Week of June 18th

Put in three more dill plants and three more fennel plants to act as background foliage in the second two garden beds. Not only will these plants provide delightful feathery foliage but they will also grow tall and provide more shade for the plants I’ve planted in the back garden bed (which prefer shade yet are currently getting too much sun. Also dill and fennel (being great culinary herbs) attract beneficial insect predators such as the lacewig, ladybugs (THERE WE GO!!), hoverflies, and parasitic mini wasps. Not only do these plants attract beneficial insects but so does all of the sweet alyssum planted as a border to the garden. These tiny insects are good at eating aphids, mealybugs, and other such pests to the garden.

Another sort of biocontrol I initiated is using beer to attract slugs. I noticed one night (I went out with a flashlight to look at the soybean plants) that they were being eaten by slugs. To prevent this, I dug three holes in the background of the garden and dug in a three solo red beer cups. These I filled 80% with beer (the yeast attracts the slugs and they fall in and drown). I checked the next day and oh boy I caught a whole bunch of these slugs. I also noticed that my soybeans look less ruined.

So finally the first season garden is finished and people seem to love it. My mom’s meditation group (they come every Friday morning) won’t stop complementing me on how great the garden looks.
Another thing that happened to me is my mom wants lettuce in the garden. She said all her other friends have it. But I know if I plant lettuce now it will be bolting by mid July and also we have no more space in the garden. I decided this wasn’t a feasible idea.
Today I tied up the two basil plants in the back corners because they kept flopping over. I put in two stakes (fallen off branches from nearby trees) and tied up the basil so it now looks more presentable.
Other things that happened recently in the garden are : I planted two sets of three edible Nasturtium flowers next to the squash plants. These I grew from seed and am pleased to know that they made there way finally into the garden. This can also be said about two amaranth plants I just planted in the sides of each garden.