My habit of buying a few cans of ladybugs to release in my garden every year has payed off in ways I hadn't imagined. I haven't gotten a new can this year yet, mostly due to inertia, and while I will- I've gotten a wonderful present from past me. You see, it isn't just pest … Continue reading The awakening army, 2022
I keep laying down the ladybug law in my garden and it's starting to bear fruit. Well, more larvae then fruit. Sometimes plants that don't look obviously aphidy can also have a small or large infestation. My sage in terracotta that's right below the hanging tomato basket has been lousy with ladybug larvae- a sign … Continue reading Operation airlift
So as I try to dig my garden out of the doldrums and into spring planting, I'm running into the usual problems of time and space and weather. But I'm also finding some surprising success stories. This bed was almost totally harvested and left fallow for potatoes- but one surprise plant clearly was surviving and … Continue reading Operation kale lift is a go!
We're starting to have random rains in the night. This is very unseasonable, but in San Francisco nothing short of a random snow hurricane is truly unseasonable. This is, as you can imagine, not helping my garden's fungal issues. It has also led to an ant explosion. Which has led to an aphid explosion. And … Continue reading Ants. The absolute worst.
So it's kinda a regular July mess out back- in a good way. Lots of stuff is ripening, I'm getting loads of squash and cucumbers- but also some really interesting bugs. I'm not sure if this is a beneficial or not but I don't care. It's probably pollinating. But wow it's pretty. It's clearly some … Continue reading July bugs
The Neanderthal Gardens 