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MsAbsynthe
Given a Place at the table
Posts: 36
(1/17/06 5:03 am)
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My garden - vegetable & pesticide suggestions?
At my new place, I have an established garden area, about 30' x 30' (I think; might be slightly larger). In S. Cali, we have 2 growing seasons pretty much, due to the fairly mild weather.
There is an established Strawberry patch, of which I'm painstakingly trimming each plant of it's overgrowth, and moving young plants to where older plants died out. Right now, it's blooming! I have a few strawberries each day, but I can tell they need some food, but still tastey.
Bad snail & slug problem, which is why I'm trimming the individual berry plants down, and strawing them down inbetween, so the bugs aren't so troublesome.
I have 5 tomato plants I saved, and are now throwing good sized fruit. Lost 5 others because I didn't realize the sprinkler system wasn't watering automatically, oops. There were also bell peppers (a few came up, small though), and dead green bean vines. Lots of summer squash, but I'm not crazy about that. Prefer Butternut.
Blackberry shrubs in the back, too. Fruit trees, with 1 giant Washington Navel, one smaller one. 40 year old plum, and things like peaches, nectarines, or apricots - I only found the pits left. I've been trimming them all back a bit, and picking the oranges! The big orange tree is sick, so I have to see what can be done.
It's a lot of work, so I only do an hour of work every few days.
I figure I'd plant more green beans, and a vine growing cucumber (or bush, found one through Burpee). Melons are technically veggies, so I'm planting some of those.
Figured Marigolds, and garlic plants to help with the bugs. Looks like remnants of giant Marigolds or something on the outside garden fence, which is in the backyard.
But everything says I need to kill the slugs & snails - which are eating everything left in there! A pepper-soap spray is sold, that bugs don't like, but birds are okay with. Just trying to figure out what I can do organically.
Anyway, I'm open to suggestions! I need to start growing seedlings next week or two, so they can go into the ground in March.
Thanks for any help.
- Julie
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Sugar Mtn Honeybee
Waiting for a name!!
Posts: 188
(1/19/06 9:28 pm)
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Re: My garden - vegetable & pesticide suggestions?
A few drops of biodegradable dishsoap in a spray bottle full of water will work. Re-spray every few days. Also, if you just want totally natural, without the soap, take a cigarette or cigar, take the tobacco out of it. Put tobacco into a saucepan of water, boil the tobacco water for a while, till the water looks dark like tea. Strain, use the tobacco tea in the spray bottle. Bugs do not like the nicotine, but it won't hurt your plants or the birds.
If you are interested in plants, gardening, etc., we have a forum on our board all about both..
sugarmountainhome.com/phpBB/index.php
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