Clean-Handed Bug Murder

by Ivory Soap on July 3, 2009

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It was Ivory, in the garden, with a stone candle and a shingle….

Okay, confession time.  Unlike TL, I don’t touch bugs.  I have worked up to rolling those itty bitty sugar ants with my fingers and I did slap a fly with my hand yesterday, but my squealing icky-icky dance had TL laughing at me through the phone line.

So, when I saw this (excuse the fuzzy, please) on the squash…

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…I scoured the yard for something with which to capture and bludgeon the infidel.

I scooped him into the candle with the shingle and covered him.  Then I took him to the executioners pavement, shook him out, RE-COVERED him with the shingle (I hate the crunch), and pummeled him with the stone candle.  Here’s the crime scene photo:

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For other squeemish gardeners like myself, I also highly recommend scissors (to remove the leaf entirely)  or my personal favorite…the dustbuster.   I suppose any will work, but this is mine.  I never go to the garden without one or the other.  THEN I feed the squatters to the chickens.

Bwah-ha-ha!

Ivory

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Cucumber Support System

by Ivory Soap on July 2, 2009

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The friend who’s garden I’ve fluttered over for the past week really only wanted me to go do one thing.  Support her baby cukes, living almost smack dab in the middle of her bed.   So, after some thought, this is what I came up with. (Please forgive the fuzzy pic, my silly camera kept going for the background.)

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Two tall sturdy stakes, a bit of 4ft chicken wire, and eight zip ties.  Waa-laa!  (or Voila! for the humorless French police.)

Here’s the longer view…be sure to ram those stakes through your weed blanket.

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Ain’t (or isn’t for the humorless English police) it just the most precious thing EVER?

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But I were a GOOD friend, I suppose I would have just picked her up a pack of THESE. (Ha-ha!  I love horrendously expensive things that can be replaced with something that costs four dollars…)

Ivory

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Thinning Out is Hard to Do

July 1, 2009 Gardening

Thinning.  It’s better done sooner rather than later.  Later, it’s just too painful.  See the two stems above, one of them has got to go or both plants will suffer.  OUCH.
These, however, were easier.  Beets.  I did try to transplant the little baby beets, but it’s not going well.  Note the two little purple leaves [...]

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Broiled Tomatoes

June 30, 2009 Food

Nothing beats a plate of sliced homegrown fresh tomatoes, but sometimes it’s good to mix it up a little bit. Here’s another option for when the countertop is overflowing with mankind’s favorite deadly nightshade.
Broiled Tomatoes
4-5 ripe fresh tomatoes
1 slice wheat bread
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
about 6 good leaves fresh basil, minced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped [...]

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Three Sisters Woes Continue

June 29, 2009 Gardening

A while back I predicted abject failure from my Three Sisters planting of corn, pole beans, and squash. None of my dire predictions came true, but we still got trouble.
The plants themselves have grown well. The corn is tall and tasselling out. The beans are growing up the corn, and the pumpkins are taking over [...]

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Maximizing Raised Bed Tomatoes

June 26, 2009 Gardening

I knew that I had to do it, but I still didn’t like it.   Luckily, there wasn’t any fruit on the stems I cut, but STILL!  Her tomatoes were SO pretty!!!
Here’s the bad news.  ONE STEM PER SQUARE FOOT. I know, I know, but there has to be air circulation and if you do it, [...]

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Blackeyed Pea Fritters

June 25, 2009 Food

These are a variation on the African standby. They are traditionally deep-fried, but I like to cook them up in a skillet. It’s a tasty way to round out those summer garden vegetable plates with a bit of protein.
Blackeyed Pea Fritters
makes about 8 fritters
1 can blackeyed peas, drained
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
1/4 [...]

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First Blood

June 24, 2009 Gardening

Oh, it’s ON. The squash bug and borer wars are heating up. In addition to having my pumpkin vines invaded by borers, I have suffered an actual SBRI (Squash Bug Related Injury). Don’t scroll down below the photo of the squash bug eggs if you can’t stand the sight of blood. I was smushing squash [...]

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Cutest Garden I Ever Saw…

June 23, 2009 Gardening

I had the pleasure of taking care of my friend’s first garden while she was out of town.  When I walked into her back yard, I was bowled over with the cuteness!!!
This is her herb garden.

Here’s some little dill…

Here’s some little thai peppers…

I’m totally jealous.  And that has nothing to do with why my bad [...]

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Squash Wars

June 22, 2009 Gardening

Last year I harvested 2 zucchini and 2 butternut squash from several huge squash vines. I had squash vine borers AND squash bugs.
I wasn’t prepared. Maybe you’re never really prepared for a squash pest invasion, but I’m gearing up for war this year.
This year, I have even more squash. Yeah, I know. But I want [...]

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