Gardeners

[Time2]

My wife was given some seeds she thought was a luffa, turns out they weren't, but what are they?

 

[Gumby]

Looks like a zucchini to me.

 

[Time2]

Maybe, but I think a bit of an odd shape for zucchini.

 

[MissMolly]

It's a squash for sure. Maybe a marrow?

 

[Gumby]

Google image search says it could be a cushaw pumpkin.

https://hirts.com/green-striped-cushaw-pumpkin-30-seeds-seed/

 

[Piper20]

Had a deer last night going after the garden. Cheap 2 D cell charger took care of it.

 

[ERD50]

Garden was completely massacred by deer last night.

I'm about to give up. Countless hours down the drain.

Mom and Bambi have been around. Someone nearby is giving housing and quarter to the enemy and then they go out for twilight raids.

All joking aside, this is a first. Cucumbers down to the nubs. Even the tomatoes were hit. I've never seen the tomatoes munched on.

I'm going to have to re-evaluate whether I want to do this or whether I want to invest in more barriers.

In our previous home (far NW suburbs of Chicago), the deer got bolder and bolder year after year. I started finding green tomatoes 10 ~ 15 feet from the plants, sort of crushed in half. I finally decided the deer tried them, didn't like them, and spit them out. But they kept trying! I got very tired of fighting Mother Nature.

DW wanted a tomato plant or three in our new place. Between the container, the chicken wire (I encased the thing, no bird, squirrel or deer are getting in, but bugs still can reek havoc), we have ~ $60 invested! Oh well, if all goes well, it'll be half that next year.

We are going to have some not-great bushes torn out this fall, and will plant raspberries. Those things are dependable, and delicious, and the ones in the store are either not-ripe, or go bad in a day.Looking forward to fresh raspberries next year.

DD liked ours at the old place, planted some, and got a decent harvest the first year.

-ERD50

 

[CincyDave]

It's a squash for sure. Maybe a marrow?

This would be my guess as well. Cushaws have a shape more like a birdhouse gourd

 

[CincyDave]

Ranch garden in old corral has pumpkins, squash and MN midget cantaloupe.

Pictures of garden in town has tomatoes, sweet banana peppers, cucumbers, beets and MN midgets.

Great looking garden Street!

 

[street]

My wife was given some seeds she thought was a luffa, turns out they weren't, but what are they?

People call them zucchini here I haven't researched it but we have used them the same way as zucchini. The bread from them is absolutely wonderful!!

 

[Gumby]

I had never heard of a marrow before this thread, so I have learned something new. Thanks, Time2 and Miss Molly.

 

[Time2]

After looking at a few sites, I'm leaning towards the Marrow squash, The shape and size seem consistent, the coloring is highly variable and I only found a couple of images that have the same coloring and shape as what my wife has grown. There are many images with similar coloring but not the same shape.

Found lots of recipes for Marrow Squash.
Thanks all.

 

[jfn111]

We had a great spring for Rhubarb, the rest of season has been not so great, no rain for a good month.

Our local farmers got a decent first cut, second cut is not looking great and third cut may happen at this rate.

In our 30+ years here I don't recall it every being this dry. We have mowed the lawn one time this year!

We finally decided to quit trying to keep our lawn green and now we are watering just enough to keep it alive. I don't think I've ever seen it this dry so early in the season.

 

[anethum]

Garden was completely massacred by deer last night.

I'm about to give up. Countless hours down the drain.

Mom and Bambi have been around. Someone nearby is giving housing and quarter to the enemy and then they go out for twilight raids.

All joking aside, this is a first. Cucumbers down to the nubs. Even the tomatoes were hit. I've never seen the tomatoes munched on.

I'm going to have to re-evaluate whether I want to do this or whether I want to invest in more barriers.

I feel your pain. I've lived in my home for over 35 years and it's in what is essentially an urban area near a subway station. There have been plenty of deer near me, esp. in a forested area 3/4 mile away, but they never ventured onto my street until late last summer. They devoured lots, but fortunately I had already harvested at least 3/4 of most crops. They couldn't reach my 12 tomato plants, because many years ago I had to completely enclose them with poles and netting to keep out birds and squirrels. Enclosures for tomato plants are now pretty common in the DC area, where the entire squirrel population learned about 25 years ago that tomatoes are yummy. I was away in late September & early October and my next-door neighbor took a photo of 5 deer hanging out inside my vegetable garden. They completely mowed down some plants including beans and swiss chard. I was surprised that they left peppers alone.

My vegetable garden is about 450 sq. ft. This spring I bought 100 ft. of deer netting and about 18 poles. So far, it's working. But it's a pain going in & out of the garden in 2 entry areas, where I disconnect and re-connect the netting with a few twist ties.

 

[JoeWras]

The one time I used plastic deer netting, I caught a black racer snake instead. It was not good. This beneficial snake suffered a horrible death.

Perhaps I can use it up high though.

 

[RAE]

We finally decided to quit trying to keep our lawn green and now we are watering just enough to keep it alive. I don't think I've ever seen it this dry so early in the season.

Same thing here in the U.P. of Michigan. Lawn started turning brown the first week of June.........never saw that happen that early before. More smoky/hazy skies than I've ever seen at this time of year, also. Not good.

 

[RAE]

Garden was completely massacred by deer last night.

I'm about to give up. Countless hours down the drain.

Mom and Bambi have been around. Someone nearby is giving housing and quarter to the enemy and then they go out for twilight raids.

All joking aside, this is a first. Cucumbers down to the nubs. Even the tomatoes were hit. I've never seen the tomatoes munched on.

I'm going to have to re-evaluate whether I want to do this or whether I want to invest in more barriers.

I feel your pain also. Lots of deer in our neighborhood also, and without a 6-ft. fence all around, my garden would be destroyed in short order by deer. But the fence doesn't help keep chipmunks out, and they are now munching down my broccoli plants, one by one. Grrrrr!! They munched on my snow peas and snap peas, too. No good way to keep chipmunks out (they can climb), so I've been trapping them. But it's probably a losing battle, as for every one I trap, another one shows up to take its place. And then there are the woodchucks.........they have destroyed my garden in the past. I usually end up trapping 2-3 of them every year also, but so far this year, they haven't shown up. Gardening is full of challenges, for sure.......but I'm going to stick with it. The fresh produce that I do get is definitely worth the effort (and the battles!).

 

[street]

I feel your pain also. Lots of deer in our neighborhood also, and without a 6-ft. fence all around, my garden would be destroyed in short order by deer. But the fence doesn't help keep chipmunks out, and they are now munching down my broccoli plants, one by one. Grrrrr!! They munched on my snow peas and snap peas, too. No good way to keep chipmunks out (they can climb), so I've been trapping them. But it's probably a losing battle, as for every one I trap, another one shows up to take its place. And then there are the woodchucks.........they have destroyed my garden in the past. I usually end up trapping 2-3 of them every year also, but so far this year, they haven't shown up. Gardening is full of challenges, for sure.......but I'm going to stick with it. The fresh produce that I do get is definitely worth the effort (and the battles!).

I double fence for deer and moose. The old corral is > than 5 feet and then 4 feet from the corral I put sheep fence with just a few T-post to hold it up. Deer can jump high, and they can jump far, but they can't do both. I have never had a problem when I double fence.

Another spot I have some plum, June berry and black current planted along the crick. There I use sheep fence and angled it outward ~ @ a 45-degree angle. That has worked well for the last 4 years. I did have a moose break it down one winter, but it has kept the deer out great.

I will take that fence down this winter those trees are well adapted now.

As for rabbits and other critters that would be a mission in imposable.

 

[Gumby]

We have a ten foot deer fence around the community garden. The marmots and the rabbits can get through that, but the plots are also individually fenced, which keeps out the rabbits, and I have buried fence underground around my own plot to keep out the marmots (groundhogs).

I just learned on Friday night that I have been given an additional plot this year. I went out today and tilled the whole thing, then raked up and disposed of the weeds. Tomorrow morning, I'll go out and sow corn, beans and squash. Unfortunately, we're going to Maine for two weeks this coming Saturday, so I just have to trust that everything will germinate and prosper in my absence. If it works, it will be nice to have sweet corn in late September.

I also put netting around my blueberry bushes at home today. They won't really be ready to pick until we get back from Maine, but I don't want to chance a bird attack while we're gone.

 

[swakyaby]

 

[Gumby]

After tilling my new extra community garden plot yesterday, I went back today and planted corn, green beans, winter squash and watermelons. I will water the newly sown things every day this week, and then just hope that we have regular rainfall while I am in Maine.

 

[Graybeard]

I double fence for deer and moose. The old corral is > than 5 feet and then 4 feet from the corral I put sheep fence with just a few T-post to hold it up. Deer can jump high, and they can jump far, but they can't do both. I have never had a problem when I double fence.



As for rabbits and other critters that would be a mission in imposable.

I did that too, it works.

If you wrap the outer fence with chicken wire 2' high you can pretty much keep the small critters out.

 

[street]

I did that too, it works.

If you wrap the outer fence with chicken wire 2' high you can pretty much keep the small critters out.

Yep, it works very well. Even if only 4 feet high both fences and 4 feet apart they won't jump it. Tie a little ribbon on both fences gives them more of a visual of the distance.

 

[MC Rider]

Just don't tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree.

Sorry.

 

[street]

Just don't tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree.

Sorry.

LOL! True