Bruce's Journal

[Bruce]

Picked enough shell peas yesterday for dinner. Took all the useable leaves off the bolting spinach today. Planted about 18" of row. I know it is probably early for the "fall crop" but I figure if I plant some every Saturday, we can use the earlier plants as "baby spinach" before they get close to big enough to bolt.

Cucumber beetles decimating the Red Kuri, Winternut and Yellow Crookneck squash plants. I don't know if there is something sacrificial I could plant nearby that they would like better. Don't seem to be doing too much damage to the zucchini but it was a bigger plant to start. Maybe the leaves are too tough for them. Have several 4-5" long zukes and plenty more flowers.

 

[Devonviolet]

OH, I'm sorry to hear about the cucumber beetles getting your squashes. We LOVE Red Kuri Squash and I'm planning to plant it - eventually - when we can finally get our garden in. I'm not sure what to spray, to get rid of the beetles.

When we had a garden in PA, we had masses of Mexican Bean Beetles. We managed better than others, at the community gardens, because we squished every one that we saw - and we are talking THOUSANDS! They are yellow and soft. ICK! Eventually, we had less and less.

 

[Mike CHS]

I haven't had them although Japanese Beetles are keeping us busy. I quit being organic when they arrive and use Malathion on them directly as I see them. I try to avoid areas that bees are going around but they can destroy plants in short order.

 

[Bruce]

The Japanese Beetles haven't been bad this year (knocking on wood it is true all season!). I have 2 traps (metal cans, not bags. They can't chew through the can ) that I can put out AWAY from the garden when they do show up. Have to buy the pheromone things for them though or the JB's won't even notice the trap. A bucket of water with some soap is their next move when the can gets full.

 

[Mike CHS]

I haven't done it here because I don't have Crepe Myrtle trees (yet) but I found in SC at least the Myrtles were the favorite chow for the beetles. I used a systemic pesticide drench on the Crepe Myrtles in real early spring and the Beetles were never a problem in garden since they died on the Myrtles.

 

[Bruce]

Bought a 10' PT 2x4 on Friday. Cut it in half and today attached one to the little barn wall and one to the big barn. Got a piece of 5' high horse fence "stapled" to the one on the little barn and wired to the 2 "hinge" brackets on the 2" metal post. Need to get some sort of "bracket" I can screw over the fence and into the post to properly hold it in place. Big improvement over the mess of pieces of different kinds of fence that was there. Cut the piece that will be attached to the big barn. Will attach that tomorrow. It rained on and off all day. Not real conducive to getting work done outside. Nothing like the quantity of water @Latestarter reported though.

 

[Latestarter]

Glad you were able to at least get the project started. That's the hardest part of any project

 

[CntryBoy777]

I don't know how elaberate, or cheap ya wish to go....but, ya can groove a few 2x4 pcs and screw them in to hold and support it.....

 

[Bruce]

That would certainly be cheaper than some sort of strap for each wire Fred. I'll ponder it. I have the tools. I could rip the wood down to maybe 1/2" and "channel" that for the wires. Then I would only need a few screws into the metal post instead of 2 for each strap for each wire. This isn't stretched fence, it is only 4' on one side, 3' on the other AND it has to be such that the gate side doesn't stick out much past the edge of the posts or the gates can't open.

If I paint the wood shiny black it would be nearly invisible on the shiny black posts. I'm thinking of painting the horse fence so it "blends in" with the gates since the gates look sorta fancy being shiny and all. These are the "vertical tube" gates that are up close to the house, usually not a "farm" gate but a residential one. They were the only ones I could find that were 5' high and ~3' wide.

 

[Bruce]

ALMOST done with the new horse fence on either side of the upper gates between the barns. Just need to get 8 or 10 1.25" screws I can put into the metal posts.

Left gate is open though usually that one is stationary, the right one is used 99% of the time unless I need to get the garden tractor down there.

The mess of fencing that was on either side of the posts before. The right side was 2x3 welded wire and didn't look too bad though it was on a 1/2" square metal post stuck as close to the big barn as I could get it. Not real structural. The left side was a mess of 2x3 welded and some chicken wire which managed to keep the chickens in but Merlin found it and came out. So I cobbled together a "fix" using a big piece of sheep and goat. Of course the chickens can get through that so I had to shove all the other fencing back in.


New 2x4 knotted horse fence 5' tall. I had a 2x2 piece of cedar that helped support a bean trellis at one time. I cut the cedar in half then ran it through the planer until it was 3/4" x 1 1/4" true. Marked where the wires hit and cut 1/8" x 1/4" deep grooves with the miter saw. Picture 1, Wire in grooves. Picture 2 Wood against post. Picture 3 View of the right side from the house side of the gate. Added benefit of this design is that the wood supports the part of the fencing that is taller than the post.


Great idea @CntryBoy777 , glad I thought of it