August 12, 2008

The farm is looking really really good these days, neatly mown grassy pathways, mostly weed free beds, mulched and trellised tomatoes (and they are finally ripening!!), pretty purple and green cabbages, flowering eggplants and peppers, and beautiful winter squash.

But...all is not well in fantasy farmland.  The squash bugs and squash vine borers have found Reverence Gardens, as I discovered while weeding the winter squash today.  Sigh, what to do??  Well, as soon as I got home I went straight to my Rodale's Organic Gardening Magazine primer on controlling bugs.  Yes, there they were, squash bugs and squash vine borers.  And, hosannahs, I can save the squash, though it will entail crawling through the plants looking for the critters...but, that's what jeans are for!

I do believe I have saved the edamame from the ravages of the Japanese beetles.  After trying both comfrey tea (a great fertilizer in any case) and a garlic/hot pepper concoction I finally tried spraying the leaves with olive oil - yes, olive oil mixed with water and sprayed on with my trusty RocketSprayer.  This seems to be working.  I am not sure how it works but there are many fewer Japanese beetles on the plants right now (or, maybe the beetles are at the end of this year's life cycle and just naturally dying off...who knows).

As mentioned earlier, the tomatoes are finally ripening.  I've taste tested the first few ripe beauties and am pleased to say that they are fabulous.  I've also tasted the very first of the cucumbers and carrots!  The first eggplants ready to be picked (and grilled with garlic and basil - yum!) and the pepper plants are flowering and setting fruits, as well.  The zucchini are still producing steadily and are receiving rave reviews as are the beets, cabbages, onions, and garlic.  The beans are done for a while but a small new crop is currently flowering and is looking promising.  A new crop of radishes went in today and lettuces will be seeded within the next few days.  I am still holding out hope for the watermelon but it will be dicey - no fruits yet and time is growing short. 

OK - enough for now - my eyes are crossing and that's usually a sign that it's time for bed!