Coming to work this morning at 8:39 (Friday is a late day), a deer walked in front of the truck. She had followers so I stopped to let them cross. They spooked. There were a total of 2 does and 3 or maybe 4 fawns. They were headed straight toward my house.
The depredations from deer this year have not been bad. The 8’ fence and the human hair might have helped some. Something has been eating the ghost pepper leaves, but that is probably a possum. It did not eat the peppers and possums are a good thing because they eat poisonous snakes. They are more likely to eat the compost than the veggies in most cases.
Last year the deer ate the pansies. They like azaleas too, but the ones in our yard are well enough established that it doesn’t really hurt them. It just prunes them. My real fear is for the blueberries. The leaves are pretty in the fall and they might taste good.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label Deer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deer. Show all posts
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Master Gardener®
Yesterday was the end of training for the 2011 class of the Master Gardener® program. We were fed a really nice lunch and given gifts and assigned a sponsor to help us enter the world of Master Gardening® smoothly. At this point we are considered “interns”. When we have done our service work (40 hours) we will be Master Gardeners®.
The garden and greenhouse chores are becoming overwhelming now. Unless a fence is completed around the garden the deer will eat everything. The greenhouse plants need repotting, but my back will only co-operate for one or two flats at a time. Every flat turns into two or more as the repotting is done. There is only enough space on the heated mats for 3 more flats. The parts of the garden that are not in beds need to be tilled for the spring planting. There is some respite for a day or two on this chore because of last night’s rain.
The good part of the garden right now is the wonderful salads and greens that are being harvested. We have had salad almost every night. We had Russian Red Kale, Monday night and the turnip and mustard greens are ready to start harvesting.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The garden and greenhouse chores are becoming overwhelming now. Unless a fence is completed around the garden the deer will eat everything. The greenhouse plants need repotting, but my back will only co-operate for one or two flats at a time. Every flat turns into two or more as the repotting is done. There is only enough space on the heated mats for 3 more flats. The parts of the garden that are not in beds need to be tilled for the spring planting. There is some respite for a day or two on this chore because of last night’s rain.
The good part of the garden right now is the wonderful salads and greens that are being harvested. We have had salad almost every night. We had Russian Red Kale, Monday night and the turnip and mustard greens are ready to start harvesting.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Home Based Weather Station
Have you ever seen the rain fall in your neighbor’s yard; and not fall in yours or vice-versa? You might want to set up your own weather station at home. The information could be invaluable for your garden if entered in your garden journal. All you really need is a maximum/minimum thermometer (“$7) and a rain gauge ($6). Of course there are more expensive options for those who thing quality is measured by cost.
I am installing a fence that I hope will keep the deer out of my garden. A friend, who is a beautician, is saving me a couple of bags of human hair. These will be placed in little bags and hung around the garden. I won’t know whether it is the fence or the hair that works; but I won’t care if it works. If neither works, I’ll know that.
I found a beautiful little flower in my flower bed and I didn’t know what it was. I guess the birds planted it or if it is a bulb; maybe it came with leave or grass that I picked up by the side of the road. I had intended to ask the readers of this column, if there are any, what it was. I did find out that it is a crocus. Here is a picture, in case the person told me wrong.
Happy St. Patrick's Day
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
One Wet Weekend
The super soaking that we received over the nights this weekend killed a lot of plans; but it helped some others. The rain all came at night; so it did not force people inside. There were some people who started celebrating St. Patty’s day on Saturday morning at 9:00 am. Wow. They had a beautiful day for the parade.
The yard and garden were almost too soggy for walking. The grass did start growing though. The weekend was great for digging postholes; so the garden fence got started and most of the posts are planted. The fence will probably not keep the deer out; but maybe it will change their traffic pattern.
All of the crucifers have come up now and one or two sugar peas have sprouted. A few cabbage plants graduated from the greenhouse to the garden. They are not in cages; but they probably need to be.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The yard and garden were almost too soggy for walking. The grass did start growing though. The weekend was great for digging postholes; so the garden fence got started and most of the posts are planted. The fence will probably not keep the deer out; but maybe it will change their traffic pattern.
All of the crucifers have come up now and one or two sugar peas have sprouted. A few cabbage plants graduated from the greenhouse to the garden. They are not in cages; but they probably need to be.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 15, 2010
Garden Weekend
The sun is shining (finally). The flowers are blooming. How can a Friday be so long? My garden is calling and my work is too. Should I listen to the work or the garden? The ground is too wet to really get into the dirt; but this would be a great time to dig postholes for the garden fence. The deer were so brutal last year. They must be excluded this year somehow.
Deer can jump 18’ flat footed. The fence will only be 8’ high. I am hoping a combination of fence and bags of human hair will at least deter them. I will also attach a rain gauge to the fence and a maximum minimum thermometer to help with data collection. There will also be a tree cam to catch the rascals in the act of eating my goodies. At least I can enjoy watching them eat. A motion detector might be a good idea too; but the ones on the eaves of the house don’t seem to have any effect at all.
It is not too wet to set out some cabbage plants in raised beds. I have a few in the greenhouse that are getting too big for their pots. To heck with work, it is time to start the weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Deer can jump 18’ flat footed. The fence will only be 8’ high. I am hoping a combination of fence and bags of human hair will at least deter them. I will also attach a rain gauge to the fence and a maximum minimum thermometer to help with data collection. There will also be a tree cam to catch the rascals in the act of eating my goodies. At least I can enjoy watching them eat. A motion detector might be a good idea too; but the ones on the eaves of the house don’t seem to have any effect at all.
It is not too wet to set out some cabbage plants in raised beds. I have a few in the greenhouse that are getting too big for their pots. To heck with work, it is time to start the weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Salad from the Garden
Finally the whole salad (except for the dressing) came from the garden. Tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, mesclun, basil and radishes were fresh from the back yard. It was wonderful. I just hope it lasts for awhile.
The new compost bin arrangement worked out really well. I was concerned that the boards on the front would present a difficulty in forking the compost from bin to bin; but it was easy as pie. The compost that had been in the bins seemed to be hotter than the compost from the wire cages as well; but that could be a factor of the individual pile.
Figs are really getting ripe. They are so sweet and delicious that it is hard to stop eating them. The squirrels and birds seem to have gotten their fill because they are leaving them alone. The tomatoes that were started for the greenhouse raised bed have true leaves on them now. The lights will be rigged this weekend and the tomatoes will be transplanted to larger pots. They should go in the ground by the 1st of November.
The deer must be starving. They are even eating the hot pepper plants now. They ate all the tomatoes and leaves from the upside down tomato. Upside down tomatoes will get another chance next year. They have been a real loser this year; but they did get started late. Next year they will get started in the greenhouse in February to see if they do better.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The new compost bin arrangement worked out really well. I was concerned that the boards on the front would present a difficulty in forking the compost from bin to bin; but it was easy as pie. The compost that had been in the bins seemed to be hotter than the compost from the wire cages as well; but that could be a factor of the individual pile.
Figs are really getting ripe. They are so sweet and delicious that it is hard to stop eating them. The squirrels and birds seem to have gotten their fill because they are leaving them alone. The tomatoes that were started for the greenhouse raised bed have true leaves on them now. The lights will be rigged this weekend and the tomatoes will be transplanted to larger pots. They should go in the ground by the 1st of November.
The deer must be starving. They are even eating the hot pepper plants now. They ate all the tomatoes and leaves from the upside down tomato. Upside down tomatoes will get another chance next year. They have been a real loser this year; but they did get started late. Next year they will get started in the greenhouse in February to see if they do better.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Oh Deer!
Oh Deer!
We enjoy seeing deer out the window. I don’t even mind their tracks in the garden and the little piles of “marbles” in the yard. After all, where I live was all country and woods when I moved in. The deer had a home too. Now it is all houses and roads. The deer are isolated to small undeveloped wooded lots. They are almost homeless.
Now they have violated the sacred tomato plants. Never has that happened before. They ate the tops off of all but two plants. The tomatoes were blooming. In order to close the proverbial barn door after the horse gets out, the tomatoes are now wrapped with plastic fence. They can’t stay that way; but maybe it will stop the munching long enough for a recovery. There’s plenty of honeysuckle. The deer should eat that.
The sugar peas are looking shabby. The fall onions have gone to seed. Watermelon was planted in the space between sugar peas and onions. It is time to give them room to grow. Time to build a “watermelon fence”. The watermelon fence will require the plastic fence that is wrapping the tomatoes now.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
We enjoy seeing deer out the window. I don’t even mind their tracks in the garden and the little piles of “marbles” in the yard. After all, where I live was all country and woods when I moved in. The deer had a home too. Now it is all houses and roads. The deer are isolated to small undeveloped wooded lots. They are almost homeless.
Now they have violated the sacred tomato plants. Never has that happened before. They ate the tops off of all but two plants. The tomatoes were blooming. In order to close the proverbial barn door after the horse gets out, the tomatoes are now wrapped with plastic fence. They can’t stay that way; but maybe it will stop the munching long enough for a recovery. There’s plenty of honeysuckle. The deer should eat that.
The sugar peas are looking shabby. The fall onions have gone to seed. Watermelon was planted in the space between sugar peas and onions. It is time to give them room to grow. Time to build a “watermelon fence”. The watermelon fence will require the plastic fence that is wrapping the tomatoes now.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
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