tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post8703881211255951642..comments2024-03-24T11:10:13.186-04:00Comments on The Gardening Me: Hilltop Plan - A WIPMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-80069972615264116482015-07-08T21:45:33.297-04:002015-07-08T21:45:33.297-04:00I never thought of that - they were apparently a l...I never thought of that - they were apparently a little odd, so I'd better not speculate ;)<br /><br />I actually stopped planting annuals after the few I put in were gobbled up within a couple of weeks - it was quite disappointing. I'm sure I'll give it another go at some point, but do some research on rabbit resistant varieties first.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-2800440278223394872015-07-07T22:39:31.694-04:002015-07-07T22:39:31.694-04:00Hooray for creating such a cool garden and good lu...Hooray for creating such a cool garden and good luck with the rabbits. They devoured part of my garden one year. I was so mad. They kept eating the same plants until they died. I wonder why the previous owners needed such a large fire pit? I wonder what they were roasting!Casa Mariposahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16647089868277238456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-83432064436734729932015-07-06T10:55:57.657-04:002015-07-06T10:55:57.657-04:00It's not far at all, only about 125' or so...It's not far at all, only about 125' or so from the back of our house. It definitely isn't as convenient as the other two areas that are in the main yard. Eventually I'm thinking of putting mostly long maturing crops there - things like corn, dried beans, onions, etc - the kind of stuff that takes a long time to mature and you pick within a relatively short time period.<br /><br />I had never done a cross border trip just to go shopping until this year as it always seemed like such a big deal. But I was in and out within a few hours (I went to other stores too - had to take advantage!), there was zero wait at the customs office & I only had to pay gst, no duty. Easy peasy!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-72489688884598731072015-07-06T10:42:55.369-04:002015-07-06T10:42:55.369-04:00That's so true - as I see the cardboard liftin...That's so true - as I see the cardboard lifting through the mulch, I'll stamp it down with my foot. Don't think it does much good, but I have to try. It definitely would be nice if our veg were that tough. And why can't the slugs eat up those weeds instead of my plants? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a slug on a weed - those smart little mollusks!<br />Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-74136498940700693192015-07-06T10:31:01.972-04:002015-07-06T10:31:01.972-04:00Boy, it would be great to hand over a cheque and h...Boy, it would be great to hand over a cheque and have everything magically completed in a few days. But when I'm out there lugging mulch, I just think of all that great exercise I'm getting - sure beats going to the gym! I hope you are closer to finishing up your garden than I am mine...although it's never truly finished, is it ;) Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-12007505119701345342015-07-06T10:25:01.748-04:002015-07-06T10:25:01.748-04:00That's a great idea with the onions! I'll...That's a great idea with the onions! I'll have to keep that in mind once I get rid of all the grass and weeds around the perimeter. I couldn't do storage onions as I have onion fly/maggot issues (I have netted my beds this year to see if I can keep them away from the bulbs), but I could try spring onions that mature relatively quickly.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-44769902355236037282015-07-06T07:33:27.304-04:002015-07-06T07:33:27.304-04:00What tremendous progress. I'm looking forward ...What tremendous progress. I'm looking forward to more pictures of the reclamation project. I hope your hilltop garden isn't too far a hike from your house--that makes the chores extra difficult. Haha, you have a fencepost smuggling operation.Eight Gate Farm NHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15877942009419912353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-59483868359070564612015-07-06T03:57:57.159-04:002015-07-06T03:57:57.159-04:00Dang, woman---you have been busy! And that's ...Dang, woman---you have been busy! And that's crazy with the price differences for the same posts!! Good thing you checked around--that's a lot of savings!<br /><br />I tried mulching over "ditch lilies" a few years back. Piled a foot of donkey doo on top of cardboard and STILL the lilies came through. I sure wish our vegetable crops were as persistent as those things we're trying to get rid of--LOL!Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10122524042294993949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-69196010358376402752015-07-06T02:23:25.997-04:002015-07-06T02:23:25.997-04:00I feel your weed battling pain! Our veg patch used...I feel your weed battling pain! Our veg patch used to be a field so we are always fighting the weeds who have been there for years and feel it is their right to remain! Our garden is also an 'over the years' process, it's great to work on but occasionally I think 'couldn't I just win the lottery and just hire someone to finish this!' :)Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01587668727917641098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-59818835184418235222015-07-05T22:10:41.489-04:002015-07-05T22:10:41.489-04:00Wow, good for you, Margaret! My first guess would ...Wow, good for you, Margaret! My first guess would have been deer or rabbits, too. And truly the only thing I've found that will keep them out with certainty is the chicken wire fencing, with the bottom buried in the ground. Also, I put onion sets all around the perimeter of my veggie/flower garden, inside the fencing. If there's a gap, they're less likely to want to go through it if the repellent onions are in the way. Then, I get more onions and I repel the rabbits at the same time. Good luck! You have an amazing garden!Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-26195184488874574752015-07-05T20:57:16.306-04:002015-07-05T20:57:16.306-04:00It definitely would have been easier if I had a bl...It definitely would have been easier if I had a blank slate to start with! The easiest beds to add were those I put in last year - all I had to deal with there was grass, which isn't so bad.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-65791810284740186742015-07-05T18:05:32.776-04:002015-07-05T18:05:32.776-04:00That hilltop looks like a huge reclamation project...That hilltop looks like a huge reclamation project. I was so lucky when we moved into the house and we just had subsoil. It meant we would hire landscapers to put everything in (well not the beds, but all the rest). I'd never started from such an easy yard before. Daphne Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305049560953735881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-83276828909800862812015-07-05T15:50:37.675-04:002015-07-05T15:50:37.675-04:00I completely agree. In the past there were so man...I completely agree. In the past there were so many times I wish I had written down how & when I did things. I did make notes on the veg that I was growing, but that was about it and I rarely took photos. I love before and after photos, but often didn't remember to grab the camera until after the job was halfway done (or at all in most cases). When you write a blog, all of a sudden documenting what happens in the garden becomes almost second nature. I can't even imagine what it will be like to look back at it in 10 or 15 years.<br /><br />I think that the most frustrating thing when it comes to this pest is not really knowing what it is - "ghost" pests drive me crazy!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-12970870448084875012015-07-05T14:02:03.849-04:002015-07-05T14:02:03.849-04:00What a lot of work you've done. I think the be...What a lot of work you've done. I think the beauty of a blog is that you can look back on everything you've achieved so you'll be pleased that you've documented all this. Such a shame about your corn, there's just so many pests waiting to jump in and take our crops before we get a chance, I hope you manage to thwart them.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-67378953331384416242015-07-05T13:42:14.620-04:002015-07-05T13:42:14.620-04:00There were such thick vines twisting through the a...There were such thick vines twisting through the arbour that they were actually cracking sections of it. What a pain they were to remove, let me tell you! I think it will be lovely once it's done - I'm picturing a little bench up there and maybe a potting table. In the meantime, what I really need are some 30 hour days ;)<br /><br />Until I did a bit of research, I had no idea that it was difficult to grow blueberries around here as we would often see them at U-Pick farms. Apparently they do a ton of soil removal/replacement, etc., in order to be able to grow them. Building & filling a bed (or container) is so much easier!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-51681479361017273802015-07-05T13:32:20.372-04:002015-07-05T13:32:20.372-04:00That arbour area looks like it will be lovely once...That arbour area looks like it will be lovely once it's been cleaned up a bit - so much potential, I'm looking forward to seeing what you do there (whenever, no pressure :) !). And great job on the chicken wire - that really is a lot of work, so good on you! I have one blueberry plant in a container, it seems much easier to grow than raspberries so I think I'll invest in more next year. Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-88513766774930930782015-07-05T13:30:47.033-04:002015-07-05T13:30:47.033-04:00It's seems that it's a mystery - I haven&#...It's seems that it's a mystery - I haven't tacked down the bottom of the chickenwire (just purchased the pegs, so I'll be doing that today). It's possible that there is a gap that they got through. Was out with some neighbors last night and that is exactly what happened to her & she had to resow some beans and peas. We haven't had any deer issues before (knock on wood!) but I have a feeling they wouldn't be that selective about what they ate - one of the chewed up stalks was surrounded by stalks with no damage on them! Have never seen any groundhogs or such, but that doesn't mean that we don't have any. Nothing else seems to have been touched in the last few days other than the corn. I'm hoping that it will be ok hiding under the Agribon until the stalks get too tough to chew through easily.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-82911126542526372192015-07-05T09:29:57.239-04:002015-07-05T09:29:57.239-04:00That's a massive amount of work you took on, w...That's a massive amount of work you took on, way beyond what I would take on at my age. Ahh, youth. Sorry about the corn. I think that is not bird damage, given the thickness of the stalks. Birds are not vegetarians. They usually pull up corn or bean seedlings to get at the seed. They don't shear off corn stalks and eat them. Rabbits, deer, ground hog?David Veltenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07710293718143454000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-35516682234537102452015-07-05T07:57:30.972-04:002015-07-05T07:57:30.972-04:00Birds are not generally a problem in the garden, o...Birds are not generally a problem in the garden, other than perhaps digging up a few pea or bean seeds, so I wasn't expecting to have any issues with them. I suppose with the new types of veg I'm growing this year, it's not surprising that I would have at least one or two critter issues that I haven't had before. Next year, the corn is going to get the Agribon treatment from the start.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-63813491713535802902015-07-05T03:24:02.683-04:002015-07-05T03:24:02.683-04:00Your hilltop garden looks great, everything is loo...Your hilltop garden looks great, everything is looking lush. It definitely could be birds damaging your corn, especially since your corn plants weren't actually eaten. One year we lost 30 out of sixty-something tomato seedlings to birds when they would just snap the stems.<br /><br />We did have a wild brown rabbit in our garden one season. It would eat things like young kohrabi and Asian greens and eat parts of eggplant and tomatoes, but it wouldn't leave parts of plants snapped off.Phuonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658691564062044986noreply@blogger.com