Time For The New Crop To Be Planted

The ground is warming up and the garden area is begging to be planted.  It's nice to see that the buckets are in good shape and there will be very little work to have the planting are ready for new plants.

Time to get My Little Bucket Garden 

 My watering system works really well.  When we lacking in rain, I can water thru the tubes to hit the roots and not waste the precious water in unneeded areas.

Recently I saw this new idea on line and thought that it just may be perfect as a secondary watering system, for those really hot days when the temps are hitting the 100's. 

By leaving the top on the bottle, you will avoid loosing water thru evaporation.  Look at this as the perfect combination.  High tubes for catching rain and reaching roots.  The buried bottles for the slow release, again hitting the root area below the ground level.  When drilling holes in the bottle, make sure you keep them in the lower two thirds of the bottle to keep the moisture deep.  Less evaporation that way.

Not only are we working on a great watering system, but we are recycling also. 

Time to plant. 

Extended Weekend Home Care

      I left town for 5 days this week and I, live most of you, do things to prepare for  a quick little break like this.  I had some one who would put a little water on the garden if it didn't rain.  I had the cats (ferrell type for me) checked on and fed.  And I had a kid who hung out just to keep the home company.  So what did I forget?  Well - I never thought that I need someone on 'worm watch'.  Yep - I messed up here.

     It is not too difficult to explain.  I left town and the worms moved in.  Problem is, I could only find one lonely little worm and I can't imagine that there are not more.  Believe me when I say that this critter was not causing havoc on my garden before I left.

     Take a look here.

My before pic.

 And now for the current conditions -

not only did the stems and leaves get eaten, but the entire pepper, right up to the top.

All this damage by this one little worm.



I will save you the gross-ness and will not share any kind of image of what this guy looked like moments later.

    

Many of you will recognize this guy as a Tomato Hornworm or Tobacco Hornworm.  They seem to enjoy a variety of climates and a greater variety of plants, as my garden proves.  But do you know what this worm looks like when it is done with the worm body?  
Here you go 

 

I have been excited about the fun, large moths that have been landing on the screens at night.  I will no longer have the same feelings about this. 

     So look for this ugly worm on the underside of your garden leaves and I hope you catch them before your garden is a total loss.