Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Garden bits and bobs

 Of course, I bought two Principe Borghese drying tomato plants online, my peppers and tomatoes finally sprouted. . . fortunately, our growing season is long enough that layers of planting should work out fine. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.


Have you seen this plant? They're sprouting all over one of my beds, and I've been ripping them out, but they smell. . . interesting, and I'm wondering if I am having some kind of self-seeding event. So, anybody?


Direct-seeding zucchini is such a thrill. They just pop right up like nobody's business. Hopefully the cucumbers and popcorn will follow suit. All bathwater has been slated for seed moistening.


Vigorous, regular spraying of soap on the Katy apricot has seemed to slightly discourage the aphids and whiteflies, but it's only the start of the battle. I think where the soap is directly hitting, we're getting some action, but as you can see in the center of those new leaves, spraying the underside of each leaf is a challenge.
 

And in one of those "What were they thinking?" moments:


Can't see it? Here:


When I asked Ellie to fix the fallen-down trellis, she used the pitchfork to do so. Unfortunately, she also created a different issue. We've had the "What do you do when there is another problem?" talk, and I foresee a bit of time on ladders upcoming for that child.

7 comments:

Daphne Gould said...

Oh that is so funny. Though it has to be on purpose doesn't it? Once I was making a frame for a playhouse. I did it in the basement since it was so hot everywhere else. I ended up making it around the pole in the middle of the room. Whoops.

Michelle said...

That is just too funny. It's a good thing you saw that before it got covered up.

Hmmm, my best guess is that it is a weed, pigweed. It loves my garden too.

And yippee, the package arrived. Thank you!

Stefaneener said...

Turns out she was using the pitchfork to push up that crosspiece, but ended up hanging it also. Yes, it's like a bad IKEA assembly.

Michelle, that would make sense. I knew I'd seen it, but I'll keep pulling it. Oh, goody!! I can't wait to see what you think of them.

Michelle said...

So I got curious about pigweed because it is in the amaranth family. It is supposed to be edible, the young leaves are eaten like spinach (just like cultivated types of amaranth). And it's supposed to be a good trap crop for leaf miners. If that is pigweed growing all over your garden I guess it might not be a bad thing to let it volunteer in some spots, at least until it gets infested with leaf miners...

Stefaneener said...

Okay, Michelle. Off to do some research. . .

Curbstone Valley Farm said...

Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one swamped with aphids on fruit trees. Our Stella cherry is infested this year! I actually saw the soldier beetles first, swarms of them, and then I realized they were after the aphids.

Stefaneener said...

CVS, it's not just you. Every year. Every. Single. Year.

But it's looking up today.