j flynn

Hi, I would like to try gooseberries, but most plant catalogs say they won't ship to mass because of a fungus that can be transfered to white pines. Others say that the problem is not an issue here. Does anyone grow gooseberries in massachusetts , have you had any problems with fungus and where did you get your gooseberries. I am fond of tart berries and have many areas where they would grow- also lots of mature white pines and don't want to risk the trees .

Hi, my research says their tunnels can go down 2-3 feet- so putting down hardware cloth would be a big job- I found out that used cat litter put down the tunnels may make them go away along with oil of garlic,cinnamon and peppermint. If I can lure them out with peanut butter and then put cat litter down that might work. One website also suggested using fine gravel or sand. The scent of cat is going to be a stronger deterrent . Now I have to find someone with a cat.

Hi, my house sits on a slab-no crawlspace/basement. The chipmunks have started to tunnel under the slab. I do not want them there, I have out up with them in the yard and garden and will not put out any poisons. I have tried a have-a-heart trap with no luck and I know I could never get rid of all of the chipmunks anyway. Just want to discourage  digging under the house. I have put mint oil and red pepper around the house- did not stop them. Has anyone had the same problem? Did you find anything that worked? I can not have a cat and right now also do not have a dog.

Hi. To update my try on the copper in soil fix. I put a thin layer of compost down and then planted in two separate spots- a mustard mix and a clover mix. Both came up and grew slowly to about 1/2 -1 inch tall, then stopped growing. The mustard died away and now there is only a couple of clover plants left. So I am glad I made the raised beds. The plants in the beds are doing very well. I will keep trying to grow something in the ground- to cover the bare dirt, but won't grow any food plants there.

Hi just to update. So far I have caught 4 groundhogs- all removed to a very large conservation area with no houses near by. As soon as I know there are no more, I plan to put used cat litter down the holes and put a very big rock on top. Some of the damaged plants are coming back and I have pulled the others up. Replanted with bush beans and other quick crops.

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.