Wind vs. Plastic...guess who won?

Above is what's left of one of the side 100' of metal pipes, 100' of metal tracking & wood & plastic. Here is what it looks like all piled up. =-(

Here is the top, tied up on the ground. We had to ponder this a few mintues to figure out how to slay the plastic dragon slapping in the wind. One of my favorite sayings came to mind, "what your brain don't do, your a** has too." With that in mind we went to work, bundling & tying.....you'll notice we won.

Just when I thought "at least the ends stayed up, kerplunk. Good. Now the whole thing will likely be totalled. For a moment, I also felt like a politician. You know, they are always having their pork barrel projects of the 'bridge to nowhere,' the road to 'nowhere,' etc. Well, I have the 'door to nowhere,' just standing there looking dumb by itself, no doubt giving passerbys a few laughs!

Get up, dust yourself off & get going again!

Catastrophe on the Farm

Yes, if finally happened. The $%&^@&^&# wind ripped, ruined & blew the entire plastic save the lower east side off the 1oo ft. hoophouse in the field. So we now have a skeleton of a hoophouse in the field. We still plan to open on Mothers Day, but don't expect too much the first day, this disaster coupled with the rain, makes it nearly impossible to 'get ready' to open, but we'll do what we can!

Mugshots of the 'bad' insects

Cabbage looper, almost identical to cabbage worm, both laid by a small white moth flitting around your broccoli & cabbage plants. Keep an extra fly swatter next to your broccoli (for real) the moths aren't that fast. Inspect broccoli carefully and dunk in salt water a few times to get them to float off. Although they don't kill your broccoli, they chew large raggy holes and hide in the heads. They can ruin cabbage as they burrow through all the layers. I mean, who wants to eat it then?

Above is the larvae of the adult squash vine borer (not the squash bug below) Eggs are laid at the crown of squash & pumpkins, sometimes melons. They hatch and burrow in. You can tell when you start to see 1 or more vines declining, they have likely burrowed in. The telling evidence will be the brownish poop the on the outside of the vine. But not sure how they get it out there from in there....anyway. With a open paper clip or the tip of a small knife, jab around the 'evidence' area and you may get lucky and kill them. They will be starting at the crown and moving down the vine, so stab on the correct end. Squash vines are fairly hollow, so you will know if you hit it. Entire plants can die from a single hatching.

Squash bugs live in huge family groups together. Dusting is effective. Also effective is laying down a board or shingle, where they would love to congregate overnight. Stomp on the board or shingle in the morning, then flip over to see how many you got! Squash bugs are 'piercing-sucking' insects, ruining plants & fruits.

Picnic Beetle aka Sap Beetle. These guys aren't really this big, about the size of ladybugs but elongated. They are lovers of the sweet things in the garden, like berries, sweet corn, tomatoes.They love sneaking in cracks of cantaloupe. I make a special 'scrap trap' just for them. Place fruits scraps on a paper plate and near the target area, nestle the plate into a plastic grocery bag, exposing most of the plate. After a day or so, if you have these guys, they will be flocked to the scrap offering. They are not very fast or bright, so quickly grab the bag, closing it shut and throw away. If you have large numbers you may need to repeat this several times.

Colorado Potato Beetle. These are almost this big. We hand pick these slow moving guys off the potato plants, their favorite food. They can also be on tomato, pepper & eggplant: all nightshade plants. Dust is somewhat effective. The adults that winter over in your compost heap, will feed on the plants 2 weeks before laying eggs, so that is the most critical time to dust, never delay your attack! At the larva & adult stage, they can quickly defoliate your plants. If you have them in huge numbers, skip potatoes for a year or 2.

Is this your compost heap?

Last night, while teaching vegetable gardening, the focus was insects & the damage they cause. What you see in this photo is an insect 'winter spa,' and you are the host. The main insect pests around here are: (there are other pests, but these are the most plentiful)

• Squash Vine Borer


• Squash Bug


• Picnic (sap) Beetle


• Slugs


• Cabbage Moth (worm & looper)


• Colorado Potato Beetle


• Northern Rootworm Corn Beetle


• Cutworms


• Striped or Spotted Cucumber Beetle

From the above list, only the Spotted Cucumber Beetle will sometimes migrate in from warmer climates. The rest of the insects on the list winter over either in the soil, in plant debris or in grassy areas near the garden. Then in the spring, it's no coincidence they are there to pounce on your plants in early spring. I know it's hard to convince the really 'Green Folks' NOT to compost your leftover garden plants. YOU are only harboring over insect and disease issues for the next year and the next year. I am not against composting, grass clippings, leaves from trees (not oak) and kitchen scraps. Be mindful that melon rinds from your own garden are the same as saving the plants. Ever wonder where those pesky fruit gnats come from in your kitchen? The eggs of the insects come in on fruit you buy or pick and then hatch while sitting on your kitchen counter. See the connection? To be a successful gardner, this is the single BEST piece of advice I can give you. Till or turn your garden very late in the season, mid to late November to expose many of the insects & eggs that are snuggled in for the winter. Never till in your garden plant debris, rake off and burn or bring to the city compost site. Never put your garden plants in an open compost pile. Keep edges of the garden area mowed, avoid tall grassy areas that insects love. Remove any wood piles or lumber pieces from garden site. Many insects carry plant diseases in their mouthparts, so they do more than damage your plants. If you can limit your insect & disease problems your chance of success is much greater. Practice 'clean cultivation.' If you are just starting out and you don't have many insect issues, they will find you, start out right!

Spicy Bush Basil

We will have this tasty basil for sale as plants this spring. They almost form a perfect ball. This is more spicy than regular sweet basil. Awesome w/chicken or in chicken soup. Fresh herbs add a lot of flavor & zest to our summer dishes. When using fresh herbs, always double the amount that is called for in a recipe. Unless it's stated as 'fresh' most recipes call for dried herbs. Basil leaves bruise easily and can discolor quickly from leaf damage. Cut it by the stem and snip off leaves with a scissors. Get your garlic, won't be long now...

Cinnamon & Carmel Rolls

These were sooooooooo good, I was doing cartwheels in the kitchen. Yes, there are that good. Tried a new sweet dough recipe, and this cream cheese frosting was fab too! It's likely we will have these at the Mankato Farmer's Market every Saturday. The market runs from 8-12.
Shown here is a carmel nut roll, and cinnamon roll w/cream cheese frosting. No, you can't have this recipe. Would Heinz give up the ketchup recipe? =)
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