By the time I got the camera, the bumblebee was gone. But he sure looked like he was enjoying the walk down the yellow beard and into the iris cave.
Almost finished planting the corn and squash. They are always the last seed to go in. It is such a large area to plant. This marks the first time in 4 years (maybe 5) that I am planting squash. I am hoping that I have discouraged all striped cucumber beetles from feeding in the area.
7 comments:
My grandmother's irises just started blooming this weekend. We got 27 tomatoes in today, four extra squash plants and we hoed the whole garden...can you say exhaustion?!
May I ask how you discouraged the striped cucumber beetles? This is a burning question for me, but when I read your post, I imagined myself out there going, shoo! shoo! you are not welcome here!
I would love to grow melons, and the dreaded SCB is the bearer of their demise.
well...I've tried everything (including shoo- fly- shoo!)
It is not so much the beetle, but the pathogen (Erwinia tracheiphila)they transmit...bacterial wilt!
The SCB (striped), winters over in the northeast...so I have practiced a "loooonnnggg crop rotation"...It has been so long, that I cannot remember where I first read that this helps eradicate the numbers...
Other (organic) methods of battle include-
encouraging broconid wasps, delayed plantings and row covers.
make that braconid wasp...sorry typo!
I'm looking forward to pix of your garden, hint, hint ;0)
Oh I hate those little bugs. I have tons of squash and gourds come up from seed and they are untouched. I plant some and they are devoured as soon as they sprout. There is no stopping them. I hope you have good luck this year. We purposely put the brush pile on the squash/pumpkin area and burned it so hopefully any overwintering buggers were destroyed.
The first pic is stunning!!! my Siberian Irises are in full bloom. Spring time is flower glorious...........
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