I am in Northern California zone 9 and I am having the worst time with my garden in 20 years. We have had 2 months of wind, cold rain, and now overnight it is 103. Can't keep an even amount of water. Don't want my tomatoes to split. Then there is Mr. Squirrel. He is digging holes everywhere and eating my zucchini. I have bought little gopher traps for the holes. What am I to do. 🙁
Eric Gunnar Rochow
nature always wins, despite our best efforts sometimes, we have had problems with deer for the first time here. sorry to hear about the garden woes Sandy, thx, eric.
Panjockey
Hey Eric ,
Absolutely love the site and all the great info. I just can across a ton of windows from a guy flipping and old farm house. I m laying the foundation shortly for a green house using all these free windows. I live in zone 5 b and want to heat the green house using solar power. But I can't really find a definitive answer or product to do this without investing alot into inverters panels and batteries. What do you think about a solar pool heater in a 55 gal garbage can? Thanks panjockey
Martha
Hi Eric,
Thanks for sharing your garden. I am currently living vicariously because I recently sold my house, and my current place has no gardening space, not even a patio.
Hopefully, the next place will have a little outside space! Wish me luck!!
Gayle
Put in new purple plum trees for future shade along the west side of the house, and the hot Arizona sun is trying very hard to kill them, and it may have succeeded on one of the trees. The other two have fried crispy leaves, but still some green ones after I realized I was definately going to have to water them every single morning, since our temperatures have been 115 to 119 degrees every single day. I drag my sorry butt out of bed and get the water on them before 6 am, and I may have saved them.
The lawn was looking shabby, and so gave it nitrogen with iron, watered alot, and then followed up with 16-16-16 fertilizer. It is looking like I may have to take off my shoes and socks and enjoy that lush grass with my bare toes! What a world of difference! Yep, I fertilized in this horrendous heat since I was going to have to water the entire world every morning!
charlotte
My husband and I put in three raised beds (square foot gardening) and are enjoying growing vegetables. This is so much fun and educational too.
Thanks for the video of your garden
Dennis R
where is your garden located? i'm in Dutchess county, NY.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
hi dennis, we are in Litchfield County, CT , similar weather and seasons here. thx! eric.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
love the raised beds , they are easy on your back too. thanks for watching, eric.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
thanks for the update. are there kinds of lawns you can plant that don't use so much water? thx, eric.
Barb
We are trying rhubarb, potatoes & strawberry popcorn this year along with tomatoes and zucchini. Put in some blueberries and currants but they have already dwindled. Do you have any tricks for blueberries? Foxglove is beautiful! Advice for Sandy (above) you could get a cat. My 2 cats seem to keep the rabbits and squirrels out of the garden.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
Blueberries need acidic soil. You can buy soil additives that help blueberries. And rhubarb will take a few years to get established. Good to hear what you are up to. Eric.
Janet
I just picked another colander-ful of blueberries. We can usually freeze two gallons of them since we learned to mulch with pine needles (or anything acidic) and scratch in about 1/2 cup of Dr. Earth organic granular fertilizer in the early spring. The marion berries are about over, but I have currants yet to pick for jam. We netted the blueberries and the robins have left the yard! Our latest doggie acquisition has cleared the place of nearly 50 moles/gophers/voles in the last year. It looks like land mines went off, but I have yet to lose a plant this season to a rodent. A few are still around, giving Tula something to strive for on her tours around the yard. While watering today I noticed that a peach had fallen to the ground, along with some gravenstein apples. The pears may be about ready to pick for ripening in storage. Our second plum tree is about a week or so away from ripe fruit. I made a nice large batch of plum jam from the earlier tree. Our apricot tree gave us one! apricot. The freezing rain in April didn't help it at all, but all rain seemed to stop then, so the later blooming things that usually don't do as well are bountiful this year. A few of the green figs are ripe too, along with our tender cucumbers and the tomatoes are just turning red (in the greenhouse here on the northcoast of CA). In the raised beds we have some rogue (leftover from last year) potatoes and the perpetual kale. It reseeds at will. I've only planted kate there once in 13 years, along with the chard. There are still a few snap peas on the plants I put in the shade to stretch the season out. A few Italian bush beans are ready, but I did't plant near enough beans, but we have plenty of zucchini - of course!
Sandy
I am in Northern California zone 9 and I am having the worst time with my garden in 20 years. We have had 2 months of wind, cold rain, and now overnight it is 103. Can't keep an even amount of water. Don't want my tomatoes to split. Then there is Mr. Squirrel. He is digging holes everywhere and eating my zucchini. I have bought little gopher traps for the holes. What am I to do. 🙁
Eric Gunnar Rochow
nature always wins, despite our best efforts sometimes, we have had problems with deer for the first time here. sorry to hear about the garden woes Sandy, thx, eric.
Panjockey
Hey Eric ,
Absolutely love the site and all the great info. I just can across a ton of windows from a guy flipping and old farm house. I m laying the foundation shortly for a green house using all these free windows. I live in zone 5 b and want to heat the green house using solar power. But I can't really find a definitive answer or product to do this without investing alot into inverters panels and batteries. What do you think about a solar pool heater in a 55 gal garbage can? Thanks panjockey
Martha
Hi Eric,
Thanks for sharing your garden. I am currently living vicariously because I recently sold my house, and my current place has no gardening space, not even a patio.
Hopefully, the next place will have a little outside space! Wish me luck!!
Gayle
Put in new purple plum trees for future shade along the west side of the house, and the hot Arizona sun is trying very hard to kill them, and it may have succeeded on one of the trees. The other two have fried crispy leaves, but still some green ones after I realized I was definately going to have to water them every single morning, since our temperatures have been 115 to 119 degrees every single day. I drag my sorry butt out of bed and get the water on them before 6 am, and I may have saved them.
The lawn was looking shabby, and so gave it nitrogen with iron, watered alot, and then followed up with 16-16-16 fertilizer. It is looking like I may have to take off my shoes and socks and enjoy that lush grass with my bare toes! What a world of difference! Yep, I fertilized in this horrendous heat since I was going to have to water the entire world every morning!
charlotte
My husband and I put in three raised beds (square foot gardening) and are enjoying growing vegetables. This is so much fun and educational too.
Thanks for the video of your garden
Dennis R
where is your garden located? i'm in Dutchess county, NY.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
hi dennis, we are in Litchfield County, CT , similar weather and seasons here. thx! eric.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
love the raised beds , they are easy on your back too. thanks for watching, eric.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
thanks for the update. are there kinds of lawns you can plant that don't use so much water? thx, eric.
Barb
We are trying rhubarb, potatoes & strawberry popcorn this year along with tomatoes and zucchini. Put in some blueberries and currants but they have already dwindled. Do you have any tricks for blueberries? Foxglove is beautiful! Advice for Sandy (above) you could get a cat. My 2 cats seem to keep the rabbits and squirrels out of the garden.
Eric Gunnar Rochow
Blueberries need acidic soil. You can buy soil additives that help blueberries. And rhubarb will take a few years to get established. Good to hear what you are up to. Eric.
Janet
I just picked another colander-ful of blueberries. We can usually freeze two gallons of them since we learned to mulch with pine needles (or anything acidic) and scratch in about 1/2 cup of Dr. Earth organic granular fertilizer in the early spring. The marion berries are about over, but I have currants yet to pick for jam. We netted the blueberries and the robins have left the yard! Our latest doggie acquisition has cleared the place of nearly 50 moles/gophers/voles in the last year. It looks like land mines went off, but I have yet to lose a plant this season to a rodent. A few are still around, giving Tula something to strive for on her tours around the yard. While watering today I noticed that a peach had fallen to the ground, along with some gravenstein apples. The pears may be about ready to pick for ripening in storage. Our second plum tree is about a week or so away from ripe fruit. I made a nice large batch of plum jam from the earlier tree. Our apricot tree gave us one! apricot. The freezing rain in April didn't help it at all, but all rain seemed to stop then, so the later blooming things that usually don't do as well are bountiful this year. A few of the green figs are ripe too, along with our tender cucumbers and the tomatoes are just turning red (in the greenhouse here on the northcoast of CA). In the raised beds we have some rogue (leftover from last year) potatoes and the perpetual kale. It reseeds at will. I've only planted kate there once in 13 years, along with the chard. There are still a few snap peas on the plants I put in the shade to stretch the season out. A few Italian bush beans are ready, but I did't plant near enough beans, but we have plenty of zucchini - of course!