Over 30 years ago, three native ladybug species, the 9-spotted, the 2-spotted, and the transverse ladybug, were very common across Eastern North America. But, starting in the late 1980s, their numbers began to decline. In fact, the 9-spotted ladybug, New York’s state insect, hadn’t been spotted in the state in well over 20 years! One of the most common ladybug species in the Northeastern U.S. had seemingly vanished, only to be found in sparse populations in parts of the Mid-West.
READ MORE » about Lost ladybugs
Harvesting garlic scapes? Blend them into this garlic scape pesto recipe
In late spring, when the delightfully loopy garlic scapes appear between the leaves of my fall-planted garlic, I know it’s almost garlic scape pesto season. This bonus, flavorful harvest can be used in a variety of ways, but blending the scapes into pesto is my favorite way to preserve them.
READ MORE » about Harvesting garlic scapes? Blend them into this garlic scape pesto recipe
How to build a wormbin
Worms are decomposers with the ability to turn trash into treasure. Though worms are present in most compost piles, creating a wormbin is an excellent way to use these powerful critters to break down organic wastes and make usable compost fairly quickly. The process is called vermicomposting, and it doesn’t have to be a complicated affair, nor does it have to cost a lot. Whether you use a wormbin or compost pile to recycle kitchen and yard waste, worms can help.
READ MORE » about How to build a wormbin
How to harden off seedlings
The first year I started my own seeds indoors, I planted around ten flats of annual flowers and vegetables, growing them on top of my mother’s dining room table (sorry mom!). I was sixteen years old and a fairly novice gardener. When the April showers finally cleared and the bright spring sun came out, I had the brilliant idea of taking those plants – whose only light source had been a modest west-facing window – and moving them outdoors to give them a dose of early May sunshine. Oops! Within an hour, every single plant was fried and I had no idea what I had done wrong. I obviously needed a lesson in how to harden off seedlings.
Good carrots gone wrong
It’s a common tale. A bed of carrots is seeded, they sprout and start to grow, and a harvest of crisp roots beckons in a few short months. Yet, when it comes time to dig the crop, it’s discovered that some of the carrots have forked, developing multiple roots. The multi-rooted carrots may look a little funny and are harder to clean, but forking doesn’t affect the flavour. So, what causes carrots to fork?
READ MORE » about Good carrots gone wrong
Attracting more bees and pollinators: 6 ways to help our native insects
The worth of pollinators is undeniable. Each year, more than $20 billion dollars of food crops come to fruition across North America because of creatures far smaller than the coin in your pocket. That’s a lot of weight on those tiny shoulders. And unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you know about the troubles facing European honeybee populations. So, with European honeybee numbers at risk and pollination rates dropping, attracting more bees and pollinators is more important than ever. But, what’s a gardener to do? Well, helping native bees is a good place to start.
READ MORE » about Attracting more bees and pollinators: 6 ways to help our native insects
