I was doing some research last night trying to find out what was wrong with my lemon tree. Though I have more than a dozen green lemons developing, the leaves don’t look so good. I decided to take a closer look. On the undersides of a few leaves, I saw cottony puffs and an ant madly […]
I took the advice of Lisa and Kathleen in Wild Farm – Episode 15 and brought some umbels into my garden. These are Achillea millefolium, or Yarrow, “Island Pink” and “Moonshine.” Umbels are umbrella-shaped with a cluster of flowers, that are rather flat on top, and beneficial insects are especially drawn to them. This is Cinderella Butterfly […]
The good, the bad, and the ugly: The chopped and melted buckwheat is reseeding itself on my flower island. I think that’s a good thing; My Brandywine tomato plant, the really huge one, has Blossom End Rot (thank you to a blogger who wrote in and told me). That’s bad; A critter, a suspected raccoon, […]
Is this some insect, nutritional defect, or fungus? Or, some alien hieroglyphic that I need to interpret? Whatever, it seems to be all over my garden. Cucumber 1 (Bushy): Cucumber 2 (A&C Pickling): Cucumber 3 (Japanese Climbing): Japanese Melon: Patty Pan Squash: Yellow and Green Bean: Even the Nasturtium! These plants are in different soils […]
Kaye visits organic, sustainable Wild Farm in Woodside, California on a windy day in late June, 2012. Owners, and master gardeners, sisters Lisa and Kathleen Putnam give Kaye a fast-paced tour of their large, family farm. Please watch here, or high quality on YouTube. “Maxine the Chicken,” set to motion by Late Bloomer motion graphics wizard, Mika […]
Watermelon, Watering & Bugs are preoccupying me these days. When my watermelon patch (about 6’x6″ with seven plants of baby watermelon) started showing fruit, I could count at least 50 little green balls emerging. Now, it seems like things are amiss. (I’ve since learned that vines put out a lot of little ones, but they […]
Crane Fly – I spotted this impossibly long-legged, mosquito-like insect on my cherry tomato plant today, and since I’m keen to attract beneficial insects to my garden, grabbed a photo and went to the internet. I learned it is a crane fly. I think I can spot the ovipositor, so I’m assuming it’s a female just taking a […]
Create an insectiary in your garden to attract beneficial insects! In “Wild Farm,” episode 15 of “Late Bloomer,” we meet Lisa Putnam and her sister Kathleen, who are master gardeners and they take us on a tour of Lisa’s family farm in Woodside, CA. Lisa explained that her insectiary brings in beneficial insects which eat the […]
Nasty Aphids Attack Corn! What else is new? Aphids attack everything! As I was out shaking the tassels to promote pollination, I discovered my second corn plant has been attacked. Everyone passing by my garden has told me they had trouble growing corn here, and I am no exception! Though, I naively thought I might […]
Growing Sunflowers – Episode 11 – Please watch the latest episode of “Late Bloomer,” “Growing Sunflowers!” Kaye grows Lemon Queen Sunflowers from seed, and has some surprise guests! With neighbors Mona, Sophia, Michael and Dennis. Have you tried growing sunflowers? What pests have you encountered? How tall were your sunflowers? Please share “Late Bloomer” with […]
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