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Thread: Garden: Big Step for Me. Some dumb questions

  1. #1

    Garden: Big Step for Me. Some dumb questions

    I tried growing sunflowers once, and couldn't keep them outdoors for two days before something ate them. I have to believe this is a common problem.

    Is there anything besides a fence that will work?

    Once I start adding up seeds, potting soil/fertilizer/misc stuff, tools, etc., and the time involved, grocery store vegetables start looking awfully cheap. Add a fence on top of all that for the limited space I have, and it really doesn't seem like a good deal.

    I know, I know, if the SHTF it's going to be important to have a garden. But that's also why I'm stocking up on canned and longer-term storage food.

    So first, does it take a fence? Second, convince me that a garden is worth it.
    In your hearts, you know he's right.



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  3. #2
    A fence is vital. Rabbits and other herbivores will eat anything and everything you will.

    You might think about building a raised bed. You'll get a lot more out of the small area, and it helps to keep many animals (especially rabbits) away. It's also easier on your back.

  4. #3
    http://www.gardenvalueoutlet.com/s/s...liquidfence_v3


    this is called Liquid Fence.. it is all natural animal repellent.. it is a mixture of putrescent eggs and garlic...

    it is fine on any plant.. and it actually WORKS..

    it will keep away rabbits, deer, coyotes, anything..


    spray it on the plant once a week.. it is rain resistant but just have common sense about the right application..


    and cmon.. you KNOW a garden is worth it..
    Last edited by Kotin; 03-21-2009 at 05:33 PM.
    The ultimate minority is the individual. Protect the individual from Democracy and you will protect all groups of individuals
    Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual. - Thomas Jefferson
    I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

    - Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Kotin View Post
    putrescent eggs and garlic
    Yum!

    That sounds easy enough for even me. $15. If I produce 100 things, that's 15 cents each, not bad. But if I produce only 10 things off it, it adds $1.50 to the price of each. So I'll have to figure out my yield. (I'm such a budget nerd. )
    In your hearts, you know he's right.

  6. #5
    you could adopt a dog from the shelter. they are great for keeping animals out of the garden.

    additionally I know homeowners at a mountain resort that had a bad dear problem. they had a no hunting ban and the deer population exploded. the deers were eating leaves from their trees and shrubs. their solution....they suspended bars of Irish Spring soap in panty hose from the branches.

    good luck. for me it is not so much the end result of fresh veggies (tho that is the bonus) it is the journey and the fun of getting your hands dirty.

  7. #6
    Of course, if the SHTF where food was scarce, a garden in the cities wouldn't last long.
    Pfizer Macht Frei!

    Openly Straight Man, Danke, Awarded Top Rated Influencer. Community Standards Enforcer.


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  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by phill4paul View Post
    they suspended bars of Irish Spring soap in panty hose from the branches.
    Because my neighbors don't think I'm weird enough the Ron Paul sign still in my garage window.

    Danke, I'll just fire off a shotgun randomly. Combined with the soap and pantyhose, they'll stay away from this house.
    In your hearts, you know he's right.

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Scribbler de Stebbing View Post
    Because my neighbors don't think I'm weird enough the Ron Paul sign still in my garage window.

    Danke, I'll just fire off a shotgun randomly. Combined with the soap and pantyhose, they'll stay away from this house.
    LOL. They'll think your the bomb-diggity when ya leaves some fresh 'maters on their doorstep.



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  11. #9
    On a more ambitious level, how tough is a greenhouse to construct? (I suppose I could google this, but it's good for discussion.)

    I have a ton of shade, which makes my growing space small. But maybe a greenhouse could be constructed in the back, where the shade is, enhancing the growing ability despite the dearth of sunlight. Any idea?
    In your hearts, you know he's right.

  12. #10
    I've used this in the past, and it works great. Cheap and safe. I used some really hot sauce instead of the pint of hot peppers (Dave's Insanity Sauce). I don't like to puree hot peppers because I always seem to get eye-burning mist in the air. If I remember right, I think the added dish soap also takes care of aphids.

    http://my.gardenguides.com/forums/topic/9533

    1 pint of hot peppers
    1 bulb of garlic
    2 tbs dish soap
    2tbs vege oil
    1 5 gallon bucket and 4 gallons of water
    cheese cloth

    Puree the peppers and garlic then add a little water and puree more.
    Add pepper mix to water and cover. Let sit over night. Strain through cheese cloth into a 2 gallon garden sprayer. Add soap and oil.
    Spray plants leaves stems and around the trunks on the ground. DO NOT Spray in the heat of the day or when the plants are in direct sun as it can burn the plants. Must be reapplied after rain or watering.
    "No matter how noble you try to make it, your good intentions will not compensate for the mistakes that people make; that want to run
    our lives and run the economy, and reject the principles of private property and making up our own decisions for ourselves." -Ron Paul

  13. #11
    Just go buy some cheap chicken wire and some zip ties. Go buy 3 foot long wooden stakes and string up some chicken wire!

    Just as a tip, if you choose this method, you want about 6 inches to be bent so it lays flat on the ground, so you fence kinda looks like an L. Put some rocks on the part laying on the ground to prevent rabbits from squeezing under.

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Ninja Homer View Post
    http://my.gardenguides.com/forums/topic/9533

    1 pint of hot peppers
    1 bulb of garlic
    2 tbs dish soap
    2tbs vege oil
    1 5 gallon bucket and 4 gallons of water
    cheese cloth

    Puree the peppers and garlic then add a little water and puree more.
    Add pepper mix to water and cover. Let sit over night. Strain through cheese cloth into a 2 gallon garden sprayer. Add soap and oil.
    Spray plants leaves stems and around the trunks on the ground. DO NOT Spray in the heat of the day or when the plants are in direct sun as it can burn the plants. Must be reapplied after rain or watering.
    Sounds cheaper = good. I almost went right past this as it looked like a recipe. Trying to get over my cooking phobia too. I assume I can sub pre-minced garlic to include with the hot sauce. The rest I can handle. (Never have been able to find cheese cloth. Seems to come up a lot in the Freedom Living forum, so will have to put in the effort.)
    In your hearts, you know he's right.

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by JVParkour View Post
    Just go buy some cheap chicken wire and some zip ties. Go buy 3 foot long wooden stakes and string up some chicken wire!

    Just as a tip, if you choose this method, you want about 6 inches to be bent so it lays flat on the ground, so you fence kinda looks like an L. Put some rocks on the part laying on the ground to prevent rabbits from squeezing under.
    I'm going to attribute my inability to get stakes into the ground to rocks, not to being blonde. This goes back to the sunflowers. Planted them in landscaping fill that included a lot of rocks. I actually did try the chicken wire but did a crappy job because I couldn't get the stakes in the ground.

    This hot sauce/garlic deal sounds like something I can handle. But you did a good job of spelling out the specifics on how-to with the chicken wire. This would work much better than my attempt!
    In your hearts, you know he's right.

  16. #14
    try hunting lure for the largest cat you can find - or woldf/coyote etc. alternately, urine works pretty well - as in yours.

    greenhouses are not that hard to build. They range from bent over PVC pipes covered by plastic to wooden structures with glazing. Glazing is a bit expensive and in this case you want the orientation and angle right for your lat/long - get a book if you go that route.

    -t

  17. #15
    Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
    Ron Paul 2004

    Registered Ron Paul supporter # 2202
    It's all about Freedom

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Scribbler de Stebbing View Post
    I'm going to attribute my inability to get stakes into the ground to rocks, not to being blonde. This goes back to the sunflowers. Planted them in landscaping fill that included a lot of rocks. I actually did try the chicken wire but did a crappy job because I couldn't get the stakes in the ground.

    This hot sauce/garlic deal sounds like something I can handle. But you did a good job of spelling out the specifics on how-to with the chicken wire. This would work much better than my attempt!
    Go to a Hardware store and pick up a 3-5 pound sledge. This looks more like a hammer on steroids than an axe. This for the posts.

    -t



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  20. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Scribbler de Stebbing View Post
    On a more ambitious level, how tough is a greenhouse to construct? (I suppose I could google this, but it's good for discussion.)

    I have a ton of shade, which makes my growing space small. But maybe a greenhouse could be constructed in the back, where the shade is, enhancing the growing ability despite the dearth of sunlight. Any idea?
    Start off small with a "cold frame" greenhouse.

    You can buy them from places like Home Deficit:



    Or make your own, I have a few similar to this one:



    They work well to extend your growing season, which is probably about the same in MN as it is here in upstate NH.

    I turn over roughly 3/4 of acre every year and one of the most valuable lessons I've learned is this: grow what you can. This is followed closely by: grow what is expensive.

    Everybody who starts out gardening would like to see a lush "victory" garden, filled with everything from beets to brussel sprouts. The fact is, soil, climate, pests and work involved will make some crops prosper and thrive and others fail on a regular basis no matter how much you try.

    For five years, for instance, I tried to get corn to grow right, but it never was "thrifty", and as soon as any ears grew to any size, every deer and raccoon in the western hemisphere was in my garden tearing it up.

    What did grow well in my conditions were beans, pumpkins and tomatoes, so now that is what I plant exclusively, or as exclusively as good soil conservation allows, and have a bountiful harvest every year.

    Then, once what grows well has been determined, take the choice of what is expensive over what is cheap to buy at a market. That should help your inner budget nerd.
    Last edited by Anti Federalist; 03-21-2009 at 10:21 PM.
    Another mark of a tyrant is that he likes foreigners better than citizens, and lives with them and invites them to his table; for the one are enemies, but the Others enter into no rivalry with him. - Aristotle's Politics Book 5 Part 11

  21. #18
    yeah - tomato's, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are good cash crops - grow those and trade at a farmers market.

    I've tried corn in 2 completely different environments and never had success.

    remember pumpkins, squash and water Mellon will take over your garden if you let them. People always underestimate the space required.

    As to your shade issues - if the trees are really tall, hire an arborist(sp?) to thin them out, if closer to the ground go to a hardware store and get one of those extending pole (limb) saws and do it yourself. They are overgrown and when thinned will let in a LOT more light! This should be done every 3-4 years.

    -t
    Last edited by tangent4ronpaul; 03-21-2009 at 11:13 PM.

  22. #19
    btw: if you get a really good gardening book and a bucket each of peat moss, top soil/manure (don't get the ones that are just "top soil", and sand and then a bag each of blood meal and bone meal - then another bucket to mix and ideally a screen... What I'm getting at is that if you mix your soils for each crop or enhance/re-condition them (takes a while to learn) you will be amazed at your results. DO get a soil test kit, and one that will do a lot of tests, not the one off capsules good for a few tests. You can also contact your county extension people as they will almost always offer a fairly low cost service to test your soil in a lab and will offer suggestions for improving it, if asked. There is a slight turn around time, maybe 2-3 weeks.

    by buckets I mean 5 gallon pails, and you will buy top soil by the bag and peat moss by the bail, etc.

    -t

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Scribbler de Stebbing View Post
    I'm going to attribute my inability to get stakes into the ground to rocks, not to being blonde. This goes back to the sunflowers. Planted them in landscaping fill that included a lot of rocks. I actually did try the chicken wire but did a crappy job because I couldn't get the stakes in the ground.

    This hot sauce/garlic deal sounds like something I can handle. But you did a good job of spelling out the specifics on how-to with the chicken wire. This would work much better than my attempt!
    You could probably use garden staples and a hammer. To keep the dogs from digging up my new trees (before I fenced off the area), I put rocks down, then made a skirt of chickenwire and drove 2 ft lengths of rebar into the ground to hold it down. It worked out well. You can drive that in with a sledgehammer pretty easily (light tapping at first, then heavier hits once it is stable).



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