We have passed through "10 new stalks of asparagus every day" season, and beyond "one day of 20 artichokes" and are now in "two cups of raspberries every two days" season. We will get three tomatoes sometime in August.
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Oops, one of them rotted on the vine while it was still green and another one got eaten by 10 million bugs exactly 0.32 seconds after turning yellow, it looks like we only have one tomato
jul 2, 2025, 1:34 am • 3 0 • view
Early fruit rot…calcium deficiency maybe? As for bugs I rotate organic weaponry, rotating diatomaceous earth, neem oil, and spinosad, rotating every week-10 days. As for the tomato worms that will eventually arrive I just drop em on the ground and stomp ‘em. Very satisfying.
jul 2, 2025, 2:17 am • 1 0 • view
What do you do for Japanese beetles? Because this former East Coast gardener would happily obliterate them from the continent, no matter what it took. Traps didn't help for me, and I believe have now been proven to attract more beetles than they kill.
jul 2, 2025, 2:59 am • 1 0 • view
I think you gotta spread the nematodes in the fall so they can chomp the Japanese beetles underground when they hatch in the Spring…that’s midwest zone 5b anyway. For calcium I crush 2-3 tums in the bottom of the hole when I plant. Only had to add additional one season.
jul 2, 2025, 5:12 am • 1 0 • view
We're 9a. Gotta spread them in spring to catch the eggs when the beetles lay them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
jul 2, 2025, 7:27 am • 2 0 • view
Beneficial nematodes. You're a little late perhaps (ask your local nursery) but the year after we sprayed them, we had few if any. Then last year we missed the window and... Raccoons rolled up our turf like a jelly roll to get at grubs. This year we sprayed.)
jul 2, 2025, 3:34 am • 2 0 • view
I'll bear that in mind! They haven't made it to California yet, but they're less than a decade away. Little bastards.
jul 2, 2025, 3:45 am • 1 0 • view
I learned the hard way about blossom end rot = calcium deficiency last year. Forgot to save the shells the last time I made a frittata so I could crush them and distribute accordingly.
jul 2, 2025, 3:35 am • 1 0 • view
Let us all now gather around the table to carefully portion out The One Tomato because it's better than the six months of Oops It's All Rutabaga (you've made me paranoid so I just went out to check the tomato vines that are finally tentatively setting fruit, yay PNW)
jul 2, 2025, 1:40 am • 4 0 • view