Monarch

We were so delighted to catch this lady monarch emerging from her chrysalis.  Yes, I called her a "fellow" in the video, but after closer inspection it is in fact a gal.

Bean Bugs, CSA, and Sunflowers

I have been picking these fuzzy things off my beans by the dozen. May be time for some spray action.

The first sunflower, "Bashful", a dwarf variety from Johnny's Seeds. Next year I will be sure to buy some with more color to add to the mix in the whiskey barrels. These are in with the nasturtium and winter squash, described here in an older post.

CSA pick-up yesterday, I haven't been keeping up with my weekly records here.... the share has been a let down the last couple of weeks though it was better this time. I don't know that I will be doing a share at this farm next year, though I will consider doing one elsewhere. Last week my basil was bad the day after pick-up, and I have the same problem with other items in the past. The last two pick-ups were coming in at a $14.00 value at market by my calculations, way under the $19/week average I pay for the season......AND they charge you their market price for any extras you pick-up, so much for a share-holder's discount. The positives have been good tasting berries and a nice variety of produce (not all greens, kale, etc..)

Today's share:

• pint blueberries
• sm. container cherry tomatoes (1/2 pint?)
• corn, 3 ears
• 1 summer squash
• 1/4 lb greens
• spring onions, 1 bunch
• bunch of parsley
• 1 cuke
• 3 peaches

Oh, and I made oven-dried tomatoes yesterday with the cherries and plums from the garden. They look yummy, I am really wishing I had a Food Saver right now to pack them for the freezer. I am too lazy (hot) to post a picture right now.

Little Known Garden Truths

There are some things I have been thinking about lately, some common facts that were just not known to me until this year of gardening. Some little known garden truths to this newbie, certainly of no surprise to all of you:

1. Tomato stalks get some serious girth. Totally not expecting 'tree trunks' from a tomato plant.
2. Beneficial insects really will come in and be garden super-heroes if one is patient and waits.
3. Hybrid produce will not allow you to produce it true to form again next year, even if you tried.
4. Heirlooms have many wonderful qualities, but seed saving is not possible if they cross pollinate or are ridden with disease- and that last bit is throwing a huge wrench in my seed saving plans.
5. Bugs are sometimes beautiful. We all love butterflies and buzzing bees, but without this garden I would have missed out on seeing all those colorful, oddly shaped, creepy little buggers eating my plants!
6. Blogging is fun.
7. Gardeners are wonderful, generous people, and are always willing to teach what they know to others. THANK-YOU!

(P.S.- Reading other people's blogs has become my new past time, those novels are getting pretty dusty on the night stand. There is a search option in the right margin of this blog and it is pretty cool if I don't say so myself, so give it a whirl. Type in "pepper" or "rain" and see where it leads you.....the results will be provided at the top of the page in a number of categories including this blog (not so exciting), links referenced in this blog (which means yours or other's garden blogs), and 'The Web'. I never remember its there and continue to leave this page when looking for more information, DUH!?! Hopefully writing about it here will change that.)

Mass Destruction

I have never despised cute furry creatures so much. When the rabbits mowed down all of my beautiful crocuses this year, I let it go. When somebody had a field day in the bean,pea, and melon patches, I let it go. But not this time....this time I am holding a grudge. Here are my discoveries made today out in the garden, the destruction is massive. I feel as though these images should come with a 'WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES TO FOLLOW' sign.

(I know I am being a bit dramatic but in a matter of days I may have had an apple tree and a grape vine destroyed to the point of no return by little teeth. I am desperately hoping this will not be the case.)

OK, first discovery: the Mexican Bean Beetles have arrived.

Secondly: my little vine was further defoliated over the evening. Only a handful of leaves remain. I immediatly wrapped it in row cover and emptied my vacuum canister around the perimeter (dog hair)....I don't know what else to do.

Third discovery: bark stripping (by now I am walking in circles, fuming). Thankfully it is not girdled, but there is a lot of damage here. (Spitzenburg Apple)


Fourth: This is the other tree, thankfully not as severe.
(Liberty Apple)



And the big five: More pest and disease pressure. The Spitzenbug has so many things to fight right now. There is quite a pit of pest damage here, and also some disease which I have yet to pinpoint, a few lesions are visible in this photograph.


The one and only positive discovery- we have cantaloupe blossoms! This is the only vine of any size worth mentioning, and the only one flowering at the moment.

I am so angry with myself for not protecting the tree trunks, but I thought bark eating was a seasonal issue, meaning that as long as they were protected come Fall all would be good. Wrong. I tried an OMRI approved insecticide on the affected tree but it isn't reducing the pest pressure any. I was not yet willing to pull out the 'big guns', but finding the bark damage today has changed that. This evening we will be wrapping the trunks in mesh and spraying some nasty chemicals. I am thinking of having one of us hold up a barrier behind the tree as we spray so as to contain the droplets as much as possible. I will also spray at dusk when fewer beneficials are active. In a day or two I will follow it up with a foliar spray of fish and kelp emulsion and then just keep my fingers crossed that the damage is repairable, and that there will not be more in the future.