AMAZING!

[radas]

We seem to be back in Monsoon Season. Getting 20-minute turd floaters every day now.

We only did a small veggie patch next to the house, about 6' x 20'. Mostly, we learned a bit about organizing what we're willing to work for a garden so we get best yield. Not enough room for corn. I put the cucumbers on trellises which kept them off the ground. We are still getting a LOT of cucumbers. Can't give 'em away fast enough, and we have all the pickles we can possibly eat for the next two years. Previous years' attempts usually just wound up being a whole lotta head scratching about how to stop the bloom end rot. The two Roma tomatoe vines were gorgeous, and looked like they were going to go all summer. But, something attacked the bark on the vines just at soil level (nematodes?). It really looked like chipmunks did it, but they didn't cut the vine. Just the bark. And ONLY the Roma. Weird. Didn't touch the Big Boy or little tomatoes(3 different varieties). I probably should have planted them a few weeks earlier , but the leafy greens were absolutely gorgeous until just before ready to pick. Worms. I've fed several hornworms to the robins out in the yard, and try to get 'em (the robins) to hang around in the garden and help with insects. They're lazy and wait for me to bring the caterpillars to them. They'll eat every worm I throw out in the yard, but won't bother to come to the garden where they could eat until they faint. I can nearly walk up to them and touch them, so it ain't because they're afraid of us. We tried Sevin, Neem Oil, Dawn dishwashing liquid, Spectracide, you name it. I think I heard some of the caterpillars burp when I sprayed them while things were a little dry. We STILL have hundreds of the white butterflies hanging around. Dunno what it's gonna take to kill 'em off, but I'd prefer to benefit from a garden I go through the trouble to plant.

Try diatomaceous earth, it will shred the larvae exoskeletons and is good for killing a variety of pests. The food grade variant is safer to use.

 

[Bmyers]

Well I do know the price of fertilizer has gone through the roof, seed too. Fuel cost, crazy, parts , if you can find them for balers are high twine and wrap, just nuts. Now kick in the amount of rain or lack there of, at least around here, the bottom line starts to get a little dicey. Feed and vet bills well they are following suit. I could go political with this but I wont, out of respect of other member. The bottom line is what we took for granted, we no longer can,,, Remember no farmers no food

I have watched two different people using DEF on their plants. Both appeared in the videos to have really good luck with it and was cheaper than the fertilizer was selling for.

You can get a gallon of liquid nitrogen fertilizer (28-0-0) for $65 and 2.5 gallon of DEF for (32% nitrogen) for $42 on Amazon for both.

I told the wife that I'm going to do a little more research and may give it a try on part of our yard.

 

[RBsingl]

I have watched two different people using DEF on their plants. Both appeared in the videos to have really good luck with it and was cheaper than the fertilizer was selling for.

You can get a gallon of liquid nitrogen fertilizer (28-0-0) for $65 and 2.5 gallon of DEF for (32% nitrogen) for $42 on Amazon for both.

I told the wife that I'm going to do a little more research and may give it a try on part of our yard.

Haven't thought about putting it on my garden but I use KleenDEF from Farm and Fleet for my pickup, $11.99 in the 2.5 gallon container. It is even cheaper to dispense at a truck stop but the pickup doesn't go through it that quickly making the retail containers convenient to use.

Rodger

 

[lugbolt]

What did you get from that storm??? We got a whopping 12 drops at the house. Sure boomed and a lot of flashes though.

maybe a tenth of an inch. The critters keep getting into the rain gauge looking for water to drink so I took it down and put it in the house, so didn't have anything to measure with.

 

[Daren Todd]

maybe a tenth of an inch. The critters keep getting into the rain gauge looking for water to drink so I took it down and put it in the house, so didn't have anything to measure with.

Been fighting with the sugar ants at my house. They keep getting inside looking for water and making a huge nuisance of themselves Hoping we'll get some rain over the next couple days and that will help discourage them from coming inside.

 

[RBsingl]

Been fighting with the sugar ants at my house. They keep getting inside looking for water and making a huge nuisance of themselves Hoping we'll get some rain over the next couple days and that will help discourage them from coming inside.

I woke up to these little pests this morning hanging around my coffee pot, the nerve of the little critters to get near the most important appliance in the kitchen.

I don't like using poison in the kitchen and I found the effective way to end the problem with them is to use "scrubbing bubbles" cleaner sprayed along their trail. They find their way by scent and after a spray of that followed by a wipe down with a dry paper towel, the problem is gone for several weeks until a new scouting party decides to invade.

Rodger

 

[Old_Paint]

Try diatomaceous earth, it will shred the larvae exoskeletons and is good for killing a variety of pests. The food grade variant is safer to use.

Well that's a new one on me. Know exactly what the stuff is, though. I filled MANY swimming pool filters with it.

 

[RBsingl]

Try diatomaceous earth, it will shred the larvae exoskeletons and is good for killing a variety of pests. The food grade variant is safer to use.

There was a food prep area safe insect control marketed in the 1980s that used diatomaceous earth along with a food safe desiccant that was aimed specifically at controlling roaches. The diatomaceous earth penetrated the little roach's "skin" and the desiccant dehydrated them. The desiccant involved was developed by a consumer food products group that considered using it in their soft drinks to increase consumption but wisely decided against that approach.

Rodger

 

[D2Cat]

Well that's a new one on me. Know exactly what the stuff is, though. I filled MANY swimming pool filters with it.

If you're getting rain every day the powder won't do much good!

 

[radas]

Been fighting with the sugar ants at my house. They keep getting inside looking for water and making a huge nuisance of themselves Hoping we'll get some rain over the next couple days and that will help discourage them from coming inside.

Spray the perimeter of your foundation, doors, and windows with fipronil. I wiped out many colonies of ants for many months with that stuff. We would have multiple carpenter scouts per week and I haven't seen a single once since.

The fipronil-based product I use is called Taurus SC - $50 of product goes a long way and will last you a few years. Make sure you wear a respirator and, ideally a tyvek suit or at the very least closed toe shoes, long sleeve, and jeans. The application rate of 1.2 (high dose) can be applied twice a year to control the population. It will kill off every ant that walks through the invisible barrier over the course of a few days and they will carry the poison back to the colony and infect the rest in the meantime.

 

[radas]

If you're getting rain every day the powder won't do much good!

Yeah that's right, have to reapply after every rain or heavy dew.

 

[Daren Todd]

Spray the perimeter of your foundation, doors, and windows with fipronil. I wiped out many colonies of ants for many months with that stuff. We would have multiple carpenter scouts per week and I haven't seen a single once since.

The fipronil-based product I use is called Taurus SC - $50 of product goes a long way and will last you a few years. Make sure you wear a respirator and, ideally a tyvek suit or at the very least closed toe shoes, long sleeve, and jeans. The application rate of 1.2 (high dose) can be applied twice a year to control the population. It will kill off every ant that walks through the invisible barrier over the course of a few days and they will carry the poison back to the colony and infect the rest in the meantime.

We are currently renting. Plan on being out of the rental and back owning as soon we can find a place that meets our needs with a price that's not bump your head ridiculous.

Any more serious infestations, I'll be raising hell with the property manager to get someone out to treat the house inside and out.

 

[papajoe]

My wife and I just finished harvesting our sweet corn. We sold about 15,000 ears. 18 dollars for a bag of 62 ears. 30 cents per ear, with a couple extra.

 

[Sharpie]

The 54 qts we put up will last my family through the winter. We usually cut off and put up at least 125 qts. I haven’t put up any peas out of my garden in two years. Someone brought me enough for 2 quarts this summer. I reckon I’ll have to buy the freeze dried peas at Wally World to get me through these trying times.

 

[leveraddict]

I should be picking corn within a week!

Picked a few yesterday just because I couldnt wait. They need to fatten up a bit yet. And someone said I would only get a so so crop the first year breaking ground!

 

[fried1765]

I should be picking corn within a week! View attachment 85742

Picked a few yesterday just because I couldnt wait. They need to fatten up a bit yet. And someone said I would only get a so so crop the first year breaking ground!
View attachment 85743

Beautiful !!!!!
Silver Queen ???

 

[leveraddict]

Silver queen!

 

[lynnmor]

I should be picking corn within a week!

Picked a few yesterday just because I couldnt wait. They need to fatten up a bit yet. And someone said I would only get a so so crop the first year breaking ground!
View attachment 85743

They don't need to fatten up very much, when the grains push into each other, as seen in a post below yours, that is overripe.

 

[fried1765]

Silver queen!
View attachment 85764

Best corn ever "invented" !!!!

 

[DustyRusty]

Best corn ever "invented" !!!!

Matter of personal taste. I like "Butter & Sugar".