My End of Summer Update

 One of the hard parts of writing a gardening blog is that the time of year I have the most to write about and people are the most interested in reading it, is the time I am most busy and have a hard time getting to it. Sigh. It can't be helped. Here, in picture form, are some things I'm working on right now. Hopefully, it will give you some ideas of your own. \

My strawberry yields have been going down hill the last few years so I completely re worked the bed, adding a lot of compost. The plants should have a few months to adjust before the frost. 

Zucchino Rapicante Squash. A big success this year. Tastes just like Zucchini but with now squash vine borer. I'm switching over completely next year. 

Like my strawberries, my raspberries are in great need of an overhaul. However, the best time of year to move them around is March so I'm waiting. Actually, right now I'm picking and eating. 

A failed experiment. I tried growing buckwheat as a cover crop around my zucchini to fool the bugs but it didn't work. My squash is still alive because I have other tricks to keep borers away. 

My first time growing leeks from seed. 

Brian had great success with his black beans this year. 



SO what have you been up to in your garden? Feel free to write about it below!

 

The (Bad) Bugs of Summer

 If only gardening was as easy as planting a seed and harvesting yummy food. Unfortunately, there's a bit more to it then that and one of the major culprits are destructive bugs. Just to be clear, the vast majority of insects that you see in your garden are either beneficial or just hanging out. However, there are some you need to be on the look out for. Here are some common pests I've delt with and what I do. 

Japanese Beetles. The only good thing about them is that they only hand around a few weeks and only on certain plants. Thank heavens because they destroy all the foliage on what they do like while they're around. They like my raspberries, zinnias, apricot, almond, cherry, grape vines and apple trees. I just pick them off and put them in soapy water. I've heard Neem Oil will work too if you need it. 

Mexican Bean Beetle larva (top little yellow thing) and eggs. You'll find these mostly on beans. The will chew your plants up. I mostly look for eggs to smash but you can treat the larva with Insecticidal soap. Be sure to thoroughly clean up debris when plants are done so the bugs don't overwinter. 

Squash Bug eggs. Copper colored and always on the underside of leaves. If you see them, remove them or squish them. If they hatch out you'll have tons of little white bugs with black legs that suck the life out of your squash plants. Eventually, they turn into adults that look like an XL version of stink bugs. 

Tomato Horn Worm (This one is sporting parasitic wasp eggs). Keep an eye on your tomato plants for damage and then hunt down and destroy these caterpillars before they destroy your plant. They are voracious but I've had success just by picking them off and destroying them (with tongs mind you, I aint touching that!).

Last, but not least are the squash vine borers. I don't have a picture. You don't really see them so much as the damage they do. They are the worst bug on this list. A little moth lays and egg on the base of your squash stem. When the egg emerges, the larva chew into your squash vine and kill it. You can try to keep it from getting into your plant by covering the base of your vines in foil. You can also sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth around the base of your plants to kill larva as they hatch. If you see holes in the base of your vines you can stick a wire up them to kill larva. This year I'm experimenting with different varieties of squash and companion planting with cover crops. 

What bugs have you had problems with in your gardens? How did you handle it? Feel free to post in the comment section below. 

Great Plants for Shade

My small yard doesn't have much space for shade unfortunately so it's not all the time I get to enjoy beautiful plants that thrive in lower light conditions. However, my lovely Mother In Law, Cathy, has a larger property with lots of wooded spaces that are just perfect for some of these beautiful plants. If you find yourself with a lot of shaded space and in need of some plant inspiration, look no further! Here are some great finds from Cathy's garden.

Rhododendron bushes are a beautiful understory shrub, particularly great if you have acidic soil. 

Sweet Woodruff is a lovely ground cover for shade. 

Pieris on the left and foam flowers on the lower right also enjoy lower light conditions. 

Ferns and hosta's are classic choices for shade. 

There are other uses for shady spots in the lawn, like play areas for your grandchildren!

Do you have great plant choices for shade? Please share them in the comments below!

Fall Gardening in Spring

 Fall here in York County, PA is glorious. Our average first frost date isn't until Halloween and there is no reason September and October can't be just as beautiful and bountiful in the garden as July and

I didn't even mention Mums. They're great too. 

August. What am I posting about this in May? Because there are many plants that hit their peek in the fall that need to be planted now. Having a great fall garden requires some planning. But you can do this! Here is what you should be planting now to have an amazing fall garden. 

Vegetables

Some of the most quintessential vegetables of fall are pumpkins. However, they take a long time to grow. You can start them from seeds readily but they need to be started soon. If you wait till August, it will be much too late. This includes all pumpkins, gourds and winter squash such as butternut or acorn. They all require full sun and rich soil. 

A few other vegetables like Brussel sprouts and parsnips are the same way. Plant now to harvest in fall. I'm also experimenting with starting leeks from seeds now to harvest in the fall. I'll let you know how that goes. 

Maple trees and pumpkins just scream fall. 

Annual Flowers

Sunflowers, zinnias, strawflowers, and marigolds are all easy to start from seed and can look fabulous all fall. (Last year I was picking fresh straw flowers until Thanksgiving) But you need to plant them now. Again, they all need full sun. A word on sunflowers; some varieties bloom and finish in summer so if you want a fall show be sure to select a variety for fall. 

Perennial Flowers

Investing in some key perennials to show off in fall is a great idea. However, to get a good bloom this year, you need to select and plant them out now. Any member of the Aster Family is great for fall. I also enjoy my pink sedum flowers and Trycirtus. Gallardia is another popular fall flower. Ornamental grasses can also look great in the fall. 

Trees and Shrubs

Some seeds I've started near the spiggot. 

First, growing apples and pears brings a fantastic fall harvest of classic fall fruits. I recommend growing both. 

Second, there are so many plants that just look amazing in fall from large sugar maples, to wild grape vines, to the Virginia Sweet Spire I just planted out. Even blueberry bushes get great fall color. 

The best part is, that if you plan things out well, I find fall gardening to be far more relaxing. Fewer hours of sunlight mean plants slow down and it's easier to find time to sit with a hot cup of coffee and just take it in. 

Another tip: if you have limited space in your vegetable garden, you might struggle to find room for fall veggies right now. I like to start seeds in containers to plant out later when spring veggies are done and ready to pull out. Just keep the containers near a water source so they're easy to keep watered. 

What are some of your favorite fall plants? Are you planning anything special this year? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. 

Bargain Plant Catalogs: Yeah, or Nay?

 You've probably gotten a few plant catalogs in the mail with amazingly cheap prices and beautiful pictures of healthy plants. The one's I usually get at my house are Burgess, Four Seasons Nursery and Farmer's Seed Company. The prices are really amazing but savvy shopper that you are, you're probably wondering what the catch is. I've ordered from these companies and here is my experience. 

First, when you order you will get no confirmation email with an order number. 

Second, they will not tell you when they are shipping your order. 

Third, they will ship your order when they get around to it, not necessarily when it makes sense for you to receive it. For example, I got my order of Oriental Lily bulbs and bare root gooseberry plants in November which has got to be the worst time to get them. Pretty sure all the plants are dead. Speaking of which, 

Fourth, they will send you tiny, half dead plants. You might be good at reviving plants but depending on when you get them (like November) there might not be any way to save them. 

Fifth, if you try to contact them to request a replacement plant, you will get no response whatsoever. I've never been able to find a phone number to call and my emails have gone unanswered. 

So, all that being said. If you still want to get in on the low prices, suit yourself. I've just taken to throwing the catalogs straight in the recycling bin. 

Identifying Vegetable Seedlings

 It's Spring! You've planted out some vegetable seeds and are anxiously awaiting their appearance. Some little plants emerge but are they your vegetables or perhaps weeds? Maybe you planted something but can't remember what. In either case, I thought some pictures might be helpful. Here are several pictures of vegetable seedlings from my garden with descriptions so you can know what you're looking at in your own beds. 

Carrot seedlings always have long, thin leaves.

Lettuce seedlings in desperate need of thinning. 

Turnips

Onion seedlings. I'm growing them  to eat as green onions. 

Beets. Note the red stems. 

Kale

Spinach has long, thin leaves like carrots but a little thicker. 

Peas

Radishes. Note how their first two leaves are shaped like kidney beans. 

Fruit Trees and Pesticide

Special Note: I'm not getting paid anything from anybody. (unfortunately) I write this blog for fun and all recommendations and products mentioned are not financially influenced in any way.  

My pear tree in bloom.

Growing fruit trees is really the dream, isn't it? Who doesn't love fresh fruit? You can buy a tree once and have fresh fruit for decades, what's not to love? Well, it's not that easy. That sweet, juicy fruit is really attractive to lots of critters too, from tiny little gnats to full size deer. They also seem really prone to different diseases. For that reason, I am actually caving in a spraying them with pesticide this year. 

In general, I believe American's spray way too much pesticide. We don't like being inconvenienced by bugs and we have very specific ideas for what our lawns and gardens should look like (golf courses anyone?). These pesticides do have environmental costs and I encourage everyone to read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson to get a better picture of this. 

However, sometimes pesticides can be necessary, not just to get "pretty" fruit but to get any fruit at all. My research led me across this youtube video. MI Gardener is a good YouTube channel in general. I then went to Stauffer's of Kissel Hill and talked to their greenhouse manager. She agreed with their suggestion but suggested a different timeline for York County, PA. 

The product I'm using. 

She said to spray the following 3 times as a minimum:

1. Right before the flowers open. (that's right about now as I'm writing this)

2. After the flowers drop. (don't spray anything on open flowers, you need them to pollinate!)

3. When the leaves have completely grown in. 

You can spray more after that but I want to keep a minimalist approach. The other thing to note about the Orchard Spray is that it is considered an organic spray and is less toxic than other options. If you follow this approach, as with all pesticides, please read the label and follow the instructions carefully. 

Are you growing fruit trees? What has been your approach to pests? I'd love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.