Disaster Averted!

I forgot, not for the first time, about cutworms. They are the scourge of sprouting seeds and seedlings. How could I? How many times have we had a seed germination "fail' only to discover they had been cut off just below the ground? Uh, duh!

This time it was okra. At first I declared it was my saved seed. Then, looking closely, there was the amputated stem of a seedling. Then another. Digging, I found more. Curses!

Pre-emptive strike includes wood ashes or diatomaceous earth (DE) dug into and sprinkled on the seed bed. Sow the seeds and put tiny twigs, three or four, around the seed before covering with soil. Look for them when digging the bed. The are 1/2 inch long, brown little caterpillar looking critters. Smush with your fingers. 

I sowed generously because they were saved seed and I had not tested for germination rate. Good thing. There were enough survivors to fill in to make for a good crop. And yes, I stuck in twigs to thwart the cutworms. This evening I'll sprinkle the whole area with DE. 

Okra seeds anyone? The germination rate is fine.

itty bitty sticks all around seedlings...it's organic...it's a pain...wood ash and diatomaceous earth work too...

Potato Time!

Along about mid-May here in Southeastern NC, in the great state of Robeson, we begin poaching potatoes. It is fun until harvest time and one is perplexed by the paucity of tubers. No matter. I will do it today and add them to a pot of green beans for one of my favorite vegetable combos. Another local combo is cabbage and potatoes. Our cabbage is not quite ready for harvest but is forming heads. These dishes friends, you will never find in a restaurant, not even the ones that declare themselves to be Southern. But, these regional combos are as Southern as Southern gets. Beware. They both involve bacon. You may leave out the bacon but it's just not the same. I add, not much, just enough to season the pot and enjoy!

Ciao bella!

2017 Garlic Harvest

By way of explanation, I had a crop failure one year and have over planted garlic every year since. Not necessarily a bad thing. But golly, eighty means I'm gonna have to step up my garlic salt game and maybe make more roasted garlic this year.
Green beans are starting to come off. If they follow the Bell Curve Principle, which most summer vegetables do, we will be canning them and giving them away soon.
Last night's dinner was a combo of spring vegetables cooked into a yummy stir fry. We have reached the who-needs-meat stage of late spring/early summer already.
Let the good times roll...

All but the mushrooms were home grown! Never did I think this would happen when I started.