Good Bye Garden

[WVsnowflake]

Well My poor lil garden looks like He** ! A couple of deer got into it and had a shoving contest so now I have no maters left. What they didnt eat they trampled to death. Called DNR and they issued me a warrent for one deer, But the damage is done. 30 tomato plants gone, and they had some beautiful tomatoes on them ! They trampled 2 of my cucumber vines, and ate the tops off my peppers..... So far they haven't ate the beans or the corn. Just waiting and I know they will before long. Next year if I am here then there will be Electric fence around both gardens.....

Since my garden is caput Hubby is comming to get me this weeekend and take me back to NC with him....
their lil garden needs canned, and the farmers market there should have everything I need to can up for here.

The DNR officer told me that Miracle Grow has a lot of ingredieants that the deer love to eat, lots of minerals.... So by feeding my plants I made them edible for the deer Lovely !!!!

Good luck on your gardens !!!

[famfish]

I had a ground hog get my beans two weeks ago. There is a book on natural things to keep animals away. They mentioned a manure called Big cat manure. Sprinkle some on the garden and all the deer will keep a distance. This stuff really works! They sell it at garden supples or they can order it!

[WVsnowflake]

Maybe next year..... This year is gone....

[buzzard]

Wonder if that stuff would attract big cats thinking that another big cat is invading their area??

[famfish]

Oil of peppermint will also keep some animals away. the book is natural ways to keep pest away! I w3ill find a link to it! I may order the ook since it has 300pages in it. There is nothing else on the market ike it! you cannot buy it in the stores!

[hombrie]

I just planted some pumkins and squash yesterday, probally to late but worth a try. I had some deer trouble a while back pulling tomatoes but they quit. I have been using liquid fence spray and last year it really worked, however every time I used it this year it would rain and wash it off. It is a little on the pricey side also. Anyway some friends gave me a bunch of tomatoes so I am happy. good luck canning,

[WVsnowflake]

Thank you all for the info. We have a mountain lion that has been spotted about 1 mile accross the mountain. so I know it comes this way. Plus the Bear has been around bout every 3 nights. It destroyed my aunts clothes line and bird house. tore up her back porch a bit tryin to get into the bird seed. Hopefully they get rid of it soon.

[buzzard]

Deer supposedly don't like iris plants, but a few years back, my dad planted 100+ bulbs along his circular driveway. When they came up, he came out one morning and found almost all 100+ of them pulled up, not eaten, just pulled up, and deer hoof prints all over the area. He was so mad! He went ahead and replanted them, and the deer didn't touch them again. I had to go in the house so he wouldn't see me laughing.

[famfish]

If you have a big cat near maybe the manure is not a good Idea. You do't live in Africa do you!

[WVsnowflake]

LOL not Africa but we do live in the mountains. There is a mountain Lion just accross the mountain that pops over every now and again. Acording to the DNR there is NO big cats around. Even tho they have been spotted and photos taken of them. My son asked one DNR officer ( after he was told they arent here) If a big cat attacks my animals can I shoot it. The officer told him no they were a protected animal in the state of WV . So my son then asked him if they dont exist here how can they be protected. The poor guy had no answere for him on that one !!!

I found me some Roma tomatoes for my salsa. But had to give 25.00 for a nice box. they arent completely ripe yet so gotta wait a few days. which will give me time to find the hot peppers. I need.

[famfish]

Start your fall garden now. Lettuce, cabbage, broccoli and even beans! Fall gardens have the best tasting veggies! Stat cutting the new growths of the tomatoes so the main crop rippens! Cut them just abv the new flower!

[WVsnowflake]

I just did that down here and the cave man living next to hubby who went in on the garden threw a fit !!! said there would have been more tomatoes where those flowers were I told hubby yes there would have been but the tomato plants were 7 feet tall and all the pretty tomatoes at the bottom werent getting any nutrients cause it was all goin to growing the stems and trying to grow new lil maters!!! Now the maters should get a lil bigger and ripen. The caveman had never grown a mater plant in his life or garden for that matter !!! the nerve of some people !!!

[famfish]

That accurs also when you have too much nitrigen in the soil. Chicen manure will cause the plants to get big with small tomatoes. Clip the new grothsd off on all but about 2 vines and you will get rip ones quicker and bigger ones!

[WVsnowflake]

So too much nitrogen causes things to grow alot... would explain the corn being 8-9 feet tall and ears about 3-4 inches in length !!! no ears at all so to speak ..... got a whole 6 cups after it was all cut off the cob..... that off of about 20 stalks

[famfish]

5 -10-10 is 5 nitrogen 10-10-10 is 10nitrogen. Urea which is actually dried urine is like 40-0-0 and only contains nitrigen! Chicken Manure especially fresh has a very high nitrogen and will cause potatoes and tomatoes to grow very green and big with not pototoes and small tomatoes! Lettuce is a good example growing near a barn will have very nice leaves but because of the nitrogen t will be bitter. Look around a barn and you will see nice grass but the cows will not eat it because it is bitter and dark green! a balance fertilizer is usually the best! Composted or older manure or worm casings are the best!

[WVsnowflake]

I have been putting my chicken manure and old straw & hay along with tea and coffee, and some dirt into a compost pile. Lots of worms in there also. would that be great for the garden come next year?