My worst year EVER!

[jal_ut]

Just Google Wrist Rocket!

Have a nice day!

ss5511 by James_40 Lofthouse, on Flickr

[Gardener123]

When someone says a fruiting or blooming plant looks "fantastic" but has no flowers or fruits, I tend to wonder if too much nitrogen fertilizer was used? Did they bloom?

If they did, then I could only surmise that were some pollination issues -- Heat, cold, pesticide use, etc.

Nope, no blooms.... but honestly, I know that I didn't use nitrogen on those, nor any other fertilizer, most likely. They were likely out of sight, out of mind. My wife kept moving them all over the back yard depending on who was coming over and using the pool. She didn't want people seeing "those ugly black bags".

[Gardener123]

Actually, there was one bright spot.... each of my 2 San Marzano plants gave about 100 tomatoes. But that was the only positive. I started cleaning out my beds today and I found a bunch - maybe 10 - jalapenos laying on the ground.

[FinnMcOwl]

Sorry to hear that! That's something you need to expect when gardening or farming. There's a huge variance from year to year and sometimes your gonna get a bad harvest.

[jal_ut]

Oh I don't know..... I always fertilize my garden plot. The variety of the tomato has a lot to do with when it will form fruit. You need to find the varieties that will mature in your time frame. Here I get from 100 to 105 days between frosts, so the tomatoes have to be rather short term.

[jal_ut]

"I live in a cul de sac, and the deer tend to stay more towards our end, as we have the most trees. One day I counted 19 deer on my front lawn."

I don't know how things are there, but here the wild deer belong to the State and they issue hunting licenses to hunt them in season. I reckon if their deer are doing damage to my property I could call the DWR (Division of Wildlife Resources) and complain and ask them if they are going to take care of the deer or if they want me to do it? I would for sure call someone and gripe.

Here in the summer I put a radio in the corn patch tuned to the local talk station. It seems to scare off a lot of night marauders.

[Gardener123]

Oh I don't know..... I always fertilize my garden plot. The variety of the tomato has a lot to do with when it will form fruit. You need to find the varieties that will mature in your time frame. Here I get from 100 to 105 days between frosts, so the tomatoes have to be rather short term.

Most of my indeterminates produce until late September here. I planted mostly those.

[Gardener123]

"I live in a cul de sac, and the deer tend to stay more towards our end, as we have the most trees. One day I counted 19 deer on my front lawn."

I don't know how things are there, but here the wild deer belong to the State and they issue hunting licenses to hunt them in season. I reckon if their deer are doing damage to my property I could call the DWR (Division of Wildlife Resources) and complain and ask them if they are going to take care of the deer or if they want me to do it? I would for sure call someone and gripe.

Here in the summer I put a radio in the corn patch tuned to the local talk station. It seems to scare off a lot of night marauders.

We can hunt. I used to hunt. But we live very close to lots of woods, and a small state park. I think we have to live with it.... besides, we have people who would be REALLY UPSET to see the deer gone - including my wife. My brother is really a great archer. He could probably take 5 a day if it was legal.

[rainbowgardener]

I think deer are beautiful animals too. But nineteen deer is a plague. It is way beyond the natural carrying capacity of the land they are on. So they are either going to destroy a lot of people's gardens or they are going to starve (or a bit of both). We have caused the imbalance by removing all the predators, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, etc.

Even someone tender hearted like your wife should not want to see a bunch of deer starving. Someone needs to do something about this problem!

[Gardener123]

I think deer are beautiful animals too. But nineteen deer is a plague. It is way beyond the natural carrying capacity of the land they are on. So they are either going to destroy a lot of people's gardens or they are going to starve (or a bit of both). We have caused the imbalance by removing all the predators, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, etc.

Even someone tender hearted like your wife should not want to see a bunch of deer starving. Someone needs to do something about this problem!

Well, this is a guess, but 19 deer might be all of them, on 9+ acres. They seem to do very well. We get the occasional coyote sighting. We have lots of foxes, but I doubt they do anything but scavage. The people in our neighborhood who take their veggie gardens seriously, have serious 8' high fences. I built a 6' fence that they did not jump over, but knocked it down.

So, next year, if my back permits, I will make it much more secure.

[jal_ut]

If you are going to be a gardener or farmer, you gotta protect what is growing from the wild critters. In these parts if there is critters making damage, you just load the gun and go take care of it. If you are not willing to do that, perhaps you best trade in your garden trowel for a pair of binoculars?

[SQWIB]

If you are going to be a gardener or farmer, you gotta protect what is growing from the wild critters. In these parts if there is critters making damage, you just load the gun and go take care of it. If you are not willing to do that, perhaps you best trade in your garden trowel for a pair of binoculars?

Yeah, I can see me unloading on a bunch of critters and ending up in jail.
I used to have cats messing in the beds and killing all the birds in their nest, finding the maggot infested birds a few days later.
I actually confronted the neighbor that owned the cat and he told me that his cat Was a free spirit.
So I started shooting them with a paintball gun hoping the neighbors would confront me, then I could fix the problem.
Had a groundhog one year that decimated my tomatoes, didn't get one tomato. Didn't think blowing him away would be a good idea, being a city dweller.
So should I get rid of my garden trowel and order some binoculars?

[Gardener123]

If you are going to be a gardener or farmer, you gotta protect what is growing from the wild critters. In these parts if there is critters making damage, you just load the gun and go take care of it. If you are not willing to do that, perhaps you best trade in your garden trowel for a pair of binoculars?

Something tells me that living in Northern Utah is far different than the Philly suburbs.

[jal_ut]

My tomatoes always get some nitrogen. I fertilize in the spring before planting. Used to use Ammonium Nitrate, but can't get that these days. Seems the "Goofy Gang" wanted to make bombs with it. So whatever mix the local farm store has on hand is what I get now. Manures are good for fall application, but I do not like to use them for Spring or Summer. About tomatoes, they are day length sensitive and flower when the days are of the right length. Hence we can have short day varieties and long day varieties. Also hear of some day neutral types. So choose carefully to get something that will do what you want it to do.

[jal_ut]

Quote: "I actually confronted the neighbor that owned the cat and he told me that his cat Was a free spirit.
So I started shooting them with a paintball gun hoping the neighbors would confront me, then I could fix the problem."

You need this: http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-rifl ... c-2100-177

This is not a firearm, so is not under firearm restrictions. It will take out a cat at 20 yards. Definitely take out all kinds of birds. I don't reckon it will take out a deer, but a good shot in the rear would definitely get it to moving.