary and according to most sources, you should see an increase in veggie and fruit production.
They are not honey producers, but are supposed to be 30% -to- 60% more effective as pollinators.
Many, or most of the bees, will return to your constructed sheltered habitat; you may wish to expand to add to provide for more bees .
Good on ya !
RE: tomato trellises. I had seen the Trellis to Make You Jealous video from the guy that girl was talking about. Been a few years.
I’m going to do something similar with some 1 inch fiberglass composite sucker rod I have. Use those for posts. Drill 1 inch holes most of the way through the ends of a 2x4 and set it down on top of the posts. Drill a hole on each end through the wood into the fiberglass rod and run a screw in to keep it from popping up/off. The 2x4 will keep the spread on the posts. Then right under the 2x4 going from one post to the other, use chain and a turnbuckle to tension it.
It will be nice and tight/strong. Part of my makeshift trellis last year was some chain and it was nice because the hanging lines couldn’t slide back and forth like the rest did when it got windy.
Yes the fence post was a only few feet from the empty house which is already 1/3 refilled.
Yes, wind can be a problem once you start to string the tomatoes up. I diagonally reinforce the upper part of the frame. Nothing fancy, I just use paracord and tie it. At some point you can suspend string from your high tunnel frame and grow your tomatoes starting in late April!
Good, if the Polypropylene does not leach into the soil significantly. But the brother in Christ who gave me the fabric (as well as about 70 tomato charges a couple years ago - all unasked) just gave me a propane "branding iron" (I call it) which melts and a now cauterized hole into the fabric. Of course, getting the holes in the right place after I already planted is not easy, but plan to try soon, praise God.
There are some parsley that are grown for the root.
Rice hulls are a good mulch and soil amendment.
https://gardens.theownerbuildernetwork.co/2020/02/18/how-to-use-rice-hulls-in-gardening/
https://www.redbudsoilcompany.com/products/rice-hulls-50lb
$23.99
There is the shipping of course. Maybe possible to get it from a nearby coop or farm store. I got 3 bales for about $36 from my local Ace Hardware, but that was 4 years ago.
I liked the hay I used last year. Had some weeds and grass pop out of it this Spring but it’s super easy to pull because it’s not really rooted into the soil.
I started out using shredded leaves but the bag for my leaf blower/vacuum blew a hole in it. Need to order a new one this week and I’ll be able to fill in the light spots in the hay with shredded leaves.
Priced out my trellis stuff. $20 for each 12 foot. I could almost get away with one but will do two. Will pick that stuff up Thurs and get the maters and Shisito peppers in the ground Thurs afternoon as well. Soil should be dried up enough and Fri will be cloudy with a chance of rain.
Tonight after work I’m starting bean seeds in Jiffy peat pots and they can go in the ground in a couple of weeks without disturbing roots and I’ll be done walking around and setting up trellises & bean poles by then.
Doing a variety of varieties. Cherokee Wax(yellow), Roma II(Italian green beans), Asparagus bean(yard long), Dragon Tongue(purple mottled), Rattlesnake Pole(long purple streaked)
I thought I had some standard green beans but I guess not. That’ll pretty much fill up the little front yard garden. Only other thing I have started are some onions so I’ll find a corner to set up a raised bed because my soil’s kind of heavy for root crops. I also have some short-ish, blocky carrots I’d like to try and Ace Hdwe has those bags of organic raised bed mix.
Need to get some shade cloth before too long. Farmtek and Johnny’s want hundreds but I found some on Amazon, precut sizes with grommets. Looks like beans/mater are neither companion or protagonist so I could do beans down the middle with the tallest supports, mater trellis on either side of that and short stuff outside of that along the fence. That would make for a gable roof structure to support a shade cloth over the entire garden.
Things are gonna be jam up and jelly tight this year compared to last year when I had zero dollars to put into things. The little front yard garden may morph into a small high tunnel when it’s all said and done.
Hi ho, hi ho, off to work I go.
Thanks Pete. I am hoping this will continue to repeat. The original patch in 2022 was from seed. I’ve always just started from seed.
Very nice!
I think my problem in life is a lack of Potassium, LOL! ;)
Yours is twice the size of my newly-planted Parsley. Impressive! I can never get it to over-winter.
Plus, you can let it go to bloom for the Beneficial Bugs this year and start with a fresh plant next season. The Black Swallowtail Butterflies (Larvae stage) like Parsley. :)
I’ll post pictures next week of Spring Progress, but I’m pretty much ‘ready to receive’ now that all the beds have been composted, tilled (lightly; don’t disturb my Earthworm friends!) and mulched with the new straw. It looks so pretty!
I’ve been moving tomatoes and peppers in and out because it’s easily hitting 100 in there on sunny days; by June it’s too hot for anything in there.
Everything else is ready to plant; just waiting for night time temps to stay around 60 degrees so I don’t have to worry about anyone. Looks like next Wednesday (May 24th) is the turning point for the beginning of 60-degree over-nights for my Zone. Yay! :)
Already planted: Lettuces, Arugula and Spinach, THREE kinds of Kale, Parsley, Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli. I found the ‘Lieutenant’ variety I grew last year from Bonnie Plants (Walmart), so I hope I have as much success this year as I did last with the fresh broccoli. Yum!
Been harvesting Rhubarb and Asparagus and the fruit trees all bloomed beautifully and are now setting their fruit. Grapes are leafing out and as usual, the rabbits pruned them to perfection for me over the winter months. How DO they do it? ;)
Some herbs in pots and my big Porch Planter is full of Pansies and Lettuces and Herbs - a really pretty combo. Four hanging baskets are planted with various colors of Wave Petunias, Sweet Potato Vine and your basic fillers.
A great soaking rain all of Mother’s Day, but Mom, Sis and I had fun laughing and talking and EATING on the porch, anyway. My sister baked Mom a Bundt Butter Cake that was SO GOOD and I made a fresh Rhubarb Sauce to go with it. I have her a gorgeous hanging basket filled with Fuchsia for the Hummers in her yard, and she has a lot of shade, so she can keep it alive with just a little guidance. ;)
Beau had to use the skid steer to lift and load the mower onto the trailer and that’s in the shop for repair. It couldn’t have happened any better - I had only ONE row to mow in an inconspicuous spot when the part that was making so much noise finally fell off and I was at a dead stop. She died in service, LOL! It’s a pulley and a drive belt, easily fixed by someone that knows what they’re doing, and she’ll also get an oil change and a new spark plug and a good going over.
I’m at the place of What else can I squeeze in? Maybe that’s why the parsley kept growing. It got regular haircuts last year right into the fall. It never flowered. I usually dry most of it anyway. It still looked good in the fall so I just left it. It would be nice if I could do that with basil.
Thanks for your garden report!
In my garden, the first radishes were harvested this morning - yay!
Tomatoes need tying up (Celebrities) & indeterminate cherry will get a cage.
Spaghetti squash finally looks like it’s ‘taken hold’ after transplanting & is starting to grow.
Ordered a new groundhog size (works for raccoons too, but they are not my issue!) trap today - had a large one out last night baited with cantaloupe - it had no bait in it this morning & was sprung, so somebody got away with a sweet treat. This is an old trap I had to do some ‘rigging’ on so it would sort of work. It will be replaced with the new trap that arrives Thursday that will be easier to set, should reduce ‘misses’, & won’t let anything out once caught.
A smaller trap, that does work properly, was also set last night. There was a very unhappy opossum in it this morning - it was much happier when I released it in the woods. I had no idea ‘possum poop was so stinky - trap needed a major washing out.
Did some mowing the last 2 hours or so - needed paths to stay out of long grass in the fields & out of tick territory (I picked up a tick yesterday) plus mowed the front of the property. T-storms forecast for this afternoon, some could be severe ... fingers crossed those miss us.
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I will be having to cover some crops tonight.
I have straw over a bunch but am thinking of my lettuce and Brussel sprouts in particular. The plants are young yet and I am not sure how cold hardy they are at this point.
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