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Post by bestofour on Aug 4, 2019 15:40:04 GMT -5
Mine are the same as hairy's 2 x 8's and 2 x 4. They're not warped so far and I like the size. Not too big not too small.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 4, 2019 23:07:29 GMT -5
Thanks hairymooseknuckles & bestofour. I wanted to make sure that rabbits hadn't been hopping up that high! I might go get the wood tomorrow! Might pick up more gorilla glue - I think I'm low. I have hundreds of dowels for edge joining, as I got a bag of a thousand years ago! I have a bunch of SS screws. I'll have to check my stain situation. |
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 5, 2019 8:04:03 GMT -5
pepperhead212, if you make the beds and find that the rabbits can still jump up into them I have seen pictures of where people put small stakes around the edges and make a low fence to increase the height but you can still reach over it to work in the bed.
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Post by Gianna on Aug 5, 2019 10:32:18 GMT -5
I dont know how tall the sides of a bed would have to be to keep them from hopping in, but they do stand on their hind legs and can reach as high as their stretched length. Our local cottontails can eat things a foot off the ground if not more, and can reach things on the edge of pots (and probably beds) that are not tall enough. All they have to do is chew through the base of a stem and pull the top of the plant to where they can eat it.
I could be wrong, but I dont think a bed 8 inches tall would be high enough to prevent damage. To some extent it could be how determined they are to get to something - as in, how much other food there is for them to eat. Here, in the dry summers, they rather like the moist veg garden plants.
Right now the bunnies are seen often in my pepper bed. They are not in a raised bed. As the peppers turn red, the buns are attracted to eating the ends of the pods, so I'm going to have to fence soon - before they discover them again this year. They did a lot of damage last year eating the red, sweet pods. They dont seem interested in the leaves, thank goodness. Though they did take out a few plants when they were very young. And an entire bed in back... that could have been ground squirrel damage however.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 5, 2019 10:59:51 GMT -5
pepperhead212, if you make the beds and find that the rabbits can still jump up into them I have seen pictures of where people put small stakes around the edges and make a low fence to increase the height but you can still reach over it to work in the bed. I've thought about that, believe me! I know they go up steps, but I don't know if 14" would be too much for them. Seems like it would be, but I'll find out. |
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Post by ladymarmalade on Aug 5, 2019 12:03:27 GMT -5
pepperhead212 , if you make the beds and find that the rabbits can still jump up into them I have seen pictures of where people put small stakes around the edges and make a low fence to increase the height but you can still reach over it to work in the bed. I've thought about that, believe me! I know they go up steps, but I don't know if 14" would be too much for them. Seems like it would be, but I'll find out. Well, this is not what you want to hear, but...  See those garden beds? A full 18 inches tall and they were decimated by rabbits before I put the fence panels on. I definitely thought they were too tall for rabbits, and the buggers hopped right up like I'd presented them with an all you can eat buffet. |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 5, 2019 14:47:10 GMT -5
That's exactly what I wanted to hear - thanks, ladymarmalade, you confirmed my suspicions! Those #!@&¿©€ varmints will do anything to get at the greens, despite all the free food out there! So, they've never gotten over the fences? That's a minor job, as long as I know that it must be done. I went to that HD just now, and, as I figured, they didn't have all the lumber I wanted. It's the closest place to me, but smaller than most, and it doesn't keep as much inventory. Then I thought of something - my new friend, the guy whom I tutored in math, could help me with this! That's how I made one of my best friends back in the 80s, when he would come over and help me in my garden, workshop, or anything, and I got him hooked on gardening, cooking, and building things! He's the one down in FL now, with his two girls (I still call them girls, even though they are in their 20s). |
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Aug 5, 2019 15:20:34 GMT -5
I spent about 15 minutes composing a seed order. Crookneck squash, pattypan squash, Morris Heading collards, two types of lettuce. That will do though I am tempted to try potatoes.
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Post by Hensaplenty on Aug 5, 2019 15:25:55 GMT -5
I really enjoy my fall and winter garden. I have already started cabbage and broccoli starts. Brussels sprouts have not sprouted yet. It's tough to grow anyway. I will direct sow : carrots, kale, beets, arugula, lettuce, cilantro and will be trying fava beans for the first time.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Aug 5, 2019 17:22:31 GMT -5
pepperhead212, never over the fences. Those gardens were 18 inches high, and then the fence panels were 24 inches high on top of that. They had no chance.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Aug 5, 2019 18:48:27 GMT -5
pepperhead212, ladymarmalade, I didn't think about the size of your rabbits. Our Jack Rabbit was wiped out several years ago and all we have left is Cottontail. A jackrabbit is much bigger and stands on his rear legs. I only see one once in a blue moon anymore. Home Depot has 2' tall orange plastic fencing that should be economical and that should keep them out. Good catch ladymarmalade. I was thinking about my area and not considering all the key elements.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Aug 5, 2019 18:59:13 GMT -5
You know what? I wouldn't mind a few beets either. Plus, I've got some kind of funky carrot too. Cosmic Purple or something. Anything I can juice would be a plus.
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Post by Gianna on Aug 5, 2019 19:05:12 GMT -5
I love growing beets. I start them in tiny cell trays, and just pop them into the garden where ever there was an empty spot. They transplant well.
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Post by september on Aug 6, 2019 8:51:01 GMT -5
Gianna , I didn't know that! Guess I assumed that being a root crop they don't like to be disturbed. I can't ground seed them here because my flea beetles are on them immediately and the baby leaves are skeletons. Maybe if they were a little larger when they went in the ground they could outgrow the onslaught. I'll tuck that away in my mental ideas file. 
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Post by Gianna on Aug 6, 2019 10:13:47 GMT -5
Gianna , I didn't know that! Guess I assumed that being a root crop they don't like to be disturbed. I can't ground seed them here because my flea beetles are on them immediately and the baby leaves are skeletons. Maybe if they were a little larger when they went in the ground they could outgrow the onslaught. I'll tuck that away in my mental ideas file.  Yes, it works well too. Same with turnips. I love beets and used to have difficulty germinating them when planted directly in the soil - getting proper moisture using the hose, uneven germination and spacing, and then critters eating the seedlings. Then I started planting the seeds in a good, firmed mix individually in small modules, and viola, not only better germination, more uniform seedlings, plus even spacing in a bed, or just putting a beet plant here or there in an empty garden space. The beet forms from the elongated part of the root up high, just below the leaves, so transplanting does not interfere with the enlarged part developing. Sometimes there can be a bit of root 'confusion' on the very bottom of the well formed beet when more than one feeder root will form, but you can easily cut that off. The other benefits far outweigh this slight imperfection. |
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 6, 2019 12:47:06 GMT -5
I can't ground seed them here because my flea beetles are on them immediately and the baby leaves are skeletons. I usually have a lot of flea beetle trouble on my eggplants but 2 years ago I read online somewhere that sprinkling used coffee grounds on the plants will help and it really did seem to. This year I didn't use the coffee grounds and the poor EP really struggled with those darn flea beetles. I think that I will sprinkle some on them today because they have a lot of holes in the leaves. |
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Post by bestofour on Aug 7, 2019 0:00:50 GMT -5
pepperhead212, my raised beds are 24 inches high. This is the first year I've seen bunnies in the yard but they haven't eaten anything out of the beds.....yet. When I first saw them in the yard a while back, I put pinwheels in the beds. We live in a wind tunnel and they spin almost continuously. Not sure if that's what's keeping the bunnies out of the beds or not because I still see one or two in the yard now and then. My bunnies are regular sized bunnies though. In the whole time I've lived here I've only seen one hare or jack rabbit (are they the same) and it was huge and ugly. Not at all cute like my bunnies. I've planted beets and they've grown well here but I've never cooked any because I don't know how to cook fresh beets. Someone told me they'd stain everything in the house. Can you guys help me out?
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 7, 2019 7:22:22 GMT -5
I don't know how to cook fresh beets. Someone told me they'd stain everything in the house. Can you guys help me out? You can cut off the top and bottom and then boil them. The skins will slip off pretty well if you peel them as they are cooling. it's not as easy as skinning tomatoes but the skins do come off. Cut into cubes and serve with butter. Some people like them roasted but I only did that once with other veggies and the beets did transfer some color to the other cubes as I stirred them. I might roast them separately if I did that again. Last year I peeled and then spiralized some raw beets and carrots and then sauteed them together. It was really good.  20190721_170811 by Brownrexx, on Flickr |
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Post by Gianna on Aug 7, 2019 15:53:28 GMT -5
I cut off the greens leaving about an inch. That is said to prevent some 'bleeding'. I also dont cut whatever roots there are too short. I cook them in the microwave with some water in the bottom of a closed container, otherwise they take too long to cook. When they are soft, they are ready. As BRexx said, they peel relatively easy. Do that outside if you prefer, or on layers of newspaper if in the kitchen. You can get the red on your hands, but I dont remember it being a permanent coloration. My favorite way of eating is to pickle them in a slight vinegar solution, with a bit of onion for flavor, and if desired, the sweetener of your choice. Sliced or whole, depending on the size of the original beet. Mom used to put a peeled boiled egg in the solution to get that red color. Cant say how those tasted - she was the one who ate them.  |
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Post by bestofour on Aug 7, 2019 22:35:00 GMT -5
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 8, 2019 8:33:42 GMT -5
bestofour, do you have an Instant Pot? I just bought one last Fall and I just read that beets can be easily cooked in there and then peeled. I am going to try that and then I can just cube them and serve with butter or maybe even freeze them already cooked and cubed. It sounds like an easy way to cook and peel them.
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Post by Gianna on Aug 8, 2019 8:38:07 GMT -5
LOL, I think I'm going to have to too. I dont have one, but that insta pot sounds great for beets. |
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 8, 2019 8:47:44 GMT -5
LOL, I think I'm going to have to too. They are actually quite good. I used to think that they were yucky because all I had ever seen as a kid was a cold beet slice served on a piece of lettuce. I think that these were called Harvard Beets. I never tried growing and cooking beets until about 3 years ago and decided that they were really good, especially served with melted butter. |
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Post by Gianna on Aug 8, 2019 9:01:43 GMT -5
They are actually quite good. Yes, I love them. I only stopped growing them because of now eating 'extreme' low carb, but just looked them up and they are not so bad, in moderation of course. I remember eating the just cooked/cooled ones like an apple - peeled and eaten out of hand. A bit messy what with all the 'red', but, heck, they are called 'red beets'.  In college, in the dorms/food hall, they served something called Harvard Beets. They were terrible tasting. They put some sort of spicy sauce on them that ruined the natural, sweet flavor, IMO. For me, simple is better. While I prefer lightly pickled (they keep a long time in the fridge and are great in salads), with butter sounds good too. What's not good with butter? |
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Aug 8, 2019 9:11:17 GMT -5
The reason I never tried them is Borscht
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 8, 2019 11:50:49 GMT -5
Beets taste like dirt to me. I've only heard a few others say that they taste that way to them - must be a genetic thing, like with cilantro. I tried growning several types, and they all had that flavor, though white ones were milder. No other root vegetable tastes like that to me - only beets.
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 8, 2019 13:10:52 GMT -5
I have heard that some people think that beets taste "earthy". You must be one of those people pepperhead212. Cilantro tastes like soap to me! |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 8, 2019 21:55:39 GMT -5
I wish I did like them, brownrexx, as they are easy to grow, very good for you, and I liked the greens - basically like chard! But I could not find a variety that didn't have that flavor. |
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 9, 2019 6:58:00 GMT -5
That's funny because I think that the greens taste just like beets, only diluted. Maybe the flavor in the root is just overwhelming for you. I guess that I am like that with cilantro. I can't stand it fresh but if it is mixed into salsa, I actually like it. |
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Post by Gianna on Aug 9, 2019 9:45:58 GMT -5
I've had beets with that 'dirty sock', nothing flavor. Even from the variety I mostly grow. Not sure why it occasionally happens. For me I think it's because that particulate beet just didnt grow fast enough, or concentrated a particular mineral, or something. Just a guess.
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May 28, 2024 20:23:14 GMT -5