Thread: ALIPACer Gardening

The deer can not get in my back yard but they love my front yard, You don't dare feed them here or they bring all of their relatives , boy howdy then you have big problems.....so in my flower gardens in the front I try to plant what they don't eat, but just the other morning my neighbor said their were 3 deer munching on something out there left from last year.

I love animals so much to me it would be such a treat to see wild animals in my yard. Heck I probably would have put out a bowl of milk for the cougar in Chicago just to get some pictures. LOL But I digress.......I'm more thrilled with seeing the wild animal than the plant I managed not to kill. Lord knows I'm not one you'd want on a survival mission......"let Bambie have it and don't you dare hurt him!!!!!!"

I grew up in a family of gardeners and we practically lived off our approx. acre garden.

Here in SW Florida traditional gardening is just winding down due to our summer heat,humidity and rain.

I am enjoying the last of my tomatoes except we do have tiny wild Florida tomatoes which will survive until about July.
My watermelons are a little late this year and will be pushing the harvest date to about the middle of May.

My tropicals will supply summer treats such as pineapples,atemoya (sugar apples),lychee nuts,bananas and I still have some oranges.My friends and I exchange sumer produce so I have access to other summer tropical produce such as mangos and papayas too.

"Square Foot Gardening" is a good book with great ideas for those who have limited space to grow things.I used the concept when I lived up north and in town.

Gardening is a great stress reliever for me,gets me out among nature and provides really tasty treats.

Good luck everyone and I will look forward to your gardening post.

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Originally Posted by florgal

monterreysherry wrote:

Anyone have any suggestions how to get rid of ground squirrels and gophers? Something that won't hurt our dogs.

Chew lotsa bubble gum and put it into the holes.. Flood the tunnels w/water to find entry points, then spray the cayenne pepper concoction in there. Not a 100% cure BUT it does help. Sometimes they find another person's yard to burrow in

Easy solution to your problem with squirrels and gophers.



A not so easy solution to your gopher problem found at this link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv87T1CQF8E

W

LOL! Yep, that would work too! My hubby won't let me have a cat, though but my Labs catch a mole once in a while.

They also sell these at Lowe's for about 50 bucks.

We are gardening this year too. I have not read the entire thread yet, but am learning that you want to make sure that you do not plant genetically modified seeds. I am starting to ask that question and to read.

We planted several varieties of tomatoes yesterday after tilling and applying lots of new soil to the garden area. We have two small areas above ground with railroad ties for boundaries. We bought some cages for the tomatoes and we may still do some patio planting in pots for some herbs or veggies. Critters in the garden area give me the "hebbie gebbies." Unsuspected poop from who knows what is not something I want to have among the vegetables. We may need some small fencing or wire to protect things.

We are planting lots of lilies and other perennials also as they will return every year and give beautiful color. The tulips are blooming now and we like them too because they continually come back year after year.


When we tried gardening several years ago, we knew very little and planted way too many seeds of things like zucchini. They were big and never ending. I just figured the more seeds the merrier. Now we read the directions on planting.

We try to do a more natural garden without chemicals.

Thank you for all of the tips. Gardening is relaxing and to me a testimony to the beauty and creation of a loving God.

Psalm 91

florgal said:

Strawberries and roses LOVE used dried coffee grounds and banana peels!

Did not know that. Will give that a try.

Thank you florgal.

Gardening is relaxing

I have heard that so many times!!!! It is a source of tension and worry and many chiropractic bills for me....I wish it was relaxing for me. Forget the asthma and all the rest.....I am doing it... but it is far from a joy or relaxing. It is just another one of those things I HAVE to do live. I've switched from "would be nice to know" to "have to know" and do, because I figure it will be that way soon. Lord knows I really wish I had that feeling. Gardening is right there with knitting.....hate that too...LOL

When we tried gardening several years ago, we knew very little and planted way too many seeds of things like zucchini

I LOVE zucchini and thought 6 plants were enough...people told me I planted too many....mine didn't reproduce like they said it would. Mind you...there are 2 of us and only 1 who likes them....guess I did something wrong because it didn't even begin to produce what I wanted.

The coolest thing that I have in my garden are garlic plants from my great grandfather's farm. The second, is I have Saffron Crocus, which is the most expensive spice in the world.

LOL Looks like the cat mixed it up with the gopher. My dog deals with the varmints around here.

Yes! Roses do well with banana peels. It's the potassium in them.

Tips:
Use Epson Salt on Peppers.
Some Tomato plants are self pollinating so when they are blooming, go out and give the bushes a good shake and they will produce like mad.

I bought some herbs and a peanut plant today. Impulse Buy.
I'm going to call it Jimmy Carter.

I'm going to try again with the tomatoes. I bought some pickel cuccumber seeds and more sweet peas. The others survived my death wish.

Let the plant killing begin!

Dixie

When you plant Zucchini once they flower be sure you don't wqter with a sprinkler they need to cross pollinate so water slow drip from under neath , 2 plants is usually enough unless you are going to use it in canning.