Today's harvest

[blissful]

What do all of you do with the trapped animals?

Taxlady, what do you think?

 

[taxlady]

Taxlady, what do you think?

I'm hoping they are being released somewhere else, unless someone is using them as food.

 

[blissful]

I'm hoping they are being released somewhere else, unless someone is using them as food.

Taxlady, keep up the happy thoughts.

 

[taxlady]

Taxlady, keep up the happy thoughts.

So, you refuse to answer. Maybe others will answer.

 

[larry_stewart]

A few years back we had a mama raccoon with two babies. The babies were small enough to squeeze into the chicken coop and take out our favorite chicken. This year saw another mama racoon with 4 babies. Coop has been raccoon proofed ( even though I thought it was the first time around). Other than eating some of the cat food we out out , they don't do any obvious damage ( other than tipping the trash can every now and then).

 

[pepperhead212]

So, you refuse to answer. Maybe others will answer.

What do you do with a tick when you pull it off of your body, or your dog's body?

 

[dragnlaw]

taxy, why do you want to know?

Racoons get in my barn and aside from killing chickens make a horrid mess. Not only knocking things over - their feces are everywhere. Very Very unsanitary! I wear a face mask and hazard suit to clean up.

They menace my cats - and you don't ever want to witness a fight between raccoons and dogs.

 

[bbqcoder]

I'm hoping they are being released somewhere else, unless someone is using them as food.

In Massachusetts it’s illegal to transport them elsewhere so your only option is extermination.

https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/wildlife-the-law

Animals
Relocating wildlife is illegal in Massachusetts. It is detrimental to the wellbeing of wildlife as well as the public. Unknowingly, sick animals may be transported and released in other locations, causing the spread of disease.

Animals released in unfamiliar territory have a hard time surviving. They must compete with resident animals, and they have difficulty finding food and shelter. It is also against state law to possess wild birds and mammals.

I don’t eat them but my plants do when they turn into compost. When you put a lot of work into a garden and have it destroyed, you lose any sympathy for them.

I’m fortunate that I don’t have a raccoon issue but I had one years ago at my community garden. I had planted 10 rows of corn and when they were about to be picked, every single stalk was knocked down and every single ear had a bite taken out. Yes, hard to believe but I had hoped to find some unspoiled ears that I could eat.

 

[larry_stewart]

In Massachusetts it’s illegal to transport them elsewhere

I had planted 10 rows of corn and when they were about to be picked, every single stalk was knocked down and every single ear had a bite taken out. Yes, hard to believe but I had hoped to find some unspoiled ears that I could eat.

I think New York has the same law.

My issue with corn is the squirrels . One year I was looking out my kitchen window at the garden and saw a corn stalk moving in a way that is not consistent with the wind. I watched for a few minutes, then down it went. I ran outside to see who the culprit was, and the squirrel ran off with the whole stalk ( must have been 4 or 5 feet tall). I was pissed but kinda laughed. Stupid me planted corn again, we'll see what happens. Ive got 5 outdoor cats patrolling the yard, so hopefully that will be a deterrent .

 

[blissful]

We planted corn one year, but it brought so many raccoons and we had no corn. We are surrounded by fields of corn here. We don't grow it because of the raccoons. But we love corn.



What we are growing is beans (green beans, soy beans, and chick peas). We planted 3 areas, then they were eaten off. We replanted, they were eat off. There were a total of 11 plantings and replantings.



We have raccoons that know that bean sprouts are really really good. We have also observed one little pale red fox, 2 adult deer, and 2 beautiful fawns, all of which are guilty until proven innocent.


DH and the neighbor were in a conversation prior to this and the neighbor remarked he was relocating the raccoons about a mile away. DH gently mentioned that that was probably illegal. But we think, the raccoons just came back to this area.

 

[larry_stewart]

My father had a friend who would catch squirrels on his property, then spray paint a patch on its back, release it a few miles away and see if they would return. Not sure what the outcome was.

 

[blissful]

My father had a friend who would catch squirrels on his property, then spray paint a patch on its back, release it a few miles away and see if they would return. Not sure what the outcome was.

That is, though, pretty brilliant of an idea to see if they did come back.


Our tomato plants are huge again, late, and we are just seeing some of the tomatoes begin to color.

 

[pepperhead212]

Relocating the animals is illegal in NJ, too, unless you are licensed to do so. I know a lady that works for the county, who does this (like when animals get in residences), as well as removing dead carcasses, like deer, causing a hazard on roads. I got a 'possum today - usually don't see them, but they might be around looking for water, as it has been dry here for a while.

I got more tomatoes today, as well as eggplants (and of course, peppers). A lot of tomatoes - about 1/3 - had bad spots, so I have to cut them up NOW, and use them. I just did this 3 days ago, and used about 4 1/2 pounds for gaspacho.
Tomatoes 8-3. A lot more cherries out there - only Pink Champaign picked here. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Eggplants and bottle gourd 8-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[dragnlaw]

DH and the neighbor were in a conversation prior to this and the neighbor remarked he was relocating the raccoons about a mile away. DH gently mentioned that that was probably illegal. But we think, the raccoons just came back to this area.

a mile is not far, they will come back to an area that is 'home' to them.

 

[pepperhead212]

This is early, for the peppers, so imagine how many of these I will have by the end of the season!

And just think - I downsized this year!
Thai Vesuvius, two plants in back, 8-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Thai Vesuvius, two plants in front 8-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Red Savinas (L), and Jalafuegos, one plant each, 8-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Big Jims (L), and Mosquetero Poblanos, 8-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Hanoi Markets, Gold Bullets, unk. Cherry peppers, and Longhorns 8-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Most of what we harvested today was pickled right away.
Did about 1/4 of the beets, and some mixed jars (cauliflower, cabbage, banana peppers, garlic, dill, carrots, cucumbers.

Still have a huge bowl of carrots and banana peppers we need to process.

Cucumber and zucchini crop are gonna suck this year, mildew got ahead of me and the plants are half dead already. Beans, tomatoes, peppers, hops, grapes, cabbage, eggplant, tomatillo, and potatoes all look good though.

 

[pepperhead212]

I forgot - I got more eggplant, too! I have almost 3 gallons of dehydrated cubes, and have probably used about 10 lbs of it, from just 4 plants. And I didn't even have my most productive Hari plants - the seeds didn't do well, and I'll get more for next year. The ichiban has 7 small fruits, after being totally stopped by the intense heat in the high 90s, and the other two were slowed, but obviously, not stopped.
Neon and Indian, 8-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The heat totally stopped most of the tomatoes, and the rain, early on, and now extreme humidity, has been a breeding area for septoria leaf spot. I pulled several that were worst, and pulled an incredible amount of infected areas, and sprayed a bunch of copper spray (I tried aspirin spray at least once a week - it didn't work, so don't believe all the hype!), which is the worst thing I spray out there, though still organic. A lot have new growth areas, so maybe I'll get some later on.

Cucumbers have been a bust, due to wetness, and later, the heat. Okra and peppers are the only things that don't seem to mind that! I have another pound of okra to slice, blanch, and freeze.

 

[blissful]

Nice pictures of all the tomatoes and eggplants and peppers, what a great harvest.

 

[pepperhead212]

Here's something else that loves this heat, which makes sense, as it's from southern India! I trimmed this curry tree to about 2/3 this size, about 2 1/2 weeks ago, as it had grown way off to the left, and last week I cut another large branch off of it, to make a new batch of sambar masala (1 oz of curry leaves is a lot of leaves!), yet, you can't tell anything was cut from it, unless you look closely.
Curry tree, 8-6 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I went to my favorite, family run Indian grocery store when I trimmed it, and the guy knew what I had when he saw the bag! He always gives me samples of the foods he has there (he has a small take out business there, too), and they are sooooo good, and they are HOT! He was surprised that he didn't get much of a reaction the first time I tried one, but I told him that was the way I make food! The things I get there are mostly things I don't make - deep fried, and Indian "street food", STS. I told him I'd bring them some of the hotter peppers when they start ripening (hadn't started 3 Saturdays ago). When I'm hungry for one of those snacks I'll take a trip over.

 

[GotGarlic]

The heat totally stopped most of the tomatoes, and the rain, early on, and now extreme humidity, has been a breeding area for septoria leaf spot. I pulled several that were worst, and pulled an incredible amount of infected areas, and sprayed a bunch of copper spray (I tried aspirin spray at least once a week - it didn't work, so don't believe all the hype!), which is the worst thing I spray out there, though still organic.

Why would you use such a toxic chemical in your vegetable garden? Organic doesn't mean safe - it never has. It just means the pesticides used are derived from natural sources as opposed to being synthesized in a lab. But copper is especially bad, since it builds up in the soil.

Some organic producers are even giving up their organic certification because the pesticides they want to use are prohibited by organic standards, like this French vintner: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/...-organic-status-for-better-treatments-289349/