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
The experiment of whether strawberries prefer terracotta over glazed ceramic pots is over- and the clear winner is terracotta. All my strawberries in ceramic pots were ok but definitely struggling. The alpine strawberry that was cut in half has now grown to fill the terracotta low bowl, and was fruiting in January. Now a degree … Continue reading Strawberry fields forever part 3
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
3000 new recruits in the ever-ongoing war against aphids! I lucked out the day I got them- very foggy and overcast which meant a mid-day release. Normally of course you have to wait til dusk, so that the little ladies are tricked into thinking that the garden was always their home. But when it's wet … Continue reading 2021’s Ladybug onslaught
So it's July in San Francisco- one of the most consistently warm Julys in a while. This is good- It means the tomatoes are growing, ripening and should be nice and tasty. It also means the fungal issues that plague tomatoes in this city are only a little horrific- instead of nightmarish. It also means … Continue reading July’s Continuing tomato mis-adventures
The Neanderthal Gardens 