Some big changes were made in the basil grow this week. The plants were switched from their initial top drip set up to an ebb and flow. For more information regarding the differences and advantages of each system, I'll refer you to a post I made a few months ago regarding using cloners, top drip and ebb and flow systems for an efficient continuous harvest system. In any case, the ebb and flow system, which works by flooding the entire Botanicare tray with nutrient solution, should solve the … [Read more...] about Basil Grow Journal Week 7 (3/23-4/1)
Basil
Up Yours Winter! Or How I Saved the Herb Garden from Freezing.
Winter is a great time for... Writing memoirs for no one but yourself. Turning on family members after being snowed in for two weeks. Losing nerve endings permanently due to frostbite. It also can remind you to start some preservation techniques before the whiteout commences. Perhaps one of the easier winter preps for outdoor gardens is in the herb bed. Before the season of discontent begins, look around at your herb garden. See all that green? … [Read more...] about Up Yours Winter! Or How I Saved the Herb Garden from Freezing.
Bugging Out: Part Three
Pests are on the rise at this time of season, but so is Dig It's eradication knowledge. Here are more bad bugs and ways to get rid of them. Cucumber Beetle The Lowdown: Like the fabled mermaids, cucumber beetles are gorgeous in appearance, but deadly in their actions. More unfortunate is the fact that the cucumber is just one of many plants the beetle attacks. Documentation of the cuke beetle indicates it will feast on over 200 different plants in … [Read more...] about Bugging Out: Part Three
The Tomato: A Fruity Impersonator in the Vegetable Patch
The attraction to the tomato is irresistible. Hobbyists, professionals, and even the heartburn-laden can't resist this fruit disguised as a vegetable. The colors and tastes are fathomless--purples, yellows, stripes, acidic, mild, sugary, and even peppery are used to categorize tomatoes. The challenges in growing the perfect tomato are almost as numerous. Diseases, bugs, and gophers of ill repute flock to it like paparazzi in search of juicy weak spots. Perfection is never obtainable, but … [Read more...] about The Tomato: A Fruity Impersonator in the Vegetable Patch
