Now I've Got Ants

Bob Bauer

April 30, 2017 (Last Updated: March 06, 2023) | Reading Time: 2 minutes

April 30, 2017

Now I've got ants. I think they came in the garden to eat the dead slugs, but now they are rototilling the dirt under the plastic, loosening the plant roots, and causing them to wilt. Making nests under the plastic is not permitted, so I'm removing it. They also have encircled a cauliflower stem and are sucking the life out of it..

I put diatomaceous earth around it but realize that they might breed faster than they die from that stuff, so I'll probably use some ant spray around it tomorrow. We have 70ÃÂ° days and 50ÃÂ° nights in the forecast for the next week, so let's get the show on the road..

May 01, 2017

Happy May Day. Not to be confused with mayday, which is when you return from vacation to find the neighbor kid forgot to water your garden. May Day is when girls with ribbons dance around a maypole. I don't know how that got started but hey, any excuse for girls to dance. I hope you got to strap on your kneepads, and had warm sun on your back, while you got going on your weed patch. Gotta get 'em now before you have to rent a rototiller..

I got to spray water all over both beds in the greenhouse, washing the dusty micronutrients down to the plants root zones Can you feel it? Then I sprayed the aisle and smelled the humidity rising. It was so much fun that I looked around outside to see what else I could spray. Sure enough the garlic patch was dry. Then I did the onion patch because onions would like water every day. Then I looked at the corn patch and thought "Am I nuts? It's mud under there" so I put down the gun and backed away from the hose..

May 02, 2017

May is the time of year to start wearing your garden hat. The bigger the brim the better. The tops of your ears and your nose will be protected, and if you keep your back to the sun your hands will be shaded too. Most importantly though is your eyes will not get as much direct sunlight, which is a major contributor to cataracts, a surgery you most assuredly want to avoid..

As the season wears on sunscreen will be required on the backs of your hands and the back of your neck. Light colored long sleeved shirts will keep you cooler than T shirts, and you won't have to use sunblock on your arms..

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