Vegetables Belong To The Madman
Summer’s here – the vegetables are ripening, the flowers are blooming. And, they ALL belong to the madman, not the woodchuck. He got ½ the peas, but he is now officially gone. And, we think the Bobcat is back because the Rabbits are slowly disappearing.
Water Worries
What a relief it was to see the Woodchuck taken out. Now we can focus on the mundane things the garden needs – like water for our vegetables. Once again, Mother Nature is being very stingy with the rain. Summer rainfall in Connecticut is a funny thing. From what we hear, some gardens east of the river are getting their share of water. But here in Farmington, the “big” storms forecasters talk about have been dropping on average of ¼ “. As we have said before, gardens need at least an inch of water per week – not a slight misting once in a while. The madman has to keep his peppers happy and hydrated so he has been carrying water to them on a regular basis.
He insists this is a task he enjoys for a number of reasons. First, lugging buckets of water from the cistern in the back to the Row of Death on the side gives the madman good exercise. Remember, water is heavy, and he has more than 80 individual 3-gallon pots with a pepper in each, plus extras on the side. Yes, he is a madman, and he is the one who suggests you site your garden near your water source.
Picking Peppers, Watching Birds
His watering trips also give him the chance to select peppers for our meals. He has promised me that he won’t bring the real hot ones to me. Besides, the real hot varieties won’t be ready for at least another month – some of them have a growing season of at least 120 days. In September, I have to be careful with his pepper selection.
These back-and-forth trips also give him a chance to watch birds and other flyers zip around the garden. Something worries him. Before the Woodchuck appeared, we had lots of Swallowtail butterfly larvae on our dill. But, it seems the woodchuck liked his peas with dill and all our good patches of dill were eaten to the ground. The madman fears that the babies went with the dill. We’ll see.
Looking For Bugs
But, the most important reason the madman likes carrying water is that he has a good opportunity to scout for problems – mostly insect problems on our vegetables. Although he doesn’t miss anything, he’s looking for our big three – the Colorado Potato Beetle, the Striped Cucumber Beetle and the Squash Bug. The earlier we find them, the easier they are to deal with – the basic tenant of IPM (Integrated Pest Management).
Of course, he doesn’t spend all his time walking to the Row of Death. We have a whole garden to take care of – several gardens as a matter of fact. We start each day with a coffee stroll that helps us determine what garden tasks are most pressing for the day. The need to weed our vegetables goes without saying, but that can be done anytime.
Strolling Through The Garden
On our strolls we would love to be telling you that we note which of our vegetables needs to be harvested. But, we got a bit of a late start this year. Then, Mother Nature and the Woodchuck made us later still. So, while things are coming around, we aren’t picking a lot of vegetables other than garlic, radishes and onions.
Practicing IPM
But, because insects never seem to rest, we are picking them. Some call it IPM, but the madman calls it survival of his garden. So far, the biggest bug problem we have found has been the Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB). The best control we have found has been to pick them off. You can drown them in soapy water, but the madman prefers to just squish them.
Not only is this pest the ugliest thing on the planet, it can also be the most devastating insect for home gardeners. Over time, the CPB can develop a resistance to available insecticides. This bug is also developing a taste not only for potatoes but also tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. I bet you now understand why the madman despises this bug.
No More Volunteers
This year, a volunteer potato plant appeared at the end of the potato row, and the madman didn’t have the heart to pull it out. It seems, most of the beetles favor this one plant – the other end of the row is CPB-free. The madman is thinking that this CPB problem may be self-inflicted. And, he vows (again!) to pull all volunteers next year.
Although we seem to have the CPB problem under control, we have encountered an issue with our blueberries. For the first time ever, the birds have taken more than their fair share of the fruit. And they started taking them while they were still green. We’ve always had birds in the bushes, but since we also had enough to eat and freeze, we never cared. Remember, we garden for the natives as well as ourselves.
Our Friends Have Turned On Us
This year was different. Robins and Catbirds were joined by the Turkeys who all started attacking our berries while they were still green. There were no ripe berries for us. Our CDs didn’t work, nor did the shiny icicles I purchased. And, those bird deterrent terror eyes probably gave those birds something to laugh at. While doing some research on solving the problem, the madman has at least found a couple of plausible explanation for its cause.
Give Them Food
A publication from the University of Vermont Department of Plant and Soil Science offered some tips to keep birds from feeding on the berries. One of the tips was to have bird feeders filled with high quality bird seed. Remember, we told you that here in Farmington, a town ordinance has banned bird feeders April 1 – Nov. 30. This is the first year we have not kept full bird feeders in the back. Seems like the solution to one problem may have created another for us.
Give Them Water
But, another publication suggested that birds are thirsty and are looking for the juice from the berries. A birdbath might be just as welcome to keep them out of the berries.
All well and good, but the damage is done. Next year the madman is planning to protect his blueberries with netting. We tried a simple system to protect some of the remaining berries, so we expect to get some. But, we need to hit the drawing board for a more permanent design. Since we have also been talking about some serious pruning of the bushes we will probably combine the two tasks.
Thinking about this will take lots of lemonade, and I bet it won’t be finished until we are into hot cocoa season. But, for now, it’s time for lemonade.
