Spring 2011 Plantings

Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade

After joining the organic farming Facebook group, I learned from several of the gardeners that Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is a natural insect controller.  It supposedly works on ants and other bugs and is completely safe for humans and animals.  So I ordered some DE from Earthworkshealth.com and dusted the garden this morning.  The DE feels like soft baking flour and spreads very easily.  I am hoping it rids the gardens of ants and whatever else seems to be munching on my cucumber buds.  I also planted two zucchini seeds, like last year, but put it in a different area -- the back 40 which gets less sun and water.  I don't know if I will have the same bumper crop as last year with the new location, but it leaves more space in the main garden for other veggies.

I ate two more cherry tomatoes, yummy, but it is very strange that the plant is pushing out these fruits when the plant seems to be languishing.  We chowed down on three more artichokes, that makes 6 so far this year and there are still several more growing.  I am so thrilled!  Although the forecast was for cold weather, it is actually very nice today.  Tomorrow I plan to re-plant the lettuce and carrots and maybe replant some cucumbers too.  My pepper plants (Fresno hot peppers and Yellow sweet peppers) are coming back.  I guess they are not annuals?

The big surprise today:  while inspecting the garden this morning in my pajamas, the gate opens and a man walks in, what!  It's the meter-reader.  He says "Hi Maam," reads the meter and then walked out closing the gate behind him.  This is one risk of suburban gardening I had not anticipated.

Dreary Weather

The carrot sprouts that were trying so hard to survive, simply disappeared.  I will wait until we get some steady heat to try planting again.  The arugula in the main garden did not sprout, nor did the spinach.  I guess I jumped the gun on planting in light of this crazy rainy and cold weather.  I do have healthy looking sprouts for the leaf and head lettuce.  I have a few bean and cucumber sprouts, but there should be dozens so it still looks questionable.  The beets -- not a sprout to be seen.  As I have never planted beets, I don't know if this is normal.  I tried something new, used the vermiculite to cover the seeds and then put dirt over that -- I think that was a mistake.  I think the sprouts like the lightness of the vermiculite and find it easier to push through than the dirt?  I had one cherry tomato that we ripe, tasted yummy.  But all the tomato plants are stunted and need some sunny hot days.  The lemon balm that I yanked out because it was taking over the entire garden is still sprouting up in dozens of spots.  Don't ever plant lemon balm unless it is in a container!  Why is it that things that you want to happen, don't, and things that you wish would not happen, do?