We love leaves

Behold the Leaf Garden.  It was not planned, but once the garden was all tilled up, we noticed that the shape resembled a leaf.  We added the stone paths to be the veins.  The only raised bed in this section borders the parimeter. It is separaterd from the rest of the area with a narrow, one foot path.  The inside section, minus the stone paths, will be entirely planted up, with little room to move around. It is a maximum bounty area.  And just as the leaf is the part of the plant that captures sunlight, this is one of the sunniest areas of the entire garden!  So far its been planted with beets, swiss chard, parsley, green onions, mustard, mizuna, lettuce, bush beans, and yukon gold potatoes. 

Looking up from the leaf garden, you can see that some of the beds are covered again.  Since the attack of the root maggots, we have replanted most of the crops that the maggots destroyed.  The covers should prevent the adult flies from laying eggs near the base of the plants.  Only time will tell if this method works.  There is kale (green, black and red), collards, and bokchoy.  We didn't plant any broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage.  It is getting too late for these temperature sensative crops, and lately it has felt more like summer than spring.  Where did spring go??    Other than these crops, we have also planted more swiss chard, spinach, carrots, beets, and radishes, deer tongue and red sails lettuce, and sown pole beans.   Next will be updates on the summer crops... aka tomatoes, eggplant...

ATTACK OF THE ROOT MAGGOTS!!

It all started like any other fine day here at the Broad Bay CSA.  The sun was shining, weather was sweet, and I was walking barefoot around the garden checking things out as I normally do.  The day before I had given the whole garden a nice dose of Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed fertilizer.  Plants just love this ocean smelling liquid and show their thanks with lush green growth; which is why I was a little surprised to find a few of the cabbage plants looking a little droopy.  They had just recieved a nice dose of water and fertilizer, and weren't showing the love.  The real horror occured when I gave a little tug on one of the cabbage plants to test its all around health. Up came the plant with the greatest of ease,along with, to my disgust, hundreds of little white maggots.

Upon further investigation I have learned....surprise surprise, that these things are called root maggots, or cabbage maggots.  The adult female fly hatches in the spring and then proceeds to lay eggs at the base of brassicas (though brassicas are not their only targets). Once the maggots emerge from egg, they make their way down and start munching on the roots,until the roots are no more!  From above root damage below is displayed in the plant through its stunted growth and the discoloration of leaves.

While staring at these horrible little root maggots I had a memory from a few weeks back when I had just tilled the soil. I was observing little flies, slightly larger than gnats, hovering all around the freshly tilled ground.  I had made a mental note of this because it seemed strange.

In the dealing with the root maggots I have had many casualties. To my dismay, I have ripped up nearly a hundred plants; kale, mizuna, cabbage, brocoli, cauliflower,...........  the heading plants  (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) are unfortunately now too late to replant and get a decent crop, they just cannot handle the heat. 

Af for the control of these pests a few things are possible

1. Ripping up all infested plants and destroying them, therefore breaking the lifecycle

2. Covering all newly planted plants with horticultural cloth

3. Spraying diatomaceous earth on the freshly tilled/planted soil.  This is like shards of glass to an insect stopping them from landing on a surface.

4. Populating the soil with beneficial nematodes that like to eat the maggots in their larva stage

With a combination of all the above I will protect my brassica plants from this enemy species.

...cabbage plants not thriving, the maggots are busy munching away root..

Look very closely and you can see many maggots...

 DIE MAGGOTS DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rain Rain...

Well as you know, the circle garden is full.  But the sunroom and greenhouse are once again bursting at the seams with anxious greenery.  The swiss chard is sitting, the parsley is perculating, the cabbage is feeling cooped up, and the lettuce would love to stretch its legs.  These plants want out!!!

 

So every chance I get, when the soil dries out in between rainy days, I am out there working on the next section.  This area will be done a little differently than the circle garden.  Instead of removing each chunk of sod by hand, I am shredding everything into the soil with the tiller.  This requires a bit of wire grass removal, but is much quicker and easier than the intensive hand method.  The soil won't be dug as deeply, but will still produce nice crops of the smaller plants like chard, lettuce, kale, and spinach.

    

As you can see, the triangularish shaped section is not yet finished... the tips still need some work.  After the tilling is complete, I will use a rake to shape the beds and paths.  Then I will add compost, clay (the soil here is just too sandy), and organic fertilizer.  Only a few more days of work and this baby will be all planted up!   Meanwhile.....   spinach and kale looking like a sea of green....

  

Chocolate mint and Spearmint

ROSEMARY!!

Any one want a radish?

Bok Choy

Arugula

Tatsoi

Collards

Broccoli

 

All growing steadily and happily.   Adding to the diverse list is the new onion section that we recently created down by the water, next to the dock...

These terraces are a combination of sandy soil, added clay, and compost.  Although not pictured, baby onion plants have since been planted here, two rows per bed, 4 inches in between each plant.  Some time during the summer, hundreds of onions will be harvested here.  The seed potatoes are growing eyes like crazy and will be cut up and planted soon...

And try to contain your excitement, but the seasons first tomatoes will also be ready for planting soon...

Have you started your gardens yet???