Comments

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  Charles Calbom May 12, 2009 at 4:12pm

  Well you might overestimate my experience. I used some standard 50% shade cloth, probably got it at Bakers. I used a roll I had on hand for a couple of years. How about chicken wire down low for air flow and insects, and the shadecloth up high and on top. I left the east side of mine open for morning sun, and took the cloth all the way to the ground on the west side. The pvc is easy to work with, the fittings come in all the configurations you need. It is not cheap. I do not glue my pipes so I can reuse them.
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  Kathi Metzger May 11, 2009 at 7:34pm

  Hi Lylah,
  Sorry to see the squash damage. I have used Safer brand to take care of pests, and like how it works. It is an organic control and I found it at Ace Hardware. There may be other places in your area that carry it. Not too long ago, my red cabbage was majorly infested with aphids or thrips (or something similar) and the Safer took care of everything. It seems to have pretty good lasting effects, so I generally just have to touch up once in awhile if something crawls through.
  
  Good luck!
  
  Kathi
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  Jack L. McCardle May 5, 2009 at 2:43pm

  Hello Lylah,
  Your squash are being eaten by insects obviously. There are several that I know of, grasshoppers and cut worms of different types. Have you found any insects on the plants themselves? The irregularity makes me think of grasshoppers they usually leave plenty of ragged edges. All in all, it won't really hurt the plants if they don't consume too much.
  I usually plant a winter and a summer garden. If you plant winter crops in the summer, they usually bolt instead of making food. (produce flowers and seeds quickly)
  I plant my root crops and anything like cabbage family, as well as lettuce in the fall and winter. In the summer it is time for tomatoes, peppers, squash and most above ground crops.
  I use the Western Gardeners Handbook like a gardening bible. You should be able to get a used one from Amazon.com used books cheaply.
  garden suppliers will sell anything even during less than prime season, so it is best to use a planting guide. Also the cooperative extension service of the county has a lot of gardening information, some free, others for little cost. Hope this helps. My wife and I have had a garden for 35 years, and really enjoy growing as much food for ourselves and family as possible.
  I have some Thompson seedless and Red Flame seedless grape starts if you have room for grape vines.
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  winnie cain May 5, 2009 at 11:40am

  looks like you are having a lot of family fun with your gardening.
  I don't have a worm box but, my yard has lots of worms. I am delighted!!
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  Paul Daniel April 22, 2009 at 11:36am

  regarding the question about the goats. They were neither Nubian or Sonnen...
  
  Just plain old Spanish Meat Goats. Great personalities and great flavor. A little tough, though.
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  Wade April 14, 2009 at 3:28pm

  Hello Lylah,
  I think all the pictures without tags are from Jordan, the tropical looking ones are from Queensland, Aus. Thanks for the comment.
  
  Wade.
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  marcy March 29, 2009 at 11:17am

  thanks lylah, you are always so kind =)
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  Ann P. March 28, 2009 at 4:06pm

  Blue barrels now; rain barrels if it ever rains. We built other barrels for a gutter on opposite side of house and 15 minutes of rain last fall filled all three. That was surprise. I've been using this water for my inside and outside potted plants. My husband and I took the permaculture rain harvest class last year. We bought the barrels for $20 off of Craiglist. The hardware costs another $8 - $10.
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  Brad Norgaard March 25, 2009 at 5:05pm

  Sorry to hear of your ladies disappearance but am glad you're jumping right back in with re-enforced fencing. Can you post more pix of your coop?
  
  Brad
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  grrlscout March 24, 2009 at 3:12pm

  Hopefully, in a few months, there'll be prickly pear jam to go with it! Trying my hand at canning, and that's on my short list of experiments.