Today's Coop- 'Maters and More!

We had a wonderful rain Monday night, nearly 2 inches at my house here on Granny Mountain. Much appreciated since everything was really getting stressed. The hostas were just glorious after the rain, green and lush.

It was short-lived, the next morning I go out and something is different... I now have Hosta Sticks. Sometime during the night the deer have made a visit to the "salad bar." 

EVERY.YEAR.IT.HAPPENS.

This year we had sprayed the plants with a commercial product that has Capsacin oil from red and black peppers. I had bought it mainly to spray on the sunflower seeds to deter the squirrels from eating them all in one sitting...  

You can see how well it worked. Evidently the deer and squirrels on our mountain like it spicy!

I think (I have my fingers crossed) that this mesh fencing may allow us to finally grow some tomatoes, peppers and squash this year. We attached it to the back of the fence and used landscape pins to secure the bottom.

When the cantaloupe and watermelon vines get a little bigger, they will escape the confines of the mesh so they may be short lived. The deer left them alone one year and we were able to have a bumper crop of pumpkins. The following year they ate them all. If food is scarce for them, they simply make do with whatever they can find. 

You can find the mesh rolls at your local Farmer's Co-op, I sure hope this works. It's really the only place in our yard that gets any sun at all... one of the drawbacks of living on wooded property. 

This is the lone hosta left in the yard, it's probably not long for this world! I could put a laundry basket over it but that kind of takes the beauty away~

The deer will leave some things untouched, Astillbe and the Solomon's Seal below are safe. They must be poison or taste awful because they are never bothered.

See the hosta sticks behind this Solomon's Seal?

It's a challenge every year to grow anything, but that doesn't mean I give up! 

I've just accepted that the deer live here and we container garden on the top decks where they can't reach.

  

I have big plans for this tomato as soon as it's ripe!

Saveur.com

If you look forward to that first 'mater sandwich every summer, you will love THIS.

I saw on AgWeb this week that caterpillars, garden web worms and slugs are doing the same kind of overnight damage to gardens. Listen HERE to a short clip that gives some great advice on how to prevent loss. Their best advice is to check your gardens daily and use Intrepid or Tracer and stay away from any sprays that have pyrethrins at this stage of growing. 

In the Kitchen this week... a recipe for a Fresh Corn Tomato Cheddar Pie, oh my! All my favorite things all rolled into one, go HERE for the recipe!

Get out this week and plant something, it will make your corner of the world a nicer place to be! Re-use a past-it's-prime wagon for your herb garden, add old fashioned charm with a rusty iron fence or 

re-purpose an oil can from Dad's shed into a birdhouse. 

The friendly folks at your local Farmer's Co-op are there to answer any questions you might have on garden problems, whether it's pest or soil related. They have a great selection of healthy plants, shrubs and trees. It's the perfect time to start that garden you've always wanted! 

Van Buren Main Office Feed Store & Service Station 2105 Industrial Park Road Van Buren, AR 72956 Phone: 479-474-6622 Go to Store Page Locate on Map	Fort Smith Coop 201 South 10th Street Fort Smith, AR 72901 Phone: 479-783-8959 Go to Store Page Locate on Map
Branch Coop 8 Highway 41 North Branch, AR 72928 Phone: 479-965-2237 Go to Store Page Locate on Map	Fayetteville Coop 417 W Martin Luther King Blvd Fayetteville, AR 72701 Phone: 479-521-4144 Go to Store Page Locate on Map
Waldron Coop 1942 South Main Waldron, AR 72958 Phone: 479-637-5641 Go to Store Page Locate on Map	Subiaco Coop Highway 22 Subiaco, AR 72865 Phone: 479-934-4207 Go to Store Page Locate on Map
Poteau Coop 204 North Broadway Street Poteau, OK 74953 Phone: 918-647-2224 Go to Store Page Locate on Map	Sallisaw Coop 2504 West Cherokee Avenue Sallisaw, OK 74955 Phone: 918-775-5519 Go to Store Page Locate on Map
Westville Coop West Division Street Westville, OK 74965 Phone: 918-723-3641 Go to Store Page Locate on Map	Lincoln Coop 216 South Main Avenue Lincoln, AR 72744 Phone: 479-824-3288 Go to Store Page Locate on Map
Greenwood Coop 1235 W Center Street Greenwood, AR 72936 Phone: 479-996-4335 Go to Store Page Locate on Map	Ozark Coop 1100 Marts Drive Ozark, AR 72949 Phone: 479-667-3825 Go to Store Page Locate on Map
Bentonville Coop 403 South West A Street Bentonville, AR 72712 Phone: 479 273 2424 Go to Store Page Locate on Map