I don't just have a bass thumb.

[Swamp Girl]

@Scott F: Your yard is bee-you-tuh-FULL!!!

[roadwarrior]

Great job!

[Blue Raider Bob]

 

On 6/24/2024 at 9:57 AM, Choporoz said:

Couple pickup truck loads of composted cow manure has been unbelievable

This makes all the difference!

I use my front end loader to clean out the goat barn every summer. The soiled hay and manure are left in a tall pile for a full year to break down.  When its time for the new cleanout, I move the old cleanout to the garden and plow it in. What used to be brown, rock hard clay in the middle of a cedar forest, is now dark, pliable soil. Where once it was hard to grow weeds, now overwhelms me with produce.

[Jar11591]

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Jar11591: Your gardening is immaculate. 

[Jar11591]

@ol'crickety thank you. It’s my pride and joy. Gardening is a lot like bass fishing for me. Whereas I’ll always find an excuse to mess with my fishing gear even when I’m not fishing, I’ll look for any excuse to go hang out in my garden and tend to the plants. Just me and the bumblebees….plus the ground hog looking longingly at my green beans from the bushes. 

[Swamp Girl]

5 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

@ol'crickety thank you. It’s my pride and joy. Gardening is a lot like bass fishing for me. Whereas I’ll always find an excuse to mess with my fishing gear even when I’m not fishing, I’ll look for any excuse to go hang out in my garden and tend to the plants. Just me and the bumblebees….plus the ground hog looking longingly at my green beans from the bushes. 

 

You should be proud. Your garden is A+.

 

Gardening and fishing are a lot alike in that they're both excuses the leave the walls behind. Growing the garden thanks the Earth, for it feeds the bumblebees and the other pollinators. You have a groundhog? I don't. I have chippies, red and gray squirrels, turkeys, raccoons, and a skunk that visit my feeders, in addition to the hundreds of small birds. 

[Jar11591]

We successfully evicted the groundhog from our yard, but he still lives close. He hasn’t been as destructive this year but he has decimated a dozen heads of lettuce, 3 green bean plants, the kale, and the cabbage. Not as bad as last year, but enough to bum me out. My girlfriend and I still have some options left to prevent it, but I’m learning to just appreciate the ecosystem I’ve created in its entirety, ground hogs and all. My goal is to just grow more than he can eat. 
 

We have a lot of rabbits as well, but they usually stick to the clover we planted. Which is part of the reason we planted it so as long as the dogs don’t catch the baby bunnies, they’re always welcome in the yard. 

[gim]

1 hour ago, Jar11591 said:

We have a lot of rabbits as well, but they usually stick to the clover we planted. Which is part of the reason we planted it so as long as the dogs don’t catch the baby bunnies, they’re always welcome in the yard. 

 

The rabbits at my place this year must have had a banner hatch or something.  They are like an army of overgrown cockroaches with fur.  They decimated my hostas again even after they began growing back after they were decimated by rabbits last year.

 

My dog can't catch them either.  She tries, but she fails.  They change direction way too quick for her even though she's a highly trained hunting dog.  If I didn't have 4 foot high fencing around my garden there would be nothing left in 2 days from the rabbits and deer.

[Swamp Girl]

17 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

The rabbits at my place this year must have had a banner hatch or something.  They are like an army of overgrown cockroaches with fur.  They decimated my hostas again even after they began growing back after they were decimated by rabbits last year.

 

My dog can't catch them either.  She tries, but she fails.  They change direction way too quick for her even though she's a highly trained hunting dog.  If I didn't have 4 foot high fencing around my garden there would be nothing left in 2 days from the rabbits and deer.

 

Oh, I hated the rabbits in my Wisconsin garden. Sure, they were cute, but so destructive. They'd chop off my raspberry canes right before they were going to bear fruit and even felled two of my fruit-bearing apple trees. 

[Blue Raider Bob]

4 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

@ol'crickety thank you. It’s my pride and joy. Gardening is a lot like bass fishing for me. Whereas I’ll always find an excuse to mess with my fishing gear even when I’m not fishing, I’ll look for any excuse to go hang out in my garden and tend to the plants. Just me and the bumblebees….plus the ground hog looking longingly at my green beans from the bushes. 

I get that!

 Great job on the garden. It has the look of care and effort! As a lifelong gardener, I can really appreciate the work.

3 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

My goal is to just grow more than he can eat.

That is the goal of most veteran gardeners. When we are young and just starting out, it seemed we had to defend our plot from all comers. Gradually we come to the conclusion that that effort and stress can be prevented by just accepting the fact that we have created a food plot where the once was none, and the forest creatures are just doing what they do. I overplant and always reap rewards. Not just the physical rewards of a basket of veggies, but the emotional awards of providing a garden of plenty for all comers.

[Blue Raider Bob]

17 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

I get that!

 Great job on the garden. It has the look of care and effort! As a lifelong gardener, I can really appreciate the work.

That is the goal of most veteran gardeners. When we are young and just starting out, it seemed we had to defend our plot from all comers. Gradually we come to the conclusion that that effort and stress can be prevented by just accepting the fact that we have created a food plot where the once was none, and the forest creatures are just doing what they do. I overplant and always reap rewards. Not just the physical rewards of a basket of veggies, but the emotional awards of providing a garden of plenty for all comers.

Ha!  Just re-read my post and feel the biggest hypocrite. I get mad as hell when the critters eat my cantaloupes! Happens every year. My garden is surrounded by forest so there is no protection from exposure. The little devils feel safe and really enjoy my effort. If I get any melons, it is a victory! When I gardened on a big scale with a 1/4 acre garden in a pasture, the critters stayed away. Now they move in!  🐰

[TnRiver46]

@Jar11591, i knew them whistle pigs would be back………

 

they don’t take no for an answer 

[Bazoo]

On 6/22/2024 at 7:43 AM, JackstrawIII said:

The only thing I do with plants is mow my yard. Even trying to get grass to grow is… hard for me. 
 

My other main hobby is knife making. Did it for years, took a break for the last 5 years, but I’m back at it now and loving it!

 

Nice. That top one is my style, absolutely perfect!

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

I don't have a green thumb, very nice Katie! 

 

I do have a God-given talent for woodworking, and I have a keen interest in knives. 

 

I dabble a bit in knife tinkering, but not actually making them. Mostly refurbishing old knives or making new handles.

 

I rehafted this for a friend, and made the sheath.

 

 

Added scales to this little buck 135 and removed the hump.

 

Locust and maple for this Goldenspike.

 

 

I refurbished this one, using all original parts. Working on a sheath here.

 

I'm trying out a new sheath style for this Buck...

Eh... not enough shirt guard or retention.

 

 

 

I dyed the scales on the Case stockman pictured above. It was bonestag. It has a lot more pocket wear now.

I carry it constantly, and use it regularly when changing lures, instead of a line snipper. I love my traditional knives.

 

 

I enjoy whittling. Working on a lure is just a bonus.

All the hardware was in excellent shape. Still waiting on paint.

 

I like to whittle Christmas ornaments.

 

Locust.

 

 

 

I do spoons and scoops too.

 

 

Locust, cedar, and cherry.

This was for my mom, as a Christmas gift, with the knife pictured.

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Bazoo: Wow! I love woodworking.

[JackstrawIII]

17 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Nice. That top one is my style, absolutely perfect!

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

I don't have a green thumb, very nice Katie! 

 

I do have a God-given talent for woodworking, and I have a keen interest in knives. 

 

I dabble a bit in knife tinkering, but not actually making them. Mostly refurbishing old knives or making new handles.

 

I rehafted this for a friend, and made the sheath.

 

 

Added scales to this little buck 135 and removed the hump.

 

Locust and maple for this Goldenspike.

 

 

I refurbished this one, using all original parts. Working on a sheath here.

 

I'm trying out a new sheath style for this Buck...

Eh... not enough shirt guard or retention.

 

 

 

I dyed the scales on the Case stockman pictured above. It was bonestag. It has a lot more pocket wear now.

I carry it constantly, and use it regularly when changing lures, instead of a line snipper. I love my traditional knives.

 

 

I enjoy whittling. Working on a lure is just a bonus.

All the hardware was in excellent shape. Still waiting on paint.

 

I like to whittle Christmas ornaments.

 

Locust.

 

 

 

I do spoons and scoops too.

 

 

Locust, cedar, and cherry.

This was for my mom, as a Christmas gift, with the knife pictured.

 

 

Very cool, man!! You're quite the handy craftsman. I love it. 

 

[Jar11591]

Every few days we get this:

 

Hundreds of tomatoes almost ready to start ripening. I’m salivating. 

[Swamp Girl]

Your cukes are WAY ahead of mine. Impressive!

[TnRiver46]

Saw this at work today, everyone is having the same problem as I am 😂 

[Swamp Girl]

@TnRiver46: YUM!

[gim]

On 7/5/2024 at 4:03 PM, Jar11591 said:

Every few days we get this:

 

Those things can get out of hand quickly.  I planted a bunch last season (my first year with a garden) and they ballooned out of control by July.  I ate one every day for like 2 months straight, gave a bunch away to friends, co-workers, neighbors, family, and still had too many.  I learned my lesson this spring, planted half as many and spread them out more.  I like cucumbers but a guy can only eat so many.

[Swamp Girl]

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

Those things can get out of hand quickly.  I planted a bunch last season (my first year with a garden) and they ballooned out of control by July.  I ate one every day for like 2 months straight, gave a bunch away to friends, co-workers, neighbors, family, and still had too many.  I learned my lesson this spring, planted half as many and spread them out more.  I like cucumbers but a guy can only eat so many.

 

So true.

[Jar11591]

@gimruis yeah, we’re currently at the “giving them away“ stage. We’ve pickled them, made cucumber salads, cucumber water, and just snack on them. Now our friends and family are getting the surplus. Tomorrow another 2-3 will be ready that yesterday we’re just flowers. The growth rate is just insane. 

These guys are growing really fast too. And they are delicious. This particular garden bed which is the same as the cucumber, we covered in plastic over the winter. It seems to have supercharged the soil. Whole garden is thriving, but this particular bed seems like it’s on steroids. 
 

[TnRiver46]

We’ve got shishito peppers going that look kind of like that 

[TnRiver46]

I planted some okra seeds in gaps of the raised beds when everyone was about done with gardening in late June , they are coming in nicely now. 

 

Way too many cherry tomatoes that my wife planted even tho she doesn’t eat tomatoes