Cattle panels - not just for cattle!

Thanks to another time-sucking website - a.k.a. Pinterest - I have discovered something very 'pinteresting'.  Cattle panels!  I knew of their existence prior to seeing them on this fun little site, however, they were, in my eyes, previously reserved for my cattle farming neighbors that are dotted up and down our pretty little valley.  No, no.  They are not just for the cattle farmers.  They are for you and they are for me.  Look at all the fun things you can do with a cattle panel!

Thankfully I made this discovery before the 2012 growing season.  I've been trying to solve a tomato support problem for many years now -  without spending a million dollars.  I once had a client who let me purchase these Texas Tomato Cages for his garden.  They were truly fantastic and I highly recommend them if you can afford the price.  I am however, trying to find a better way to make tomato support happen on a shoestring budget.  I like to grow an indeterminate type of tomato called San Marzano.  It's great for sauces and processing which is mainly what I like to do with a tomato since I can't stand to eat one raw (crazy, I know!).  So, by the end of July, these tomatoes are growing like drunken fools, sprawled out all over the place.  They need assistance and those little round cages you get at one of the big box stores ain't gonna cut it!

So, cattle panels it is.  So far, so good.

I purchased 3 panels from our local hardware store and sandwiched two rows of San Marzanos between them.  I plan to tie them to the panels and place side supports through the panel slots as needed (if needed).  The triangular support to the right of the rows I made with the excess panel material that I cut off from the ends.  I zip-tied them together and the resulting structure is VERY sturdy.  That lone tomato is a 'Juliet' which I planted for the husband.  It's a grape-type that's a great little snack (if you like raw tomatoes!).  

These panels appear to be able to withstand the test of time.  They're tough and heavy though, so heads up.  You will also need a good pair of bolt cutters if you plan to trim them down.  The best part is that there will be no storage issues after the growing season is over.  I plan on resting them against the garden fence for the winter.  Voilà!

Did you know?

...that a t-post makes a great furrow?  

It really does!  Now, if I could just get a good germination rate on that sweet corn, I'd be a happy gardener.  Sadly, it won't be a banner year based on what I see growing now.  I've got several rows with just a few sprouts.  At least they won't be crowded!?  Yes, glass half-full.  I try!

June 1

Don't look now, summer is almost over!  Sorry, I try to be a glass half-full person, but da#n if summer doesn't seem to just fly by every year.  I don't know why I'm continually surprised by this.  If you work at a university like I do, and live by an academic calendar, you realize there's not much of it to begin with.  Of course it goes quickly.  Our summer weekends seem to be filled up by the time the solstice even hits.  Thankfully, in garden time, summer seems to last a little bit longer.

Speaking of, the Gap Mountain Garden is just about IN for the season.  We have a few more things to get in the ground, but the corn has sprouted, the tomatoes are already threatening to take over the world and the zucchini and squash are fixing to get over-productive.  I've been through my first round of weeding and caught the little buggars before they really got going.  I think this is key.  I'm a virgo, I can't stand an untidy garden.  This is a horrible affliction, because a garden without weeds is just a bit of an oxymoron.  Woe is me.  Each year, I'm determined to stay ahead of the game.  Each year, I end up with a weed forest.  Every. Single. Year.  I think by the time August hits and the sun is glaring down upon you, zapping every bit of energy you have, you're just d.o.n.e and all standards you had in the relative coolness of late spring, fly far out the garden gate.

So, someone needs to remind me to get back out there in another week or so and get the next round of sprouters - because they will come - with a vengeance!  No doubt, they will make summer seem endless with their repeated appearances.

But... is that a bad thing?  :)

Garden Helpers

War on Slugs

We've been invaded by an insidious, slimy little character.  These dudes are wreaking havoc on our plant material - silently at night - while we're nestled in our beds with visions of fresh vegetables and flowers dancing in our heads.  It's starting to piss me off.  This is not a new problem.  It seems to happen every year - mostly to our seedlings which are trying to make a good start in life in flats and cell packs.

But this year, it seems to be happening everywhere.  The broccoli took a good hit early on but luckily it has recovered.  Almost every strawberry in the patch has a nibble taken from it - but just a nibble.  It seems they like to take a taste from one and then move on to the next.  Why not stay awhile and just finish what you started, slugs?  Why?  

Now it's the pole beans...

and the basil...

and the zinnias!

Time for retaliation, but how shall I do so?  I'm not interested in using chemicals.  We have dogs that could be harmed by such things, and we are trying do things organically.  I've heard all the natural methods, but I've also heard that they don't really work.  At this point though, I suppose it's worth a try. Slugs be damned!

Work Truck

Hops adventure!

I am a fan of frosty beverages.  More specifically, the adult kind of frosty beverage.  Preferably one that is full of hops.  Perhaps a nice pale ale or IPA to get even more precise.  Just typing those words makes me thirsty.  The husband and I were looking for a new horticultural adventure and decided to try growing hops.  Hopefully, after all is said and done, we will utilize our harvest in one of our very own homebrews.  One thing at a time though, because there's a lot to do to get to that point.

Hops is a prolific vine, but it needs a little assistance from a trellis.  I chose two varieties of hops one of which (Cascades) we will grow on our front porch.  From ground level to the top of the porch it's at least 15-18ft which should allow a fair amount of room for the plants to climb.  Since these vines can become quite sizable, it is best to keep them separated if you care about distinguishing between varieties during harvest time.  So - we needed a second location.  We decided to use our back acre for something other than a giant weed patch and tilled a small section, 4'x12', for the second variety, Nugget.

We did a lot of research on hops growing and have decided to treat this plot as a mini-version of the standard used by the massive hops farms in the Pacific Northwest.  We obtained two 15+ft black locust posts from a friendly neighbor at the other end of the holler.  

Skinny sighthounds inspect locust posts.  Apparently they are very interesting.

These will be stripped and scorched on the bottom 3ft (to discourage rot) and sunk into the ground.  Before we do this, we will add hardware for wire to be attached and strung between the two posts.  We will run twine or coir from this wire down to the hops bines which will act as their support structure. 

We still have a ways to go, but in the meantime, I've started the rhizomes I purchased from Freshops in pots so they could get a head start.  

More hops growing progress to follow in the coming weeks!