A Happy Harvest

Even with the heat waves throughout the season, I was amazed at how well the vegetables and flowers grew. Since temperatures reached close to 100 degrees F, the plants had to be sprayed every few days with pesticide.

Mix together Lavender oil, hot pepper juice, garlic tea, a couple drops of dish liquid and water. It's recommended to spray after 4:30 in the afternoon to avoid disturbing, and possibly harming, the bees as they pollinate the plants.

Twenty two tomato plants grew, flourished and produced an abundant bounty, as did basil, zinnia, sage, arugula, beets, dill, nasturtium, potatoes, turnips, peas, daisies, cosmos, marigolds, green and lima beans, lettuce, corn and and a few of the giant variety of sunflower. Got a few cucumbers, squash, carrots, zucchini, one pumpkin and a nice head of purple cabbage.

Tansy is a flower that is recommended to repel the yellow and black cucumber beetle.I was unable to obtain Tanseys last season, so the cucumber beetles and squash bugs multiplied during the summer. Another great worker in the garden that repels pests is radish. Grow radish throughout the garden allowing some to go to seed to repel cucumber beetles.

So far this year I've turned the compost, and raked and mulched the leftover leaves from last fall. I'll soon be starting seedlings indoors for about ten early season plants to get a step ahead and lengthen the growing season.

Beware of foods that were grown from genetically modified seed. When you buy seeds, be sure they are non-gmo so that the foods produced from them will also reproduce seed.

Sageymania

Growing Nicely

The peas, green beans, carrots, chard, potatoes, lima beans, corn, spinach, arugala, turnips and flowers are doing well thus far.  There were many weeds to pull, soil to amend and watering the past couple of weeks.  I prepared a couple more garden beds and plan to use one for tomato, basil, marigold and chives.  The other one for corn, pole beans and watermelon.

Yet to find Nasturtium seeds as pest repellents for the vegetables, and Tansy to repel the cucumber beetle, although Zinnia seeds are planted. I've found that petunias repel the squash bug.

The compost heaps are doing very well which helps immensely, and I continue to add to two new heaps. One is completed, one is almost and there are two new heaps of sticks, weeds, dirt, and vegetation scraps.

Update: The Zinnias have grown tall and healthy, although I have a concern about mildew growing on them. When I grow them this year, 2012, I'll have to watch them to keep it to a minimum. Milk jugs with a bit of milk filled with water and poured in a spray bottle may help to combat mold. Also, keeping them thinned so they get enough air circulation. Even better yet, I'll stop planting them near a solid fence and plant them in areas that are more open instead.

Last season, companion planting worked very well in mitigating the bad bugs and attracting the beneficial insects. The garden environment was is harmony, however I still have to combat the zucchini vine borer (SVB), and cucumber beetle.

There are a few winter varieties of squash that have different stems. The SVB is unable to burrow through to the inside; Seminole squash. I hope to find these, Cucurbita maschatas and Trombochino this year as a summer squash.

sageymania