willsfamilyacres

>Pillbugs

April 7, 2010 by Laura

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The pillbugs in my garden are completely out of control. There have to be millions of them. I tried the beer trick, but there are just way too many of them. I accidentally tried duct tape, which captured a few hundred, but didn’t put a dent in the population. I questioned whether it was the straw mulch, but determined that wasn’t the issue. I tried leaving the soil exposed for a few weeks to see if they would leave on their own, nope.

The issue with the pillbugs is that they chowdown on young seedlings as well as eating bean seedlings before they can even come up from the ground. I finally went to the Natural Gardener, since my home remedies have failed miserably. They recommended Sluggo. I’m giving it a try and will post on my results.

Posted in pests | 6 Comments »

>Citrus Status

April 7, 2010 by Laura

The citrus trees are varying in stages from a handful of shoots (due to barely escaping the winter), to ripening fruit, to sweet smelling buds.

Lemonquat.

I was about to give up on the fruit, but it does seem to be softening, so I’ll give it more time, especially since the tree is producing buds even with the existing fruit.

Lemonquat

Satsuma

Mexican Lime.

I decided this winter that all citrus in the yard would have to survive the winter or they would be replaced. Even though the mexican lime is in a pot I decided not to cover it or bring it inside. I fully expected this tree to bite the dust, but instead it is doing better than any of the others.

I am very confused, but happy!

The meyer lemon and pineapple orange have a few new branches. The kumquat has new leaves, but no buds yet.

Posted in citrus | 2 Comments »

>Bloom Day – March 2010

March 16, 2010 by Laura

Bluebonnet

Bluebonnets

(Please ignore the giant weed)

Strawberry

Missouri Violet.

I picked this up at the Garden Bloggers field trip last fall. I’ve completely ignored it.

It is still in the plastic bucket w/out a touch of water or protection from the cold.

I’m really loving this flower!

Shasta Daisies

Society Garlic

Sweet Alyssum

Tulips – Don’t remember the variety

This is the second year and they look much better this year than last.

Posted in bloom day | 9 Comments »

>Tomatoes Planted

March 10, 2010 by Laura

I started planting tomatoes this weekend. I didn’t plant all of them, as I am still clearing out the beds. By clearing out the beds I mean eating lots of winter veggies. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it 🙂 Sunday night we had a salad with two kinds of lettuce, radishes, carrots, and kohlrabi. Monday night we had my daughter’s favorite, bacon-lemon brussel sprouts.

I know it’s risky planting this early, but I have row cover handy, and actually used it Sunday. It was windy enough that I thought it would be a good idea to shelter the plants. It seemed to work as they look really healthy. I planted romas, pear cherries, and sweet 100 cherries.

I decided that the swiss chard takes up entirely too much room in the beds. I’ve seen them mixed in with flower beds and thought I’d try it. This spot was previously occupied by “Purple Heart”. Although I really liked them, I like having edible chard more. The chard took quite a beating with the 80 degree temps today. I’m hoping it bounces back, otherwise, I’ll be taking a trip to “The Natural Gardener” for new plants.