Memorial Day Garden Questions!

Oh, it’s blissfully quiet on my street! Except for aircraft (jets high, coming in to LAX south of here, small planes going up and down the coast, occasional helicopters heading over the mountain), I don’t hear a thing! Not even the incessant barking of the dog at the end of the street. No drone of traffic on Sunset. Heaven! A perfect day to film “Late Bloomer.” But, I don’t have my script ready. I spent all weekend in the garden. A stroll out this morning with my cocoa and camera turned up these puzzlers.

When you are an urban gardener, every single berry is precious, so here’s a casualty from last night.

I first thought it was a bug, but maybe it’s just malformed. I thought growing strawberries in a pot might help with bugs, but, every night I find an earwig on them. But then, I find earwigs on everything. Are they eating the leaves, or, the bugs who eat the leaves? The proverbial question. Every one of nine spinach seedlings that I planted with the other seedlings has been chomped on.

Speaking of the other spinach seedlings, they are sending up flowers. Am I supposed to be pinching these off?

The leaves are not big enough to harvest. I got these fifteen seedlings from One Gun Ranch, and I don’t remember seeing flowers on them.

I thinned out my tiny beet and radish plot, and didn’t want all those tender shoots to go to waste, so I added more dirt around the perimeter and planted them. My neighbor, Dennis, said, “Radishes are tough, but I don’t think they are that tough,” meaning, he didn’t think they would make it. He’s been telling me since the beginning, that if you fail at radishes (“Radishes 101”), you probably aren’t going to succeed at gardening. After two days, though, some of these shoots look like they might make it.

Last question for today, when you see the center sunk in like this on a rose bud before it ever opens, this means a borer got to it, and you might as well “nip it in the bud,” right?

Thanks for reading! I’m a late bloomer at gardening, and have a lot of Memorial Day Garden Questions!! – Kaye

Update 2015! – I’m  looking for feedback for Season 5 of Late Bloomer, and financial support to make it happen. Do you enjoy interviews with others, or stories about my garden, or both? Thanks for your support! ~ Kaye

Stock up on Seeds!

I receive a small commission for promoting products I’ve used and believe in. Your support of these products helps me to continue to produce “Late Bloomer” episodes. Click button to order products! Help me inspire people to grow their own food and take control over their food security. Your donation of any amount makes “Late Bloomer” possible and available for anyone.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

Thank you!

Tags: biodynamics, bugs, compost, critters, do-it-yourself, farming on small scale, fruit, garden pests, gardening, gardening web series, green your world, growing radishes, growing roses, growing spinach, growing your own vegetables, Kaye Kittrell, Kaye Kittrell Late Bloomer, Late Bloomer, One Gun Ranch, organic, Permaculture, Photography, strawberries, urban gardening, vegetables, warm season, web series

Category: Critters, Fruit, Vegetables, Warm Season