May 24, 2019
The cauliflower are beginning to form heads that you can see if you peer down into the center of the plant. You may also find caterpillar poop. It's likely from the cabbage moth eggs that hatch on the underside of the leaves. The caterpillars are hard to remove because you can't find them deep down in the leaves that are protecting the crown. People that visit my garden think the white "butterflies"are charming, and I don't always ruin their enjoyment of them by explaining how destructive they are..
They are especially annoying this year because the puppy likes to chase them. Running through the garden knocks over plants that so far I've been able to prop back up and save, but as the puppy grows so does the potential for damage. This is also the year that the pathways have the most value to me because the puppy "Anne" tends to stay on them. She brings great joy, and I welcome her company, but sometimes I'm happiest when she's taking a nap..
May 25, 2019
I discovered a column of tiny sugar ants running up and down an artichoke stem. They were not the usual ants I find on artichoke plants, with larger transparent abdomins, that guard the aphid against ladybugs. They clusterd about four inches from the top of the stem and appeared to be eating it. My son had this happen this year and they sucked so much sap out that the stem wilted. I was going for the soapy water spray bottle when I decided, since I'd never seen this before, to wait and watch what unfolded. I came back in a couple of hours and all the ants were gone..
There were little holes in the plant where they had clustered, but no sign of them. I began wondering what kind of critter I had in the garden that could eat so many ants in such a short time and concluded it must have been a bird. Birds can be beneficial, as well as destructive, like butterflies. Grampa gardeners tend to welcome them both because they add movement and entertainment to a seemingly still environment..
May 26, 2019
I have little weed piles scattered all over the garden. I tend to leave them because I will be adding to them from time to time. When I do decide to move them I usually find slugs under them. A couple of stomps and I feel like I'm keeping ahead of the problem. One pile that I haven't moved in a year, and stopped adding to, is now a dirt pile. Covering it with some compost will result in a planting mound. The weed eater eliminates creating garden mulch from the weeds..
Growing your own mulch can be rewarding if you can fall back on the weed eater when you can't keep up on pulling them. Now that the weather is warming up and the ground drying out, I'm actually enjoying weeding in the thickly mulched soil. Working on my knees puts me in closer contact with the earth, and I discover the abundance of life that is present. The fragrances are different down here, and the sounds of roots ripping out of the ground is somehow theraputic. The lower the frequency, the more friable the soil is, and I am responsible for it by my years of soil building..
