potato plot with marigolds
The marigolds I added to the potato bed look very nice. It distracts me from looking at the flea beetles and all the little holes in the potato leaves. So that’s good. I’m not sure how to tell if they help. I probably need to give it some time and see if the beetles go away. By the way, the wood slats between the potato rows are for me to step on without making footprints that compress the soil. I made this bed a little too wide…. Other potato companions…
flea beetles on my potatoes
I just got back from a quick check of my community plot. LOTS of flea beetles on the potatoes! I didn’t notice them yesterday. They have chewed lots of tiny holes in the potato leaves making them look like fine lace. It seems the recommended organic control for flea beetles is to either use row cover before the pests emerge (too late for this) or companion plant with marigolds and beans. This I can do. It will look pretty! Solanum tuberosum
random garden news
My peas and favas are blooming! I have given away or planted myself most the 70-80 tomato seedlings I planted. Only 15 left to go. And I think I have homes for these. I moved spinach seedlings to my community plot today. Not growing well at home. Maybe its a plant that needs more sun. My first soybean sprouted today. I’ll harvest my first head of lettuce very soon. This week I think. This will be an exciting event. Once I start harvest, I hope not to buy more supermarket…
always more work
Something about a garden. I thought earlier this week that I had done all the work the garden needed for the year. I thought I was caught up for a while. But today my spouse and I put in several hours of the Memorial Day morning at the plot. A pleasant way to spent the early day. We put up tomato poles, brought over an old bird bath support we found in the back of the garage, did fence reinforcements (my neighbor has had serious rabbit problems!) and set up…
garden mailbox
For Mother’s Day my son made me a mailbox for my community plot garden! Its beautiful. Metal flashing on the roof, a wood peg to secure the door. “Skippy” is hand carved on the door, which opens with brass hinges. The community gardens have few identifiers for the plots – so this will be mine. And maybe I’ll get mail some day.garden structures garden gifts
borage volunteers
I love volunteer seedlings. My gnome is tending some borage and dill plants that self seeded from last year.
pea tendril pizza for memorial day weekend
A special first harvest this year. I have a bumper crop of pea plants, so I picked a bunch of tendrils. Many of the ones I picked didn’t make it too the bowl because I ate them right away. Delicious! The ones I didn’t eat immediately I added to the top of our grilled pizza. Yummy! And the extra bonus is that the holiday weekend weather is very nice for patio dining. Cheers! my back patio
tomato check
Its hard to have my cute little babied seedlings sooo far away – 1 mile away at my community plot! I planted them yesterday and today I worried that I didn’t leave enough of the cut worm collars above the soil level. And I worried about the winds. And the rabbits. But this evening I checked on them and all are just fine. They look happy and snug. And they seem to have grown in my absence. A relief! Yesterday someone left a comment on my post asking about my…
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy
weeks and counting until my last spring frost
My garden this week
Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!
