While in the garden this morning I thought of an axiom: “One can never make too many observations.” I thought of this while inspecting a bean variety I’ve grown for years, yet examining it today I saw details about it which I had never before noticed. This is true for so many facets of gardening. …
Many gardeners struggle with deer. “Deer in the garden” is somewhat analogous to “wolf among sheep.” Every gardener wants to keep deer out of the garden. They are exceedingly damaging! While it isn’t hard to name crops which are very susceptible to deer damage, it is very difficult to name crops which they will not …
Out With The Ants Every year in the spring and sometimes summer, , our homestead gets invaders. They are small invaders but can be very damaging to the house, and our wallets. After years of trying different things to get rid of our yearly ant invasion that seems to show up no matter how neat …
Did you know that most insecticide treatments favor the pests? Though many gardeners believe the opposite, still, it’s true. The question is: “If insecticides kill pests, how can they also favor them?” It’s important to see the garden as an “ecosphere.” This means, that at least to some degree, it is an enclosed biological system. …
The other day I was delighted to have a couple hours to work in the garden. It was early in the day, clear, and cool. The sun, though up, was not yet upon my garden. The dew was heavy. This is a time I love to be in the garden, though one needs to be …
The other evening I was caring for one of our bougainvillea plants and a “twig” moved away from me. Looking more closely, I recognized a praying mantis. Praying mantis’ come in various sizes and colors. I’ve seen them grow up to 10″ in length and come in various shades of brown or green. Upon closer …
Whether you have livestock or just a garden, a live trap will probably be an essential part of your future. When we lived in NJ (The land of woodchucks) I had to trap about 8 woodchucks (a.k.a. groundhogs) every spring. This was just a preemptive strike, as every spring the young ones from the previous …
The Usefulness of a Live Trap: #1 on a series about live traps Read More »
Hey all, At this time of year on the homestead, we are looking at a plague of grasshoppers about to start up. George started noticing grasshopper nymphs in January because our winter was so mild. A few years ago, a similar plague all but wiped out the garden. Oklahoma isn’t the only state where grasshoppers …
The Frankenstein Bug In 2011, I started working a night shift job. One night, I was cleaning as usual, when I encountered a bug that looked like it had been through a nuclear attack. The Frankenstein bug. This sucker had legs built like a grasshopper, but it’s body looked like a centipede! Beastie looked something …
The Good Snake I am not a fan of snakes. But even I have to admit there are beneficial snakes, and I am working on overcoming the fear of snakes. A few weeks ago we spotted one on the farm that was a very good snake. Then, last week my dad spotted it again. He …