by Noel | Jul 30, 2009 | Environmental Issues, Gardening
Funnel Collector Japanese Beetles On A Grape Leaf Japanese beetles only became a pest in my garden four years ago. When they first appeared their numbers were so overwhelming that I pretty much had no choice but to let them go unchecked. They nearly defoliated my raspberries, but I still got an okay harvest. They loved the asparagus fronds, but they did not seem to be doing severe damage there. Their favorite food was the leaves of the wild grapes that grow all...
by Noel | Jul 27, 2009 | CobraHead, Environmental Issues, Events
Judy and I returned to the Kickapoo Country Fair in La Farge, Wisconsin for another show Saturday and yesterday. We did our first show there, last year, which you can read about here. The fair is about farming and smaller organic family farms, versus the corporate factory farms that now dominate world agriculture. The show was noticeably bigger this year than last. More exhibits, more workshops, more vendors and bigger crowds. I think, if they stay on track,...
by Noel | Jul 18, 2009 | Environmental Issues, Gardening
A couple days ago I blogged about flowering edibles in the garden. It was quite hot when I was taking the pictures which included some shots of the multitude of pollinators that collect around the flowers. I commented on how hard it was to photograph the bumblebees because they would not stay still long enough for me to get a good shot. Yesterday and today have been very cold. A high of about 66 both days. For the middle of July, it is not normal. I came home from...
by Noel | Jul 15, 2009 | Environmental Issues, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Gardening
Long ago I used to have a bad attitude about ornamentals. I looked at flower gardening as an indulgence, without the necessity attached to growing plants to eat. That has changed and I now not only admire beautiful gardens, but I have great respect for the gardeners who create them. Nevertheless, I’m a hungry man, so it’s mainly the vegetable garden for me. If I had more time, I would dabble in the artsy, but now I barely have time to secure the...
by Judy | Jul 13, 2009 | Gardening, Recipes
The strawberries are dwindling. I believe we just had our last handful of extra sweet ones on our garden fresh greens topped with a little bit of Hook’s Blue Cheese. We’ve surpassed our previous best of 44 quarts with over 50 this year! We have 3 beds that are 20 feet by 4 feet. We try to rotate the strawberry beds through the garden by transplanting new runners from the oldest bed into a new bed so we always have one, two and three year old beds. I...
