Indoor Ladybugs

In the past when we’ve encountered ladybugs in the house, they have been treated with disrespect and vacuumed up or tossed outside.  With the onset of the Asian variety in the Midwest, these garden friends have become a pest solely because of their exploding populations.  In winter, they find their way into the house and collect in corners and other warm spots. I found this one basking under the grow lights in the marjoram plant.  I’ll let it alone and...

Saturday’s Sweet Potato Chili – Sunday’s Enchiladas

Sweet potatoes are back! We had another fantastic harvest which will keep us in these orange delights all year. They’ll be making their way into all sorts of soups, stews, roasts, stir fries, curries and who knows what else? Make a double batch of this chili and have enough left for an easy meal the next day. Disguise that extra chili inside some great tortillas, add a little sauce and some cheese and a different meal is born. Sweet Potato Chili recipe 2 cups dry...

Grow Lights Grow!

Less than three weeks ago I posted about my new grow light setup.  I’m happy to report that things are working out well.  We picked our first small salad today.  The top picture shows thinnings and cuttings of a salad mix that germinated profusely.  The mix can be seen in the second flat from the right in the second picture. On the far right I’ve got a flat of lettuce mix which did not have spectacular germination, but is still putting out some nice...

Two great herbs for Austin

This past spring I planted a small herb and ornamental garden in my front yard.  Since I live in Austin with its periodic droughts and water restrictions, I look for plants that thrive without a lot of supplemental watering.  Two herbs that did well for me were Mexican Mint Marigold and Mexican Oregano. Two distinct species, Lippia graveolens and Poliomintha longiflora, take the common name Mexican Oregano.  I planted the former in my garden.  When I planted the...

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