Pest Follow-up

I'm not sure what we're doing is working well. I'm also losing squash plants (and am dreading going out this morning to see how many I have left!)

Like I said in the previous post, I've sprinkled with DE and self-rising flour, but I'm really not sure that's helped. I think the DE probably helped with the potato bugs. And, according to TNFarmgirl, the S-R flour tackles Japanese beetles, which have made their appearance, now, so when I powder the beans, I go ahead and powder the squash, just in case it helps with the squash bugs (which, BTW, are now occasionally seen on the beans, too.)

The spray Keith came up with is about 6 tomato leaves, a couple of garlic cloves, a cayenne pepper pod, some ground cayenne pepper. Place in blender and fill blender to top line with water. Blend, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to act as a surfactant, heat up a bit, strain well, and put in a spray bottle. This did seem to work, but I'm not sure about the dishwashing liquid and the tomato-leaf juice on growing veggies, so I've not used it in a few days.

A friend gave me a very helpful book, The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control from Rodale Press. I've not looked at a lot of books in this line, but this one seems to be the most helpful of those that I have checked out.

Hope this helps; if anyone finds out anything else that might help, let us know!!

Mary Susan

Pests

(Can anyone tell me what he's doing here??)

No, I'm not talking about little brothers (nor would I).

I'm talking about potato beetles, squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and whiteflies.

Thankfully, the potato beetles seem to be under control for now, mainly by hand-picking them off the tomatoes in the upper garden and off the potatoes and tomatoes in the lower garden. We still check for them, and do find a few every now and then, but nothing like the epic proportions we had a couple of weeks ago.



The stinky squash bugs, however, are another story. I looked them up on Friday, after seeing quite a few of them around a squash plant that seemed to die before my eyes. So on Saturday morning, 17yo daughter and I hand-picked literally hundreds of the smelly critters off our remaining squash plants. (They stink. My hands still smelled like them this morning, even after washing them in a tomato-based product, in lemon juice, in homemade soap, in shampoo, and countless regular handwashings!) We then sprayed with a potion Keith concocted based on a couple of recipes from Organic Gardening, I believe, and we "powdered" with self-rising flour and diatomaceous earth. It was a critical time, and we had to use everything in our arsenal that might possibly help. I dreaded going out this morning to assess the damage, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Although I'm sure there were more of the odiferous bugs than we saw, the legions had been reduced drastically. There are many eggs, and we're continuing our control efforts, but much positive progress has been made. (Did I mention that they stink?)

We've seen a few cucumber beetles, but not too many. However, we attack the ones we see, generally while we're getting the squash bugs. I understand the larvae of these can be a real problem, but hopefully, prayerfully, we'll not have many, and they'll be manageable.



I've seen a couple of whiteflies, but figure there are many more somewhere, or will be soon.

Five days ago, I'm not sure I'd ever heard of these critters. I feel that we're well acquainted with them, now. I'm amazed at how much I am learning each year--each month--each week--about gardening and about God's world that He has placed under our care.

Mary Susan

Happy Birthday Mother!

Kyle

Concert June 21

Just in case someone happens to come across this blog who doesn't already know this, Nathan Clark George will be in concert in Centerville in about a week.

(A bit different than Bonnaroo, I'd say.)

Mary Susan

Wheat

A lot of farmers are growing wheat around here. This is fairly unusual. Also, I've only seen one field of what I think will be soybeans; this is also unusual; soybeans are usually a big crop here. I'm guessing Big Ag/Ag Extension office is encouraging this. Also, soybean rust has slowly been making its way to the area; maybe this is an attempt to halt or at least slow that down.

The wheat has been beautiful, although it's past its brightest yellow, now. The dark green of trees and young corn contrasts beautifully with the wheat. Wish I'd gotten some photos of some of the wheat at its brightest.

Mary Susan

Bonnaroo is Back!!! AAARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

This is the weekend of Bonnaroo. If you don't know what that is, I'm sure you can find it on the web. We're maybe ten miles from the Bonnaroo site. We feel the bass here at night, when things are otherwise quiet. Sometimes we hear the music in addition to just feeling the bass. The area is being invaded quite heavily with what are called Bonnaroonies--basically modern-day hippies, to a large extent. Or at least, that's what they look like. Thankfully, the local police and the Bonnaroo staff have done much to improve traffic during the festival. Used to be terrible, but they've worked out many of the kinks, so that we're not too affected, generally, athough we do tend to avoid that town this week; we'll do without, or go to the nearest town in the opposite direction, if something is desperately needed.

We talked to someone a couple of years ago who said her son attended Bonnaroo once. (This is a wonderful, Christian family with whom some of you may have had some contact.) Anyway, this son had had sort of long hair when he went. When he returned home, he cut his hair and had kept it shorter ever since, saying he wanted to have absolutely nothing in common with the Bonnaroonies!

A number of local churches have been known to set up booths in the hopes of evangelizing.

Supposedly the local economy gets a big boost from the festival. I'm guessing that beer sales go up.

The service station/quick market at "our" interstate exit has brought in six or eight port-a-potties.

I recall being at our vet's office a couple of years ago the week of the festival. The office is also near "our" interstate exit. They are booked with critters being boarded that weekend. That's something I'd not thought of. I'm not sure if it's pets of Bonnaroonies or if it's pets of local folks who flee the area during the festival (Yes, some folks do leave the area for those four days.)

Passed a number of houses on the way to daughter's fiddle lesson today that are apparently renting out or otherwise providing housing for some of the folks attending the festival. Saw quite a few people seeming to have a leisurely good time. Also saw a house with a new sign up saying campsites and firewood are available there.

Going to be a hot few days, if the weather pattern continues. This has been a problem previously. From what I've heard, the festival-makers have helped this by having more water available for drinking, as well as having sprayers--from what looks like huge mushrooms in the photos I've seen. (How appropriate is that for a festival of hippies/hippie wannabes?)

Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, and Allison Kraus have performed at Bonnaroo. Loads of others, most of which I'd rather not see or hear--in person or otherwise. And as great as it would be to see those named and a few of the others, I'd rather do that at some other time and some other place than Bonnaroo!

(I can't believe I've devoted this much space to Bonnaroo!)

Mary Susan

Two Booker T. Washington Agrarian Quotes

I just came across these Booker T. Washington quotes on a blogpost of a few days ago from Carmon.

"No race can prosper till it learns there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem."

“All races that have reached success and have influenced the world for righteousness have laid their foundation at one stage of their career in the intelligent and successful cultivation of the soil ; that is, have begun their free life by coming into contact with earth and wood and stone and minerals. Any people that begins on a natural foundation of this kind, rises slowly but naturally and gradually in the world.”

Mary Susan

Gramps and Dodi

This is Gramps and Dodi. They are not blood relatives, but rather, a brother and sister in Christ. They have been attending our church since moving to the area a couple of months ago, being parents and grandparents of a family in our church.

Gramps is quiet, and is, I am sure, going to be a mentor to all of us who are trying to garden in a healthy, non-industrial way. He's been gardening organically for years. (Gramps, how does one control those potato bugs that are attacking potatoes and tomatoes? Is hand-picking the only way???)

Dodi is an artist. Really. Sells her work, has shows, etc. She's also gracious, while at the same time not being shy about letting you know her thoughts on a matter, or giving nudges to do the right thing (like when I was irritable with 5yo this weekend!) And I've heard for a long time what an encourager she is, and am beginning to witness it.

I'm grateful Gramps and Dodi have moved into the area; they are a blessing.

Mary Susan

Tag

Well, I'm supposed to do a tag on here, so here it goes.

7 things I'd like to do before I'd die:

Get married
Go to Scotland
Make a movie
Make bio-diesel
Run a timber business
Buy a set of tools and keep up with all of them
Type well

7 things I cannot do well

Type
Do anything on the computer
Cook
Play piano
Play sports
Be social
Act

7 favorite movies

National Treasure (both)
Lord of the Rings
Princess Bride
Gods and Generals
Gettysburg
Paleface
Son of Paleface

7 things I say often

Och
Grrrrrrrr...... (those are basically the same thing)
Sir????
What were you saying?
Yup.
Nope.
I'm hungry.

7 things I'd like in a spouse

Loves the Lord
Loves children
Teachable
Supporter
Good cook
Musical (to keep me on key)
Willing to live just about anywhere

7 favorite books and authors

The Bible
C.S. Lewis (much much much much better than the movies made)
David McCullough
My sister
Lord of the Rings (also much better than the movies)
Sir Walter Scott
Henty

5 people I tag (It's not 7!!!!!!)

Justin R.
David P.
Colton E.
Drapers
Chris S.

(If you don't want to do a tag, you don't have to)


Kyle