Last week, my friend Ann came to help out a bit in the nursery [Thanks, Ann!]
She was interested in learning more about propagation so we headed into our home landscape to take cuttings. What an eye-opener that was.
I knew that I had been neglecting my garden a bit. Watering has gotten a bit erratic. The sprayer broke weeks ago so no insecticide has been applied recently. Same holds true for adding compost or fertilizer - just haven't done it.
Boy could you tell. It didn't take long to see that bugs/pests/fungus of all kinds have moved in. The bright lights chard was covered in aphids. The red veined sorrel next to the chard was now an ant hotel. The kale was crawling in little black beetles with white dots on their backs [no, pest identification is not my strong suit, so if you know what they are - please share].
As to the other pest, it has four legs and eats the tomato while on the vine. He/she/it leaves lovely teeth marks on the half eaten fruit. Some weird white mildew had covered the chard.
Have I ever mentioned that FALL is my favorite time to garden??? This is exactly why!
Even with my love of nature, gardens, fresh foods...late summer in the garden can be too much. The heat drains me [and the plants] of nearly all resources. I know that I need to get out there and water/weed/fertilize but somehow, no matter how much I try, it seems like it is never enough.
And then the cycle begins. Without proper water/fertilizer, the plants become stressed. Stressed plants are the perfect host for bugs and diseases. One bug comes and then they all do [well, it just feels that way]. Before you know it, much of your hard work can be eaten away [literally] and you are left to toil in the hot sun with very little reward [unless you call a full can of green waste a triumph].
If this sounds familiar, you can always do what I am doing.
One, remove stressed, bug/disease ridden plants completely. I would rather replant something than give free room, board and meals to the insect/pest population.
Two, decide on keeping only what you really want. I know, in early spring we all set out to grow tons of amazing varieties of tomato, pepper, basil [etc] in our gardens - but now we need to get real. If we can not keep up with the maintenance of these plants, it would be better to focus only on a few and keep them growing healthy and strong. Seriously, are you really going to eat the kale that every creature has chewed their way through? I don't think so.
Now that I have pruned, dug out and thinned my garden - I am off to apply some insecticidal soap to the healthy plants that remain. My goal is to actually continue the process of deep watering that I have resumed doing this week on a regular basis and get some fertilizer on these guys today [early morning is best!].
So, if you are like me and find yourself are a bit overwhelmed in the garden this time of year - know that we can reclaim our crops [and our energy]. All is not lost. And if by chance it is, fall is around the corner [don't forget to send us your fall plant wish list!] Less heat, less bugs, less weeds - more lettuce, salad greens, leafy greens!
There is hope on the horizon.
Enjoy the day!
Carrie-Anne
She was interested in learning more about propagation so we headed into our home landscape to take cuttings. What an eye-opener that was.
I knew that I had been neglecting my garden a bit. Watering has gotten a bit erratic. The sprayer broke weeks ago so no insecticide has been applied recently. Same holds true for adding compost or fertilizer - just haven't done it.
Boy could you tell. It didn't take long to see that bugs/pests/fungus of all kinds have moved in. The bright lights chard was covered in aphids. The red veined sorrel next to the chard was now an ant hotel. The kale was crawling in little black beetles with white dots on their backs [no, pest identification is not my strong suit, so if you know what they are - please share].
As to the other pest, it has four legs and eats the tomato while on the vine. He/she/it leaves lovely teeth marks on the half eaten fruit. Some weird white mildew had covered the chard.
Have I ever mentioned that FALL is my favorite time to garden??? This is exactly why!
Even with my love of nature, gardens, fresh foods...late summer in the garden can be too much. The heat drains me [and the plants] of nearly all resources. I know that I need to get out there and water/weed/fertilize but somehow, no matter how much I try, it seems like it is never enough.
And then the cycle begins. Without proper water/fertilizer, the plants become stressed. Stressed plants are the perfect host for bugs and diseases. One bug comes and then they all do [well, it just feels that way]. Before you know it, much of your hard work can be eaten away [literally] and you are left to toil in the hot sun with very little reward [unless you call a full can of green waste a triumph].
If this sounds familiar, you can always do what I am doing.
One, remove stressed, bug/disease ridden plants completely. I would rather replant something than give free room, board and meals to the insect/pest population.
Two, decide on keeping only what you really want. I know, in early spring we all set out to grow tons of amazing varieties of tomato, pepper, basil [etc] in our gardens - but now we need to get real. If we can not keep up with the maintenance of these plants, it would be better to focus only on a few and keep them growing healthy and strong. Seriously, are you really going to eat the kale that every creature has chewed their way through? I don't think so.
Now that I have pruned, dug out and thinned my garden - I am off to apply some insecticidal soap to the healthy plants that remain. My goal is to actually continue the process of deep watering that I have resumed doing this week on a regular basis and get some fertilizer on these guys today [early morning is best!].
So, if you are like me and find yourself are a bit overwhelmed in the garden this time of year - know that we can reclaim our crops [and our energy]. All is not lost. And if by chance it is, fall is around the corner [don't forget to send us your fall plant wish list!] Less heat, less bugs, less weeds - more lettuce, salad greens, leafy greens!
There is hope on the horizon.
Enjoy the day!
Carrie-Anne
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