Let's visit on the Porch II (Great Falls, Bozeman: sales, homes, buy)

[Reziac]

Wild strawberries transplant well... back in the '60s we hauled a bunch home from out in the woods and they all grew, tho production was spotty. Small berries, a little tart, but hey, free strawberries.

I've got a thornless raspberry that's really good... not a big spreader so far, hoping it makes enough more of itself to set a patch out by the ditch.

[MTSilvertip]

I know of a patch of wild raspberries with the best flavor ever, but they're growing in a talus slope that's a real pain to access them.

I have been planning on getting some to transplant as I have a similar slope in the ravine. I hope I can get them started and if they spread, well there's about 10 acres there that aren't doing anything else.

[Reziac]

If conditions are a bit rough, you might have more luck starting 'em from seed... likely best as a fall planting. We don't think of those fruits as seeds to plant cuz we eat the whole thing, but there's no real reason why not. Tho I expect germination is better once it's been through the bear.

You can buy strawberry seed for all kinds of odd varieties you won't see as starts, including wild types with berries that are bigger than your little fingernail (about the best we ever got from our native wild patch). Tho I've got whatever Ace had as starts, and they seem to be pretty resistant to heat and dryness, and even their first year produced the occasional berries until we got below zero. Everbearing type but almost as good as June-bearing. Looks like most of 'em survived the winter with no mulch, too. And so far they don't seem to interest the birds. So pretty good choice, whatever they are (no variety listed).

I had some miscellaneous flower bulbs that had to be planted and nowhere to put 'em that didn't involve a lot of work (sister didn't get over here to get 'em before they'd have all dried up and died) so stuck 'em in the bottom tier of the strawberry bed... so now it's full of blooming bulbs... well, that's weird, the strawberries LIKE 'em. Early growth is notably better where they've got some big floppy tulip or daffodil overhead. Wonder if you could use daffodils in your berry patch for deer repellant? supposedly they won't eat 'em.

[MTSilvertip]

I've got about 120 acres +/- of alfalfa growing around the homestead. Deer haven't been a problem in the garden.

Rabbits on the other hand..........

[Reziac]

Only problem I have with deer (at least since I fixed the garden gate... previously had one get in there and tangled up in the tomatoes) is they keep bringing me goat heads. You can sure tell every spot the deer like to bed down. And the only really effective control is pulling the durn things up by hand. Have got to where I can target a baby goathead from orbit.

I don't think I've seen a single rabbit around here (tho there are half-tame ones in town). 'Course, we've got more foxes than we really need, which might explain it... think I'll keep the foxes...

Need to put some weed-and-feed on the back pasture (fortunately only about an acre) ... grass is lookin' a mite poor, except around the odd clumps of alfalfa where it looks great (sure sign the dirt needs nitrogen). But at least now it's mostly grass, and not Jurassic Weedpark.

[MTSilvertip]

Don't have any foxes, too many coyotes for that. When the wolves come through, no game or coyotes.

Got tons of hawks and owls, they keep the snakes in check, but I've never seen so many rabbits as there are here. Pygmy cottontail, western cottontail, and jackrabbits. All of them like fresh greens.

The dogs keep them at bay during the day, they catch one occasionally too, but there's just so many of them.

Tons of deer and antelope, but the dogs keep them back. Elk only come through in the fall/winter.

The one that surprised me though are the sharptail and Huns. They like a little garden truck too.

But planting native stuff helps because it's no different than the stuff they find elsewhere so it isn't the draw that things like snow peas are.

[Reziac]

I'm surprised I haven't seen any pheasant here... usually they like those overgrown ditches running through the grass, like the whole area between me and the tracks.

We have a few coyotes but I hear more foxes, and closer. Lots of hawks, no owls that I've seen.

You want rabbits, especially the big jacks (which BTW will climb onto tables and eat your potted plants) you need to try the SoCal desert in a bad year... they get thick as grasshoppers. Back in the 1930s they'd do roundups on foot, and kill 'em off 30,000 at a crack, then BBQ 'em. Fed the whole town. Rabbit is delicious.

Can't find pics of that offhand, but here's a story about a roundup in Kansas:

https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/jackrabbit-drives/12097

Ha, I found video! (Squeamish warning for the soft-hearted)

[Clark Fork Fantast]

108 F in Noxon right now. The heat wave is moving east...

[Reziac]

We're expecting the heat here in Billings for the rest of this week... right now they're saying peak at 102 but I expect they'll revise that upward. Of course we already had our 108, so hitting us again is patently unfair. :P

[Reziac]

Anyone else overrun by skunks this year?

Last week I had no less than eight sprays waft past my door in a single evening... rare day when we don't smell two or three. Apparently they hate each other more than usual....