April 27. 2017

Good morning, I have noted how my garden, depending on the veggie, is a good month to two months ahead of last year. It really has come to my attention that the garden is not the only thing that is ahead but the whole West Texas landscape is too.

I mention this because our fruiting mulberry has been dropping fruit for almost a month now.

Deb and I have not had such favorable feelings for these trees for very long. It was during the 2011 drought that we came to respect and cherish these trees. One could easily ask why is this?

2011 started out nice enough but by the first 2 weeks of February we saw some of the coldest temps that West Texas has seen for quite some time. The first week we had a low of 1.5 and it remained below freezing for several days. There was a bit of a warm up (above freezing) over the weekend and then plunged to deep freeze temps again for several days. This killed any green leaved plant that had not gone dormant. Then within several weeks we were baking in 100-degree heat. Not to mention extremely high wind that helped to create huge fires.  The fires and wind happened just before the spring bird migration. These fires destroyed a lot of the cover that the birds needed along with most food sources.

This is where the mulberries shined. Because the year before was a good water year and there were no late spring freezes the mulberries were covered with fruit. When the migration happened, we saw birds that we had never seen before on the property. Normally we have a pair of kingbirds that nest in these trees and defend these trees from other birds approaching. This year they didn’t! These trees were one of few good food sources that year.

Because the mulberry trees have been fruiting for so long I am hopeful that there will be fruit when the migration begins. In the meantime, the chickens are doing their best to fill this gap. We like to refer to mulberry season as purple season. Their feet and beaks along with their roosts are all purple. I have noticed that the chicken pellet bill has gone down substantially.

It is quite hilarious when I open the coops in the morning and the race is on to be the first to get the overnight dropped fruit.

Yes, these trees can be considered messy but they have become a pillar of good tidings in so many other ways.

This week I have harvested chard, kale, green onions, carrots, lettuce, beets and summer squash. Please email for availability

April 24, 2017

Everyone has seen adult lady bugs along with hover fly’s in the garden but I would suspect few know what the larvae of these look like. I have mentioned aphidius wasps being great predators of aphids. I am not sure that I have seen these wasps but their post cards are very noticeable, that is if you know what to look for. Praying mantis are unique in the fact that immature mantis’s look just like the adults only in miniature.

Being able to identify the “bad” guys is just as important as to being able to identify the “good” guys. For starters knowing witch bug is devastating your veggies will help you to determine the best plan for control. If you indiscriminately destroy any “nasty” looking bug because it “looks” like a “bad” guy, you will inadvertently be “shooting” yourself in the foot.

Look at the adults and immature pictures of the three critters mentioned above.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS737US738&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=hover+fly+picture

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS737US738&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=picture+hover+fly+larvae

https://www.google.com/search?q=aphidius+wasp+and+mummies&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS737US738&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=3Ge_0MIVvIocKM%253A%253BfLY1v_CepoUeEM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.alamy.com%25252Fstock-photo%25252Faphidius-wasp-parasite-aphid.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=3Ge_0MIVvIocKM%253A%252CfLY1v_CepoUeEM%252C_&usg=__Z0MvM_LRRSbC4M59IAGok_Tq_XA%3D&biw=1280&bih=918&ved=0ahUKEwjP75nM85_TAhWollQKHZ5sDoMQyjcILA&ei=naHuWI-tAqit0gKe2bmYCA#imgrc=3Ge_0MIVvIocKM:

https://www.google.com/search?q=ladybugs+larvae&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS737US738&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYnY7-85_TAhUorVQKHcvYDx0QsAQIGQ&biw=1280&bih=918

As you can see some of these larvae would lead you to believe they are pests but you would be wrong.

A good “bug” book with decent pictures and description is “Texas Bug Book” by Howard Garrett and C. Malcolm Beck by the University of Texas Press.

I find just browsing through the book on occasion helps me to recognize the bug. Once it is recognized and identified a gardener can then take appropriate action. Being an informed gardener has great rewards.

April 20, 2017

Good morning, we are once again at that point in the road where there are female flowers on the summer squash and the guys seem to have gone fishing!

I am not exactly sure why this happens but it seems to happen with all the cucurbits. Maybe it is not warm enough to develop male flowers or maybe it is to start drawing in bees for when the men come back from,” fishing” There are several aborted fruits because there is no way to pollinate them. Maybe If I remember I could save some male squash flowers from the fall in the freezer for early blooms in the spring. This could be interesting and worth a try.

My experiment with beneficial insects seems to be working. My transplanted lady bugs are staying put. There also seems to be a lot of aphidius wasps finding their way under the fabric to mummify aphids for their eggs to hatch.

In years past I have purchased lady bugs to control aphids and it always seemed that the results were less than desirable. Most would up and leave even if I did several small releases each night.  Maybe because I am catching and releasing local lady bugs they are more amiable to this process.

Because it has been so warm the lady bugs found my finished broccoli and colonized it so that I have a ready to use lady bug farm. It would be nice if I could have a repeat of this next year. Only time will tell

I do not know how long the peas will hold on. I am seeing a little decline in the first bed but the second looks as healthy as can be. I am sure there will be peas to the end of the month and maybe into May It would be neat to have peas, beans squash and cukes to offer all at the same time. In years past the peas have been long finished before any of the summer veggies were ripe.

I am going to plant a fall crop of peas but I am going to germinate the seeds first and plant them in July. I will cover them with 70 fabric and see if I can repeat last July’s peas that germinated and grew among the sweet potatoes. I did get some seeds from these plants but not enough to do anything with. I would not have thought it possible to grow them at that time of year and especially as hot as last July was Some things you just got to try! 

This week I harvested chard, kale, green onions, carrots, lettuce, beets, basil, and peas. Please email as to availability.

April 24, 2017

At one time, it was thought that if you did not subscribe to traditional agriculture and went organic that you were at the mercy of Mother Nature and your veggies would be pathetic under nourished bug ridden and un-sellable.

Today we know how far from the truth this is. I remember one time at the market there was a lady who at the time kinda tweaked me even though in her mind she was complimenting me. She could not believe my veggies were organic because they looked so perfect like store bought veggies. I was much younger and I should have let it pass. But this exchange notes what public thoughts are about organic gardening.

For me, I will destroy a crop before I will use traditional pest techniques. We as gardeners are not at the mercy of mother nature. We have a huge library of accessible knowledge to fall back upon. One of the resources I use is

https://attra.ncat.org/index.php

Check out this web site I have found it to be invaluable. This is a USDA sustainable agriculture program.

This next list I would love to print out in its entirety but this list is huge. It is a partial list noting what Pesticides and treatments are available to Certified Organic Farmers. Here again check it out.

http://wci.colostate.edu/Assets/pdf/OrganicPesticides.pdf

Since gardening in Alpine there has only been two years that I felt I was completely over run with bugs. Both of these times were learning experiences. The first was when I still worked for the Texas Forest Service and was un able to clean up the garden immediately after a hail event.  My cucurbit crops by the weekend were inundated with cucumber beetles and my eggplants were covered with blister beetles. All the damaged and decaying vegetation was a huge calling card. Cleanup after a hail storm is mandatory ASAP! The second event involved my cucurbits again. Only this time it was with squash bugs. Hand picking squash bugs from several dozen butternut squash, melons, cucumbers along with summer squash was futile. It was the ATTRA site that led me to the use of Cold Pressed Neem Oil. This site and more research told me that cold pressed could be used on hundreds of bugs. Because the neem oil was not the agent of death but hormones within the oil caused the bugs to stop feeding an and molting with death soon following. The mortality is caused by the hormones and bugs cannot build up an immunity to cold pressed neem oil.

The ATTRA site has also taught me that cold pressed by itself is minimally effective on cucumber beetles but mixing cold pressed 50/50 with karanja oil and the beetles are more readily controlled.

There are many more organic plant protection sites on the web but the ATTRA site is one of my favorites.

Good luck and happy gardening! 

April 13, 2017

Good morning, recently I did a google search on how cold it needs to be to kill insects. The temperatures that kill cold hardy veggies will also kill insects. The one note that they mentioned is that the cold needs to be sustained. But it did not mention how sustained it must be sustained.

When Deb and I lived in Central Oregon we had winters every winter. Night time lows were usually in the teens and on the warmer days we would find ourselves in the “balmy” thirties. We would usually find ourselves many days if not weeks below freezing. In my mind this would be considered sustained

A tomato horn worm outbreak would be one horn worm for the whole year. “All year” meant the 90-day growing season. Because of the lack of insects, I completely forgot how to combat them.

This “winter” we have had several mornings in the teens but the temperature would then warm up very nicely (60+).

I am already seeing mature cucumber beetles, squash bugs and a gentleman at market mentioned seeing full grown grasshoppers. This implies to me that several hours of cold is not long enough to be sustained cold.

This does remind me of 2011. We had two freezing events that were back to back with a very short warm up between them. These freezing events were several days in length and the cold was in the single digits. It must be noted that after this freezing period was over there were no more freezes until fall. Save for 4 inches of rain the year was also very dry. This was a bug free year. 

It would be hard to quantify if it was only the freeze that killed the bugs. Because with the lack of rain it is difficult for insect eggs to hatch.

It is noted that 2010 and 2012 were both moist years.  2012 was the year that squash bugs just about ran me out of town. Insect eggs are like weed seeds, they remain dormant in the soil until there is enough moisture for them to germinate or hatch.

Ah yes and then there is the in congruence before the rain a week ago, I noticed a lot of very small grasshoppers that had recently hatched. I thought maybe they were hatching in my beds where there is adequate moisture until I saw several small grasshoppers down at the market.

Because of the lack of cold and if we have decent moisture, this will be a very buggy year. It is my intent to be on the offensive with bugs this year. I will hit them at first observance and maybe they will not take over. As they say, “this too will pass”

April 10, 2017

Recently I was asked to identify a caterpillar that was eating a summer squash. (from last year)

They are a slender little job and have lengthwise white and green stripes. A mature one is about an inch long. This caterpillar stands out but the adult does even more so.  The adult moth is a little less than an inch in size. The wings are silverish and on its posterior, is a peculiar little “bobble”. A very distinct moth that you will remember when you see one. Here is a link to some pictures.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS737US738&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=melon+worm+pictures

This is a recent arrival to West Texas. The first I saw it was 2 years ago. A fellow at market who has been gardened in West Texas for a very long time had not seen it before 2 years ago also.

This bug is from Central and South America. Somehow like so many other critters it too has found a foot hold in South Florida, where it lives year-round.

As spring comes to the continental US they begin to migrate northward, with each new generation for that given year, they move North and West. By the middle of August, it is knocking on our doorstep. (I am not sure it may have a year-round foot hold in South Texas)

These guys lay their eggs on Cucurbit leaves and when they hatch begin to feast. They mature quite rapidly and will begin to feed on the fruits. They can be very devastating if left un checked.

These are just another of many troublesome critters that feed on this family of plants. A short list of the meaner ones are cucumber beetles and squash bugs which by the middle of August if they have gone unchecked are also wreaking their own special havoc on the cucurbits.

What to do? Because this is a moth Bt is very effective at controlling this bug. But insects can build up immunity to the constant use of Bt. There are other pesticides that will work and control all three of these critters at the same time.

Cold pressed neem oil (not clarified hydrophobic) will control both the caterpillar and the squash bug but is not very good at controlling cucumber beetles. Mixing cold pressed with karanja oil (50 / 50) will achieve greater success with all three. There also is a new organic approved pesticide that is formulated from soil born bacteria called Mycotrol .

Before using ANY pesticide Even organic ones be sure to read the instruction packet that comes with the said pesticide and wear appropriate protection.

Because of the lack of a winter, this year has the potential to be one bug after the another all year.

Good luck and happy gardening.

April 6, 2017

Good morning, Aphids if you garden you will have aphids. His year I have been for the most part aphid free. Because I use fabric over my beds, this creates a perfect habitat for them. For the most part I have used cold pressed neem oil to control them.

Most years when the aphids enter stage right there are no beneficial insects to be found.

I have found that the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower, kale…) are real magnets to aphids. I had uncovered the last of my broccoli to see if I could draw in some beneficial insects. And yes, they came.

I have found there to be a nice population of lady beetles and some aphidius wasps.

Recently I started to see aphids in my chard / kale bed. Conveniently it is located next to my broccoli bed. If it were not for the guinea fowl I would just leave the bed uncovered and let these critters populate themselves into the chard bed. If I want to harvest chard or kale I cannot do this. So, I started with a catch and release program. I have been doing this for a few weeks now. I concentrated the release in a couple of areas with hopes they would expand out on their own.

In the past I have ordered lady beetles to release in the garden. I have found that most of these implants just leave. Making me wonder if the cost was worth it.

There also is the problem with beneficial insects in greens crops. Inadvertently the good guys are harvested with the greens. With my catch and release program I have been checking the leaves very carefully before cutting. This has slowed the harvest, but I am beginning to see the fruits of my labor.

The epicenters where I initially released the lady beetles are mostly aphid free. And these areas are expanding out. Because I have been checking the leaves I noticed a single aphidius wasp cocoon in between the two lady beetle populations. This was two harvests back. Last week this single cocoon became nearly 18 to two dozen.  With the lady beetles, I am seeing multiple generations from adults to several stages of nymphs to the little orange seed cases underneath the leaves.

The one thing that has been difficult for me is to let the aphids be and let the catch and release take its course. In some cases, they are thick. Because of this I have been washing the leaves. Washing does not remove all the aphids, I apologize for this. I do believe that with the presence of some bugs is proof that it is edible by humans. Kinda like a proof of purchase sticker.

So, once the aphids are totally under control, there very likely will be some of my cleaning crew on your veggies. All I can ask is that you give them a place to feed and then go forth and propagate.

April 3, 2017

It would be an understatement to say we are dry.  Back in 2011 we were quite dry too. This was the year that a garden critter that normally is not a problem became one. It looks like this critter is beginning to rear its head again due to the dryness.

This guy can be quite formidable because it is long lived. Up to eight years. Because it can live several years there can be many generations living at the same time. 

These guys are quite armored and look like little miniature armadillos. This armor serves them well.

In normal years, they will eat compost and are part of the chain that helps build soil fertility.

But when it is dry and they devour all the compost in the garden beds they then turn their attention towards germinating seedlings. This usually is a very through feasting.

There countless traps and baits that one can use to “try” and reduce their populations. I think most of these give the gardener the impression that he or she is doing something.

We must remember because these guys live for many years you can have several generations alive at the same time. This is very unusual for a garden pest. Most pests are short lived, maybe a year or less. This lies the problem with the control of pill bugs, roley poley’s, land shrimp or any other quaint name you might have for the.

Outside the garden, I have placed boards down and in the morning when the chickens are out they are devoured. But I do not dare to let a flock of chickens in my garden, the pill bugs would be the least of my worries.

To quote a phrase that is very appropriate for pill bugs “resistance is futile”. They have the numbers to back it up.

Instead of trying to battle an unwinnable war, I use exclusion or barriers that are known deterrents.

I will allow the bed to completely dry out for several days before planting. For seed beds, I will dig a trench around and bury the edge of fabric in this trench. I find using coffee grounds as a mulch over seeds does slow them down.

But most likely the thing that works best is being patient and hope for a rainstorm so they can go back to doing what they do best, digest compost.