Watermelons getting big

I think it's about time to pick this guy. I have had more success this year with the crop of watermelons. I believe I chose a different type of melon this year and the vine itself has spread both north and south in the alley.

I've pulled a few runts from the vine but this one looks to be a keeper. I have probably 3 more on the vine at varying stages of maturity. I'll try to takes some shots of it when I cut it up.

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Pest Control. My methods of extermination.(Gophers mainly)

So if you've seen some of my past posts you know that I've had encounters with possums and raccoons in my backyard garden. I've trapped 3 raccoons and eliminated 2 possums but gophers had been a problem in the past I wasn't really willing to tackle. At least until recently. The gophers in my backyard alley were ruining plants and soil everywhere. I'd had enough. So after some serious research I chose my weapon. A Victor Black Box Gopher trap. The amazon reviews were great and it was under $15. Now as you see the trap here it's set and ready to go. You would just point that end (the open end) towards an open tunnel. It works like a reverse mouse trap, instead of pinning a rodent down it pulls them up and pins them to the roof of the trap. The trigger is that coat hanger looking metal piece in the middle. It packs quite a punch when triggered. Now you can't just look for an open hole and stick it in front of it. I watched YouTube for about an ho...

Tomatillo stages

Just a few shots of my juvenile tomatillo plants. Above is what the tiny tomatillo starts out like. It will quickly grow and expand out. It's good to have some kind of netting, fencing or string because the stalks of the tomatillos tend to weaken with the rising weight of ripening tomatillos. I used some clothesline to help guide my young plant towards my fence in hopes that I can weave branches for structure. I think the smaller plant may be a purple tomatillo plant. It would be a welcomed color change from all the greens and yellows.

Whiskey Barrel planter project

So our new neighbor that just moved in has a job at a brewery and said he could get these whiskey barrels for free. I thought what a great planter. So this past Saturday I set about making them into planters. Here is how I made them. After cutting it in half with a hand saw (Didn't have any power tools and could use the exercise), we set about attaching casters to make the planters mobile. I purchased casters from Home Depot and purposely bought one caster that had a stopper in case our planter was parked on anything with an incline. We ended up using a piece of wood as a spacer to ensure that our casters where high enough to make clearance. The one being drilled in the photo is the one with the brakes. After casters were installed we drilled (I say we cuz I was helped by my trusty neighbor Erik) holes in the bottom for drainage. Instead of drilling a few large holes I drilled a lot of small holes. This way I'd ensure proper drainage and also...

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