Yesterday I pinched three green worms and fed their carcassas back to the garden. I’ve got to be vigilant and suggest you be as well. Look for any black spots on the plants or chew holes or green worms. If you see any, seek out more worms and kill them. In just a few hours, it seems, one worm can destroy an entire plant. And, just because you get a few worms one day doesn’t mean you’ve gotten the entire hatch. More are likely on the way.

And what part of the plant do they prefer? Well, the tender new growth of course. Would you expect anything less from a garden pest? They’ll chomp the buds off a brussel sprout and the young heads off a cabbage faster than you’d believe.

Handpicking is my preferred method. I don’t have an enormous vegie garden, so this is possible for me. If you’d like to read more about these pests, read more at Organic Gardening Magazine .

Be vigilant and save your food! (And, yes, they’ll eat more than just your brassicas)

Garden Tenders has just opened up their Summer Gardening Awards for entries. And, any gardener can enter the two categories — Edible Beauty and Indoors Outdoors. Take a moment to check it out and enter your gardens. You might just find mine entered…though that would mean finding the time to get out of the garden and into the computershere.

Good luck!

Well, it seems the answer is to invite in the hummingbirds! I have several that visit my garden daily throughout the year. IIn addition to having a wide assortment of spring and summer nectar producers, I’ve installed plants that flower into the late fall and others that bloom through the winter. So, the hummers love this garden. And, I’m being repaid not just with their buzzing, chirping and shining wonder, but by their carniverous habits as well.

Yesterday, I was standing under the Acer and heard a hummingbird swoop-buzz my way. It started popping its head from branch to branch in the aphid-infested top branches of the tree. I wondered at first if the tree was blooming late. Then I realized it was picking aphids off the leaves and tender branches. Clearly, a little protein must help power up these birds that are so well known as nectar feeders. I’m not sure that they’ll completely clean up the problem, but they’ve found it and recognize it as a safe source for grabbing little meaty snacks — after which they can hit foxglove, salvia, phygelius, fuchsia, petunia, mimulus, scented geranium, heliotrope, and so many other sweet nectar-filled summer flowers. And, they can (and do) grab a flowing drink now & again from my patio water feature. Truly, the garden is their unlimited smorgasborg.

Any other sitings around here? Bueller?

Read more about the martian soil testing here.

Earlier this year I attended the Dunn Garden Winetasting tour, and it was magnificent. We didn’t get to see all of the other gardens that this tour will offer, but we did get to stroll the spaces with wonderful wines in hand.

The weather should be great, so don’t miss this mid-season gardening tour!

I suppose part of the reason I never picked this up is that I grew up on farms raising edibles organically. I thought I knew plenty. But once again I am humbled. The teacher becomes the student. For instance, I farmed on the east coast where symphylan pests are not prevalent. This book introduced me to their existance and gives me sustainable methods to both test for them and work on beating them back. Have I tested yet? No. But I will.

And, I continue to do more research on them. I realize its important to keep in mind that most pest organisms from armillaria fungi to annoying vetch weed to these tiny symphylans are important parts of the ecosystem. They aid in soil health playing a part in decomposition, soil aeration, nitrogen fixation and much more. So, I try to keep a balanced attitude and a balanced garden. I have a high tolerance and appreciation for pests, but I also know that if it comes down to who gets to eat carrots in my garden or who gets to enjoy a big shade tree, I plan to win.

So, if you live west of the cascades, I highly recommend checking this book out from the library or picking up a copy of your own. It isn’t the only vegetable gardening book to have in your library, but its a good place to start!

We have two pecan trees in back yard. caterpillows, cut worms or something is making nests and harming trees. IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET RID OF THEM WITHOUT USING DANGEROUS CHEM.?

J - I’ll start off by suggesting you bring out an arborist or horticulturist in your area to get a correct diagnosis. Many trees and shrubs can withstand infestations for a few years, but they sure look (and feel) awful when they go under attack. My guess (and again, only a guess here folks) is that you may have a tent caterpillar infestation. If indeed you do have tent caterpillars there are a few options out there.

It’s been about 3 years in Seattle since we’ve had big infestations of tent caterpillars. For about 7 year cycle we had annual infestations, and they were horrible. I was pruning trees and burning branches. I was trying to apply BT to knock them out.  I was scratching egg masses off branches. Still, they showed up and assulted a wide array of trees in my area — oaks, cherries, apples, pears, birch, peach and more. Then, they were gone. I imagine after a few years they’ll be back. Such is their cycle.

First, its important to understand the lifecycle of a tent caterpillar. These caterpillars were laid as eggs last year on the stem of the tree. The egg masses are tiny and often very difficult to see on the branches of a tree. In the spring, when the tree has leafed out, the egg masses mature, releasing caterpillars that travel into the tree gorging themselves on tasty new-growth leaves and buds. Then, they begin forming huge tent nests where they go into the next phase from which their flying and breeding moth form emerges.

So, by knowing how they function you can then work on getting rid of them:

•  All the time: Reduce your overall use of pesticides so you encourage a strong population of positive natural enemies like parasitic wasps and flies.
• Fall/Winter/Early Spring: Inspect trees for tiny raised areas with lots of dots. If you find them, scratch them off the bark and destroy. These are egg masses.
• Spring/early Summer:
  • Continue to inspect tree for the tiny raised areas which will start swelling and releasing caterpillars.
  • If you see caterpillars begin destroying by hand. Keep an eye out early for them. They are best eradicated BEFORE you see the tents. Ways to eradicate caterpillars include:
    • BT applications: BT is a a biological pesticide that essentially causes the insides of the caterpillar to explode. It will only affect caterpillars. The caterpillar must eat the BT in order for it to work. So, it must be applied while the caterpillars are actively feeding. Applying it when they are in their nests, in their egg forms or as adults won’t help a bit.
    • Cutting out nests: When you can reach the nests, cutting out smaller branches and burning them can eradicate large populations. They can also be placed in large, sealed plastic bags to suffocate them.

 More great information on Tent caterpillars is available at the WSU website in this article.

Again, please get proper identification of your pest locally before applying any type of chemical control.  And, good luck.

My friend Catherine brought fresh strawberries and delicious oatmeal and ginger cookies for dessert. Since we decided to do a fire, I pulled out the marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars. (My friend Kristen laughed when I came out with a “s’more kit”. It was obvious we’d done this before.)

A few of us roasted marshmallows. Others did the whole s’more thing. I usually forego the whole S’more thing, but I eye’d the oatmeal cookies and decided to try 1/2 a cookie with a roasted marshmallow. I was always a sucker for those oatmeal cookie sandwiches with “cream filling”. OMG! It was delicious…so much so that I made another. I think I’ve found something better than S’mores, tho I’m sure some of you would argue otherwise.

Truly, it contributed to the “Happiest Day of the Year“. I’m not sure how my formula numbers really work out, but I spent about 16 hours outside in nature, I socialized all day (time with my dog driving counts, right?), I definitely thought of childhood summers as scents of summer hit me left & right all day long, it was 80+ yesterday in a summer with abnormally cool temps, and I spent time joking that I’m living in the future a bit anticipating a week off in July and the various camping trips we have planned this year. I guess that all adds up to a pretty happy day!

How was yours?