Yesterday I brought some of the Ailsa Craig onions in to the basement to dry. The red onions that were down there were braided and hung up. I now have all my storage onions braided up. I have five braids of Copra and three braids of Redwing.
I finally got around to fixing up the apple tree. I started with about 50 apples on the tree after I thinned it out (you can't see the whole tree here, this is the bottom part). But there are just 17 left (I think) after the squirrels. The first chore with the apple tree was to straighten it up as a wind storm - along with too many apples - knocked it against the fence. The second was to get the netting on to the bottom part of the tree. The top part that was against the fence was totally stripped of apples already. Sigh. At least the defenses on the peach tree seem to be working. I put netting all around it and the bottom is tacked down about every foot with u-pins. Hopefully the same strategy will work with the apple tree. Next year I'll have to get the tree protection on much earlier so I lose less fruit.
It is almost time to plant the fall garden. The seedlings are two weeks old and are getting hardened off. I think I might plant tomorrow morning since it will be cloudy and rainy the next two days. I've got two of the three beds prepped and two of the three row covers on too. The one in the photo is actually netting that you would buy in a fabric store. All it has to do is keep out the cabbage butterflies. I found it for $0.98/yard so hopefully it will work out. I haven't a clue how long it will last in the UV, but I'm hoping. I really do hate Agribon. If it lasts decently, I'll buy some more. I could use some wider material for my beds if I want them raised up more, but at 70" it works for the low hoops. Though right now I have the hoops only over part of the bed as I don't need both sides yet. I want to keep seeding every couple of weeks in this bed. Hopefully I'll do it. I have a tendency to not keep up with succession sowings.
My netting has held up quite well for at least two years, but it's not in direct sun for much of the day. I did have some that disintegrated after a whole year surrounding the compost pile, but that would be expected. I also had to replace one piece that Annie jumped through, after a bird somehow got inside the garden bed. She got the bird, and made a big hole in the netting. I like it because I can see through it, and it does keep out leaf miners.
ReplyDeleteIt keeps out leaf miners too? Is this the tulle or the netting. I figured the netting would be too big for that.
DeleteThat's what I use it for, and it works fine. The under $1 netting from Walmart, the kind you see on tutus and bridal veils. I didn't buy the finer stuff, as I didn't think water would penetrate it well.
DeleteThanks Granny. I'd love to use it for my chard and broccoli if it holds up well enough. I'll see how it does here.
DeleteIsn't it odd that netting made specifically for gardeners should be more expensive than similar material made for making curtains? You have to shop around!
ReplyDeleteI've never netted anything before but this year I am going to have to net the blueberries. I should have last year but didn't and didn't get any berries as a result. I like the idea of using a curtain to do it though.
ReplyDeleteI have thought about using netting like that too. I have agribon, but I find it hard to work with and I don't like being able to see what's going on under it. Not to mention how expensive it is!
ReplyDeleteSorry you are having critters getting into your apples. Such a pain sometimes! We have a few apples on our ultra mini trees this year. Excited to have them producing now.
ReplyDeleteI have started some of my fall planting. I have the broccoli and swiss chard in and direct seeded some lettuces. I intend to direct seed spinach and kale this coming weekend. Sure hope my fall spinach crop is better than my spring one was... almost did not have any thanks to rabbits.
I bought some garden netting but it got all tangled up when I tried to open it - so I folded it back and left it in the basement, LOL.
ReplyDeleteThose red onions are beautiful! All the storage onions braided up must be a pretty sight to see!
Do you spray your fruit trees? How often, per season? I am trying to grow organically, but I am getting no fruit on the apples and the peaches are small and hard and buggy. What do you do to get such beautiful fruit???
ReplyDeleteThanks,
So far the only thing I spray on my fruit trees is some insecticidal soap and fish emulsion. I lose a lot of my fruit to brown rot. So far I've lost about a third to brown rot and a third to the squirrels. Whenever I see a peach with brown rot I immediately pick it off and throw it away. So far I haven't seen bugs in my peaches. I have had bird pecks. The apples I cover with footies. This is the first year I've had fruit so I'll tell you how it went later in the year. I'll probably do a dormant oil spray in the spring before the trees leaf out next year. But I'm really trying not to spray with anything toxic. I'll see if I succeed or not. I've never grown fruit trees before so have no clue.
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