[vr1967]

We didn’t even break ground for our spring garden this year, as it was too wet when i had off from work. Wife and i are already looking at planting our fall garden in the next month if the weather will co-operate

[applezop]

've been hearing that for years regarding pee as a deer repellent, along with human or dog hair clippings, Irish Spring soap, Cayenne pepper and so on. tomzpot mdro.fun/mobdro/

[Shiny]

This is our second year with raised beds inside the 8-ft deer fence (The Compound). It has been a very hot, dry summer so far but most stuff is growing. I planted some edible-pod pea seeds this spring and we're enjoying those. Tomatoes are picking up speed and summer squash will soon overwhelm us. Peppers are thinking about growing...

My wife's lettuce is happy under shade cloth.

For some reason this year we are having a massive daisy festival in the adjacent perennial bed. They are nice to have.

Deer trampled some of other perennials.. they are fun to observe in somebody else's yard!

We tried starting squash and tomato plants from seed again and it was a lot of grief without reward. They looked OK but all died when transplanted so we just bought starts from the store and won't bother with that again. I think we'd need a greenhouse to make that manageable.

[carbking]

The price of gardening has gone up!!!!!!!!1

Waited too late to buy plants last year, and had to buy varieties I didn't know anything about.

Got out early this year.

Tomatoes:

4 scrawny plants - $1.99 (not an issue, I used to grow them from seed; a little Miracle-Gro and some TLC and these will be good)
Decent single plants - $4.99 EACH
Large (about 3 foot tall, in large pot) - $16.95 EACH!

How many tomatoes does it take to break even at $16.95 a plant?

Is this a forecast for vegetable prices this summer???

As to the deer and rabbits we have been feeding for a few years:

Bought a really hot electric fencer in the off-season. Plan to string 2 wires around the garden; 1 at 4 inches (rabbits), 1 at 3 feet (deer).

Disney and Looney Tunes have it all wrong. It may look good for Bugs Bunny to much on a carrot; but the real live rabbits won't touch one! But 2 adult rabbits can wipe out the tops of a 50 foot row of beets in a single evening!

Pre-ordered all my seed this year except plants, so I got the varieties I wanted this year, including the sometimes difficult to find white turnips. These things are delicious (and I don't like the purple top turnips). The white turnips are sufficiently mild one can pull one, wash it, and each it like an apple.

Hopefully, the weather is more co-operative this year as it relates to zucchini. Last year, 25 plants netted 2 small zucchini!

Jon

[Shiny]

Ouch... I haven't looked yet but will load my pockets with bills and listen to calming music before I do.

This year's goal is to defeat squash bugs. The deer couldn't get past the 8' fence but the bugs must be good jumpers. They were aggressive little ***s. They killed every summer squash plant in our raised beds. Did I say I don't like them much? My wife had us try "organic" mitigation which I think improved their health. This year I'm using Sevin and moving on....

I do have snap peas sprouted but our last frost day is ~May 7 so still a risk to plant other stuff.

[carbking]

Some of the articles I have seen on organic gardening remind me of a picture of a garter snake in an encyclopedia we bought in 1957. It was titled "rattlesnake".

Obviously, the author was less than an expert; and had probably never seen a rattlesnake!

A few years ago, there was an article on the internet that pawpaw trees emit an odor, and deer will not eat the leaves. Local deer almost defoliated my pawpaw trees!

So:

(1) The author didn't know what they are talking about!
(2) The local deer do not have internet access (need to let the government know)
OR
(3) The local deer cannot read (need to talk to the school board)

The good news about the internet is that anyone can post
The bad news about the internet is that anyone can post

And Sevin doesn't do a fabulous job on the shield beetles, picking them off and depositing them in an open can of gasoline is a better solution!

Jon

[Shiny]

When they hatched on our squash leaves, nature's little miracles were abundant, fast, and evasive. It would take a person much more patient than I to pluck them off and squash (pardon the pun) them.

Gasoline would work but may not end well...

Thanks for the heads-up on Sevin. It's about the only option unless there are other chemicals that are "less than toxic" in small doses.

[GT182]

I've never seen deer that can't jump an 8 foot fence. I have watched them jump a 10 foot fence from a stand-still. No joke.

Another gardening tip to keep deer and rabbits out is moth balls. Spread them around the perimeter of the garden and a few inside here and there. I did it last fall and this spring and so far both are staying away.

We have empty little grey plastic cans that have deer repellent in them. Some still have it and some are empty. I pop the center piece off the bottom and add 4 moth balls to them. Pop the center back on and the moth balls stay put and don't get wet. You can leave them on the ground and they will gradually melt over time when rained on, but they last a long time. They last longer than Liquid Fence or any product like it.... liquid or granular. We tried them all and spent a beaucoup amount of money for nothing. Even the electronic device are questionable... tried that too but they didn't work all that well for a huge flower garden. Deer are super smart.

By the way, while look for repellants, a guy at Lowes here from New Orleans gave us that bit of advice on the moth balls.

[carbking]

Agree on the 8 foot fence; but in the dark, difficult to see that single wire. If they touch it just once, tends to make them find someone's garden to rob.

Jon.