A Garden Under Attack!

My garden is under attack! Just before dusk last night I noticed that my radishes and pole beans are the preferred meal for something. Little holes have been chewed into their leaves and at first I hadn’t a clue who or what the culprit was. These guys are in my garden box that is closest to my greenhouse. The box is also on the outer part of the garden where the fence is. Wild daises and lupine grow each spring there so there is a lot of ground cover that reaches the garden box. A perfect bridge to heavenly munching.

 

I examined all the leaves not finding anything that would have done the damage until I lifted one and was greeted by a fat (kind of cute) baby slug. Slugs. It was pretty small, smaller than a pea but it was definitely there. I lifted a few more leaves and found more slugs. An invasion!

After picking the slugs from their meals I stood for a while unsure what to do. I do not want chemicals in my garden. I have mint growing so I plucked some leaves and sprinkled the little plants with them to hopefully detour the pests until I could come up with a better plan. So I pose my question what do you all do for pest control? I went inside and fired up my laptop to do some research and I found a few ideas.

1) Apparently slugs are boozers. I found that some people will place a saucer or cup of beer in their garden the slugs lured by the aroma will climb in and drink themselves drowned. Allegedly this is the same with Cola.

2) Organic pest spray. Boiling an onion, garlic, cayenne pepper together and then letting the liquid cool before spritzing plants will be noxious enough to ward off a slug.

3) Coffee & grounds. spraying plants with coffee and sprinkling the grounds around your precious plants will make a slug turn away because the smell and sticky grounds will not be a pleasant experience for the slimy booger.

4) Egg shells. Ground up egg shells sprinkled by your plants creates the same unpleasant experience for a snail as coffee grounds. The edges feel too sharp on their soft bodies and they will not cross your defense line.

5) Create a few Toad Abodes. Toads reportedly will return to a toad abode each year if it is done right. Most of the abodes that I have seen are overturned pots that have little holes knocked through to create an entry. A toad abode creates a nice cool area for a toad to be during the day. At night a toad can eat up to 100 slugs, bugs, and pests from your garden. Imagine 2 or 3 occupied abodes? sounds good to me! Easy too!

So what are some thoughts? What have you all had success with. I am genuinely interested and would LOVE feedback!

Wednesday Rain Dancing

It is raining. My day has been nothing but open windows & raindrops. Blankets & books. Every couple hours a trip out to the garden to make sure everybody out there is happy. Tomatoes look good, Jalapenos not so much. I have read that they will perk up and stop looking like they are on their deathbeds when the weather finally turns warm. I got a nice surprise in the greenhouse and noticed the heirloom tomatoes I had given up on are actually sprouting! For some reason starting tomatoes from seed has always been a challenge for me. Bell peppers are starting to pop up too. Sunflowers are next.

Milk jugs to the rescue

Peas & Beans

Massive hail had me running out about an hour ago with my milk jugs to cover what I could. I also happily paused the drip timer until the storm passes, can’t beat mother nature watering for you. I think a rain barrel system is my next project. After today’s downpour a single barrel would have been full many times over.

I plan to spend the remainder of my day making plans for our almost completed chicken coop. Some of our chicks have already hatched. I can’t wait to have chickens pecking, scratching, clucking, and tooting about.

A Willow Teepee

Due to some form of the bubonic plague we all found ourselves bedridden for a few days. Our garden neglected. Today my husband and I put our brave faces and boots on and ventured outside to survey the damage. The damage was awesome! Due to some smart thinking a few weeks back I purchased an automatic drip timer system. Thanks to that little blue plastic magic box our garden continued to thrive while we were on our deathbeds. Our radishes are up, beans and peas too. Carrot lace can be seen poking through the soil. Onions too.

Today we decided some windows rolled down and a cruise were much needed. We jumped in the truck and headed to the lake in search of some willow trunks for the garden. We have a small lake tucked away in a maze of willows, pines, and dogwood not far from our house. Spare for a few campers the lake was quiet and once we had parked and set out all we could hear were the coos of the wild swans, a plunk here and there from a frog into the water, and of course the ringlets set into motion from fish lips.

Lake Flora

Willows & Dogwood

It is still early enough in spring that the mosquitoes aren’t an issue otherwise this post would have been titled something like “killer mosquito escape” because that lake, in the heat of summer is a place only non-locals go. Yes it is that bad. There is a trail that hugs the lake. It is a one lane trail cushioned by moss, and littered with natural springs. I don’t think I have ever once seen another person on it while I have been there.  Hatchet in hand we set to our goal of looking for long straight(ish) willow trunks.

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We made quick work and soon we were back in the truck and heading home with 8 willow poles and a note to self to go back soon and just walk and listen.

I have done some reading and found that people are starting to grow vertically for more use of limited space. We thought that willow would be a hardy enough wood to work with and that it would hold up through the summer. Cucumber teepees. That was today’s objective. It is started, not yet complete.

The weather has held up the last few days and I was hoping that the cold part of spring was behind us but sure as I am typing this next week’s forecast is rain. I put a couple “tester” cucumber plants outside to see how they fair tonight, and the next few days. Spring is always a dance. I find myself every year, stalking my neighbor’s gardens from the road. Silently judging their planted tomatoes and questioning how they know to put them in the ground so early since mine are always more than likely still being coddled in the greenhouse. Well take that neighbors, I put my cucumber testers out. Now lets hope they make it!

The World Is Wild

It is one of those mornings that I love. A Saturday in the mountains. I can always count on a soft, low hanging, lazy fog. A sun that is just getting warmed up. Dew drops blanket the greenhouse windows, and the birds are already busy, probably have been for hours.

No one is awake but me. I can kiss two rosy cheeked sleepers that have both magically managed to find their way between me and my husband during the night. I can then slowly tiptoe to the front door and sneak outside. Always barefoot. Mornings like this, barefoot is a requirement. My little greenhouse always smells the best in the morning. I can close the foggy glass door and just have a few quiet moments.

Wild Lane Acre.

We live nestled in a small community high in the Sierras. Our property is just perfect at an acre and a half. If you know which dirt lane to turn down you will probably be greeted by our two dogs wagging hellos. A four year old running through the pines, sometimes sans clothing. His little brother, who is just one, usually laughing not far away in his play yard. Our home has always been a little wild. Which will never be a complaint.

We have goals for this little piece of heaven. Goals that are just starting to take shape. My husband and I crave a lifestyle that is less reliant on the grocery store and more comprised of the sweat, hard work, and tears of our own creation. There is something to be said about a fresh homegrown tomato from your own garden. Knowing where our food comes from, choosing to live in a more sustainable, organic way. That is our goal. We have the space, we have the willpower. Cheers to that.

Now as I stand in my greenhouse, over sized coffee mug steaming that amazing aroma, I can see that my little starts have grown since yesterday. Today maybe some of them can be moved into the garden. I love Saturdays.

Welcome to the journey that is Wild Lane.

A small view of the greenhouse happenings

Cucumbers

Let It Grow

I asked my four year old what we should name our garden and since he had just finished watching The Lorax. Naturally he responded with, “Let it grow!”

It stuck. Let It Grow Garden.

Our greenhouse has seen quite a bit of action the last few weeks. We have six raised garden beds in an enclosed area. Over the years I have used maybe three boxes at once. This year I am determined to use all of the space. Flowers. I do flowers. Vegetables are a bit foreign to me. I am fluent in the beauty of growing tomatoes. Lettuce, cucumbers, watermelon, onions, beans and potatoes not so much. I had success a couple years ago with planting way too many pumpkins which resulted in our very own pumpkin patch. But growing all of these and more at once is a bit daunting. Exciting. But as I learned this morning, while looking at cold sad droopy cucumber sprouts, I have very much to learn.

Apparently starting cucumbers in the greenhouse isn’t usually how it is done. Usually they (and by they I mean google people) plant the seed directly into the earth and when it is warm enough they will sprout and grow, no need to transplant. Starting them as I did, too early means you must condition them? which I gathered meant taking them outside when it is warm, a little windy, letting them hang out and chat with the birds and bugs. But then bringing them back in before they decide to do their death droop. This is done from what I gathered no less than 5,000 times until they are ready to be outside permanently. Sounds like next year I may just do as googsperts say and plant directly in the ground. Lesson officially learned. Until then I will continue to nurse my little cucumbers back to health which I am pleased to say are standing back up and looking happy again.

       Cucumbers bounced back