A couple of weeks ago while traveling in the west side of the state, we had some extra time on our hands so we decided to turn off the highway and do a little bit of sightseeing. We turned on Google maps and it made a suggestion for us based on our location. All it … Continue Reading →
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Sunflowers can cause problems in the garden
Plants have developed a number of different survival techniques that can give them advantages over other plants competing for the same growing space. For example, some plants have roots that produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of other nearby plants of other species. It’s a process known as allelopathy. Black walnut trees are probably the … Continue Reading →
Ludington opens new maritime museum, plans lighthouse festival
Ludington – Waves rolled and gulls squawked as I stood at the wheel in the pilothouse, attempting to steer the Pere Marquette 22 car ferry into Ludington Harbor. Despite Capt. Wallace “Andy” Van Dyke’s instruction to “ease ‘er down a bit,” I mistakenly sped up and bumped the boat into the dock. “That’s what happens … Continue Reading →
Attracting beneficial insects to your garden
As mentioned in an earlier post on this blog, I planted a fairly large plot of buckwheat adjacent to our vegetable garden this spring. The main idea behind planting buckwheat was to provide forage primarily for honeybees and for any other pollinators that might be around to take advantage of it. As it turns out … Continue Reading →
Non-scientific survey of early tomato disease
This is the time of the season when tomato plants start showing signs of disease infections, usually as different shapes and colors of spots depending on which particular disease has infected the plant. Earlier this week I took an informal survey of several varieties of tomatoes to see how each variety is holding up under … Continue Reading →
Horsin' around in Traverse City
There’s plenty of horsin’ around this summer in Traverse City. And visitors are invited to get in on the fun each Sunday, through Aug. 13, when the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival hosts Grand Prix events featuring riders in various age groups and their sleek show horses, some of them Olympic-caliber. Whether they’re competing as “hunters” … Continue Reading →
Rose sawfly slugs
If you ever grew roses, you probably have seen those ugly, slug-like rose sawfly larvae eating leaves on your roses, or at least the damage they do. That’s the way we usually see them, as larvae. Rarely are the adult insects ever seen by gardeners. Rose slugs feed on one side or the other of … Continue Reading →
One reason why cucumbers fail to grow
A couple of gardeners I know asked me why their cucumbers didn’t come up this year. Others have mentioned that their beans didn’t come up either. Was there something wrong with the seeds this year? After inspecting a few gardens, it became apparent to me what was going on. In each case, there was a … Continue Reading →
Buckwheat controls weeds and helps honeybees
I have an area in the garden that I will not be able to plant this year. Instead of letting it stay fallow and grow weeds, I planted buckwheat. It’s something I’ve done through the years whenever I’ve been unable to use an area for one reason or another. Buckwheat is a fast-growing plant that … Continue Reading →
Pruning milkweed plants to attract more monarch butterflies
I saw my first Monarch butterfly a couple of days ago. I know they were here much earlier because I found a caterpillar on my milkweed plants. That means there had to be a female butterfly around a while ago. It takes around four days for a monarch egg to hatch. The caterpillar stage lasts … Continue Reading →
