For instance, there are these ugly little insects eating the aphids. Will they do anything to the tree after they're done with the smorgasbord? Stay tuned, and if I notice anything I'm sure I'll let you know.
Then there are these lovely lady bugs. It's fun to go out and see them doing the useful job they do just by eating! I know they're not going to do any damage, so I welcome them. They seem to be out in the morning and gone soon after.
And this very welcome creature. These three insect varieties are really working wonders! The aphids really seem to be disappearing, and it's interesting to watch, to use as a science lab for the kids, and to photograph! So, I guess it's been a blessing in some way.
Here are the onions as of a week ago. Did I plant them too shallow? Are they ok sticking out of the ground so far? They've grown a lot since this pic and stick up even farther now.
Baby spinach!
Baby pea pods, even baby plants are darling! All squeaky clean with no blemishes!
Wild raspberries will soon be ripening in our yard. It seems that things in general are slower in our yard than many other places. I've seen a lot of ripe berries other places. I've also heard that the blueberries are already ready, so if you want to pick I guess it's time. What a great year for it too, no bugs!!
The apples are really growing fast now.
And, I've got blossoms of the tomato plants! Yay!I guess that's about it for now. I have to go and provide taxi service to all my kids. Yesterday I locked the keys in the van at Holiday, and had to walk all over town, then borrow a car and drive home then back to town to get the van...BIG fiasco! A 2 hour trip to town became a 4 hour trip. I got nothing done and so here I am, ready to do it all again minus the keys locked in the car.
schedule:
9:00 leave home
9:30 drop little girls at Bible school
10:50 pick eldest up from friends house
11:00 drop eldest 2 off at swimming lessons
12:00 pick up all the kids from various activities (at different places at the same time) Ok, the big kids might not be thrilled with how long they will have to wait for me. I, on the other hand, will be kid free for 50 whole minutes!! ;)
Here's a tip that was shared with me years ago for getting nice, big onions. When you can see the round bulb showing up above the soil, take your fingers and clear the dirt away from the bulb all the way around, digging down into the earth a little. (No worry, they will continue to grow as long as the roots on the very bottom are buried.) They will continue to grow bigger and bigger almost seeming to pop right out of the soil!
ReplyDeleteThat 3rd pic looks like a hornet! You might look for "Bonide Orchard Spray" it's a brand name that contains Neem Oil. Those apples look great! My onions came out a bit too at the end, are your onions necks wide or is that a close up picture? Mine looked like that right before they bolted and sent up a flower stalk - but alot depends on the variety and you and I are zones apart in what we grow LOL! Congrats on those tomato blossoms, I know that is a big deal up there, way to go! I LOVE LOVE the fact that you can just walk around town to find a car to borrow to get home - speaks volumes about life outside the city! Enjoy your 50 minutes of kid free time, if you are like me, you will zone out for awhile thinking about what you could do and by the time you think of something.... TIME'S UP! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the onion tip, Mama Pea. I'll try that, and I'm glad to know that they're fine.
ReplyDeleteErin- I did enlarge that onion photo, so they're probably fine - I think. And, you were absolutely right about how my 50 minutes would go! I ran into the clothing store my sister works at to say hi, and ... well, when I checked the time I only had 15 minutes to pick up groceries and get the kids! :)
And, yes, small town life is SO great! I forget that it's not like that for everyone. Thanks for the reminder. That would be a great blog topic all it's own! :) I hope you and your family get here soon to enjoy some of this!
...Boundary Waters in Michigan?! ;) LOVE it!