Of Pine Straw and Pesticides

Sitting outside on a balmy June night with a glass of wine, the sky not quite dark even at 9:00 pm, makes me love summer all over again as an adult.  It's nice to know that some things are always wonderful.

I helped a friend with her yard sale this morning, so I didn't get to my gardening tasks until afternoon - it was an overcast, sticky day, but the clouds made it perfect weather for applying the pesticide that I bought.  My favorite downtown Matthews hardware store has a limited supply of organic fertilizers and pesticides, but its selection still far exceeds a chain hardware store.  At first I was convinced that mixing my own insecticide would be far superior (and safer) than buying one already bottled, but The Garden Primer urged buying.  So, pleased with the ease of this option, I picked up a bottle of Earth-tone Insecticidal Soap and doused my plants in it.  

My sweet potatoes, especially, are being eaten up.  Though they are low to the ground and could be falling victim to slugs (despite my regularly-baited and successful beer traps), something else is clearly eating the tomatillo plants - they have teeny tiny holes even in the upper leaves, and I saw a white fly today.  I would have expected a swarm based on the damage.  I have no idea how effective this method will be, so I'll simply have to wait and see if the munching tapers off.  I might revert to making my own if I need to apply it regularly so that it won't be cost-prohibitive.  A $10 bottle is half-gone after my first application!

While at Renfrow's Hardware, I asked an opinion about my poor yellow zucchini plants, and I received an answer I hadn't expected: chelated iron.  Of course, I googled it.  This website gives a great explanation of iron chlorosis: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/iron-chelate-yellow-leaves-26730.html.  Apparently iron chlorosis is often found in alkaline soils.  Bingo!  Though the chelated iron that the store had in stock was not, in fact, organic, I was quickly able to find an organic version online and place an order.  I'm hoping that next week will find my plants back on their way to a deep, delicious green!

I also found out this weekend that the trunk of my Ford Taurus will hold exactly four bales of pine straw, which enabled me to mulch the new back bed in front of the potatoes and still have enough left over to freshen up the rose bed and the area behind the garden.  I was going to add a bit about mulch selection here, but my selection came down to what is not chemically treated (dyed mulches) and what is readily available, which is likely the case for many suburban gardeners, so I'll leave it at that.  

Lastly, the cherry tomato plants and basil that I've been growing for my sister made it to Alabama with my parents this weekend.  Their "baby picture" is on the left - they are several feet tall and have little green tomatoes on them now!  My sister said they she is going to let me start her garden every year from now on, and that's a vote of confidence, if I ever heard one!