Sunday, April 12, 2009

April Garden


Here is our most recent addition to the garden:















We had fun yesterday building this bamboo tripod for our blue-lake snap beans. Russell suggested we do a little "waddle and daub" without the "daub" and add a trellis of sorts to the tripod for the beans to grow up once they sprout. He had me thinking about artist Andy Goldsworthy and this piece he made out of driftwood. If you've never seen his work, I highly recommend checking this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBcdL8uO71E&feature=related

As you can see, (bottom left), our Mustard greens are starting to get going. We are thinking about harvesting a few for dinner tonight. . .














Sadly, the Broccoli and Cauliflower plants aren't doing as well as we had hoped. It turns out, we have a case of white butterflies. We aren't sure what else to do about them except hand pick off the eggs and worms.
















These butterflies flutter around our garden playfully all day, occasionally stopping to land on our vegetable greens and lay their eggs. . .which turn into ruthless kale and broccoli leaf eating monster worms!!!

















But, the Mustards seem to be pretty safe, thanks to their natural protection: spiciness!

1 comment:

Just getting a taste said...

That tee-pee kind of structure is awesome! I'm so amazed every time I click on a photo and see the soil up close -- ahhhhhh!! to have just a bit of it here.
And, by the way - I know I've taken too long to get this info to help with the wormy things - don't know if it will help, but it worth a shot. oK , according to my Jerry Baker's Great Green book of Garden Secrets....this is the Garden Cure All TOnic
6 garlic cloves
1 small onion
1 tbsp. of Murphy's Oil soap
1 tsp. of vegetable oil
warm water

Pulverize the garlic, onion, and pepper int eh a blender, and let them steep in a quart of warm water for 2 hours. Strain the mixture, and further dilute the liquid with three parts of warm water, Add the Murphy's Oil soap and vege oil. Mist-spray several times a week.