March 13, 2017
The tiny gray mice buds that were clinging to the willow branches exploded into yellow, fuzzy caterpillar like blossoms and are covered in pollinators. As the warmth continues I'm ready to plant corn and green beans. I've cut a piece of clear plastic into a 5'x7' sheet and put it over the first spot that I'll be planting corn. I'll pull it back in a few days and plant corn seeds 12" apart in every direction then pull the plastic back, hold it down with rocks, and wait for the corn to germinate..
Corn needs a warm soil to germinate in but will grow in cooler soil so the plastic comes off and gets put down where the next planting will go. Same thing with beans but I use a 12" x 6' piece of plastic..
March 14, 2017
When I lifted the lids on my cold frames this morning baby pill bugs scampered away from the base of some of my melon and squash transplants. The plants had chewed spots at ground level so it's a fact that pill bugs damage plants. Luckily I have some diatomaceous earth that I can sprinkle around on the ground that will kill the pill bugs, without having to use an insecticide. It is composed of ground up diatomes, that have very sharp edges, and get in the joints of any ectoskeleton insect, and kills them..
It's what I use on earwig infestations too. I'm also considering not putting the lids back on at night since that seems to embolden the pill bugs..
March 15, 2017
I'm beginning to think that three garden cats are two too many. They seem to feed off of each others energy and sprint wild eyed around, over, under and through everything. The wire tunnels covered in bird netting are a particular pleasure for them to run through because hitting the netting on the ends excites them. They turn around and run back through the other way. They especially like my double row of radishes which now look like a race track with rototilled path and banked sides..
I'm going to have to find a way to attach the netting to the ends more securely. They have lost their fear of the plastic on the corn patch, and now think they should find out what's underneath it. They love it when I bring in fresh compost, dig big holes in it, and squat over them. They cover it back up but leave enough of a mess that I can tell where they've been and dig it up and chuck it over the fence..
