making life delicious blog
Sometimes you have to take drastic action to get rid of garden pests, like squash bugs. Every year we lose plants due to this persistent insect, which feeds on our squash, pumpkins, and cucumber plants. They lay their eggs on the bottom side of plant leaves, which hatch in about 10 days, and though one [...]
What you are about to see is not pretty. It’s true, sometimes gardening is neither beautiful nor relaxing, particularly when dealing with garden pests and ultra resilient weeds. Take, for instance, the grass and weeds growing in our garden and behind the fence.
Our garden beds all have a mix of things in them, but this has to be the most mixed up of them all. This bed is the scene of the The Great Zucchini Squash Disaster of 2009, and we took some measures to improve conditions and hopefully avert problems with the dreaded squash vine borer.
Though the thought of growing your own fruits and vegetables seems idyllic, it is rarely a trouble-free endeavor. Weather, insects, animals, bacteria, viruses, and funguses can all wreak havoc with a garden, sometimes causing small amounts of damage and other times causing a total crop loss. This year the cold wet spring weather slowed our [...]
We planted our garden. It began to grow and we were very happy. First we had this.
Japanese beetles can be the bane of any garden, and basil is one of their favorite foods. This specimen was happily munching away on the precious leaves, but not for much longer after this photo was taken. We keep an organic garden, no pesticides allowed, so the best option for dealing with them is deterrent. [...]
It's spring in the U.S. and the following foods may be in season in your area:
artichokes, fennel, fiddleheads, radishes, broccoli, rhubarb, kale, cresses, spinach, spring lettuces, chard, cabbages, chives, cilantro, collards, tatsoi, mustard greens, spring onions, asparagus, rosemary, wild garlic, ramps, strawberries, blueberries, cherries
Eat fresh seasonal produce to stay healthy and help your food budget.Learn more about seasonal and sustainable cooking at Sustainable Table - In the Kitchen.
