November 16, 2011
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Author Archives: nathan
Friends or Foes?
Which of the following are friends (beneficial insects) and which are foes (pests – destructive or otherwise problematic insects) to have in the garden (Central Florida, to be specific)? Can you help me name these and determine what to do with them, if anything?
[Update: thanks to Lyle J Buss at the University of Florida's Insect Identification Laboratory, I've got ID's for all but #4!]
1. Aphids (pest). I already sprayed this plant once with insecticidal soap because there were so many. Luckily the lady bugs / lady beetles have started to move in now.
2. Long legged fly (beneficial)
3. Fire ant (pest). I’m putting this guy as a pest because he and his buddies have been shepherding aphids in my garden.
4. Unknown fly
5. Unknown fly Fruit fly, family Tephritidae
6. Unknown fly or wasp A parasitic wasp, probably Braconidae
7. Unknown insect Springtails, Order Collembola
8. Unknown insect Probably a seed bug, family Lygaeidae
Edamame (edible soybean) harvest
Last night I harvested my one edamame plant from this spring gardening season. This is the first time I’ve planted edible soybeans, and I’m very happy with the results. It was not a fussy plant, did well in my poor soil, and had pretty little purple flowers. It did get attacked by what I think were thrips, though I don’t know how much they affected its productivity. These photos show the harvest from one plant. I love that all of this came from one seed!
Harvest May 18, 2011
Little bugs doing damage to the underside of my soybean leaves
I swear the bugs know it’s May and just love to come out this month. I’m not sure if these are thrips. Can anyone tell by this photo? There’s damage on the undersides of my soybean leaves. How much of a problem is this? I’m trying to go as organic as possible. If I do need to get rid of them, what techniques have you had the most success with here in Florida?
Summer crookneck yellow squash with blossom
They say this is when you should harvest crookneck yellow squash, before the skin gets too thick, at about 3″ to 5″ depending on the variety. Pick early and often and you’ll get a bigger harvest. Here’s a pic of one with the blossom still attached. I picked three like this from the garden this morning, ate two of them raw. Tasty!
Passion flower (passiflora)
What’s growing in my Central Florida garden in April
Tomatoes (cherry and solar fire), peppers, pole beans, soy beans, peas (doing ok so far, wando is a heat resistant var), cucumbers, squash, marigolds, vitamin greens (tatsoi), basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, mint, oregano.
Starting from seed now: moringa, chamomile, more tomatoes and peppers, night jasmine.
May in the Garden Brings Bounty and Bugs
Yesterday's Harvest
Yesterday morning I spent about an hour in the community garden, harvesting some green beans, cherry tomatoes, basil, and dill, and weeding and watering the three 5′ x 40′ plots. As summer begins to settle on Central Florida, everything both good and bad begins to grow like crazy.
Cherry Tomatoes
Kentucky Blue Pole Beans
The cherry tomatoes and pole beans have been our best producers by far, and though we have had some problems with tomato fruit worms in the past month or so, the bug situation hasn’t really picked up until now. I’m seeing all sorts of interesting things going on, mostly on the tomato plants. I have heard that Florida is “tomato hell”…
Caterpillar Leaf Damage
Caterpillar on a Tomato Leaf
Whose Poop is This?
Leaf Damage
I’m not sure what the above leaf damage is from, nor what I’m looking at below, although they look like they might be red aphids?
What bug is this?
Bugs aren’t the only thing in the garden, however – there are some glorious flowers! The only thing I would do differently with these is plant them earlier in the season, both for the enjoyment and for the magnetic effect they have on bringing beneficial bugs into the garden.
Zinnia
Cosmos
Sunflower
Burgundy Sunflower
I even heard, and then saw, a majestic pileated woodpecker yesterday morning, chilling at the top of a dead tree:
Pileated Woodpecker
Robby Fights the World
Joel’s first published book is now available on Amazon.com! We are super excited for him. Here’s an excerpt from the back cover copy:
Robby Meyers has spent his entire life in the shadow of his talented, athletic older brothers. He’s never quite measured up, being small for his age and prone to shooting off his mouth. Not surprisingly, Robby dreads the start of high school, with its inevitable crowd of bullies and awkward attempts at romance. So when Robby’s family relocates to South Florida after his father’s death, he finds himself alone and friendless… until he meets Danny Ramerez.
Check out robbyfightstheworld.com to download the prologue and join the fan club to help spread the word! Joel is an incredibly talented and passionate author whose work deserves to be read.