Pests

Infestations provide opportunities for investigation and experimentation. Exciting!

Our apple trees have codling moth long time. Improved pruning over the last several years seems to have reduced it's impact this year, and we actually have pears. We are happy enough.

 [Apple demonstrating entrance points for moths, guess what's inside! September 30, 2014]

A neighbor was walking by this morning as my roommate and I were gardening and started talking about his research into codling moth. He suggested we fixate cardboard boxes around the base of the trees. At specific times each year larvae climb out of the apples and down the trunks for cocooning. We can confuse them with the corrugated cardboard, which they might climb into, and thus we trap them. These are called "trunk bands". I say why not.

Next year we can try these ideas: remove infected fruit (the most obvious!) which I admit my roommate listed on our To-Do but hasn't happened yet. At bloomtime we might hang 2-4 traps in each tree to replace every 2 months until we harvest. They complete up to 3.5 generations a year: at bloom, mid-July and mid-August, which is something to factor in.  These particulr traps will capture males before they can mate. Another barrier involves socking the fruit with nylon stockings. I've seen these tricks done on city fruit but never thought twice about benefits. It could be fun to hang a pheromone confusion dispenser  (!) - which involves using Isomate C+ or Isomate CTT - but no one cares enough for that I'm sure.

We also have an ongoing issue with aphids on our kale plants. I pulled many plants in late Spring and didn't think more about prevention. Now they are back (of course)

 [Super blurry photo of kale that was going to seed for us until it got consumed, September 30, 2014]

Our neighbor told us we need ladybugs (yes please!) so we might cultivate specific plants to attract them: mint, fennel, dill, yarrow and dandelion. Garlic and onions are said to drive aphids away (great!). Additionally we might plant flowers to attract aphids away from the kale, to have a little plot of colorful beauty: nasturtium, aster, mum, cosmos, larkspur, dahlia and zinnia. I've seen this strategy on farms I've worked at. 

Who are these devilish friends of ours? CM, Cydia pomonella (Eurasia) loves apple, pear, quince, hawthorn, crabapple, and walnut. It coexists in the Tortricidae family with over 10,350 other species. They rest during the day camouflaged on bark until mating time. Females may lay up to 100 eggs on the fruit or leaves, singly. The egg starts out translucent, develops a reddish embryonic ring then produces a black head just before hatching (a great way to spot them in time, perhaps). The larvae enter the fruit (called "stinging"), eat the seeds, then eat their way out, making their way down the trunk for pupation overwinter. Living the life of sex, food and sleep. That must be nice. 

Aphids proliferate in over 4,000 species around the world, with 1,350 on our continent. They are slow and soft - great targets - with great defenses. Aphids are said to kick attackers, walk away, or roll to the ground. Since they feed in groups, some aphids play the role of "bodyguard", which are called upon by specific pheromones. They'll secrete a waxy lipid to fill an attacker's mouth or toxins into the abdomen. When they aren't defending themselves they are feeding on plant sugars. They have to consume a lot of plant tissue in order to retrieve enough nitrogen. I wonder if high nitrogen garden beds are more attractive?

The more I think about it the life cycle of an insect sounds mighty fine.

Works Cited

Agnello, Arthur M. and David P. Kain. "Codling Moth". Codling Moth Fact Sheet. Integrated Pest
     Management Program. Web. September 30, 2013.
     <http://nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/treefruit/pests/cm/cm.asp>.

Carroll, Jackie. "Killing Aphids Naturally: How To Get Rid of Aphids Safely". Homemade Aphid 
     Control. Gardening Know How, March 3, 2014. Web. September 30, 2014.
     <http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/homemade-aphid-control-a-natural-
     way-to-kill-aphids.htm>.

Charlotte from Peaceful Valley. "Organic Control of Codling Moths." Grow Organic, April 15,
     2011. Web. September 30, 2014. <http://www.groworganic.com/organic-
     gardening/articles/organic-control-of-codling-moths>.

Hadley, Debbie. "Habits And Traits of Aphids, Family Aphidacae." True Bugs, Aphids, Cicadas and 
     Hoppers. About Education, Web. September 30, 2014.
     < http://insects.about.com/od/truebugs/p/Aphididae.htm>.

Calendula Medicine

My roommate and I wondered about this plant cropping up everywhere in our raised beds. We tried some of it's leaves raw, which left a tingling sensation on the tongue and slight burn in the back of the throat. I let it grow all around the kale wondering if it would be beneficial. When it started flowering I realized it was calendula - awesome! This will be a great medicine to cultivate, I thought. I noticed the kale was looking diseased and thought, oh maybe not so beneficial! I pulled the calendula out, as well as the diseased plants, and transplanted some young ones. A couple weeks later all the kale plants look burned. I think the calendula was offering something to the soil, which has not been amended for some time, and too, kale has been harvested from that bed for several years. We are not following good crop rotation rules here (after several years the soil is probably depleted of key nutrients). As well, kale volunteers have only appeared in other areas of the yard - which suggests the kale is ready to move on! I think I will pull the kale out and put in cover crop for now.

Anyway I've left a couple beds for calendula cultivation this summer. I love this plant and feel blessed it dwells in our garden.

Back in the 1700's, Linnaeus designated "officinalis" to species of plants with medicinal value, and calendula's healing powers endure today. One of the most popular herbal ingredients in lotions and creams, Calendula officinalis translates as "little clock medicine", or we might say - a medicine withstanding the test of time. Traditionally calendula was used internally for improving digestion, and detoxifying the liver and gallbladder; externally applied to skin conditions, cuts and wounds to prevent infection. Calendula has high flavonoid content to fight antioxidents. I see it claimed online all over that calendula was used for dressing wounds during the American Civil War and WW1.  Current pharmalogical studies demonstrate calendula is effective topically (on the skin) for burns, cuts, bruises and rashes. It's said to contain active chemical constituents that are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial.

Calendula is contraindicated for anyone with allergies to the daisy/aster family or for pregnant women. It's also contraindicated for anyone trying to conceive a baby. If you are taking other medications, think twice about adding another to the cocktail.

Greens

According to the Farmer's Almanac, this week will be a good time to: pull plant pests, mow grass or cut hair to retard growth, perform demolition, quit smoking., dig holes, cut firewood, or write.  Have other plans?  You might want to check the Farmer's Almanac Calendar first. 

My roommates and I are doing our best to keep up with our garden's Spring growth. As we put our transplants and seeds in we have to clear out all the little weed seedlings that appeared overnight. We've also been in the process of creating new beds for uncultivated parts of the yard. Adding in plenty of compost for growing heavier feeders like tomatoes and squashes. Since there are five of us living here, and everyone acts mysteriously, it's fun to return each time to the garden and observe what new work has been done, and guess who has done it.

We have three yards around our housing with varying degrees of sun reception. In the North facing yard we are experimenting with growing greens and Brassicas and roots. I think cultivating shade tolerant native perennials would be the best bet but no one wants to spend that kind of money. Best Shade-Tolerant Vegetables Instead we are growing kale in all areas of our tripartite yard to see how they each fare as the summer rolls around. I find myself walking around the back of the house, talking to the little plant starts, praying for them because I'm not sure they even get 3 hours of sun a day. We'll see what happens.

Falling Into the Garden

Last week the clouds and air temperature started to transition. Time to accept the fall/winter garden will demand it's attention. I've been considering full plans yet I know my patterns. Plans will be abandoned to what I can chore day to day. (How much will I get done this September?) I've been reviewing fall/winter garden guides and have gone through our seed collection. The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide is helping me keep food crops like spinach, lettuce, and alliums on my mind. I recently planted some perennial herbs from a couple different plant nurserys - feverfew, echinacea, thyme, and so forth.

But the real fun comes from throwing down seeds (I also love pushing garlic cloves into the ground) so the other day I aligned a couple rows of mustard and spinach where the kale trees live. Now the great wait to see what sprouts. The mustard green seeds are from 2003.