Curing garlic
Following the attack of the leek moth, the garlic was slightly bruised but unbowed. The moth larvae seem to have been stopped up top, snipped and pinched out before they had a chance to tunnel all the way down the … Read the rest
Best lettuce!
Just watered heads of Mezquite lettuce, doing well given all the heat they’ve had to deal with over the last weeks. This is a great, fast-maturing romaine lettuce. It’s sweet and crunchy, even in full summer heat that makes most … Read the rest
Leek moth invasion update!
Here we are, a week after leek moths invaded the garlic, gazing at a healthy scape. If you’re not familiar, scapes are the curling tips that emerge as the garlic gets close to harvest. They’re also clearly a favorite target … Read the rest
Brassicas waiting in the wings
Another wave of brassicas, mostly cabbages and cauliflower, are getting a little big as they wait indoors under lights. In recent years, decent fall weather has extended a whole extra month from what used to be. So I’ve been planting … Read the rest
Tomatoes just want to root
Most of us don’t spend much time at all looking at plant roots. Meanwhile, the things going on underground are quite wondrous. Take this humble tomato seedling, demonstrating a special power: adventitious rooting—a catchy way of saying they can grow … Read the rest
Garden vs the hungry hordes
Much of veggie farming is playing garden defense. Yesterday’s garlic surprise attack was handled as an immediate emergency action, by hand-picking larvae before they could really tunnel in. The other no-chemicals approach is row cover, which seems to be laid … Read the rest
Attack of the leek moth
Checking for scapes today, only a couple of days after the last all-good garlic check-in, and found absolute carnage thanks to a leek moth invasion. For years, I’ve heard about these voracious leaf devourers ravaging alliums—garlic, onions, leeks—in the general … Read the rest