Vegetable Gardens

   / Vegetable Gardens
  • Thread Starter
#41  
Jim, that does sound interesting. Do you know whether they have a web site, catalog, or name for the stuff other than calling the supplier in CA? I would also wonder how well it holds up in the sun in hot weather. Things like plastic or neoprene tubing, some rubber hoses, etc. sure do get brittle and start to break up early in this part of the country.

Bird
 
   / Vegetable Gardens #42  
We plop chicken tractors (mobile pen in the background of the photo) over the garden, add chickens, straw, more straw, more straw. The chickens peck out any seeds, add their manure, and pack the whole mess down. When the straw/manure layer is about as thick as a futon, we move the chickens and tarp the futon for the winter. Come spring, we till the decaying mass into the ground. Great fertilizer, lots of organic material, and generally it gets so hot it's free of pathogens by spring. Just to be safe, we don't plant root crops the first year.

Pete
 

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   / Vegetable Gardens #43  
You must have a blast with that place of yours Pete! If I lived there I'd never make it in to work. Ain't life great /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

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   / Vegetable Gardens #44  
Bird, I haven't found a website for this company. This is their phone number (Harmony Farm Supply, N. Calf. phone 707-823-1734). I could copy off the catalog pages and send them to you. I originally was told about this stuff by an AG extension agent. If you are interested, I can send you a couple sample pieces to look at. Also, I've developed some of my own techniques for putting together a system for large gardens that works better for me than some of the methods suggested in their book. Sun doesn't seem to bother the tape. They sell 3 different grades (light-med-heavy). I've always bought the heavy grade, the light grade is only recommended for 1 season's use. I've been using this stuff for about 10 years. What seems to be the case is I'll put new line out, use it and roll it up during winter for about 3 years. Then during year 4, the stuff starts to develop lots of pinhole leaks. I've decided to use it for three years and then just throw it away and roll out new tubing. I'm still on my 4400' roll that I bought 10 years ago, so the price is right (last I checked, a 4400' roll cost around $125 and smaller 500' rolls, less than $20). In my garden, I run 7 rows, 100' long with this system, and everything gets watered evenly. (I only use it each year during May-June, summer rains take care of things during July-August). Let me know if anyone wants more info. The system is hard to describe, but I can diagram it in a drawing fairly well.
 
   / Vegetable Gardens #45  
Jim, Bird -

I looked up the web site for Harmony Farm Supply, hoping it was close to me. Turns out they're about an hour's drive away, /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif but you can check them out at:

http://www.harmonyfarm.com/

There's not much to see yet, but it sounds like they're working on it. You can, however, request a copy of their catalog, as I just did. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

By the way, Jim -- the phone number you gave for them shows up as their fax number on their web site. I guess you'll know when you dial it up. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

HarvSig.gif
 
   / Vegetable Gardens #46  
We do. Thanks! I'm not sure if it comes from growing up in the Big City of San Diego, or if it comes from having been cooped up so long on little warships, but I really love the outdoors and dirt and diesel and....

Pete
 
   / Vegetable Gardens #47  
Deer droppings?

Does anyone know whether deer droppings are safe in a vegatable garden? I certainly have plenty I could till under if there isn't a virus or parasite issue.

My county extension agent doesn't know (but may get back with us later)

Thanks,

Monte
MonteKub.gif
 
   / Vegetable Gardens #48  
Re: Deer droppings?

Monte,
The whitetail deer in some parts of New England carries a illness so far that fatal to the moose...so far...a brain worn illness.

I to have plenty of deer dropping and I harrow them in the garden plus add lime just to make sure,because of the cat and dogs.

Are your deer ticks much of a problem like we have over here.


Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
 
   / Vegetable Gardens #49  
Re: Deer droppings?

Dropping a deer in your garden is infinitely preferable to letting the pests eat your vegetables. It's considered good form to drop them at the edge of the garden to minimize the crushing of vegetables when they fall.

Pete
 
   / Vegetable Gardens
  • Thread Starter
#50  
Re: Deer droppings?

Very good, Pete./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif And Monte, I've never heard anything about the topic of using deer droppings for fertilizer, but if I had'em, I have to try'em.

Bird
 

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