Watermelon, Watering & Bugs are preoccupying me these days. When my watermelon patch (about 6’x6″ with seven plants of baby watermelon) started showing fruit, I could count at least 50 little green balls emerging. Now, it seems like things are amiss. (I’ve since learned that vines put out a lot of little ones, but they […]
Crane Fly – I spotted this impossibly long-legged, mosquito-like insect on my cherry tomato plant today, and since I’m keen to attract beneficial insects to my garden, grabbed a photo and went to the internet. I learned it is a crane fly. I think I can spot the ovipositor, so I’m assuming it’s a female just taking a […]
Create an insectiary in your garden to attract beneficial insects! In “Wild Farm,” episode 15 of “Late Bloomer,” we meet Lisa Putnam and her sister Kathleen, who are master gardeners and they take us on a tour of Lisa’s family farm in Woodside, CA. Lisa explained that her insectiary brings in beneficial insects which eat the […]
Nasty Aphids Attack Corn! What else is new? Aphids attack everything! As I was out shaking the tassels to promote pollination, I discovered my second corn plant has been attacked. Everyone passing by my garden has told me they had trouble growing corn here, and I am no exception! Though, I naively thought I might […]
The neighbors’ gardeners trimmed their row of Eugenias that back up our properties two days ago, and I filled a green can with all that fell on my side. (FYI, wear a mask if you are messing with Eugenias as you will be blowing allergens out of your nose for awhile. I know.) This big guy […]
Oh, it’s blissfully quiet on my street! Except for aircraft (jets high, coming in to LAX south of here, small planes going up and down the coast, occasional helicopters heading over the mountain), I don’t hear a thing! Not even the incessant barking of the dog at the end of the street. No drone of […]
What’s Eating My Amaranth? Something’s eating the tender shoots. When this much of the shoot gets eaten, there’s not enough energy in the plant to recover. I confess I planted Amaranth because the description on the seed packet sounded so enticing. “Elegant burgundy plumes add rich color to the back of a border. Striking maroon leaves […]
Earwigs! GRRRR! That’s my response whenever I see them. After many nocturnal visits to the garden, witnessing numerous snails and slugs, and the occasional Armadillidiidae (roly poly) foraging on my vegetables, last night I spotted a Dermaptera (earwig) lounging on a young spinach leaf. I was curious what critter was eating on my new spinach seedlings, […]
If you have watched “Curbside Cauliflower” – Episode 2 of “Late Bloomer,” you know I am growing cauliflower in the parkway, and you heard me say, “One morning, you go out and it looks like this…and the next morning, this is staring back at you.” And there is a photo of a fully-formed white cauliflower […]
You never know what you are going to find when you go out and inspect your garden in the morning. You have to be vigilant when growing cauliflower and cabbage, as there’s a ton of critters that enjoy feasting on them. Today, I was met with these on one of my 8 plants. I picked […]
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