Posted May 15th, 2007 by Carol Logan Newbill
I seem to be having much more trouble with garden pests this year. The tomatoes were hit fairly early with aphids and whiteflies. Got that under control (Safer Tomato & Vegetable Insect Killer) and yesterday discovered fungus gnats in the French sorrel. Did my research and bought some Mosquito Dunks, soaked them in a barrel of water overnight, and watered the sorrel pots very thoroughly this morning with the Dunkwater.
Mosquito Dunks release Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, a bacterium which kills the fungus gnat larvae. The larvae are the damaging insects; they eat the plant roots and kill them. The pesky adults fly in your face when you are near, but they don’t harm the plants.
Drink up, my little larvae. You may have gotten these plants, but now I have your number.
Posted May 14th, 2007 by Carol Logan Newbill
Contrary to popular opinion, I have not fallen off the face of the earth.
April was extremely busy. My sister and I spent two weeks in Houston at the M D Anderson Cancer Center (she has a rare type of thyroid cancer). I worked on a new website which should be launching in the next few weeks.
Oh, yeah, and I fell and broke my hand. My right hand.
I never before realized just how right-handed I am.
Cooking, everyday chores, and gardening are all extremely difficult with only one hand available (and that the weaker hand). But it’s getting easier with practice and my left hand and arm are growing stronger. I’ve learned to chop vegetables backwards and discovered that ragged trapezoids taste just as good as perfectly neat little dice, even if they don’t look as good. Yesterday, with the help of my son, I transplanted another four tomatos and six pepper plants. I got one potato barrel started. I’d planted a few of my seed potatoes into small clay flower pots when it became apparent that I was going to be out of commission for a while, and the vines were coming up strong and sturdy. They needed room! And dirt! There are still two more barrels to prepare and more vines to transplant, but I am feeling fairly good about what I’ve been able to accomplish.
I go back to the orthopedist Thursday for a follow-up. If everything is healing well I may graduate from the cast into a removable splint, which will be delightful because it’s driving me nuts not being able to wash.
Next goal: get back into the studio and figure out how to create without doing any more harm. (Left-handed rotary cutting? Um, no.)
