Plant more squash?

I'd probably erect some chicken wire cage things to keep the rabbits out...Or get a dog...I'd suggest a cat, but their urine will kill the plants and make it stink...

1) Chicken or other narrow-spaced wire with the bottom buried about one foot deep. Rabbits can dig.

2) Bird netting.

3) A low voltage electric fence with wires at 1" , 4" , 7" and 12" high.

4) Blood meal or red/black pepper around / on the plants. You'll have to reapply after very rain.

5) Mix habaneros , onions ,garlic, Ivory liquid and water. Strain into your sprayer then spray it on the plants. Be sure and wait a few days before harvesting and wash the veggies really well.

6) Get a cat or a small Terrier .

7) Pellet gun.

I was kinda suprised by the rabbits this year. They chewed down several pepper plants but didn't touch the squash , melons or thornless blackberries. Maybe they're so used to the thorns on the dewberries that they didn't bother. Are you sure it's rabbits ?

Don't know how dog pee affects veggies but I know for a fact that Chow pee will kill a climbing rose pdq.

It will burn them for sure. I could not figure out for the longest what was happening to some plants that should of been fine . Until I seem my dog come by and hike up his leg on them .
Erect a chicken wire fence around the entire garden. A chicken wire fence that encases the entire vegetable garden is probably the most effective, yet labour-intensive way to prevent rabbits from munching the garden down to bare stems. When erecting the fence, remember that rabbits are diggers, so the chicken wire must penetrate the soil level about eight inches deep.
Create chicken wire cages or cloches for individual plants. Roll a piece of chicken wire into a tube, being careful to clip off or trim any sharp edges. Twist one end of the chicken wire tube into a point, creating a cloche. Cloches can be placed around individual plants to protect them from being eaten. Ensure the cage/cloche is installed several inches into the ground, or mound soil around the base.
Sprinkle chili powder around the base of plants. The powder will need to be reapplied following any rainfall.
Use blood meal around plants. A commercially available product such as Plant Skidd, which contains blood meal, can be spread around the base of vegetable plants. It does not have an unpleasant smell to humans, but animals will steer clear of the scent of blood.
Place oven racks around plants. Some vegetable gardeners have reported that placing wire or metal oven racks around the targeted plants in their gardens have helped to prevent rabbits fromhelping themselves to the vegetables growing there. The rabbits reportedly do not like to step among or stand upon the racks, and will look for food elsewhere.
Apply a Liquid Fence® product. Spray one of Liquid Fence’s natural animal repellent products around the edges of vegetable beds. These products are biodegradable, rain-resistant and pet friendly.
Trap and release. Trap rabbits humanely in the garden and release them quickly into a habitat that matches closely that from which they were removed. Ensure that the animals are not left in the trap any longer than is absolutely necessary, and keep them out of extreme heat or cold.
Plant rabbit-resistant perennials. The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, recommends planting rabbit-resistant perennials in areas they frequently visit. Interspersing some of these plants among vegetable plants may help deter them from eating the veggies nearby.
Place branches over small seedlings. Protect small, tender vegetable plants by gently pushing branches into the soil surrounding the plants. The branches should make it too difficult for the rabbits to enjoy the food contained within.
Mix a rabbit repellent tea. Homemade, organic mixtures that can be sprayed onto the surface of plants is often helpful. Place 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper and 2 tablespoons of garlic powder into a coffee filter and twist it closed. Place this makeshift teabag into a jug or pitcher and pour about 32 ounces of warm water over it. Allow the mixture to steep overnight. It may be preferable to allow the mixture to steep outdoors, as it has a potent smell! Squeeze the filter gently when removing it from the water, being careful not to rip or tear it. Pour the resulting brew into a spray bottle, adding a squirt of dish soap, which allows the spray to adhere to plants’ leaves. Spray the concoction liberally onto the plants that are most targeted by rabbits. This mixture will need to be reapplied following a heavy rain.


Read more at Suite101: Rabbit-Proofing a Vegetable Garden: 10 Ways to Deter Rabbits from Damaging a Plot Full of Vegetables http://garden-pests-diseases.suite101.co...n#ixzz0xqNiEtBc

Plants are LOVING this cooooool weather.

I wonder if my catfish chum would keep rabbits out of the garden ? It certainly keeps the buzzards away.

Well, my wonderfully producing cukes gave up a few weeks ago after in infestation of aphids combined with high temps. That's okay, those 2 big tubs produced 15 qts of pickles. So we decided to see what would happen with a Fall garden of sorts. We replanted cuke seeds Sunday afternoon (Aug 28). Might be a little late but we will see. As of Tuesday afternoon, I already had 22 little sprouts about 1 inch tall coming up. Now we will wait to see if they make it to maturity and produce before any freezes. Hope to put up more pickles and give away a few qts at Christmas. Also planted a couple tomotoe plants we picked up from Home Depot. They were already about 1 ft tall and as of yesterday they had grown a couple more inches (no telling after this rain). Still had a couple of other tomatoe plants hanging on from the summer, green stalks and bushy but not setting any blooms lately. Of course, a couple of tomatoe worms got on the bushes and started stripping the leaves. A healthy dose of sevin dust took care of that but still waiting to see if they produce anything else. I think the rain and cooler temps will get things started.

It should...I don't think this will be as harsh of a fall/winter as last year, so hopefully you will get to harvest some...I have plenty of peppers and a lot of my tomato plants are producing once again. The Lemon Boy plants are still producing even in 100+ degree weather...Which was a HUGE surprise to me...

According to the Farmer's Almanac, it will be much colder this year, but much less snow. Usually here in N. Texas though, the really cold temps don't hit until late Jan. - early Feb.

You are right, it is supposed to be colder in the northern part of Texas...I don't garden there anymore and rarely pay attention to y'alls forecast...Good catch you knucklehead...BTW, how's the foot?

Still broken and not really any better, unfortunately. I snuck out and went to the garden the other day, only to nearly kill myself tripping over a bed. Note to self: follow the boss' orders, stay in the house.

Um, MSR, if you tick your wife off bad enough to have her put your bed outside, you should share the story...



















In 2002, I had to use a cane to get around and fell when I went outside to look at a garden my mom had planted...It took a few hours for me to be able to crawl back into the house...My dog, Preema, was laughing at me when I got back...Okay, she can't laugh, but with her under bite, she looks like she's laughing...

Dogs won't laugh at you until you go back inside. Cats, on the other hand, will rub your face in it.

Tiny Melons...

updates?

Well, the newest update is that I'm still getting lots of peppers and my tomatoes are making a very strong comeback...I've also decided to plant okra in the spring...I'm going to use it as a windbreak, and to produce food...

How is everyone else doing?

Very poor year, here. Have some peppers still growing, and planted more beans and squash a few weeks ago. I bought a yard of professional bedding soil from Living Earth in Lancaster, and even with regular fertilizing I think there is something lacking in it. Next year I will have to have the soil tested to see what it needs.

I have a question for people who've grown sweet potato vines in the past...I planted 6 in 2008 and had 1 come back in 2009 (these are supposed to be annuals). This year, we planted a bunch in planters (about 24 plants in 6 planters) and I'd like to know if you've been able to keep them alive year round...I can put them inside if need be and they'd receive plenty of sun. I just don't want to waste my time...I'm tired of spending $2.00/plant (and sometimes more) and then having them die off...

You should be able to put them inside with no problem. Lighting I think would be the biggest factor but they should be all right indoors. If you really want to get crazy get a indoor light for your plants. I believe that going into winter the days get shorter so this could trigger the plant to do something funny ,like die,lol. Keep the light ( cheap fluorescent ) on a lighting time limit like you would in the spring ,summer,longer days. I would just bring them inside though if you notice them not looking to good add a light. Should really be no different than any other indoor vine plant. My mom has had a vine plant growing indoor for about 10 years now.
Edit: The vine seems to put out sweet potatoes at early fall through early winter. If you dont pick and eat its likely the potato will reroot in spring.

Have never posted here before but thought I would.
I have a 4x8 back porch. I started tossing bird seed on it and the birds went nuts. Its great watching them fight over the seed.
Some days I see cardinals, blue jays, and doves all at the same time. Even got a squirrel that gets in on the act. And one day I even had one or our two local rabbits sitting on the porch with the birds and the squirrel eating that bird seed.

I had no idea how much okra a single okra plant could produce.

Okra, pickling cukes, jalapenos and sugar snap peas were my best producers this year. Everything else was marginal at best.

Okra is the energizer bunny of the vegetable world...It just keeps growing and growing and growing...