Gardening chat

[MrsJ]

I'm new to this forum, and am excited to learn more about gardening.  

I've been gardening for many years, some sucessful and others not too great.  If the birds don't eat everything, the racoons or hornets do their best to have their share.

I haven't taken any pictures of my garden this year yet.  It's really been strugling with ants carrying away the seeds, and birds eating every new shoot that comes up.  I thought I'd try to spray with Jabanero pepper spray I made by blending them and adding water to them to spray my plants to see if the birds will leave them alone.  I have replanted my beans twice.  now with all this rain I'll have to spray again, We'll see if it works.

I've tried for 6 years to grow potatoes. Usually not getting much more harvest than I put into the ground. I get some really funny shaped ones. There's Mickey Mouse, a turkey, and some other friends unamed.  Any advice would be helpful.

   

I normally use dripper hoses under black plastic to eliminate weeds, but have been plagued with squash bugs killing my pumpkins and squash plants.  Marion Murray at Utah State extension told me that they thrive under the plastic mulch, so I'm truing not to use any this year.  Here are some pictures of my usual set up.

  I would get black plastic 3' X 50' and cut holes 1 foot apart before I unfolded it to plant my corn.  Then I would get a big sheet of plastic and cut holes where I wanted my melons. I'd put hot caps on the tomatoes and plant everything else as normal with pretty good success. 

It will be interesting to see how things go this year having to pull so many weeds If I can get anything to grow.  Not using any black plastic, nor planting any squash or pumpkins I hope the squash bugs will move to someone elses garden.