Pests In The Fall Garden, The Role of Ants, and Some interesting Links, plus my Interview Podcast

Dear Folks,

It is that time of year when the nights cool and while we are enjoying it, so are some of the pest bugs.  The aphids, mealybugs, leaf miners, horn worms etc. come out.  The plants are energized by the cooler day time temps and so are the bugs who want to eat them.

Pictured to the right is an aphid infestation back in March (Spring and Fall are the major invasion times because of the warm days, but cool nights.)  I had a similar invasion on one of my pepper plants and treated it with Neem spray.  In March I used a hard hosing followed by the home made safe soap spray - recipe below*.

While it looks like this plant (my Lemon Queen Sunflower) could not recover from something like that, it went on to grow healthy, and is still flowering today.

This morning while crusing the garden looking for photo-ops I spotted mealybugs on one of my pepper plants.  Mealbugs are a form of scale insect and, like aphids, they suck the life out of the plant stems.  Sometimes the damage is minimal and sometimes they can completely compromise the overhealth of the plant.

I could just scrape them off, but in this case I notice a LOT of ant activity around them.  Ants "shepherd" both mealybugs and aphids, protecting and nurturing them like a ranch raises cattle. It is a little hard to make out the ants, in the low morning light this was the best my camera would do.

Ants are nature's clean up crew in our gardens and sometimes you see them on flowers, collecting some nectar.  However, if you see a LOT of ant activity look for aphids or scale/mealybugs and be proactive.  You can scrape off scale, but not aphids.  I chose to go with a spray.  I ran out of my Neem and found an alternative Organic spray which seems to work fine.  It is a mixture of essential oils, plus wax and oils.

To adequately control aphids you need to spray every 5 days for a total of 3 times minimum to ensure you take care of adults, hatchlings and eggs that will hatch out

Next up are leafminers and the ubiquitous hornworm of the Solano family of plants (tomatoes, peppers, etc.)  The hornworms are big - this one was about 3 inches long and I discovered it while picking off the leaves of one of my pepper plants infected with leafminers.

Leafminer damage is generally more cosmetic than severely damaging to a mature plant, but still I don't want to let them get really going.  Just pick off the leaves and toss - do not compost.

Deane and view the hornworms differently.  He destroys them and I relocate them (this time to the dump trailer where it can have a possible chance to morph into the Sphinx Moth which is a major pollinator of desert cactus).

Limit sprays where you can pick off the bug or in the case of the leafminers the whole leaves.  This helps to keep sprays away from possibly hitting the good guy bugs.

Accept some damage in your gardens to "ring the dinner bell for the beneficial insects to show up".  If there are no visible pests then the beneficials may not come to your rescue when you really need them.

Also keep something blooming in the garden at all times.  The beneficial insects also need nectar.

I collected some interesting links this week to share with you.

Edible Pastic Wrap for foods
http://culturecheesemag.com/cheese-bites/edible-plastic-wrap

Shared by Geoff Lawton - Counter top compost system with a difference
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1576257573/biovessel-an-ecosystem-powered-by-food-waste?

Mark Lewis interviewed on podcast - Desert Forager - Mark shares his knowledge learned from his grandfather passed down to him through many generations of native experience.  You can find Mark at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market on Saturdays.
http://itsallaboutfood.podbean.com/e/it%E2%80%99s-all-about-food-mark-lewis-chmachyakyakya-8000-year-crops/



My interview by Greg Peterson of Urban Farm.  There are several optional links.


IN THIS PODCAST: Catherine shares with Greg some of her tricks that she has figured out for growing herbs in her garden in Phoenix. She explains how she learned about new herbs by asking her farmers market customers about their heritage, and how she experimented to expand her knowledge and skills. She talks about some of her favorites including nasturtium, stevia and Syrian oregano. She teaches Greg how to pick herbs for the best enjoyment and how to make a personal blend.

Main Link at Urban Farm
http://www.urbanfarm.org/blog/2016/09/13/catherine-crowley/

iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/urban-farm-podcast-greg-peterson/id1056838077?mt=2


Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFsEdvhM7ek

. . .

My 2017 Calendar and More

You can find my 2017 Wall Calendar at Amazon.  This is a "book" form, stapled down the center so you can use it at your desk or punched and hung on the wall.  Click on my author name to find Amazon's listings of my other books.
https://www.amazon.com/Edible-Landscaping-Calendar-Desert-Southwest/dp/1365351416/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

You can also find all my publications at my publishers page.  The 2017 Calendar is available in 3 forms.  The stapled form as at Amazon, a PDF which can be read on any device you have which has Adobe Reader on it and the standard spiral bound and punched wall calendar.

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/herbs2u

I hope you have a truly enjoyable time in the fall garden.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Website

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe in the upper side bar link, to get all my posts!

Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.

Podcast Interview and Video on Wicking Bottles

Dear Folks,

I was recently interviewed by Greg Peterson of Urban Farm on the subject of herbs - of course :-) and specifically about growing them in the desert garden (and USDA Zone 9B and above) plus more.

I hope you enjoy this podcast and check out Greg's other informative podcasts and more ways to get your growing on!

I mentioned Suzanne Vilardi in the interview.  Suzanne's is one of the premier growers of edible seedlings in the valley.  Check out her website and find her wonderful transplants here.

I am pleased to share a podcast interview. Greg Peterson of Urban Farm

Video

Yesterday I finally posted a short youtube video on using a poor man's version of the wicking bottle to stabilize a new transplant.  Wicking bottles can also be used while vacationing to ensure your beloved house plant does well while you are gone. [Pictured first is right after I transplanted, watered and then inserted the filled water bottle in the ground.]

The IMPORTANT component of a wicking bottle success is that you MUST water the area or pot well before inserting the wicking bottle. [Pictured is the plant and bottle now empty 24 hours later.]

The bottle watered slowly over 24 hours.  This bed will be watered on Thursday on its normal 7 day cycle.  I may give the plant another interim watering around Sunday or Monday before next Thursday's watering if needed (if we do not get rain).  I will monitor the plant to make sure it is stabilizing properly, and then allow it to go with only the 7 day watering cycle to ensure deep roots.  The cage is to keep the critters off until the plant grows bigger.

Here is the link to the video.

In the podcast my 2017 Wall Calendar is mentioned.  Here is the link to the 3 versions available now.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady If you enjoyed this post, subscribe in the upper side bar link, to get all my posts! Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.

More Herbs, Less Salt Day! August 29th, Thyme to Get your Growing On & Food Security!

Basil & I'itoi Onions - Flavor Champions!

Dear Folks,

Tomorrow, Monday, August 29th is More Herbs, Less Salt Day! [Pictured are Sweet Italian Basil and I'itoi Onions - flavor champions in food - who needs salt!!]

FYI the leaves peeking out of the picture are my Roselle bushes.  In about 2 weeks I should start seeing the flower buds forming, yay!!

My favorite less-salt illustration is a baked potato.  The salt and butter are the things that makes it taste great, right?  How about this option.  Split the hot potato open, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and top with a bit of chopped fresh or dried rosemary.  I will bet you may not miss the salt and butter at all.  Why?  Rosemary, like many herbs, "pops" the real flavor of the food, particularly with starchy foods like potato, it just "lifts" the real flavor of what many think of as bland food.  Give it a try.

Today's post is more far reaching than the title.  I am hoping you take away not only the idea of using herbs to flavor your food first, before adding salt, but to also seriously understand why it is import you grow those herbs yourself along with vegetables and fruits.

Food insecurity is a basic challenge not just those who are "poor" or under-educated.  If you loose your job, or are unable to work, you are now confronted with the same challenge.


If you missed my September planting tips post here is the link.

Beet seedlings - 1 week from sowing.

We are right at the perfect time to start or add to your garden.  Sow (wait to transplant until late September and then remember to harden off before transplanting) seeds for all the wonderful cool-weather lovers.  My first sowing of sugar peas, beets, carrots and radishes are already sprouting (sown August 21st). I will sow the next batch in about 2 weeks (I'm sowing about 3 weeks apart this year). [Pictured beet seedlings Sunday morning 1 week after sowing.]

Thyme - we gardeners and writers always love to use the herb name for 'time' because it is funny and a point.  In cooking, blends of herbs and spices frequently use thyme as an anchor flavor.

I have several varieties of thyme growing in my gardens: Lemon thyme - a wonderful fragrant and edible ground cover (pictured), Conehead thyme a gorgeous relative of Syrian Oregano, which does not look at all like the Oregano but has an amazing flavor combo of oregano, savory and thyme, and Spanish Thyme a thick-leaved relative of the house plant "creeping charlie".  The first two are hardy perennials and should be transplanted in fall or winter into full sun locations.  The Spanish Thyme is a tender perennial which needs frost protection in the winter and will do well in a dappled shade spot in the garden


To inspire you, here is a picture of a sample harvest I brought along to a lecture at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in March 2015.  Everything you see in the picture is edible and from my gardens.  Herbs to edible flowers, and even the banana leaf -- great for wrapping fish and meats on the grill - imparts a fruity flavor to the food along with whatever herbs you added to the wrap.


Unsure?  Ask me questions!  I am always happy to help you on your journey to growing some or more of your own food.

Keep A Garden Growing.

Economic jitters, crazy political decisions (crazier politicians) and corporate decisions about jobs can mean many things to many people, but mostly it can frequently mean food insecurity.  Where is the next shoe dropping?  Growing your own food is a win/win for you and your family.

AND here in the Valley we have 365 days of food options from the garden.

"Grow Food Not Lawns" has become a rallying call to ditch the ornamental plants in favor of edibles.

My new meme addition to my writings is:

Mono-Skill-Mentality.  Definition:  The belief and practice of learning only ONE skill/job to get your through life. -- Catherine, The Herb Lady.

I'm sure you know of someone, or have experienced yourself, the heart-breaking realization that your job just disappeared, the one you so thoughtfully went to college or training for, the one (and sometimes second) job that was going to fulfill all the needs of money, security and maybe status.

Along with the idea that you only need one skill set to get you through life, goes the concept that you can always hire/buy the other product or service from someone else.  That falls apart quickly if you have no job and consequently no money.

While you are secure in your current job, seriously, seriously consider a 2nd or 3rd skill set!  Mechanic? Take some business courses on management AND look to expand your vehicle specialties.  Lawyer?  Learn the basics of journeyman electricity.  Carpenter?  Take some cooking/chef courses.  The same precision of cutting wood can be translated to cutting vegetables and meats.  Nurse/Doctor?  Take ups sewing, knitting or crocheting to make things for sale or trade.

AND always, always tend a garden.

My all time favorite quote (with my addition) on why we all need to have more than one skill set.

Unemployment [economy or inflation] is capitalism’s way of getting you to plant a garden. ~Orson Scott Card

From my blog post on the subject of being not only capable but prepared if the bottom falls out of your world.  "While Dealing With Life - Keep On Tending Your Garden."

If you are a doctor, lawyer or chief of some-company it would still behoove you to learn or re-learn a necessary skill or trade (and yes doctors you have a skill, but it would not hurt to learn how to raise chickens so you have eggs to trade).
Carpentry or wood-working
Simple electrical work
Mechanics
Sewing
Baking
Cooking
Gardening
Masonry
Tending livestock
Knitting
Skills or trade can certainly be high-tech, but consider what else besides high-tech would be tradeable in a difficult situation.  If the power is out knowing how to hook up a computer is useless, but knowing how to provide a sewn or knitted blanket is not.  Knowing how to cook over an open fire or any kind of a grill - and cook anything you need is useful when you do not have electricity.

. . .

NEW!!  A PDF of my 2017 wall calendar with a bonus!

Just released is a PDF of the calendar with all the month-by-month planting times, tips and maintenance AND I added tips on pairing herbs and spices with different foods to maximize the taste and benefits.  More Herbs, Less Salt!

Both the PDF and wall version have early bird pricing, good through Midnight September 14th.  20% discount off of the SRP.

The spiral bound 2017 wall calendar early bird pricing is $15.96 (SRP $19.95)  NOTE:  the Spiral bound calendar does not have the herb/spice pairing tips.  The format, unfortunately does not provide for the 'extras' I would love to include like recipes!

PDF files (Adobe's Portable Document Format) can be read on any device (computer, tablet, smartphone) which has the software - free - on it.  Many of my readers use their smartphones for everything, so why not have the calendar available too!

The PDF 2017 calendar early bird pricing is $7.98 (SRP $9.98).
SEED SHARE

The next free seed share at the Mesa Farmers Market is September 30th, Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

More details to be announced.

ALSO

My next FREE seasonal lecture at Mesa Urban Garden is October 1st.  Details to be announced.

Watch for more information on these two events when the details are finalized.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe in the upper side bar link, to get all my posts!

Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.

2017 Gardening Calendar - Publisher Discount - Hurray!

Dear Folks,

My publisher just released a DISCOUNT - good until AUGUST 24th 11:59 p.m.

25% off books and calendars

The code is case sensitive

AUG2016

This is a good deal if you are shopping for gifts - 25% on top of the Early Bird Pricing of 20% off.

Edible Landscaping 2017 Wall Calendar

Remember - you can use the information NOW for the coming fall months planting tips and help

Month-By-Month sowing/planting, garden maintenance and tips for USDA Zone 9b and above.

FYI - I never know in advance when my publisher will release a discount offer -- I try to let everyone know asap.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe in the upper side bar link, to get all my posts!

Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.

September Planting Tips, And, Sowing with "Collars" and "Hats"

Dear Folks, 
September Planting Tips

September is a heavy sowing rather than transplanting time until near the end of the month, when you can do both. However, when transplanting be sure to harden off your seedlings before putting them in the ground. Our temps do not regularly fall below 90 until around September 29th.

Prepare soil for perennial planting -- edibles need superior draining soil, work in compost or well-rotted manure -- NEVER use fresh manure unless the garden will sit for 6-12 months before planting. If your soil is already healthy, you can ad a light dressing of compost or well-rotted manure.

"Collars"

First picture shows 2 collars made from paper towel or bathroom tissue tubes. These collars keep the soil pests like sowbugs, snails and slugs from your new seed/seedling.

Cut a 3 inch piece and bury half in the soil, nest the seed in and lightly cover with soil and water well.

ALL seeded areas need to be kept moist by sprinkling/watering every day until you see the seed break ground, then you can cut back on watering to encourage deep roots.

"Hats"

I've written about chicken wire hats before. These keep the birds and other critters off you seed areas and young seedlings.  Show in the 2nd picture is a "tube" hat.

They physically discourage them, while permitting all other necessary natural activity.

After a while you can remove the hat as the birds etc. have forgotten they are there. Why? The chicken wire physically stops them but they can still see through. Unlike bird netting which is both a physical and a visual barrier, so as soon as you remove the net they think dinner is served.

I have two short videos on my youtube channel showing how to use the chicken wire hats.

Make good use of your water meter during this temperature transitional month.

Labor day is when we usually fertilize our fruit trees (again on Valentine's day and then again on Memorial Day).
We can look forward to the fall temperatures and reduced moisture. Except for the storms we don't see day time temperatures below 90 from May 29th to September 29th. Getting seed in now sets the cool weather lovers up for germination at the right time.
Give your tomatoes that survived the summer a hair cut, working over several days, trimming off damaged stems. The fruit will start to set again once the night time temps stay below 80.
Cool weather annuals and biennials can be sown every 2-4 weeks (beginning in August) through end of November or December for a continuous crop through next spring.
Some of the longer maturity vegetables need to be sown EARLY. 90-120 day maturity foods like Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Leeks, and Parsnips all need to be in the ground for 3-4 months before you can harvest them.
Berry Vines/Canes - October 1st: cut all canes, old and new, to ground after fruiting - commercial growers use this method.
Sow:
Anise
Beans (bush and pole beans in first week in September at latest)
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cabbage, Ornamental
Calendula (Calendula Officinalis)
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chervil
Cilantro
Cornflower/bachelor Buttons (Centaurea Cyanus)
Cucumbers
Dill
Endive (and Chicory)
Fennel, Leaf
Onions, Green
Greens
Kale, Ornamental Cabbage
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce (leaf lettuce, arugula, mustard greens etc.)
Marigold, Citrus Scented (Tagetes Nelsonii)
Marigold, Tangerine Scented (Tagetes Lemonii)
Mustard
Nasturtium
Parsley
Peas, English and Sugar / Snap Peas
Radishes
Scented Geranium
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum Majus)
Spinach
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet William Aka Pinks (Dianthus Barbatus)
Turnips


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

P.S.  I had the worst time with formatting this post for some reason so I apologize for any issues. I would be happy to answer questions.

Website


If you enjoyed this post, subscribe in the upper side bar link, to get all my posts!


Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.