j flynn

HI, I thought everything was going great. I had made 2 new raised beds and found more large planters. The plants in them were growing very well until 2 weeks ago when a family of groundhogs found my yard. Now it looks as if a hurricane has hit. I beefed up the fencing on the main vegi patch and put plywood in place of the gates. This has slowed the destruction down some. I have put a haveahart trap out by the garden but so far no success. So I guess this is karma for getting to proud of my garden. Any one know of a way to get rid of groundhogs? This is not the best time of year to catch them-very early spring is, when they first wake up and are looking for anything to eat. So if I can't catch them this I will try next feb/march.

Hi, Just finished a book by a French woman who was attacked by a bear in Russia--"  In the eye of the wild" by Nastassja Martin. It was a great read and opens up a lot of questions about man's place in the world and nature and how different cultures view this question. It is a small book but one I want to get my own copy of ( most of what I read comes from the library) as I want to read it again. I highly recommend it.

Rhubarbs up!

One of the best tasting wild foods I tried was milkweed buds-  I just pan saute with a little butter.  I also have sunchokes but did not like the distress they caused. Will have to try some of the suggestions. I also use the orange dayliles- flowers as well as buds. Use in small amounts as some cannot eat with out problems. The milkweed did not need any prep beyond washing . I did not need to boil  first as some books say to do.

Thanks for all the good info. The site is sandy coastal soil. Drains well, I am in a zone 6. I am going to try mustard and maybe sunflowers  this year and see what difference it makes. I will dry the plants then burn and spread the ashes around the wild area of the yard. I don't any experience growing mushrooms and the area doesn't seem like mushrooms would like it- too dry and sandy. I only had a heavy metals test done- I knew the anti-fouling paint used on the boat would be a problem. As for other chemicals, this area was not used for anything else.  I will look into  vetiver grass , see if it will grow here.  

I am looking into phytoremediation, The high level of copper may hamper plants from growing as the level is so high. I plan to try a small test patch for a growing season and have the soil tested again to see if there is any difference. Mustard and some grasses may work. Will let you know this project goes. The area is one of the sunnier places in the yard. I am in a  zone 6.

Hi, I wanted to start a new garden in an area where a large boat was stored. I had the soil tested for heavy metals and there is 2205 ppm of copper and lead 78ppm, zink181ppm. I was informed the lead and zink are within normal levels and would not be a problem. But the copper is. So what are some ideas to fix this. The copper came from the anti-fouling paint used on the bottom of the boat. The soil is sandy and bare right now. I have done some research but most suggestions are for industrial areas. Would any kind of mushrooms help? The soil testing people suggested two layers of weed barrier and raised beds.

I am starting a new planting bed- I have to make it a raised bed because of extreme copper in the soil- two layers of weed cloth under the beds- but the area is the best in the yard. I plan to use palletts for the raised beds and put mostly greens and squash there. I will plant less kale and more tomatoes and more herbs -both cooking and medicinal. And more flowers everywhere-can't have too many.

Hi, This year tomatoes did very poorly- too wet , most greens did well, cucumbers ok- got a couple of small personal size cantalopes, I also experminted with fall and spring planting of potatoes- the fall planted ones were much bigger-came up later than the spring planted ones- Am  going to fall plant potatoes again and add some onions as well. Tried fall planted carrots/ parsnips both failed- no carrots this year. Acorn squash was great , got 12 big ones from a small planting. I was planning to put in more fall greens and try carrots again when a very large pine tree fell on the garden-missed the cold frame which is good- I have chard/spinach/vit and onions /parsley and rosemary in there. Now I have an abundance of wood chips to work with and a new garden gate. And 1 mystery squash-it is the size of a football with cream skin and green patches- haven't picked it yet the vine is still healthy so will wait a little longer to harvest.

I am south of boston, and  the plants were inside and warm. I got my seeds from SeedsN Such.