Plant Vegetables!

March 16, 2020

...I was no longer planting vegetables. While we have plenty of avocados and eggs it would be nice to have some greens other than volunteer nasturtium and nettles. I had two seasons of failed vegetable gardening but that should have prompted a redoubled effort rather than the defeatism that I offered. I’ve taken the step of deleting that post. And Kelly planted some vegetables yesterday. Stay safe and check in on your neighbors. Share your harvest....

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Hornworm meets alien!

Mr. Homegrown

April 9, 2013

Gardening, Pests

4 Comments

...n fall prey–Alien-style–to a species of parasitic wasp (Cotesia congregata). Not only do these parasitic wasps devour their host but in order to overcome the caterpillar’s defenses, mama wasp injects a virus before laying her eggs. How do you create habitat for Cotesia congregata? Adults feed on nectar producing plants and, of course, you need to make sure you keep a few hornworms on hand! Thanks to Jeff Spurrier for posting this video in Facebook...

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Bird Netting as a Cabbage Leaf Caterpillar Barrier

Mr. Homegrown

November 15, 2012

Gardening, Pests, Vegetable Gardening

19 Comments

...leaves of plants well away from the netting so that butterflies can’t lay eggs through it. The best way to do this is by planting arches of wire or tubing over your garden bed, and stretching the cover material over those arches– like a covered wagon. Netting has advantages over row cover: you can see and water through it and it’s more readily available. I’m curious what you, our dear readers, think of the idea? Mrs. Homegrown chimes in: I’ll add...

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Day to day, our decisions count

Mrs. Homegrown

April 30, 2015

Back to the Garden

6 Comments

...door. Some CSAs go beyond veggies and fruits to provide meat, fish, milk, eggs, bread, flowers, etc. It takes some getting used to being in a CSA, because you don’t get much choice in what you’re given week to week, so you and your family need to have a spirit of adventure to go forward with it. CSAs and farmers’ markets teach you many things, including: The amazing flavor of food which is both fresh and in-season. You could live your whole life...

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An Open Letter to Our Mammalian Friends

Mr. Homegrown

August 10, 2015

Animals, Gardening, Pests

13 Comments

...ountant will have to devise an elaborate amortization strategy to keep our eggs affordable. I’m also not cool with the daytime raids on the fig tree even if it entertains our indoor cats. To the rats of Los Angeles: avocados do not mature on the tree. This is probably why you take a single bite and allow them to fall to the ground. You’ll never get guacamole this way. And can you please not drop half-eaten grapes all over our patio furniture. Not...

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