Last September Week 2019

ARGH! Did I mention I hate slugs. So, they wiped out two well sized cilantro plants in the past two weeks. Totally annoyed with that.  Earlier this summer I picked up some hearty copper wire strands that won't pop apart if touched like the copper foil does. We wrapped it around the square garden bed, on the outside, twice, hoping that if they get past one, they won't get past the second one. Finger Crossed.  Also sprinkled more slug bait around the outside of the garden, but, unfortunately that vanishes quickly with rain, and we have been getting lots of rain late this summer.  Well, now it is fall, and waiting to see what October brings. 

Hoping the new cilantro seeds take root now, and it is obvious that the only thing saving the spinach plants was my cage of tulle!!!!  I see a new fifth sprout of spinach coming up, so we should have some nice plants this fall. Peas are coming up.  I think slugs did wipe out a couple of them, as well, but we still have enough if we can save them.  Blood Meal whole nitrogen around all of them.  Also, I saw a few sprigs of the carrots coming up that I planted a couple weeks ago. So I think we are on track for the fall. 

Bell Peppers are coloring now.  The one green bell pepper is actually some weird looking red peppers that look more like mini red pumpins than peppers. The yellow pepper is actually an orange pepper and the red, well that's actually red. The Marjaram and the Parsley is coming up nicely. 

We had enough thyme, after we dried it, to put half of it away into a plastic bag for next year's spices.  We have two bags of fresh dried oregano that, in time, we can break down and mash up too. The herbs did well this year.  For now, that's where we are at with the garden. 

Orange Bell Peppers	Red Bell Peppers
Weird Green but really red peppers	Five Little Spinach Plants in a Cage
Green Peas in the Fall

Mid September Full Harvest Moon

Well, here we are mid September, corn is no longer being watered.  I have planted cilantro, spinach, a short row of carrots, and a full row of peas in the square garden. I have pulled out all the carrots and the dill. Basil is still growing. I dug up half of the thyme and put it into a 5-gallon bucket for wintering over for next year. I hope it works like the oregano. 

Because of all the issues I had last year with the leaf miners on my spinach, I have created a cover tunnel with cheap tulle and some PVC bits and pieces.  I think this will work.  I may need to use some clips to keep the tulle in place, but we will see.  I can adapt as needed. So there are two spinach plants that are about two inches tall. Then I planted two more a couple weeks later that are each about an inch tall, and then I planted three more today to fill in the south end of the box. I can adjust the height of the tunnel to higher or lower, depending on how tall the plants get. 

Larger Spinach on this side	Younger Spinach on the right side
Spinach From the top

Then, I also put tulle over the broccoli plants that I replanted after the cabbage worm invasion. They seem to be doing fine. No pests, whatsoever.  So I planted another four broccolis and two cauliflowers in a different tub and hopefully, they will start growing in a week or two. And as soon as they start, I will make certain to get them covered. 

Baby Broccoli Protected

The rosemary and parsley (I think those are the herbs I planted) are peeking out of the ground. I moved the romaine into the greenhouse and that should keep the blasted slugs out.  I must say that the Garlic Fire Spray DID the trick with the thrips and aphids.  Keeping it in the greenhouse will help, as well, plus warmth will help with growth over the next month. 

Mystery Herbs - Probably Rosemary

Mystery Herbs - Probably Parsley

I forgot to snap pix of the orange and red bell peppers that are ready to pick.

Nasty Little Thrips - Garlic Fire Water Spray

When I was picking lettuce for salad tonight, I noted that there were some holes on my new Romaine sprouts. Checking more closely, there were eggs hatching on the backsides of the leaves and little green and pinkish things wiggling.... Ugh, thrips and something I've never seen before.  I decided to mix up some Garlic Fire Spray. 

10 Garlic Cloves
1.5 Tbs of Hot Chili Powder
1 tbs Vegetable or Olive Oil
2 c Hot Water

Put the cloves of garlic (I don't even peel them) and powder into a blender.  I use an electric coffee grinder). Then scoop it out into a the hot water and let set for five minutes. Pour out the concoction into a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth, or if nothing else, a coffee filter to strain into another cup or container and add the oil.  Pour half of the strained concoction into a clean spray bottle and add water to make one quart. Refrigerate the rest of the concoction until you need more. 

Spray the leaves (tops and bottoms) with the mix every few days until you notice that the new leaves are in better shape without holes and fewer bugs. You can also spray around the plants with this.  It is supposed to help with cabbage worms, leaf miners, thrips and aphids. We will see! If this works, then gradually cut back the applications to about once per week and after rains. 

I have found another version of this Bug Spray.

Onion and Garlic Fire Water Insect Repellent

1 Whole Onion (A hot one is best)

1 Whole head of Garlic (6 to 10 cloves)

1 Tbs Hot Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper Powder

1 Qt Water

1 Tbs Liquid Dishsoap

Basically liquify the onion and garlic with a blender, a blender stick or food processor. In a sauce pan, add the garlic, onion, pepper and water to cook on low simmering for about 45 minutes or longer if you did not get the garlic and onions quite down to being liquified. This will stink up the house. Cooking this outside with a hot plate is the better option. Strain the concoction through a cheese cloth, squeezing as much of the juice out as possible. (I recommend wearing rubber gloves.)  In a quart spray bottle, pour the Fire Water concoction into the bottle, add water to bring it back to 1 quart if necessary, and add the dishsoap to create a "sticking" effect for the spray.  Spray plants a few hours after watering them but not on a hot day. Best to spray this when the day is cooling off in the evening at least once per week.