Garden Begins to Give

I love June! This is the month in the gardening year when the warm-season crops and many of the inhabitants of the Berry Patch begin to ripen. Every morning's coffee walk yields exciting finds, with just enough of a harvest to determine what we are having for supper...but not too much to start the panicked: "Yikes! What am I going to do with all this zucchin?!"

Since pictures tell a better story, here are a few for you, starting with the first zukes, the first cuke, the first blueberries...and the garlic and potato harvest:

A word about the potatoes...we realized we were fighting a losing battle with the potato bugs this year, so we dumped the potato bags and harvested what we had. (Yes, those ARE purple-skinned potatoes, called Midnight.) Our neighbor's fig tree (right over the fence from where we had the grow bags of potatoes) usually provides shelter for an army of birds that make short work of the potato bug larvae; alas, that tree suffered much in the harsh Winter past and the birds were little in evidence during the crucial time. I will try to get a late crop...fingers crossed.

A word about bugs...

With the arrival of the warm-season crops comes the arrival of the warm-season pests, especially the prolific squash bugs. I hate squash bugs! I have been diligent in squashing the squash bugs and squishing their eggs, then removing the affected squash leaves. These bypass the compost bin and go straight to the yard waste toter...getting them off the property! I'm taking no chances here.

In addition to employing "mechanical controls" in managing pests, I do use chemical controls in the form of insecticidal soap and neem oil. The latter seemed to do best sprayed directly on the nymphs, if I missed any of the eggs and they hatched. Need more info? Check it out here: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74144.html

I also hate squash vine borers, which haven't made their presence known...yet. I've done all I can organically do to prevent them (which is the best line of defense) by rotating the location of the squash from last year's planting and turning the rows after the first killing frost last Fall to expose the grubs that take to the soil to wait for the next opportunity to ruin my squash crop.

Speaking of pests I hate...with a passion...did I tell you that the Japanese beetles have arrived? Oh yes, they have once again invaded the Rose Garden, which has produced the first flush of blooms, taken a little rest, and is now on the second flush. The best organic line of defense for these terrors is...well, once again, a picture tells the story:

Some gardeners use a jar, filled with water and a squirt of dish detergent (to break the surface tension). I use a JUG, as I know a jar is totally inadequate. I use the top of the coffee canister to knock the beasties off the blooms and into the jug. Bwwwwwahahahahah! You do have to get rid of the contents of the jug, or the smell will overpower you.

I spent all day moving a mountain of leaf mold from the caged area where it has been composting in place since last Fall to its new home...as mulch for all the plants in the Row Garden. Whew! Ten wheelbarrows-full. That was a huge...and heavy...undertaking! But the plants look good...and I know they will do better in the hot months of July and August if mulched. 

I'll close out this post with some more pics, showing some good things to come.

Happy hoeing!