New Garden Plot - Long Term Soil Building Project

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

I grew crimson clover last year as one of the cover crops I was experimenting with. Never again. It's a huge deer magnet! Maybe planting a plot of that a good way from your garden might help?

Possibly. Im still stuck on the idea that it would attract more Deer. Maybe not. Does anyone know, are Deer protective of their area? Do they keep others out? Or are they friendly to other Deer, inviting all their cousins?

[nbardo]

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

In the summer of 2015 they were having a ball with the field peas, eating 2' plants down to 10". I read about the fishing line fence and put 20 lb fishing line around the bed at three heights; about a foot high to touch browsing noses, a line at 3' and one in between the two. And I put up the game cam.

One morning not long after the fence went up I found it torn to pieces.

This reminds me of a trick i learned in high school physics class. If your car is in a ditch in the woods and all you have is a rope to pull it out. Tying the rope to the car and tugging on the other end is useless. But tying one end to the car, the other end to a big tree a few dozen feet away, and pushing a point in the middle of the rope in a direction perpendicular to the taught line acts as a force multiplier and a single person could move the car.

So your 20lb test probably snapped under a only a few pounds of pressure from the deer trying to get in. Time to break out the 500lb test!


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[Nan_PA_6b]

I think deer attractants will attract more deer.



But in my experience, deer will take the easy way out. If there is an easy to access tasty food source, they'll take that over a hard to get to food source. Whatever is along the deer path will get eaten.



But in times of scarcity, like during a drought, the deer will go to great lengths to get to a food source. So maybe a deer plot would keep them where you want them. A big field with large perennial clover, or some perennial deer mix, might be good. Plant stuff that can survive grazing.


Nan

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

I think deer attractants will attract more deer.



But in my experience, deer will take the easy way out. If there is an easy to access tasty food source, they'll take that over a hard to get to food source. Whatever is along the deer path will get eaten.



But in times of scarcity, like during a drought, the deer will go to great lengths to get to a food source. So maybe a deer plot would keep them where you want them. A big field with large perennial clover, or some perennial deer mix, might be good. Plant stuff that can survive grazing.


Nan

At the end of my property, is a "bottom"". Rather downhill from the proposed orchard area. Its grown up and a mess, but it would probably make for a decent stand, once it was worked over.


Next year it might be turned into something. Too much on my plate as it is.

[Nan_PA_6b]

You might want to plant an apple tree or two for the deer. Something that grows fast to full size and is abundant. Deer love to eat fallen apples. You wouldn't have to spray or take care of the trees. I don't know if all apple trees do this, but my mother's tree produces more apples than it can ripen, so greenies fall all summer. Her deer love them.


Nan

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

You might want to plant an apple tree or two for the deer. Something that grows fast to full size and is abundant. Deer love to eat fallen apples. You wouldn't have to spray or take care of the trees. I don't know if all apple trees do this, but my mother's tree produces more apples than it can ripen, so greenies fall all summer. Her deer love them.


Nan

Hmm.. thanks for all your advice and input.


That actually gets me thinking about something. I wonder the feasibility of a food plot with actual fruits and veggies that critters like. For instance, Tomatoes, Beans, Apples... etc. Im thinking plant the crops rather tight, but let them self-sow year after year. Using OP, whatever falls to the ground and isnt eaten would just come back. In theory.


This isnt something high on my priority list. Just some random thoughts.

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

I was planning to go dwarf trees too, then I read this article and then bought the book. I have 3 apple trees now I am going to grow using the pruning techniques discussed. Just thought it was a clever idea and it makes sense. https://www.motherearthnews.com/orga...s-zm0z15onzdel

Vader.. I finally got a chance to read your link. I want to say, excellent find!!! I am absolutely intrigued by this, and it makes perfect sense.


This would save me a good bit of cash as well. My Wholesaler has regular full size fruit trees, but no dwarves or semi's. I can get the trees for about half retail.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

I was planning to go dwarf trees too, then I read this article and then bought the book. I have 3 apple trees now I am going to grow using the pruning techniques discussed. Just thought it was a clever idea and it makes sense. https://www.motherearthnews.com/orga...s-zm0z15onzdel

Another thank you for that link! I'm going to try this next year.

[FourOaks]

Observation time!


Earlier today we cleaned up the raised beds. These are located between the GH's. We cleaned out the 3 that had the Sugar Snap Peas. One of the 3 was filled with nothing but Leaf Mulch last year. The other 2 beds are a combo of Compost and what ever else I could find at the time.


The bed with the Leaf Mulch is what really caught my attention. Although I didnt notice early this year when we planted the peas, maybe cause it was less then optimal weather. The top inch or so, looks like standard ground up leaves. But down below that, it looks closer to soil. The leaves have certainly broken down since last year. Looking at it, you would never guess that it was at one time a product that was dangling from a tree. Also, this bed was quite moist. The other bed that was nearly straight compost, fairly dry. Last night it poured the rain, which is a nice change. Been a few weeks since we had any appreciable rain fall.


This indicates 3 things to me...


1. Using free Leaf Mulch to fill raised beds was a winner. It may take a year or 2 to really break down, but thats ok.


2. Using the same Leaf Mulch for my Plant Sale Containers next year will be ok as well, as long as I dont wait to long to start stocking up.


3. Adding the Leaf Mulch to the new garden plot and blending it into the plant holes should eventually yield excellent results.


Just to add, in the raised beds we cleaned out, 2 of the 3 were sown with more KY Wonder beans. Now I am up to 96 feet worth of KY's. These will hopefully kick in right about the time for the Roma IIs in the tunnel give out.