Vlad the Impaler's Strawberry Patch

So, after I planted the patch and little berries started coming, so did the bunnies. At least that's who I suspect. There is nothing quite like the disappointment of walking out the patch to find that the beautiful berry you were waiting to ripen has a juicy bunny sized chunk missing. I had already tried spreading coffee beans around--I read that they don't like that. And I still don't really want to start spraying stuff. So, I did some internet research. I found a tip that said you could "fork" your garden, keeping the critters at bay. I thought it sounded promising, so I gathered up all the forks, knives and bamboo skewers I could find in the house. Of course one look from my brother resulted in uproarious laughter. Joke's on him cause the forks seem to be working. I have to admit though, it does look funny. Holly thought so too and couldn't resist photographing the patch.

Homegrown Gorgeous

The weekend Mom and Dad were up, June 27-8, I picked a bouquet from the yard. Looks just as good as anything you would get at a florist if you ask me!

Zinnias

'nuf said.

Jalapeno Jon's Homemade Salsa

Last Christmas I received canning supplies and books from Santa. Needless to say, I had been chompin at the bit since December to try it out. I could have went and bought ingredients to can, but quite frankly I didn't want to spend the money on it. So, on June 3rd, I took the rest of the tomatoes left from last season out of the freezer and tried my hand at salsa. All in all, I consider my first canning experience a success. The recipe said it would yield 5 jars; I only got four. But, all four jars sealed!! I looks good it in the jar too. I didn't make too much of a mess either. The little bit I had left over, I ate the next day. I am hoping it gains a little flavor as it sits. It was a little bland.

Jackpot at Lowes

I went to Lowes some weeks ago to get a bag of soil to help with transplanting and to pick up a couple other things. Some cosmic force pulled me to the clearance racks in the garden section. OMG there were tons of plants. Most of them weren't even in bad condition. With the idea of selling the house in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but consider a few. I mean, who wants to buy a house with virtually no landscaping? Here is what I came home with:

I was so excited that I actually took the photo at Lowes. Now I know that quality plants from a respected nursery are far superior to even the good plants at places like Lowes (not to mention the distaste I have for shopping at the big box stores), but in these financial times, I just do not have a budget of $50 per perennial plant.

I bought

• A light pink Yarrow for $2.49! (always reminds me of Michelle cause she had a bunch of it when they moved into their new house and she hated it--said it looked like seaweed.)
• A yellow flowering perennial for $2.49! I later realized when I was planting it that it was only hardy to zone 8. Shame on Lowes for selling it as a perennial in IN. Alas it pretty much shriveled up and died right after I planted it.
  
• A silvery mounding perennial for $0.50!! Yay! It has flourished since I planted it. Also, I saw the same plant at the Indy zoo. I read the name of it, but have forgotten it again.
  
• A pink dianthus for $2.49! It seems to be doing well.
  
• And an awesome pink and white hydrangea for $7.99! I have yet to plant it.
  

Mystery Plant

This post is pretty out of date at this point, but I still wanted to record this garden event.

Last year Susan gave me some plants from her garden (very generous, thank you.) They went through a couple hands before they got to me and by that time the names of the plants were no longer certain. DH said he thought that they were Black Eyed Susans. So, I planted them in places that I thought appropriate and went on my merry way. Well, this Spring, I noticed this sprouting in the front flower bed:


It didn't seem to be a weed and it had square stems. I immediately thought of coleus, but it just didn't seem quite right to be coleus. I googled plants with square stems and bee balm came up. I kind of guessed that's what it was. Just a few short weeks later, this is what I found:


Yipee! It IS Bee Balm. And I love it! The Black Eyed Susans cropped up in the middle of it though, so I will have to try and separate them this fall.

Iris Flashback

This doesn't have anything to do with my garden right now, but here is a flashback to my awesome Iris that finally bloomed this year................

State of the Garden

Today is July 16, 2008. My garden is at the cusp of exploding into full production. Yay!!

• The vining grape tomatoes have lots of little green gems on them. Yesterday I noticed some tinges of orange for the first time.
• The cucumber vines seem to be healthy and have produced four really nice looking 4" cucumbers. They look to be perfect for pickling if I ever get enough to mature at the same time.
  
• The Box 1 cantaloupe seems to be well. I added two more strings for it to climb today. Like last year, it is seems to be the last to set fruit although it is flowering like crazy.
• I did three plantings of slenderette green bush beans. The first set has beans on them that I think will be ready to harvest in a day or 2.
  
• The zinnias are very healthy and have produced several nice blossoms. I think this is probably a keeper on the planting list. Plus the blooms last forever after they've been cut. I have had to stake them to keep them from leaning over on the beans.
• Again this year, the celosia is a flop. If I remember correctly, they do look healthier than the ones last year, but they are simply not thriving. I keep daydreaming about the ones that Brian's grandmother had along the side of her yard that were waist high and beautiful. I don't know what the problem is.
  

Moving on to Box 2.....

• The cantaloupe seems to be well, as in box 1.
• The grape tomatoes have lots of little greenies on them as in box 1.
• The okra has produced 2 guys so far which have gone into the compost pile. I suppose if the timing is right I will throw them into a soup or something but I can't shake the image of the slimy mess DH and I had for dinner. It also had a really nice flower on it that I didn't get a chance to photograph. Hopefully there will be another one.
  
• The loofah is HUGE. It has grown to the top of the trellis and then all the way back down. There is one thing that looks like the start of some gourds, but I'm not sure. I really should figure out a way to extend the trellis for that guy. I wouldn't want to cut down on its production of awesome natural sponges!!
• The onions are doin fine and poking out.
  
• The roma tomatoes are also full of green goodness. There is no sign of red yet.
  
• The basil is good although crowded by the romas.
• The lima beans seem to be covered in what I imagine is rust. I was pulling off the young leaves that had spots on them but it got to where the poor things had no leaves. So I stopped doing that. I am hoping for the best and have prepared myself in the event we do not get to harvest any limas. I see only the slightest indication of baby beans.
  
• The lettuce produced and produced and produced. I neglected it too long as far as harvesting during a particularly busy work schedule. I think it might be close to the end for fresh greens. The aphids seem to be gone though.
• 

Baby Cucumbers

¡hola bebés!

Isn't that precious!

I have harvested four perfect looking cucumbers so far. I am concerned, however, because my intention was to make pickles from these cucumbers. Although they are beautiful, they are not plentiful enough to actually make even one batch of pickles. This is especially sad because I am planning to give home canned things for Christmas. Pickles would be perfect. I am hoping that production will increase after these first few. Otherwise maybe I can make pickle relish. I would assume that the crispness is not as important in that case. I will have to consult my books.

MORE bugs

Also during the first week of July, I found that my broccoli and broccaflower were totally infested with wormies. Here's a look:

I didn't do any research to find out what exactly those little green guys are. I just went ahead and pulled all of the broccoli and broccaflower out and put it on the burn pile. I hope this takes care of the problem although it probably doesn't. There were little green eggs (at least that's what it looked like) on the soil when I was finished. I have not noticed any of them since. I planted more green beans in the vacated spaces.

Squash Vine Borer

Well, I found this guy in my garden some time around the first of July. I had noticed one other casing like you see to the left of this guy. I didn't think that this guy was good news, but haven't really looked into it until today. Turns out that this is a Squash Vine Borer, Melitta curcurbitae, in the adult stage. It was in the spot that I had yellow squash last year.

"It is a serious pest of vine crops, commonly attacking summer squash, winter squash, and pumpkins. Cucumbers and melons are less frequently affected. In home gardens, entire crops may be lost in a year of high borer populations."

"Beginning in late June or early July, squash vine borer adults emerge from cocoons in the ground."

"Soon after emerging, squash vine borers lay eggs singly at the base of susceptible plants. Approximately one week after they are laid, the eggs hatch and the resulting larvae bore into stems to feed. The larvae feed through the center of the stems, blocking the flow of water to the rest of the plant. The larvae feed for four to six weeks, then exit the stems and burrow about one to two inches into the soil to pupate. They remain there until the following summer. There is one generation per year."

"Often the first symptom of a borer attack is wilting of affected plants. Wilting may occur only in strong sun at first (fig. 3), but if the problem is left unchecked, the plants eventually collapse and die. Closer observation of a wilting plant often reveals holes near the base of the plant filled with moist greenish or orange sawdust-like material called frass (fig. 4). Over time, the base may become mushy or rot away altogether. Several borer larvae may attack a single plant."

"Monitoring tells you if and when squash vine borers are present. This information helps you determine what further management measures may be necessary. There are two methods for detecting squash vine borer adults. The first is actual observation of adult activity in the garden. These moths are conspicuous insects when flying and easy to detect; watch for them when you're in your garden. In addition, the adults make a very noticeable buzzing sound when flying that is easy to detect while in the garden.

You can also use yellow trap pans to detect squash vine borer adults. This can be any container (e.g. pan, pail, bowl) colored yellow and filled with water. Because squash vine borer adults are attracted to yellow, they will fly to the container and be trapped when they fall into the water. Place traps by late June, checking your traps at least once a day. When you notice squash vine borer adults in your traps you know they are active and it is time to take further action."

"If, despite you efforts, your crop is successfully attacked by borers, you can try to kill the borer inside the vine. Although the chance of saving the plant is not good, you do not have much to lose. As soon as wilting is noticed, use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the affected stem. Slice carefully up the vine until you locate the borer (or borers). Once you have killed any borers with the tip of the knife, mound moist soil over the cut area and keep this spot well watered. New roots may grow along the cut stem, allowing the plant to survive."

Info from: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1209.html

So far I am not sure if they have attacked my cucumbers or cantaloupe. I need to go out and inspect the bases of the vines when I get home to see if there are any holes. Keep your fingers crossed!!

In the fall, I will need to till the soil rigorously so that the larvae are destroyed.