[omnivorette]

So I would like to do some vegetable and herb planting upstate (upstate NY) this year. But there are serious limitations. First of all, we won't be back there until Memorial Day weekend, so nothing can happen until then. Second, after that, we will only be there every 2 or three weeks, and each time will be for a long weekend. Third, I don't have a place in the city to start seedlings or anything like that.

So what are my options? I'd like to grow tomatoes, but is it just too risky, given our schedule up there? What about herbs? Anything else?

We will be there for a whole week around Labor Day, if that matters at all.

[Orik]

If you can set up drip watering (and squirrel protection) you should be able to grow pretty much anything, certainly tomatoes and herbs. There's a nursery that sells tomato and pepper plants (I think mentioned by helena and RP previously) and delivers them by mail order.

[omnivorette]

I have no idea what drip watering is, or how I would go about setting it up.

There are lots of farms up there, so I can get plants pretty easily.

As far as creature protection...we'll put some fencing around it - is that what you mean?

[memesuze]

for the drip irrigation, you'd need a timer to put on the system whether you go with the "leaky pipe' type or splurge on Submatic or its equivalent

If you have deer, then your fence would either have to be over six feet high, or the garden would have to have a "roof" of fencing, to prevent their intrusion. If other critters, then be sure the fencing goes into the ground several inches to prevent digging by some of the more persistent critters

[omnivorette]

memesuze, on Apr 30 2006, 10:11 AM, said:

for the drip irrigation, you'd need a timer to put on the system whether you go with the "leaky pipe' type or splurge on Submatic or its equivalent

Eek. Well we're not going to do a timer or anything like that. And guess what else - the water is turned off when the house is vacant anyway.

[lovelynugget]

Honestly, omni, you couldn't expect plants (especially seedlings) to live on watering every 2 weeks, right? During the summer you need to water every day. You would have to have a sprinkler/watering system on a timer.

As it is, in the country, deer are as much a problem as squirrels. It would've been an uphill battle anyway.

[omnivorette]

Well it does rain sometimes. Heh. I was asking because I need to know what I could grow that might have a chance under these conditions.

Last year, Eyebrows' sister grew a bunch of stuff - herbs and peppers and lettuce - same situation - and those things did fine. (As far as I know, nobody watered at all during the week). And this was with no fencing.

I can buy plants, they don't have to be seedlings.

[lovelynugget]

You might have some chance with cacti. I can't think of anything else that can live on water just every 2 weeks.

Edit: Could you get a neighbor child to water during the week while you are away? Then you really can have veggies and herbs.

[omnivorette]

No neighbors. Limitations as described above.

Thanks for your constructive comments, nug.

[porkwah]

does the new invision software have a remote watering feature?

[tanabutler]

Deer can clear a seven-foot fence if they perceive a good landing spot. If there is enough space on the other side of the fence, and they can get back out again, they'd jump it. Our fenced-in garden is about 25 feet square, and it's too small for them, so our fence is only a little over six feet high. But if they had clearance, the fence would have to be higher.

[GG Mora]

I've seen a few weekenders up here try to do hit-and-run gardening. It's a total crap shoot. The gods may smile upon you and provide rain when it's needed and keep the critters and varmints away. At the other end of the continuum, you could have a baking hot, droughty summer and your garden could be plagued by deer, rabbits, raccoons and groundhogs*.

Trial and error, baby. Plant some stuff. See what happens. Next year you'll have a better feel. Even better the year after. And so on. That's what gardening is.



*In my twenty years of gardening, no other pest has been as maliciously destructive and pernicious as the groundhog. I could fill a book with my failed efforts to keep them away. An 85-lb. dog is what finally drove them off.

[Rail Paul]

In your situation, I think I'd chance a garden.

If you build raised beds (side boards raise the soil level 6 or 8 inches above the normal ground level, and you add compost, tilled soil, etc), the beds will retain moisture much longer than usual. Then, cover the exposed soil with grass clippings, straw, etc to reduce evaporation. It would be ideal if a neighbor kid would stop by on the off-weekends with a watering pail

In upper Dutchess and Columbia County, deer will probably be a concern for lettuce, spinach, and other greens. Some deer don't care for tomatoes.

[Tamar G]

I think you'd be good with herbs which are often quite hardy and robust. Rosemary, lavender, mint. The only thing is that these herbs tend to take over a garden, so it might be better to put them in boxes unless you want mint everywhere.

[omnivorette]

This is in Rensselaer County. We're not going to build any raised anything. After much discussion with a lot of Connecticutians today, I think we'll abandon the tomato idea. The worms'll get 'em. The thing I really want to the most is mache. Friends of ours gave me 4 packets of mache seeds - 4 different varieties.

Read my lips. No neighbor.

But that's like lettuce, right? I mean in the sense that rabbits and similar creatures will get them.

We noticed little mounds last time we were there - I think that means moles. Do moles eat the vegetables?

Somebody suggested today that we get a small sprinkler, one of those post kinds that spins around, and put it on a timer that's solar powered. Whaddaya think about that idea?

I want to do lemon thyme, basil, oregano, mint, and maybe a few others. I don't much like lavender or rosemary - I mean not enough to grow them.