WORMS, WORMS, WORMS!

Yesterday afternoon when we got back from the Park, I tackled the garden area – and pulled cabbage plants that were being eaten alive by cabbage worms I thought I had been controlling by removing contaminated leaves; and planting 2 new beds, planting upended plastic forks and knives with the sprouted corn seeds to thwart the neighbor’s cat and covering the seeded carrot/rutabaga/turnip areas with repurposed greenhouse wire racks I salvaged from last year’s house sale and move. Hopefully I have done what I can to keep that darned cat out of my veggie beds. THAT kind of fertilizer I do NOT need or want >:-P Our growing season is short as it is and I do not want any sudden surprises that would set me back weeks … effectively ending my gardening this year.

NOT happy about THIS! Obviously these two have been around awhile. Somehow these two had escaped my diligent searches for such ruinous creatures. Next year I am going to have to cover my cabbages with netting – there wasn’t time this year with all the sudden (((surprises!))) that come with setting up a new home in a new locale (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/06/new-home-d.html); I’ll be more prepared next year to ward off the dreaded cabbage moth. We had A LOT going on this year!

And another; I pulled ALL of the cabbages - I just do not have the time this year to keep messing around with cabbages as much as I like eating them in the Fall and Winter months. I'll use the vacated space for something else ... perhaps carrots - there are never enough carrots laid away to go from Fall to Spring; and they are relatively easy to grow. Cabbages are fickle things ...

New plantings today in the 2 new boxes Hubs finished - Corn sprouts with seeded Beets at the end. Corn & Butternut Squash in largest pot; Bush Beans in the other 3 forefront pots. Only 13 sprouted corn planted this year instead of the 75 I would normally have planted … maybe next year ;-)

Seeded and secured Beets, Carrots, Rutabagas, and Turnips. About a ¼ of what would normally be planted, but all the veggie boxes are not yet built and a gals gotta do what a gal’s gotta do with what is available.

People always ask me why I “waste time” gardening in such a fickle environment when I can just hop into town and “buy what’s needed.” The answer is simple: I LIKE IT! It relaxes me and refreshes my spirit. It gives me comfort to know that my family is eating CLEAN food which has not been poisoned with pesticides and growth hormones. I find contentment when sifting dirt through my fingers and plotting my beds. It gives me joy to watch the seedlings sprout, grow, and thrive. I like the smell of crushing a tomato leaf between my thumb and forefinger and getting a whiff of that heady aroma that only tomato leaves can give off. I could just run into town and buy veggies … but I would MISS all the FUN STUFF of really enjoying the veggies from start to finish. Mainly the challenge. Life without challenge is kinda boring ;-)

Broccoli coming on strong.

Another beautiful head of broccoli.

Third head of broccoli; looking good!

And the cauliflower is showing! I have never been able to grow a decent cauliflower without it bolting - hopefully THESE will mature ...

And a fourth too! HAPPY! I will be tickled pink IF they do not bolt and actually make it to the freezer ;-)

I have mulched my veggie beds with shredded paper (paper is good for worms, and worms are wanted in a healthy garden: good worms, NOT cabbage worms) – I started doing this a couple years ago and it works well. I have noticed here though, that the river wind is so strong and so brisk when it blows through that I am going to have to cover the shredded paper with weighted torn-to-size-newspaper pages to keep the shreds from being loosened and set afloat on the wind: it can be a wind tunnel here, so I need to take precautions to keep the neighbors from complaining. So far none have, but I am a firm believer in heading off trouble before it takes root. We haven’t even been here a year yet but this is where we will stay planted so I want the remaining years to be peaceful ones – at least as peaceful as such close proximity can reap.