General gardening thoughts

[HaagenDazs]

It's not illegal to own a $45 bb/pellet gun from Walmart ... because that's what I use.

[Corky]

We are having a problem with squirrels in our gardens. They have eaten all the small green tomatoes, lettuce and sprouting radishes, etc. I tented bird netting over the gardens but they crawled under them. Anyone know of something that will keep the little pests out or something natural I could sprinkle over the beds that they don't like. Someone told me blood meal worked against rabbits but so far I haven't tried that.

I take my onion and garlic peels and save in a container in the refrigerator, when full I add cayenne and chili powder and fill with water and let sit for 3 months. Afterwards, I put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray around the plants. Although I container garden, I have plenty of squirrels in my yard and they don't touch any of the plants. Don't know if it is the solution or the numerous acorns. They may not be interested in the produce after feasting on acorns.
I agree with GG, pellet guns and SHOTGUNS are very effective. Ready for some Brunswick Stew?

It either must be that there is enough other food for the varmints or that you let the mixture ferment.  I started spraying that concoction (in addition to coffee grounds, dog hair, human hair) on my costco tomato plant this year.  Now I didn't let it sit for 3 months but there were times where the jug would sit for several weeks before I would refill my spayer.  Didn't faze the squirrels and chipmunks one bit.   But V hated when I made the stuff and it was pretty rough to get a whiff of it while spraying the plant.

It is nice to actually still have home grown tomatoes though.

Try adding more cayenne to your concoction. My concoction is also good for keeping squirrels out of the attic, like you mention with the addition of human and dog hair.

[totm]

We are having a problem with squirrels in our gardens. They have eaten all the small green tomatoes, lettuce and sprouting radishes, etc. I tented bird netting over the gardens but they crawled under them. Anyone know of something that will keep the little pests out or something natural I could sprinkle over the beds that they don't like. Someone told me blood meal worked against rabbits but so far I haven't tried that.

I take my onion and garlic peels and save in a container in the refrigerator, when full I add cayenne and chili powder and fill with water and let sit for 3 months. Afterwards, I put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray around the plants. Although I container garden, I have plenty of squirrels in my yard and they don't touch any of the plants. Don't know if it is the solution or the numerous acorns. They may not be interested in the produce after feasting on acorns.
I agree with GG, pellet guns and SHOTGUNS are very effective. Ready for some Brunswick Stew?

It either must be that there is enough other food for the varmints or that you let the mixture ferment.  I started spraying that concoction (in addition to coffee grounds, dog hair, human hair) on my costco tomato plant this year.  Now I didn't let it sit for 3 months but there were times where the jug would sit for several weeks before I would refill my spayer.  Didn't faze the squirrels and chipmunks one bit.   But V hated when I made the stuff and it was pretty rough to get a whiff of it while spraying the plant.

It is nice to actually still have home grown tomatoes though.

Try adding more cayenne to your concoction. My concoction is also good for keeping squirrels out of the attic, like you mention with the addition of human and dog hair.

How many tablespoons of cayenne do you put in a 1/2G container?  I think I had increased to 3 or 4T.  The mixture is pretty red and burns the eyes/nostrils when spraying.   Do you strain the solids from the liquid?  I run the whole thing through the blender and then strain the solids through cheesecloth.

BTW, the spray bottle I got at Home Depot sucked.  The similar spray bottle I got from Autozone was much better quality.

[AndyBoy]

We had these citrus trees last year but no fruit at all. This year they are going crazy and are loaded. The last photo is a Myer lemon I planted, one of three trees but it is the only one with any fruit. We also have a blood orange and another tangerine variety but they are having trouble this year with insects. A local expert said they needed to be sprayed in June next year to remove the pests.

[Corky]

We are having a problem with squirrels in our gardens. They have eaten all the small green tomatoes, lettuce and sprouting radishes, etc. I tented bird netting over the gardens but they crawled under them. Anyone know of something that will keep the little pests out or something natural I could sprinkle over the beds that they don't like. Someone told me blood meal worked against rabbits but so far I haven't tried that.

I take my onion and garlic peels and save in a container in the refrigerator, when full I add cayenne and chili powder and fill with water and let sit for 3 months. Afterwards, I put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray around the plants. Although I container garden, I have plenty of squirrels in my yard and they don't touch any of the plants. Don't know if it is the solution or the numerous acorns. They may not be interested in the produce after feasting on acorns.
I agree with GG, pellet guns and SHOTGUNS are very effective. Ready for some Brunswick Stew?

It either must be that there is enough other food for the varmints or that you let the mixture ferment.  I started spraying that concoction (in addition to coffee grounds, dog hair, human hair) on my costco tomato plant this year.  Now I didn't let it sit for 3 months but there were times where the jug would sit for several weeks before I would refill my spayer.  Didn't faze the squirrels and chipmunks one bit.   But V hated when I made the stuff and it was pretty rough to get a whiff of it while spraying the plant.

It is nice to actually still have home grown tomatoes though.

Try adding more cayenne to your concoction. My concoction is also good for keeping squirrels out of the attic, like you mention with the addition of human and dog hair.

How many tablespoons of cayenne do you put in a 1/2G container?  I think I had increased to 3 or 4T.  The mixture is pretty red and burns the eyes/nostrils when spraying.   Do you strain the solids from the liquid?  I run the whole thing through the blender and then strain the solids through cheesecloth.

BTW, the spray bottle I got at Home Depot sucked.  The similar spray bottle I got from Autozone was much better quality.

I just pour the marinated liquid only from the onion and garlic peels into a spray bottle. Then I add both cayenne and chili pepper (whatever is closest and handy) to the spray bottle. The spray bottle I use used to be my wife's ironing spray bottle. I got into trouble for that one. I don't know why you couldn't use a pump up pressurized container. I keep one for pesticides and one for herbicides, probably one for anti-squirrel matter next spring. I haven't checked on various sizes. Hope I can find a 1/2 gallon one.