It's a Depression... Have Fun with It!

[freebird5825]

Raspberries are the one thing that I have stuck with - easy, delicious, expensive in the store (and often moldy in a day or two), and the deer don't bother them. We have a patch along the garage, ~ 20' by 3' deep. A little weeding, maybe some watering, fertilize once a year, trim in the fall - that's it. We get a steady crop for 3-4 weeks. Excellent return on the effort, IMO.

I've tried planting s few fall varieties to extend the season further, but they haven't taken.

-ERD50

I have 4 blackberry plants and a full row of strawberries in the garden, here in hardiness Zone 5. Here is a link to a mail order nursery that specializes in winter hardy berry varieties, as well as other hardy fruits.
I got my plants from them 3 years ago and they are very happy campers.
see Welcome to MillerNurseries.com
Fresh berries are so wonderful. I forgot to cut back my blackberries last fall. Oops!

 

[Koolau]

Hello Koolau! Your life is wonderful!

Yeah, sindy. Thanks for reminding me! Guess I just have to complain about SOMETHING! "What-ifs?" will do if I can't find anything else.

 

[Amethyst]

HOSTAGE TO DEER

1. Found someone at work who bow hunts, and he was almost drooling at the thought of so much free venison available for the taking. Turns out I had to get permission from all the neighbors, and one neighbor, who has kids who play outside, said no.

2. What's a deer trap? Do the deer go inside? What do you do with them after that? How do you keep kids and dogs out of the trap? Just wondering.

3. I am considering spending $130 for a "Phantom Deterrent," an outdoor electronic device that is supposed to make "mountain lion" sounds that supposedly scare off deer. Sounds faintly bogus, but I'm getting desperate.

4. I was very interested to learn that deer do not bother raspberry canes. I wonder if that would be true of "my" deer? They are even eating the barberry bushes that have long sharp thorns on them!

 

[ERD50]

4. I was very interested to learn that deer do not bother raspberry canes. I wonder if that would be true of "my" deer? They are even eating the barberry bushes that have long sharp thorns on them!

Well the deer around here go after just about everything. They left our Hostas alone for years, then developed a taste for them too.

Tulips, deer food. But Iris, daffodils,(paper whites? I think they are just a variety of daffodil?) and crocus OK - something bitter they don't like. We planted a row of boxwood bushes a few years back, said to be deer "resistant", and so far, so good. Boxwood can have a kind of skunky smell from time to time, esp if you disturb the branches.

The deer seem to leave our herbs alone too - rosemary, oregano, parsley, thyme (sorry, no sage). But we bring those into the 3-season room for winter.

I even have a few tulips scattered in the raspberries, and those have a 50-50 chance.

-ERD50

 

[haha]

I was planning to fly across the country to go to a party that I really wanted to attend, but when I realized how much it would set me back I had to cancel. Feel bad about it, but I realy need to hang on my coin so I don't run my cash too short.

I have some holes in my jeans pockets where my knife rubs them. I think I will try to sew them up and keep the pants a while longer.

Ha

 

[GoodSense]

Like Ha, I have been doing repair work/alterations to my clothes lately. I moved all the buttons on a coat lately to accommodate my horizontal growth. I love the result! It's like having a new coat for free.

 

[Koolau]

HOSTAGE TO DEER

1. Found someone at work who bow hunts, and he was almost drooling at the thought of so much free venison available for the taking. Turns out I had to get permission from all the neighbors, and one neighbor, who has kids who play outside, said no.

2. What's a deer trap? Do the deer go inside? What do you do with them after that? How do you keep kids and dogs out of the trap? Just wondering.

3. I am considering spending $130 for a "Phantom Deterrent," an outdoor electronic device that is supposed to make "mountain lion" sounds that supposedly scare off deer. Sounds faintly bogus, but I'm getting desperate.

4. I was very interested to learn that deer do not bother raspberry canes. I wonder if that would be true of "my" deer? They are even eating the barberry bushes that have long sharp thorns on them!

When I used to live in "deer central", the local zoo sold mountain lion urine which was supposed to scare off the deer. One sniff and you could see why. Wow!

 

[sailor]

HOSTAGE TO DEER
2. What's a deer trap?
Typically either a snare or mechanical "jaws".

Do the deer go inside?
Yes, although not in the way you think. their leg (or neck) get stuck in the snare or in jaws. Than they frequently bleed to death, but it takes way longer than a mouse or a rat in a mouse trap.

What do you do with them after that?
eat & stuff ? look up deer processing services in your phone book
How do you keep kids and dogs out of the trap?
leashes and constant vigilance?

Just wondering.

Just answering.

 

[CuppaJoe]

....

I have some holes in my jeans pockets where my knife rubs them. I think I will try to sew them up and keep the pants a while longer.

Ha

I just catch those falling knives with my hands, Ha.

 

[freebird5825]

...I have some holes in my jeans pockets where my knife rubs them. I think I will try to sew them up and keep the pants a while longer.
Ha

I hope you guys noticed that I didn't go anywhere near this one...

 

[sander06]

Oh yeah, clothes. I bought a suit at Goodwill for $25 and got it altered for $35, all for my older son's wedding. I also got a fantastic heather tweed sports coat for $6. Perfect fit!!! Of course, its a small point that I was buying clothes at the Starvation Army and Goodwill well before it became "chic" as CNN would say.

 

[Sparky]

I was planning to fly across the country to go to a party that I really wanted to attend, but when I realized how much it would set me back I had to cancel. Feel bad about it, but I realy need to hang on my coin so I don't run my cash too short.

I have some holes in my jeans pockets where my knife rubs them. I think I will try to sew them up and keep the pants a while longer.

Ha

Well, I have some older black clothes that have turned sorta gray after many washings - I bought some black dye and, voila! I have new black clothes. I ain't buying nothin' new.

 

[freebird5825]

Well, I have some older black clothes that have turned sorta gray after many washings - I bought some black dye and, voila! I have new black clothes. I ain't buying nothin' new.

Ditto - I have at least 10 pairs of black stretch jeans in my closet that have turned a dull charcoal grey. Fabric is sound and seams are intact.
May I ask how you did it? I didn't want to stain my home washing machine with the black dye. I was thinking I could do that and then run a full load, no clothes and some bleach added.

 

[Sparky]

Ditto - I have at least 10 pairs of black stretch jeans in my closet that have turned a dull charcoal grey. Fabric is sound and seams are intact.
May I ask how you did it? I didn't want to stain my home washing machine with the black dye. I was thinking I could do that and then run a full load, no clothes and some bleach added.

I bought liquid RIT at the grocery store - I didn't want to muck up my washing machine either so I put 3 gallons hot water in my kitchen sink, a cup of salt and the dye, spent about 1 hour pushing it around with a spatula and, presto, new black clothes.

 

[freebird5825]

I bought liquid RIT at the grocery store - I didn't want to muck up my washing machine either so I put 3 gallons hot water in my kitchen sink, a cup of salt and the dye, spent about 1 hour pushing it around with a spatula and, presto, new black clothes.

Thanks for the info.
These black slacks used to be my everyday w*rk clothes. With so many pairs, I think I will have to do this outside in a big metal tub and stir it like a witches cauldron. I can carry the hot water outside for some good stair exercise. I can use the garden hose to rinse the excess dye off. My neighbors will think I'm nutz. I'll just smile and wave.