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.