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The spotted lanternfly is invading Washington State. No, it is not that cute little firefly we read about in stories of the Northeastern part of the US. This insect is a serious pest on grapes, hops, fruit trees, ornamental’s and other important agricultural crops. When closed the grey, black spotted forewing’s hide the red hindwing. The abdomen is yellow and black and the adult is about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. The adults can be seen in July and begin laying eggs in September-October. The Spotted Lanternfly is especial...
When I was a little girl the boys chased me with earthworms. I hated them, the boys too! I learned to tolerate then appreciate them and the boys. I have since learned more about both. I will share what I know about worms only! The study of vermiculture or the growing of worms has been a method of improving soil condition for centuries and has become an important science in agriculture today. There is a distinction between worms used for “worm boxes” and those that find their way into the compost pile. Red wigglers are the...
The lavender harvest is usually around the middle of July. Before then, to find yourself in a French Provincial Paradise of fragrance, a trip to lavender fields in Spokane County is a treat for your eyes and your olfactory. Look online for lavender growers. Though we are on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, lavender is happy in our semi-arid part of the world. Lavender is especially suited to dry, well-drained soils. Its benefits to our gardens are many. Pollinators love them; they are disease, deer and fire-resistant....
Together with my friends in the rainbow, we embrace the world. Yellow colors the world with light and warmth, blue manages the skies and the seas, red moves nations’ lifeblood, purple uplifts mountains and royalty, and orange colors the mornings and evenings with joy. I am Green. It is my responsibility to coordinate blue and yellow. I promote growth: Growth in the earth and also in the womb. I am mother: I cradle generations. I am teacher: I teach patience. I am friend: I practice trust. I come in many shades, this Green tha...
Even though the neighbors line up to take pictures of your impeccably weed-free, absolutely straight rows of vegetables and Better Homes and Gardens has made an appointment to feature your garden in their next issue, or NOT! The reality may be pumpkin vines strangling anything that dares venture on the pathways, zucchinis the size of small children hiding under its giant leaves and tomato plants totally out of control; all is well. Try not to worry about rows of carrots you didn’t thin and as my grandpa used to say, ...
My sister makes the best raspberry pie. She says the ticket to growing healthy berries is to start with new plants. Raspberries are not fussy about soil pH and seem happy with Spokane County gardens' soils. Prepare the soil with a balanced fertilizer and organic amendments early in the spring, then plant bare-root raspberry canes about two feet apart. Raspberries grow a long time. I planted some when my baby was two and they produced until he graduated from high school. A raspberry's first-year growth, the primocane, is...
My green babies are ready to go outside. The soil temperature is nearly 55 degrees and there is no snow on Mt. Spokane. My new irrigation system with drip lines is set up; importantly, I have a new tube of sunscreen. I’ll get a new hat and gloves next week. Since my dear little green ones have never tasted outside air or natural sunshine, I will have to ease them into the real world. After bringing them all back inside the first night, I rigged up vinyl tablecloths to cover them. I didn’t sleep all night, worrying they wou...
This is Lilac Loving time. We have been waiting a year for it and it is finally here. The hardy varieties that came with the pioneers have adapted especially well in Spokane County. Many cultivars are also showcased in gardens in our area. I have a white one called Pocahontas. It is an adorable double-flowered variety that looks like a cloud when it is flowering. There is also a variety introduced by the Spokane Lilac Society in 2005 called Spokane. It is a large shrub with...
There is much talk among Spokane County gardeners about raised beds. I’m not referring to the bunk beds your kids and grand kids jumped from but the intentionally framed structures surrounding an ample amount of soil. However, the recycled kid’s bed is a possibility for very short or very tall gardeners. The whole idea of raised beds is to eliminate a degree of back and knee pain. Also, the elevated growing surface is usually a happy place for plants. At my house, where rocks and clay seem to be the prominent feature in my so...
If you belong to the DIYG’s “Do it Yourself Gardeners,” temptations at nurseries and garden centers are endless. I find the tool isle especially intriguing. Glittering steel rakes and battery-powered diggers and weeders, Ah, the joy of it all. However, my tool belt includes a good quality hand pruner, pocket-size fold-up saw, a strong weed prong, rubber hose washers, and a flathead and Phillips screwdriver (for hose and irrigation line repair). It also includes a small jar of *Vick’s Vapor Rub to repel biting insects...
Again, I found myself at the grocery store with a bad attitude. Are you kidding me? I fumed at the produce manager—$3.00 for a green pepper? I stomped out of the vegetable section, bought some packets of seeds and left the store in a huff. I stopped at the hardware store and purchased some “Soil for Seed Starting.” Visions of colorful jars of canned veggies danced in my head all the way home. I had saved stacks of plastic cups and poked three holes in the bottom of each one. To insure there were no contaminants in my recyc...
All you windowsill gardeners, container, raised bed, and in-ground gardeners too, by now you have probably named most of your plants. Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and their friend Parsley, Tomato, Pepper, Zucchini. Black-eyed Susan, Daisy and Cosmos all are showing off their grown up leaves. These nick-names for plants are great but when you are trying to find out more about their specific cultures it is good to understand their Latin names as well. It really isn't hard to do as ther...
The perfectly round enormous moon rose higher and higher in the September night sky. Above the leafy maples and lofty pines it evaded the wispy nocturnal clouds. The earth below was transformed by the moonlight and the landscape morphed into unfamiliar visions. On its journey across the sky it painted the branches and tree trunks with silver. Towering shadows of wide dark stripes fell across the ground. The grasses and foliage it washed with soft grayness. Waterfalls and rock pathways sparkled in the wake of its light....
