The Good, The Bad, The Ugly In Gardening

Obsessed? Probably just a little, ummm maybe a little more. I
worry about every little ant, grasshopper, beetle, leaf damage,
fungus, on and on. There are pests, there are garden diseases.
If you have flowers, grow vegetables, then you're going to have
these problems.

We need to be educated…to know our bugs. Are they all bad?
No. Inspect your garden regularly… you want to detect
problems early on. Once you've identified your pest, the easier
it will be to manage. There are chemical methods and organic
earth-friendly methods. I leave that up to you.

There are beneficial insects that play a role in your garden.
They may also be a predator to the bad bugs. The trick is to
understand the difference. Visit the internet, lots of pictures,
advice and suggestions. Plant a variety of things that will 
attract the goods bugs. They will need food like nectar and
pollen. Plant wisely. Some suggestions: Shasta daisies, asters,
cone flowers, fennel, and dill.

If we were to wipe out insects alone on
this planet, the rest of life and humanity
with it would mostly disappear from the
land. Within a few months.  -E.O. Wilson

Word of the day: Blossom-End Rot
Noun. A disease caused by a deficiency of calcium particularly in
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and eggplant. The plant is
unable to absorb enough calcium from the soil. If you see a dark
rotting spot on the bottom of your tomato, that's blossom-end rot.
The tissues of the fruit are breaking down. Also water 
fluctuations, stress, too much fertilizer can also be the cause. 
Note:
You can purchase a calcium solution to help. Seems to work 
better on tomatoes than on other vegetables, but ask your garden 
center for help.

Now for the ugly, see that picture……...
Yep, guess what returned to our lower backyard!!! "Who you
gonna call?" Jack from barneswildlifecontrol.com on board
as I type this. More to come next week. 

Thanks for stopping by.

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