Badge of Honor!

I found this terrifying little friend in my garden the other day:

It was 2 inches long. I kid you not.

"What the HECK is THAT!?" you might ask.

It's a Wheel Bug. Named for that wheel-like crest on its back. I thought it was a mutant squash bug, but Wikipedia informs me:

"Wheel bugs are highly regarded by organic gardeners because they consume a variety of insects and their presence indicates a healthy, pesticide-free ecosystem. "They're the lion or the eagle of your food web," Dr. Michael J. Raupp, an entomologist at the University of Maryland, notes. "They sit on top. When you have these big, ferocious predators in your landscape, that tells me that this is a very healthy landscape, because all these other levels in your food web are intact.""

I can't imagine a more satisfying recognition to my attempts at organic gardening.

In other news, this tomato hornworm caterpillar has seen better days:

I love it when the hover flies find them before I do. Mwah ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaa!

Praying Mantis

Found this little beauty on my blueberry bushes...while I was weeding, of course ;)

Can you see him/her?

Big Garden Picture 2 August 2017

Here's the 'big garden' as of August 2nd.

Love the fog on the grassy field behind it. This is about 5:30am.

A storm in July shredded the fabric on the cuke/zuke sanctuary, so it's just wrapped around the frame with an open top. I thought it might keep some bug pests out anyway, but only makes it harder for me to get in there and work.

Obviously, I've got some more engineering to do this winter for next year: lower profile to withstand storms, wider footprint to accommodate maintenance.

I'm loving the flowers intermixed with the vegetables. They are both functional and beautiful, attracting beneficial insects. Next year, I'll put the functional flowers in first and more frequently.

Here's the thing about weeding: it's greatest benefit is not the obvious benefit. Sure, removing competitors frees up resources for the plants you're most interested in. And a garden with clear boundaries between wild and domesticated makes my heart happy. It just says, "This place is cared for, watched over, protected...loved."

No, the most amazing benefit of weeding is how it forces me to literally crawl on my hands and knees around my plants. I can't tell you how many things I've noticed, how many problems I've caught early on, or how many moments I've marveled at the work going on in this little ecosystem. So, while weeding isn't my favorite part of gardening, it's a fantastic tool that makes me a better and happier gardener.

That said, I don't actually have to do much weeding. Almost every inch is mulched, it's watered regularly, and the beds themselves are never walked on, so weeds are pretty easy to pull when they do pop up. Maybe that's why I can experience the zen this year. It's nothing like the drudgery I remembered from childhood ;)

"Safely Gathered In"

We harvested the rest of our peaches yesterday. I believe we got a grand total of 12, thanks to our little squirrel friend, but the mold hasn't been as bad this year so the ones we got are actually really, really pretty and edible.

Now, when I look at the peach tree, I don't get that feeling of dread and worry anymore. The fruit has been "safely gathered in". It's all here. We're going to enjoy it. Calm is restored.

My cucumbers have been a source of worry for me this week. They've come down with a nasty double fungal infection :( It's especially unfortunate, because cucumbers are the ONE vegetable my family could eat with reckless abandon. We eat 4-5 long, English cucumbers a week year-round. I believe the culprits are powdery mildew and anthracnose (don't ask me to pronounce that). Fortunately for me, there are a few organic options for treatment of those particular fungi.

Baking soda! Or, I should say, sodium bicarbonate.

Can you believe it? I can't either. Seems too easy. But I purchased a potassium bicarbonate version specifically for organic management of fungus on vegetables. The potassium is good for the plant, whereas too much sodium can build up in your soil and wreck future plantings. I put on the first application tonight and we shall see if the cukes pull through.

Trying not to get my hopes up too high. Worst case, the cukes die. Then I won't have to scan them for squash bug eggs anymore. Or worry about them at all. They will be "safely dead".

He looks dead, but he's just rolling around on the soft, new bathroom rug we picked out. Super, super soft.

James' Soundtrack

James can't stop making music.

His life has a soundtrack.

It drives his older siblings bonkers.

James has always been one to get a song stuck in his head, but the last couple weeks have taken us to a whole new level! It often starts while he's looking at books or playing on his own...

"Dun dun duuuuuuuuun. Psssshhh. Muh-nuh-muh-nuh-muh-nuh BOM! Psh-tsh-tsshhhhhhhh!"

No lyrics, just action music. All the time. Made up on the spot, as far as I can tell.

And then he'll get up from that activity and keep on making the music while he leaps from couch to cushion to blanket to trampoline looking for the next thing to do. Our floor is lava ALL the time.

All the time.

In fact, even Matthew is convinced. He insists the cracks between the kitchen tiles are lava. Thankfully, my invisible lava-proof shoes are acceptable alternatives to leaping from one piece of furniture to another.

James in a quiet moment. Back-to-School Registration for the bigger kids included several small dishes of candy this year. I believe this flavor combination is mango root beer.