Black nightshade in the yard: a potential fruit
I’ve identified another thing that most people pass off as as weed, and I had cut down several of these before I stopped to look them up. As usual my […]
August 2018
Pokeweed and its uses
This plant grows in my yard. My neighbor calls it a weed. I went on to the internet, curious to learn its name and to discover more about it. I felt […]
Pros and cons of a cat in the garden
I have noticed there are advantages and disadvantages of having a (house) cat spending time in the garden/yard. Pros: A cat keeps squirrels out of the yard (entertainment for the […]
Fall planting, part 1
First thing in the morning, I picked up four bags of compost, and filled up the rest of the third garden bed. I put down some pieces of branches beneath […]
Control of Harlequin beetles by hand
Today I worked on controlling the harlequin beetles that were ravaging the kale. The adult beetles are very good at disappearing when knocked off something. It happened to me a […]
New Seed arrivals
Got a lot of seeds in the past few days! (I had a little too much fun on eBay.) Fruits: I want to directly plant the seeds for most of […]
Learning about wasps: free pest control
I learned the difference between yellowjacket wasps (not desirable) and paper wasps (desirable): The paper wasps have yellow antennae! I’ve also learned that wasps hunt for beetles and other garden […]
Gardening with grass, part two: Bacteria
Earlier I was quite enthusiastic about the growth of my melons and watermelons. However, cucumber bugs have gotten into them. These bugs carry the “wilt bacteria” in their guts and […]
Filling wasp burrows — oops
[Updated Aug 24) The other day I discovered a number of “cicada killer” wasp burrows. Initally I thought they were rodent holes dug along the front steps to my home. […]
Theory about gardening with grass
I have a theory that the melons in my yard are doing so well because the grass, which is getting long, holds moisture in the ground and on its leaves. […]