A couple of weeks ago I spotted a familiar looking moth on a tree in the yard. It took me a couple of seconds to realize it was a female gypsy moth. That gypsy moth was in the middle of laying its eggs. I could have destroyed it right there and then but decided against it. I thought maybe … Continue Reading →
One big advantage to having your own vegetable garden is being able to pick what ever varieties you want to grow. For example, in my garden I always grow at least one ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato’ plant. This plant produces dozens of tiny tomatoes that are about the size of a blueberry. These little, red pearls are … Continue Reading →
I’m not the only one busy in the garden. My helpers, wasps and hornets, are out there too. Most people look at wasps and hornets as enemies, but in the garden they can be a real help by killing insect pests. Yesterday I spotted a wasp on a broccoli leaf. It was holding a cabbage worm caterpillar it … Continue Reading →
A popular event for gardeners is coming up soon. Garden Day 2012 happens August 3 on the campus of Michigan State University. Organizers have planned a full day for plant lovers. You can choose from twelve very different workshops. These range from medicinal herbs to horticulture therapy; from organic gardening to dividing perennials and several … Continue Reading →
Mid to late July is the time to plant rutabaga and parsnip for a fall crop. I spent part of the day sowing a 30 foot row of rutabagas and a 30 foot row of parsnips. I took care planting them because the seeds of these two crops are very small. They can’t be planted … Continue Reading →
Because of the heat wave and lack of rain, I’ve had to water the garden just to keep the plants alive. To conserve water, I’ve been syringing the plants one at a time with a watering wand. Syringing — placing water at the base if each individual plant — uses much less water than spraying the entire … Continue Reading →
In an attempt to avoid the heat, I’ve been getting out to work in the garden early in the morning every day this week. A couple days ago, I heard a bird making a noisy racket up in a tree near one end of the garden. I walked over to see what all the fuss was about. Just … Continue Reading →
It has been pretty dry in the garden for the past several days. The plants have begun to show a little drought stess but I’ve been able to keep up with watering. I took advantage of the dry weather by drying some cilantro. I had some that was started early and needed to be harvested. … Continue Reading →
I own a lot of different kind of gardening tools. The most unusual one has to be my hand-held rotary hoe. Farmers have been using large rotary hoes for decades. These are non-powered tools, not to be confused with rotary tillers. They were especially popular in the days before chemical herbicides came into wide-spread use. … Continue Reading →
A couple of days ago an unexpexted guest showed up in front of our garage door. It was a big, two-eyed, scary-looking beetle that was just sitting there, motionless — looking like it was dead. It was easy to scoop up into a jar so I could have someone take a look at it for … Continue Reading →