January 14, 2019
I pulled up the cauliflower in the greenhouse to make room for spring planted lettuce, and the white flies caused a blizzard like a snow globe. I don't know if they like lettuce, but I might have to use a leaf blower on 'em. The other side of the aisle will be a double row of spinach because leafy greens are the most efficient plants to grow in a greenhouse. There is no waste. No stems, stalks, or seeds, just edible leaves..
You could probably eat the roots in a stir fry too. Swiss chard is another good candidate for greenhouse growing, but I've got more than enough that have overwintered. Some of it is too big to cover with my mini greenhouses so I'm hoping the worst of the winter freezes are over..
January 15, 2019
I miss the dragonflies, bumble bees and humming birds. I miss the honey bees, paper wasps, yellow jackets and mud dauber's. I saw a sow bug carrying her babies and realized they are just trying to survive. We put tasty food in their path and then complain when they eat it. Most of the time they just eat debris and fertilize the soil. Everything evolved for a reason so they have their place in the food chain..
I'll be singing a different tune if they manage to get under my mini greenhouses this year. Banking fine soil up around the inside and outside worked so well last year that I don't think I have a sow bug problem anymore. Slugs will be emerging soon and I'm expecting a bumper crop. Mulching with garden waste provides them year round food and shelter so they can reproduce abundantly. When they start traveling I'll need to encircle my transplants with Deadline or iron sulfate..
January 16, 2019
If you are walking through the garden with a cat following you, refrain from squatting down to check your small plants. Cats take this opportunity to flop down in front of you and roll on their back for skritches. They unintentionally break or bend the little ones that they aren't even aware of. I've found that transplanting can not go on while they are in "pet me" mode so I'll weed for awhile until they get distracted. Sometimes I'll throw a pebble in a bush to hurry this process along..
The amount of times I've seen them darting from the garden with a baby mouse tail sticking out of the side of their mouths makes me very glad to have them. Baby mice can often avoid getting trapped because they are too gentle to set it off. Putting peanut butter on the bottom of the trigger helps, and being overly generous with it seems to help them lose their timidity. I've found dead baby mice laying next to a sprung trap making me believe they were frightened to death by the noise..
