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Posted: 3/10/2017 2:12:44 PM EDT
[#1]
I'm amazed that there have been no responses. I have a few projects that I've completed and many more in the round-toit stage. The biggest projects were done last fall in preparation for winter. I got the solar panels up and running and got the water tanks installed. I'm just starting on planting beds and REALLY want to experiment with aquaponics. I'm in the high desert of north eastern Arizona, so spring is just starting to visit.
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Posted: 3/10/2017 2:49:19 PM EDT
[#2]
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I'm amazed that there have been no responses.  . I guess everyone lives in lush green farm country. I take some pictures of my beds this weekend and post them.
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Posted: 3/10/2017 2:53:21 PM EDT
[#3]
A wise man once told me, "There's hard, and there's stupid and only a razors edge between"
I lived in the CA high desert for years, can't imagine the ingenuity required to make a go of it out there. |
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Posted: 3/14/2017 7:17:40 PM EDT
[#4]
We live in the desert, about forty nine hundred or 5 thousand feet, but I wouldn't call it a homestead. I have fenced off about an acre or two to keep the cattle, mustangs and wild burros out from around the house. I've been putting in a garden for a few years. The first year we did OK. The following years the varmints overwhelmed us. About the only things that survive are tomatoes, radishes and corn and the corn doesn't do well. Oh and I have a few grape vines that someone gave me. I don't know what kind they are but they're small and even though I put up netting I still share them with the birds. It seems that any thing that is remotely green is descended on by every type of desert rat and ground squirrel and winged varmint within a million miles. I trap dozens and dozens of rats around and in the garden every year. The worst are the gophers. I will be watch this thread to learn from you guys.
I have one question to start off with. If you have gophers have you tried or what do you think of the idea of using dry ice to kill them? I'm thinking of dropping a cake of it in the tunnels then putting a board over the opening and covering I with dirt. My idea is the ice will sublimate and smother the little bastards in their holes. |
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Posted: 3/17/2017 7:50:26 AM EDT
[#5]
We've used a combination of traps and poison pellets on gophers for years. You have to keep switching it up though as they seem to learn! I never could drown them, tried several times but I got tired of pumping water down a hole and always gave up.
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Posted: 3/17/2017 11:36:07 AM EDT
[#6]
I have tried to drown them too. I saw a couple videos on u tube where it worked but not when I tried it. The majority of them are right in or around my garden and the poison says not to use it there. I tried putting a cup in the tunnel and filling it half full of household ammonia and then filling it up with bleach and then covering the hole to try and gas them out to no avail.
I bought a gopher trap. |
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Posted: 3/17/2017 2:06:47 PM EDT
[#7]
Tag. Never even been to the true desert Southwest.
I can't even imagine living with so little green, but I have a brother who loves it, so different strokes for different folks. Very interested in the specific challenges y'all face. |
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Posted: 3/17/2017 2:14:21 PM EDT
[#8]
Green is a relative thing
 . It is getting ready to green up for a few weeks.
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Posted: 3/17/2017 6:14:44 PM EDT
[#9]
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Green is a relative thing . It is getting ready to green up for a few weeks.Speaking of which, what are you guys using to get rid of chamomile and other desert weeds? The back half of my yard looks like Vietnam and the rabbits are getting a bit cheeky (means more target practice with the BB gun, though). |
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Posted: 3/17/2017 9:44:57 PM EDT
[#10]
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It looks like we got green snow with all the vegetation covering everything here on the north end of Phoenix. Speaking of which, what are you guys using to get rid of chamomile and other desert weeds? The back half of my yard looks like Vietnam and the rabbits are getting a bit cheeky (means more target practice with the BB gun, though). (I am serious about not understanding y'all's environment. I truly do not. Maybe bunnies out there are the Foul Beasts of Caerbannog.) If you want to kill off anything green in general, and in particular to keep bunnies away, something must be afoot that I do not comprehend. Do you have grass in your yard? Or is it sand? If it's sand, why don't you want green stuff? |
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Posted: 3/18/2017 2:03:14 AM EDT
[#11]
We have a very small lawn that is fenced but from time to time a rabbit gets in and destroys all om my wife's flowers and they will kill small shrubs like lilacs. We have to build small fences out of chicken wire around a couple of flowering trees in the back or the rabbits will kill them too. I won't shoot coyotes around the house so they can work on the rabbits.
We have a little landscaping without grass where we pull most of the weeds by hand and also use a little roundup. We have about a half acre that is bare where we keep the weeds down by pulling them or chopping them with a hoe and if they get too far ahead of us I will drag the it with the ATV and a big tire. It's necessary to keep a defensive space in case of wildfire besides most of the weeds have stickers or thorns on them like goatheads and tumble weed. |
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Posted: 3/18/2017 9:24:03 AM EDT
[#12]
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Why you no like rabbits? (I am serious about not understanding y'all's environment. I truly do not. Maybe bunnies out there are the Foul Beasts of Caerbannog.) If you want to kill off anything green in general, and in particular to keep bunnies away, something must be afoot that I do not comprehend. Do you have grass in your yard? Or is it sand? If it's sand, why don't you want green stuff? Alas, I've no Holy Hand Grenades- only the version for the plebeians- with which to eradicate said Foul Beast. |
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Posted: 3/18/2017 1:10:30 PM EDT
[#13]
In!
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Posted: 3/18/2017 1:48:24 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No grass- sand in the back, gravel in the front. Rabbits are fine, providing they're not eating the stuff that I want to grow. Vegetation, in addition to rabbit food, brings habitat for bugs of all sorts. There's a corner of the backyard that sees a lot of water as it flows into the wash. For erosion control, that area can retain its vegetation. For the rest, it's gotta go. The coyotes do a good job of nicking the rabbits outside the fence, but they're not allowed in the yard lest they get too friendly with my dogs. Alas, I've no Holy Hand Grenades- only the version for the plebeians- with which to eradicate said Foul Beast. I never thought of having to protect your shrubs, but it makes sense. |
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Posted: 4/1/2017 9:07:07 PM EDT
[#15]
I'm in the low desert and have been working on drastically expanding my garden the past several weeks. I'll try to remember to put up some pictures once I'm finished.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Wow, so with so little desirable vegetation, the rabbits become one of your worst problems. I never thought of having to protect your shrubs, but it makes sense. |
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Posted: 4/1/2017 9:10:43 PM EDT
[#16]
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I'm in the low desert and have been working on drastically expanding my garden the past several weeks. I'll try to remember to put up some pictures once I'm finished. Rabbits are a plague here in the desert, especially during May and June when there is practically no rain and very little in the way of natural vegetation for them to eat. Without native forage, or at least not very palatable stuff to eat, they go after gardens, fruit trees, and landscaping. Once our monsoons hit, usually in July, the weeds start to grow back up and the rabbits get a little less brazen (but they'll still go after your garden if it isn't fenced). Yes, Kitties is shamelessly pimping for interesting threads.
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Posted: 5/18/2017 11:45:31 PM EDT
[#17]
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Ya me to . I guess everyone lives in lush green farm country. I take some pictures of my beds this weekend and post them. |
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Posted: 5/19/2017 12:11:53 PM EDT
[#18]
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I have been gone for a while and now that I'm back to look at the pictures......? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Ya me to . I guess everyone lives in lush green farm country. I take some pictures of my beds this weekend and post them.
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Posted: 5/19/2017 11:26:02 PM EDT
[#19]
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I'll try and get some on Sunday, but honestly I'll probably forget. 
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Posted: 5/19/2017 11:29:28 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We have a very small lawn that is fenced but from time to time a rabbit gets in and destroys all om my wife's flowers and they will kill small shrubs like lilacs. We have to build small fences out of chicken wire around a couple of flowering trees in the back or the rabbits will kill them too. I won't shoot coyotes around the house so they can work on the rabbits. We have a little landscaping without grass where we pull most of the weeds by hand and also use a little roundup. We have about a half acre that is bare where we keep the weeds down by pulling them or chopping them with a hoe and if they get too far ahead of us I will drag the it with the ATV and a big tire. It's necessary to keep a defensive space in case of wildfire besides most of the weeds have stickers or thorns on them like goatheads and tumble weed. All the weeds have stickers or thorns You need a defensive dead zone around the property to help with the threat of wildfire You have to fence off everything, even trees, because of rabbits. Lilacs are small shrubs (yeah, that's a deal breaker right there--they are big shrubs here )
Seriously, what is wonderful about living in the desert? There must be awesome things, cuz so many of you choose that. I would like to know the good parts. 
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Posted: 5/19/2017 11:50:18 PM EDT
[#21]
I like trees but I don't like being closed in by them like back east. Being able to look out in any direction and see for dozens of miles is really nice. The plants and animals in my area are quite diverse and unique too. I've probably been to about a third of the states and I think Alaska is probably the only state other than Arizona that I would want to live in full time. I just wish there were fewer people here. The desert isn't a great place for millions of people to settle.
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Posted: 5/20/2017 12:10:55 AM EDT
[#22]
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I'm not meaning to be dumb at all, but....what is the lure of living in a place where it seems the living is so hard? All the weeds have stickers or thorns You need a defensive dead zone around the property to help with the threat of wildfire You have to fence off everything, even trees, because of rabbits. Lilacs are small shrubs (yeah, that's a deal breaker right there--they are big shrubs here )
Seriously, what is wonderful about living in the desert? There must be awesome things, cuz so many of you choose that. I would like to know the good parts. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 2:03:57 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm not meaning to be dumb at all, but....what is the lure of living in a place where it seems the living is so hard? All the weeds have stickers or thorns You need a defensive dead zone around the property to help with the threat of wildfire You have to fence off everything, even trees, because of rabbits. Lilacs are small shrubs (yeah, that's a deal breaker right there--they are big shrubs here )
Seriously, what is wonderful about living in the desert? There must be awesome things, cuz so many of you choose that. I would like to know the good parts.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 12:36:26 PM EDT
[#24]
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About 45-50 million acres of mountains and valleys without posted signs. It's not uncommon to see road signs that tell you the next gas is over a hundred miles. My kitchen window looks out on the national forest and the BLM. I'm not anti-social, I just like wild land and wild life better than most people. A person couldn't live long enough to see it all. If you rode up a different canyon every day of your life I doubt you could see them all. I can leave my driveway on my ATV and ride up our dead end dirt road to over ten thousand five hundred feet in a matter of minutes. It isn't uncommon to see bighorn sheep almost daily. Antelope, mule deer, bobcats, lions, all might be right over the next rise. A few mountain ranges to the east ( I think there are 314 mountain ranges in Nevada) and you get into elk country, a few more and your in mountain goat country. You can set up your tent or just roll out you sleeping bag almost anywhere, no permits, no fees, it's the same with shooting. If you're into it there is 24 hour gambling, almost every convenience store and gas station has slots and sells booze. Most counties have legal cathouses. We have no state income tax. It's freedom. I wouldn't know how to survive there, based on what I've read about the Sierra Nevadas and Tahoe area, and I suspect much of the land you describe is like that. (Growing up in a place, you automatically understand how to manage the parts of it that are constantly trying to kill you, yaknow?) I have never seen that part of the country, and I would like to. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 2:06:53 PM EDT
[#25]
Not quite, I can see the Sierras if I ride up to the top of the pass but most of them are in Kalifornia
 . Around here most of the mountains are either covered in sagebrush or pinion juniper with mahoganies up high and aspens and even willows in the wetter drainages, some canyons have a few ponderosas and other pines near the mountain tops. The Table Mountain Wilderness is mostly aspen stands with a good elk herd.
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Posted: 5/25/2017 9:45:01 PM EDT
[#26]
My first planting of corn went in about a month ago. I use a hoe to excavate a circle about 2' across and a few inches deep with the bottom as level as I can make it. I make a dike around the excavations with the soil that I removed to hold the irrigation water. I plant six kernels around the inner circles and one in the center. This corn seems to be doing well.
I also set out two cherry tomato plants using the same method except I added a layer of commercial garden soil to the bottom of the excavations. They each have quite a few blossoms. I planted more corn about two weeks later with the garden soil layer. Some thing is digging up the later planting leaving the little corn plants and seeming to eat the seed it is growing from. I have set out rat traps the last couple of days and baited them with peanut butter and haven't caught anything, leaving me to think birds may be the culprits. I planted two little blackberry plants a couple weeks ago. One died the first day and the other isn't looking so well. I fertilized them with Miracle Grow and now I'm thinking that perhaps they had just been fertilized before I got them and I over did it. I have a few grape vines from cuttings that a friend gave me a couple years ago that don't produce. They are from a hybrid vine, I don't know if that has anything to do with it, he thinks so. I also have a couple of grape vines that I planted at the same time from another source that do produce. I don't know what variety they are either. Both varieties of vines are growing strong and the one kind has little clusters of grapes already coming. If the other vines don't produce this year I'm going to dig them up. I'm open to any and all constructive advise and criticism. If I can figure out how to post pictures I'll post them later. |
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Posted: 5/25/2017 9:58:28 PM EDT
[#27]
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Some thing is digging up the later planting leaving the little corn plants and seeming to eat the seed it is growing from. I have set out rat traps the last couple of days and baited them with peanut butter and haven't caught anything, leaving me to think birds may be the culprits. Here that would be blackbirds. They pull the baby corn plant, eat the kernel, and leave the plant laying there. Don't know if that's an issue where you are. I planted two little blackberry plants a couple weeks ago. One died the first day and the other isn't looking so well. I fertilized them with Miracle Grow and now I'm thinking that perhaps they had just been fertilized before I got them and I over did it. I have a few grape vines from cuttings that a friend gave me a couple years ago that don't produce. They are from a hybrid vine, I don't know if that has anything to do with it, he thinks so. I also have a couple of grape vines that I planted at the same time from another source that do produce. I don't know what variety they are either. Both varieties of vines are growing strong and the one kind has little clusters of grapes already coming. If the other vines don't produce this year I'm going to dig them up. You are wanting grapes too soon. It takes a while for some grape vines. Do you know what variety? If they are hybrid grapes, you need to give them a little more time than native grapes. AND...they require proper pruning and some scaffolding to produce decent size table grapes. (Assuming they are not wine grape varieties). Don't dig them. Give them some time. Grapes are not like tomatoes. They take some subtlety in their tending. I'm open to any and all constructive advise and criticism. If I can figure out how to post pictures I'll post them later. |
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Posted: 5/25/2017 10:34:34 PM EDT
[#28]
I bet It's birds. I have some netting I could put up tomorrow.
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Posted: 5/25/2017 11:39:00 PM EDT
[#29]
Grapes form on the new growth. Before you pull the vines out, try pruning them back significantly this year but wait until they go dormant over winter.
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Posted: 5/25/2017 11:58:29 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Grapes form on the new growth. Before you pull the vines out, try pruning them back significantly this year but wait until they go dormant over winter. @Xtrastout You likely have some variety of hybrid table grape (just a guess) Grapes need proper pruning, and selection of a few canes to keep and train. BUT....just as important as the selection of canes, is the horizontal growth. Grapes form more often on canes that are trained horizontally. That's why, when you see a vineyard, you see (usually, in this country) rows of fence posts, with cable running between them, and grapes pruned so the canes run horizontally, tied to the cables. The way you properly prune a grape is to select a main leader, and let it grow up to about two feet, THEN you choose two shoots coming off of it, and prune the rest of the shoots, and let those begin to grow (the will come off sort of sideways) and you then train those two shoots outward onto the supports. You prune extraneous growth from the main leader and leave the "fruiting shoots" which will produce the maximum number of large, viable grape clusters from those shoots. The main leader continues to grow upward. The next season, you will choose two MORE shoots, higher up, and train those on your next highest cable. Rinse and repeat. That's how you manage grapes. You do not generally EVER prune the selected branches, or the leader back hard. You would do this only in extreme circumstances. There are vinters on this forum, and they are welcome to correct and/or amend what I have said. I am no grape expert, but I do know that when dealing with a modern grape variety, whacking all the canes on a grapevine back is not the way to get most grapes in most instances. If you do that, you will not get grapes this year. And maybe not next year. The canes will have to grow enough to hang over and get horizontal before you get any significant fruiting.
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Posted: 5/26/2017 12:14:59 AM EDT
[#31]
Kitties is right. Four horizontal stems (two running in each direction) is how grapes are grown commercially. That requires a trellis setup for doing it that way. A lot of people grow grapes up an arbor though and just let the clusters hang down. Bottom line, pick the branches you want to keep and prune back the shoots coming off of them but not the branches themselves (unless you need to cut back the ends for management reasons). Your main branches will send out new shoots next year and your grapes will form on those. Again, wait until the plants are dormant before you go cutting on them.
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Posted: 5/26/2017 12:18:25 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Kitties is right. Four horizontal stems (two running in each direction) is how grapes are grown commercially. That requires a trellis setup for doing it that way. A lot of people grow grapes up an arbor though and just let the clusters hang down. Bottom line, pick the branches you want to keep and prune back the shoots coming off of them but not the branches themselves (unless you need to cut back the ends for management reasons). Your main branches will send out new shoots next year and your grapes will form on those. Again, wait until the plants are dormant before you go cutting on them. Even if it's just a post, and the branches can hang down from that. It's not ideal, but it will help the grape vine do its thing better. And...the desert is ideal for growing grapes. You won't have the fungal diseases that plague us who live in higher rainfall areas. It's ideal, really, though you will have to water some. Grapes need excellent drainage, enough water but not too much, and low humidity. Oh, and don't fertilize. At least not at first. Grape vines (at least modern hybrids) do better when they struggle a little. Over-fertile soils do not produce best grapes. Okay that's for wine grapes, for certain. Table grapes...that's less true, but still... They don't need a whole lot of fertilizer. |
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Posted: 5/26/2017 1:36:08 AM EDT
[#33]
Thanks for the help. All 5 of my vines are growing along a four strand barbed wire fence. They are just table grapes and I'm not looking to make any wine. I will build a proper trellis setup for next year. How far apart should the individual vines be?
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Posted: 5/27/2017 12:04:13 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thanks for the help. All 5 of my vines are growing along a four strand barbed wire fence. They are just table grapes and I'm not looking to make any wine. I will build a proper trellis setup for next year. How far apart should the individual vines be? Typically I would give 8 feet or more between vines. Twelve is better. You probably have not left that much room. So...that's okay. Think this way. Build your trellis so that "every other vine" is on the same horizontal cable. So...the vines are spaced too close together, but....every other vine has its chosen lateral producing cane staggered above the ones beside it. Do you understand? If I'm not clear, I will draw you a diagram. |
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Posted: 5/27/2017 12:17:26 AM EDT
[#35]
I think I get the idea. I have uploaded a few pictures of my "garden" on my computer but so far I haven't had any luck uploading them to the thread. I'll keep trying.
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Posted: 5/27/2017 12:27:49 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I think I get the idea. I have uploaded a few pictures of my "garden" on my computer but so far I haven't had any luck uploading them to the thread. I'll keep trying. |
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Posted: 5/27/2017 1:03:42 AM EDT
[#37]
I'm using the ARFCOM hosting. When I reply with the select file a separate window opens with the pictures, I high lite the picture and the image number appears in the "file name" box in the window. Then I hit the upload button on the reply page and I get an,#-600 file size error.
I'm worse with computers that I am with desert gardening.
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Posted: 5/27/2017 1:13:01 AM EDT
[#38]
I haven't tried hosting pictures on ARFCOM but it sounds like your pictures might be too large. Right click a picture and select "open with" and choose Paint (assuming you are on Windows). Find the resize button and click it. Select pixels and enter 800 for the horizontal size. It will automatically resize the vertical to maintain the aspect ratio. Click OK and save the picture. Now try uploading the resized picture.
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Posted: 5/27/2017 1:40:03 AM EDT
[#39]
I tried resizing to 800 and when I hit upload the window says -select file name even though the image number automatically appeared in the file name box but the picture doesn't upload.
I thought it would be easy to post pictures after I uploaded one for an avatar on the first try. |
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Posted: 5/27/2017 2:05:14 AM EDT
[#40]
Try hosting at Tiny Pic (click browse, select the picture, and then clock upload; you might have to go through a quick spam bot step before the pic will upload). Paste the URL with the "IMG" tags into your ARFCOM reply. Tiny Pic will resize the pictures if they are too large but it might take a minute or two for them to upload depending on the file size and your internet speed.
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Posted: 5/27/2017 10:06:38 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I tried resizing to 800 and when I hit upload the window says -select file name even though the image number automatically appeared in the file name box but the picture doesn't upload. I thought it would be easy to post pictures after I uploaded one for an avatar on the first try. |
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Posted: 5/29/2017 8:31:35 PM EDT
[#42]
Well, it looks like I'm going to have to be the one to get the picture party started.
Here is how I do my corn to keep the birds from digging the plants up and eating the kernels. This is about the size where it is okay for me to take the nets off.  Attached FileI do the same for my carrots. The birds don't eat the carrots but they dig around in the beds looking for worms and in the process they dig up the carrots when the plants are small.  Attached FileUsing nets does have a down side. Snakes, lizards, and birds often get trapped in them and die. On the plus side, it is often rattlesnakes that end up in the nets. I would rather have them stuck in a net than slithering around in my bush beans or somewhere else where I can't see them until it's too late. 
Fortunately for this guy, he is just a wannabe rattlesnake and I was able to free him before it was too late. He was not amused.  Attached FileHere are some of my fruit trees 
A fig tree I planted this year. Note the water well around it and the thick layer of mulch. Both are very important for growing fruit trees in the desert. 
My biggest peach tree. This is a Florida Prince that was planted about 4 years ago. It produces hundreds of peaches a year. Rabbits, birds, and ground squirrels all love peaches so if you have those in your area, you need a plan for protecting your crop. Without the netting, animals would pick my crop completely clean within a day or two. 
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Posted: 5/29/2017 8:38:14 PM EDT
[#43]
And a few harvest pictures.
Here are a couple harvests from this past winter. Winter is probably my most productive gardening season. 
 Attached FileThese are a few harvests from this month. This one is from May 14th and includes the last of the broccoli and lettuce until things cool down later in the year.  Attached File Attached FileI cropped out one of my 4'x4' carrot beds the other day. I had already harvested about the same weight of carrots previously from the bed these came out of. I saved the smallest for snacking on as baby carrots and the biggest for grating into salads. The rest got chopped into disks and frozen for use in vegetable medley later in the year.  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/29/2017 8:39:11 PM EDT
[#44]
I would put a piece of plywood in the garden to give that guy some shade in hopes he would take up residence. He would have plenty to eat at my place.
The first planting of corn I put in is about that size but your garden just looks better. |
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Posted: 5/29/2017 8:55:17 PM EDT
[#45]
I released him outside of the yard otherwise I'm pretty sure he would have just got himself trapped in the netting again. I can't take the netting out because then I would lose all of my tomatoes and a lot of my ripe peppers to birds.
As much as I would like to keep the non-venomous snakes and lizards in the garden, I have decided to put up 1/4" hardware cloth around the entire perimeter in the hopes that it will act as a snake barrier. I was also having a problem with rabbits getting through my rabbit fencing. 
My garden is at my mom's house and she is afraid to go in it because of rattlesnakes. I usually only stop by about twice a week or so and when I go out of town I need her to tend to it for me. If I can keep the snakes out I will be able to get her to help a little more with keeping things tidied up. |
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Posted: 5/29/2017 9:22:40 PM EDT
[#46]
These are a few pictures from April. This is from the oldest part of my garden where the beds are 4'x4'. I built these beds in 2011. They are the most photogenic right now because I just built most of my longer beds (4'x12' and 4'x14') this past March and April so they haven't grown in as much. If anyone is planning to make raised beds, I strongly recommend making them as long as feasible. It will be a much more efficient use of material, especially if you will be installing drip irrigation. Longer beds are also a more efficient use of space. 4' is as wide as I would go though.
The carrot bed that I harvested the aforementioned crop of carrots from.  Attached FileSome Roma tomatoes.  Attached FileCabbage and a failed sowing of carrots. I sowed carrots in this bed over winter but got really poor germination so I decided to plant cabbage seedlings here instead. Unfortunately, all of this cabbage has been harvested and my cabbage growing is finished until next winter.  Attached FilePro tip for desert gardeners: after you sow your carrot seeds, water them in real good and then cover them with something like burlap, sheets, towels, or shade cloth for 7 days and then remove the covering. You'll get better germination than you would by trying to rely on your drip system. If you use sprinklers or can water a couple times a day it's not as important to cover the soil but however you do it the soil needs to stay moist. That can be tough to accomplish in hot, desert climates since carrot seeds get planted relatively shallow. Here are a couple beds with my green (as well as yellow and purple) bush beans. We are now near or over 100 degrees every day so my bean plants are looking a lot rougher now than in this picture. I'm still getting beans from them though. Bean plants like it warm but not really hot. I like a challenge though so soon I am going to plant more in one of my 12' long beds and see if 35% shade cloth will be enough to keep them producing through summer.  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/30/2017 9:44:46 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, it looks like I'm going to have to be the one to get the picture party started. Here is how I do my corn to keep the birds from digging the plants up and eating the kernels. This is about the size where it is okay for me to take the nets off. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/23635/20170527-162216-219469.JPG I do the same for my carrots. The birds don't eat the carrots but they dig around in the beds looking for worms and in the process they dig up the carrots when the plants are small. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/23635/20170527-162238-219470.JPG Using nets does have a down side. Snakes, lizards, and birds often get trapped in them and die. On the plus side, it is often rattlesnakes that end up in the nets. I would rather have them stuck in a net than slithering around in my bush beans or somewhere else where I can't see them until it's too late. http://i66.tinypic.com/160pljr.jpg Fortunately for this guy, he is just a wannabe rattlesnake and I was able to free him before it was too late. He was not amused. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/23635/20170517-175535-219378.JPG Here are some of my fruit trees http://i63.tinypic.com/10s6k49.jpg A fig tree I planted this year. Note the water well around it and the thick layer of mulch. Both are very important for growing fruit trees in the desert. http://i66.tinypic.com/i1be4i.jpg My biggest peach tree. This is a Florida Prince that was planted about 4 years ago. It produces hundreds of peaches a year. Rabbits, birds, and ground squirrels all love peaches so if you have those in your area, you need a plan for protecting your crop. Without the netting, animals would pick my crop completely clean within a day or two. http://i65.tinypic.com/wtygsp.jpg You really, really have to want to garden to net off a fruit tree. It's difficult here, too, with the birds, but not that difficult. I like your raised beds. And what kind of snake is that? Sure enough it looks like a rattlesnake except for the head. |
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Posted: 5/30/2017 9:48:16 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I released him outside of the yard otherwise I'm pretty sure he would have just got himself trapped in the netting again. I can't take the netting out because then I would lose all of my tomatoes and a lot of my ripe peppers to birds. As much as I would like to keep the non-venomous snakes and lizards in the garden, I have decided to put up 1/4" hardware cloth around the entire perimeter in the hopes that it will act as a snake barrier. I was also having a problem with rabbits getting through my rabbit fencing.
My garden is at my mom's house and she is afraid to go in it because of rattlesnakes. I usually only stop by about twice a week or so and when I go out of town I need her to tend to it for me. If I can keep the snakes out I will be able to get her to help a little more with keeping things tidied up. I noticed that snake was wrapped around the garden hose (where I assume there is some "coolness"). FWIW, I'm really enjoying learning a little about gardening where there is little to no rain. This is an interesting thread. |
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Posted: 5/30/2017 10:25:09 PM EDT
[#49]
That is what we call around here a bull snake or gopher snake. They are constrictors that have a pattern that looks like the western rattlesnake which they try to mimic by shaking their tail and making their head sort of diamond shaped. Some are very passive and let you handle them, others start hissing like a cobra and striking like a rattler.
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Posted: 5/30/2017 10:47:38 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That is what we call around here a bull snake or gopher snake. They are constrictors that have a pattern that looks like the western rattlesnake which they try to mimic by shaking their tail and making their head sort of diamond shaped. Some are very passive and let you handle them, others start hissing like a cobra and striking like a rattler.
We are not fooled.
ETA: The rattlesnakes here are, of course, a different color, and the rat snake's pattern does indeed sort of mimic that. So it's not as dumb of the little rat snake as it sounds, although these days, it's just more likely to get the rat snake killed than to frighten off anybody. 
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