Have you seen this moth flitting around your squash plants? Look closely. It is has a greenish black top wing and transparent, black-veined bottom wing and is often confused with a wasp. It buzzes when it flies. Unlike most moths, it flies in the daytime. The Squash Vine Borer, Melitta curcurbitae, is a serious pest of vine…
It’s July and fig trees are bearing lots of delicious figs. The yellow figs are Banana fig, and are ripe when they slightly change color to a deeper yellow, and when you touch the fig and it is tender, it is ready to pick. If you don’t pick it right away, it will ferment and be…
This safe and effective spray the can be made at home. It makes the vegetables or leaves tasty nasty to the bugs so they stop munching. You must wash your veggies before eating them if you use this stuff! It will taste nasty to you, too! I have made a large batch of the concentrate….
I like to talk to other gardeners. I find it very helpful, interesting and educational. One tip I learned from Bert (E13) was about pine needles. I told Bert I rake up my pine needles then dump them on my azaleas and fertilize. The results have been amazing. Bert told me there was a better…
The first week of May, 2014, many gardeners reported seeing this bug on broccoli that had bolted and other plants in the brassica family. This pest is Murgantia histrionica, also known as the Harlequin Bug or Cabbage Bug. Harlequin bugs come because there are plants that are past their prime. They especially like all the brassica…
Some plants must be supported to be at maximum production. These plants are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, long beans, pole beans, bitter melon, Malabar spinach. Tools: The garden’s two handled fence post driver is in the small shed. (See photo.) Trellises are for cucumbers, long beans, pole beans, bitter melon, Malabar spinach. Trellises can be…
The set may be purchased for $10. It includes 18 vegetable/herb/flower varieties. Edamame will be arriving later. Arugula — Sylvetta Basil — Genovese Beans — Carson Yellow Bush Bean and Jade Bush Bean Cucumber – Armenian and Suyo Long Edamame — Midori Giant (not yet available) Eggplant — Kermit Green and Orient Express Flowers —…
How deep to plant seeds Plant seeds 3 times the width of the seed. If it is a very little seed like carrot or lettuce, plant it very close to the surface and water often until the seed germinates. These seeds need light to germinate, so plant them just under the surface of the soil….
These personal garden tools are recommended. Gloves: Invest in a pair of gloves you like and which can be washed. Better still, have two pairs. Hand tools: trowel, hand cultivator, watering wand or fan nozzle (plus your Faucet Key), weeding tool (there are many), garden scissors or pruning shears Long handled tools: Cultivator or hoe,…
Rotating your planting scheme is one of the things that hasn’t really gotten a lot of discussion yet, but everyone should give it some serious consideration this year. Different plant families use up different things from the soil, are attractive to different pests, harbor different diseases, etc. Crop rotation helps address these issues and keep…