What did you do in the garden today?

[Fishychix]

I watered finally . I also remembered to use the fish fertilizer. Most things seemed to gave done just fine and others not so much. I think those weren't going to do well anyway.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Have either of you tried using kaolin clay to dissuade vine borers? I guess there's some evidence it works. I've been reading about this season but never tried it myself.

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=21085

I have a 50 lb bag of kaolin clay in the barn. I keep forgetting it's in there...

BTW, your link is about squash bugs and doesn't mention kaolin clay. I do remember reading somewhere that it's an effective deterrent in the soil and on leaves which is why I bought so much of it.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I need to move the strawberry barrels. They are still growing really well but not getting enough light due to the shade from the peach tree.

I wish my garden had more level ground. My property is on a ridge so everything slopes. Good for drainage but makes my barrels unstable and limits where I can put them.

 

[Smokerbill]

I have a 50 lb bag of kaolin clay in the barn. I keep forgetting it's in there...

BTW, your link is about squash bugs and doesn't mention kaolin clay. I do remember reading somewhere that it's an effective deterrent in the soil and on leaves which is why I bought so much of it.

Sure it does! And yeah, it's about squash bugs, but it might also be helpful for vine borers.

Here's a quote from the article...

Another physical strategy is the use of kaolin clay products. Sprayed on the plants regularly at least every two weeks it forms a light-colored protective coating believed to deter the squash bug. Last season, I gave it a try. I sprayed half of my squash crop (both summer and winter) with kaolin and left the other half unsprayed. The results were measured daily by inspecting all leaves and counting (and removing) the number of squash bugs found in each area. While the method is definitely labor intensive (mixing and spraying every two weeks to cover new growth), I found 2/3 less squash bugs inhabiting the Kaolin covered plants. However, if I hadn't found and removed them by vigilant inspections, how much would they have multiplied?

 

[fuzzi]

Have either of you tried using kaolin clay to dissuade vine borers? I guess there's some evidence it works. I've been reading about this season but never tried it myself.

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=21085

Nope.

Last year I tried injecting BT, with limited success.

 

[LTAY1946]

The hook and eye are both very hard, won't bend. The eye needs to be removed and repositioned.

can you drill a starter hole for the eye first?

 

[fuzzi]

I need to move the strawberry barrels. They are still growing really well but not getting enough light due to the shade from the peach tree.

I wish my garden had more level ground. My property is on a ridge so everything slopes. Good for drainage but makes my barrels unstable and limits where I can put them.

Use shims to keep the barrels level.

 

[fuzzi]

can you drill a starter hole for the eye first?

I held it up to the door frame while "locked", then marked where to drill. I think I installed the eye first, then slid the two pieces back in the "locked" position to mark where the hook needed to be installed.

 

[LTAY1946]

I watered the tomatoes and dill earlier this afternoon and after dark went out to the tomatoes and used a flashlight to try and find the hornworms. Not a single one dared to come out tonight. Maybe again early in the morning they might be out. If not I'm going to get really mean with those worms. Once I find them I'm throwing them to the chickens.

 

[gtaus]

I don't bother with science. in my old place soil was poor and alkaline. I had never put any fertilizer, only my chicken's manure and eggshells/unhatched eggs. that was enough to get healthy vegetables.

Well, I'm pro-science. But it seems like some facts change over the years. In any case, I'm glad to hear that you were able to improve your soil. I make my own chicken run compost and use that to improve my gardens.

WOW! What a superb system. My first set of 5 is made of 2 layers of cherrystone landscape timbers, so only 8" tall and less soil weight in them means they will hopefully take longer to fail...but when they eventually do, I'm going to follow your design! No more sifting through pallets looking for the kind without the fork cutouts!

I'm really glad you noticed that I specifically designed my new pallet wood raised garden bed with the intention of using those 2X4's with the fork cutouts. Until I came up with that idea, I considered those 2X4's as pretty much scrap wood. Now, I have a good use for them.

My first raised beds, about 15 years ago, were just landscaping timbers stacked two high - about 7 inches. That was great back then. But I can tell you, as I get older, my16-inch-high pallet wood raised beds require less bending over and is easier on me.