See why I rarely thin? You can go out after dark and see if slugs are around. But it may not be slugs. It could be any number of things. I have a fence all around my garden to keep out varmits like rabbits. But rabbits will eat after the roots develop. But they usually eat the tender stuff first. Rabbits will also leave pills. Deer leave tracks. My best guess would be slugs.
I am skeptical it is mice. You could always put a cage over them. That is what I do with mine. I have wire fence over them, but that is to keep the deer off them.
Could be mice or voles. It is just guesswork on my part. If they are digging it is probably a rodent.
Some of my broccoli. I usually plant Sun King. Sun King usually produces a bigger head but it is what it is.
Yes, they were digging aggressively and every night. Voles and raccoons? I don't think so! They were clearly not slow-moving slugs. Anyway, I covered them last night with plastic cups, set about an inch in to the ground, and set a stone atop each cup. Then I put a big Terra Cotta pot over each group of cups, and mission accomplished! If you'll excuse me now, I must go and dress for the victory parade that the city has scheduled in my honor. Excerpt from my speech: "Am I a hero? Aw shucks ... well, yes, I guess I am. But I couldn't have done it without the help of my good buddies in the Gardening thread of the Political Forum."
Man, that's some fresh looking pine straw! I found a nice stretch of highway with some big pine trees and found not only a bunch of old needles underneath, but also some very rich compost (I almost said "mulch") underneath and some healthy prolific blackberry vines on top. The compost has to have been developing there for decades, as no one has any reason or excuse to stop at that point in the highway.
The pine straw has been down since I put the broccoli in. It looks fresh because of the dew. The picture was taken this morning about 7 am. If you are thinking about gathering pine straw consider investing in a pitchfork. It makes gathering it a lot easier. I also use a 25 gallon plastic pot. Then I can fill the pot with the pitchfork and drag the pot to the truck and dump it. I usually leave the moldy stuff underneath ...the compost...but the fungi in the stuff underneath is great for plants. It extends the reach of the plant roots helping the plant absorb water and nutrients. It is called mycorizal fungi. I hope I spelled it right.
Yes, my pine straw is too thin on ground for a pitch fork, but a rake works well. My garden looks hellish right now with all the tar paper and random plastic I have down for mulch, plus the bricks to keep it all from blowing away. I am gradually supplanting (one row at a time) the ugly stuff with pine straw. Pix in the fall .... Should look good.
I know exactly where you are coming from...been there...done that. Ended up with a mess. Plastic not only gets too hot but it also tends to compact the soil underneath. If you ain't careful the soil underneath will dry out. If you leave it on too long it gets brittle and shatters when you try to take it up. Landscape fabric can also be a mess. It will grow weeds and grass on top of it...if you get dirt on it...and you have a heavy mess stuck to the ground if you try to take it up. And all of the above has to be anchored down. Organic mulches are much better IMO. Pine straw or wood chips stay in place, condition and improve soil, and you can just push it out of the way. Rain penetrates well and after it is put down reduces labor. But it is a continuing process. The main benefit where I live is the fact that it keeps my soil cool and reduces evaporation.
But I have found a use for black plastic. If you are stating a garden from scratch you can cover it with black plastic. Since the ground doesn't get light everything green under it will die....provided you leave it on long enough. Then you just pull it up and plant. But immediately mulch well because weeds will sprout with a vengeance.
I know it wouldn't be cheap on a large scale, but have you considered a fine screen box to set over a raised bed? Down in 'Bama there must be millions of old screen doors you can get from condemned houses, already framed up. You could grow your peanuts in there. I've been threatening to do this for years and have never gotten around to it, but I know it would work. You'd have to take the top off during the day for bees if you have flowering plants, but you could even make a hinged top.
About those wood chip mulches ... I guess I could find some that isn't dyed, but most of it at Home Depot IS dyed, and I worry about the dye leaching in to the ground. Any thoughts on that? I do not have access to a nearby sawmill or anything like that.
Too expensive. The best mulch is free. Dyed much could have treated wood in it. Got any woodland near you. I also gather leaves and run over the with my mower and rake them up. Lots of minerals in leaves.
Right, and yes I do. I could run all the leaves through my leaf blower, in vacuum mode, and that would chew them up good. But the wind where I am would blow it all away. I think I'll have better luck with pine needles
When you put the leaf mulch down water it in. This will help keep them in place. Also make sure you get your pine straw in a place that hasn't been sprayed. Picloram is murder.
Tomatoes coming along. And roundup ready sweet corn. The short rows are extra seed i didnt want to throw away. The first pic of corn is hickory king with squash planted between rows. Also clover. The last pic is the roundup ready corn.
I don't know why my baby tomato pic posted 3 times. But I think I have discovered how to prevent blossom end rot this year. I crushed eggshells and covered them with vinegar and let it set a couple days. I then took the eggshells and liquid a put it in the hole when I set the plants out. So far so good.
Dude ... I'm not worthy, but here's mine (squash, purple hulls, eggplant (tiny) beans, and another couple of random squashes.) Proud of my mulch? www.dropbox.com/s/vo1zp2o7pn5u9lu/IMG_20170516_183020680.jpg?dl=0
