Garden Action

 Bug update: By Dennis

I said I'd report back on the garlic spray and I'm happy to say that it seems to have made a difference. Either that or all the flea beetles in the back yard are full and, given the state of the Arugula, I wouldn't be surprised. On the plus side, I've spotted some new Arugula leaves coming in and they're mostly intact.
I have, however spotted a new guest back there. He's called a Spotted Cucumber Beetle and, from the description I found on the internet, he can be a tough nut. From Wikipedia "They are sucking invaders which harm crops and ornamental plants"
Here's a picture of him before he enjoyed a garlic shower.

  I was tempted to smash him, but I'm just as curious to see how he reacts to the garlic spray as I am harvesting plants. I did an inspection after a few days and didn't see any, so maybe it did the trick.

 Other garden news:
Last weekend my Father-in Law built us a trellis for the garden...thanks Mike!

 A few of our plants are doing really well.  The jalapeno plant has one hot one on the way.

The cherry tomato plant has about six fruits.

And our squash seedling is doing the best out of all the seeds we planted.

Compost Done!

As I started researching composting I found a ton of ideas for making your own bin as well as types of bins that you can buy.  But I was not going to pay $100 for a compost tumbler when I have a husband and two kids who can turn compost for free!  This is a cheap and simple compost bin that took no more than 10 minutes to make.  We bought a rubber trash can, drilled holes in the side, top and bottom and bought two bungees to make sure the lid doesn't pop off when we roll it.  We set it on a few stones so is has circulation underneath.  We've added some leaves, veggie scraps, egg shells, tea bags and water.  Every few days or so we (not me) will roll it around the backyard and shazam we will have compost!  I'm pretty skeptical about this so I am looking forward to seeing what happens. 
 
I think it has already produced some pretty cute compost :)
 

Lazy

I have been super lazy when it comes to starting this compost but it is happening this weekend!  My in-laws are in town so it will be a nice project for my husband and father-in-law.  I think this is the only month where I can delegate my challenge and I am taking full advantage of it :)
Here is the first thing we made from our garden!!!  Don't get too excited because it is not the tomatoes (I wish).  The basil for the bruschetta is fresh from our backyard, we are so proud!

Best Husband Ever

My husband and I complement each other very well and in the case of our garden and compost, it is perfect!  I feel like I have enough on my plate with the kids, house, cooking, blogging, shopping, etc and taking care of the garden is something I don't have time for.  So, luckily, Dennis has taken on this garden as his own.  He waters the plants and researches what bugs are out there and what we can do about them.  He is also excited about composting, so yay, I don't have to be!  I knew he would come in handy someday...HA!  No, I really could not be doing this year long project without him, so thanks honey!

 Here is an update on our garden from him:
It has been fun watching nature in action out there. I saw some very hungry caterpillars munching on a cucumber sprout one day, and the next I saw a bunch of ants feasting on caterpillar carcass. Nature is FUN! 
So far most of the plants look like they're doing great. All the sprouts are up and I've pared almost all of them down to one sprout per hole (as suggested by the book). The couple of exceptions are the arugula and one of the tomato plants. I'm not exactly sure what is up with the tomato plant, it just looks a little sad, but the arugula is quite obvious.

 It is riddled with little holes and, after investigating on the internet, I found the insects responsible to be called flea beetles. Apparently arugula is one of their favorite dishes, besides other leafy greens and sprouts. Some gardeners will even plant arugula while other plants are sprouting just to distract the beetles (insert Yoko Ono jokes here). Sure enough, I went out tonight and found one of them on a radish sprout. Just sitting there looking all smug.

  So a little more research pointed me to an all natural deterrent... garlic spray. I've found a recipe for it that I'm going to try. It is basically crushed garlic, soap, vegetable oil, and water. Sounds easy enough. I'll report back if it makes a difference!

Sprouts!!!

Our seedlings have sprouted!!  I think we can go ahead and call this garden a success. 

 April is start a compost month.  I have to say that I'm not super excited about this.  The garden was very time consuming last month and I need a break.  So, until I get some motivation, I will keep you updated on our garden. 

Garden Complete!

Another month has flown by!  I am so excited to have our plants and seeds in the ground.  Now we just need to keep these things alive!

We used twine attached to nails to separate the garden into square feet and popsicle sticks to indicate what plant is in each square.  This was a good idea because I've already forgotten which seeds we planted where.  One concern is the amount of sun the garden gets.  We decided on the location of the garden when the trees were still without leaves so there is a lot more shade now.  But at this point, it is just the way it is and we will see what grows.

Here is a list of everything we planted (everything was a transplant unless specified) :  tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, golden bell peppers, jalapenos, mint, strawberries, radishes (seed), basil, marigolds, beans, thai basil, melon (seed), dill, cucumber (seed), arugula, eggplant (seed), squash (seed).

 So, we planted them YESTERDAY and our basil already has something funky going on!  Anyone???