My Shreveport Garden 2016

You can foil cutworms easily.  When you transplant anything, just stick 3 or 4 wooden toothpicks around the base of the plant right up against its stem.  The cutworms can't curl around the stem to cut it off.
I've done this for years and rarely lose a tomato, pepper, or anything else.  Be sure to stick the 'pick halfway into the soil and right up against the outside stem.  I've only lost to cutworms when I failed to put the 'pick against the green stems.

quiltbea wrote:Kathy....I tried clothesline but it got very loose.  I didn't try it with springs, tho, so maybe that would make a difference.

White clothesline, fastened securely on 1 side and weighted on the other. Keeps it tight unless I want to raise it up or to the side.It can be moved and always returns to the set position.  Stays clean...In my opinion nothing matches it that I have seen.

yolos wrote:I used this but most beds do not have a grid.  Thick string looped thru eye screws.

Dang that looks nice! Mine are never that neat.

CC

sanderson wrote:This winter was my first experience with broccoli.  Tender and sweet, the flowers are especially delicious.

Oh yeah! I was surprised that it flowers like that! And your bees liked them! Maybe I will try a square!

Yolos, very pretty! I love those fresh beds...so clean.

quiltbea wrote:You can foil cutworms easily.  When you transplant anything, just stick 3 or 4 wooden toothpicks around the base of the plant right up against its stem.  The cutworms can't curl around the stem to cut it off.
I've done this for years and rarely lose a tomato, pepper, or anything else.  Be sure to stick the 'pick halfway into the soil and right up against the outside stem.  I've only lost to cutworms when I failed to put the 'pick against the green stems.

Great tip!

has55 wrote:I used 1/2 schedule 40 PVC pipe for the grid. I used the 4 way PVC cross for intersections-schedule 40 cross tee. I closed the end with 1/2 cap to keeps bugs out. They have lasted years. I will also put it down in the garden beds to keeps the cats from using my garden beds as a toilet.

That's what I finally settled on for a grid, too, and use it to anchor my drip irrigation lines.

CitizenKate wrote:

quiltbea wrote:You can foil cutworms easily.  When you transplant anything, just stick 3 or 4 wooden toothpicks around the base of the plant right up against its stem.  The cutworms can't curl around the stem to cut it off.
I've done this for years and rarely lose a tomato, pepper, or anything else.  Be sure to stick the 'pick halfway into the soil and right up against the outside stem.  I've only lost to cutworms when I failed to put the 'pick against the green stems.

Great tip!

Excellent tip!!!
Thank you.

katjohn83 wrote:

has55 wrote:

katjohn83 wrote:

trolleydriver wrote:Nicely done. It all looks neat and tidy. Do you have a grid to go on top?  

I have three of these 4 x 4 beds and three 4 x 8 beds. I have yet to find a cheap sturdy long lasting material for a grid that I am happy with. I made a watering grid out of pvc for one of my 4 x 4 beds and I use that to plant by.

I used 1/2 schedule 40 PVC pipe for the grid. I used the 4 way PVC cross for intersections-schedule 40 cross tee. I closed the end with 1/2 cap to keeps bugs out. They have lasted years. I will also put it down in the garden beds to keeps the cats from using my garden beds as a toilet.

has55,
That is what have for one 4 x 4 bed and it is sturdy but not cheap enough for me LOL.  I think by the time I bought all the crosses and endcaps and pvc it was about $20.00 I would have to do that 8 more times for all my beds. $160.00 total. Too rich for me. I am thinking clothesline now but not sure how to anchor it and keep it tight and presentable all at the same time.

katjohn83,
 I love your beds. the design is awesome. Impressive. so slick looking. The ideas we have in our heart. Thanks for sharing it.
Since I'm always in the experimental mode, I only have two grids that are portable. I used them to plants the seeds or transplants till they are large enough to fend for themselves-ex.  like cats pooping in the garden, etc... Then I move them to another bed. For the long beds, 4 x 20 ft, I had to move them down the beds in sections.  I like to remove the grids to do detail adjustments, spreading mulched quickly, tearing up stuff. moving the worm buckets to new locations in the bed, planting very large transplants, etc...
For me fixed grids restrict my movements and imagination, but is necessary for the above when starting the seeds or transplants. I love the qrid idea, but need it to be portable and longgggg lasting. Since I have some new beds which are longer than the regular 4 x 4, I will be making some additional grids that are 3ft x 8ft. I want to paint them to protect them from PVC. They are still going strong for several years in Texas hot sun without painting. I think it because the PVC is schedule 40 and not schedule 20.

16.5" of rain in last 36 hours here in Bossier City, LA. I don't know what that's going to do my garden. IF the rain didn't beat my poor little plants to death, my beds on cinder blocks should drain well enough. Not sure about the others though. May be a week before I can get out to see what happened. We are currently under mandatory evacuation, however my property is high an dry and should remain that way, so no worries there just don't know when I can get back in. Keep us and those who have lost everything in your prayers. its very bad in some places.

katjohn83 wrote:16.5" of rain in last 36 hours here in Bossier City, LA. I don't know what that's going to do my garden. IF the rain didn't beat my poor little plants to death, my beds on cinder blocks should drain well enough. Not sure about the others though. May be a week before I can get out to see what happened. We are currently under mandatory evacuation, however my property is high an dry and should remain that way, so no worries there just don't know when I can get back in. Keep us and those who have lost everything in your prayers. its very bad in some places.

Prayer for you an family and BC people done. Plants included.

jimmy cee wrote:

quiltbea wrote:Kathy....I tried clothesline but it got very loose.  I didn't try it with springs, tho, so maybe that would make a difference.

White clothesline, fastened securely on 1 side and weighted on the other. Keeps it tight unless I want to raise it up or to the side.It can be moved and always returns to the set position.  Stays clean...In my opinion nothing matches it that I have seen.

Love the brick engineering.

katjohn, Please keep us posted. The Red River looks like a fairly large drainage way!

Any others in evacuation areas, call in and let us know how you are doing.

Katjohn and all in the flooding areas, stay safe, prayers on the way now!

Was finally able to get out and take a look at my garden. Everything fared pretty well. Next round of trouble comes tonight when they expect the levee to top. Keep us in your prayers.

Sending positive thoughts your way!

Ditto, stay up ground, garden is doin' fine. Vermiculite to the rescue!

katjohn83 wrote:Was finally able to get out and take a look at my garden. Everything fared pretty well. Next round of trouble comes tonight when they expect the levee to top. Keep us in your prayers.

Blessings launched - please keep us updated on this.

Re: your earlier comment about "what to expect" from heavy rainfall. I got a good lesson about that last spring. After we had very heavy rains, my entire garden survived, but everything just stopped growing. If your garden survives the rainfall or flooding itself, be prepared to follow up very quickly with some form of nutrient amendment to your growing mix, because heavy rainfall will very quickly wash away many of the plant nutrients that were in the mix. If it were my garden, as soon as the rain stops, I would apply a top dressing of compost over your beds. If your plants don't recover quickly from that, then consider a water-soluble fertilizer to give them a jump start.

Levy did not top and the water is receding. We just need several weeks of rain free weather as the citywide cleanup begins.

Glad the levy held!

SO glad to hear it!!

katjohn83 wrote:Levy did not top and the water is receding. We just need several weeks of rain free weather as the citywide cleanup begins.

Yayayayay! Glad to hear that, John

katjohn83 wrote:Levy did not top and the water is receding. We just need several weeks of rain free weather as the citywide cleanup begins.

*WHEW* Good news!

Update on my garden...

If the flood don't get you the hail storm will. we had a good 15-20 min nickel to quarter size hailstorm the other night.

I believe I have lost all of my broccoli and cauliflower. Amazingly the cabbage still looks good. I guess the leave stems are not as brittle.

My lettuce bed just is not performing. Not sure what is going on there.

On the bright side, I finally got my potatoes planted in 5 gallon buckets this weekend. I am about 3-4 weeks behind schedule.

And my tomatoes, peppers, egg plant, squash and cucumbers are doing nicely indoors.

Wow! beautiful! Sorry you lost some veggies. Could it be too hot for the lettuce?

CC