Troubleshooting

Below are links to articles posted in Troubleshooting.

Caterpillars on a Pine Tree

The other day, well, almost 4 weeks ago (we’ve got a new baby, and so I’ve been too busy to blog), on my way to the hospital to see said baby I noticed large clumps of something on my Tanyosho pine. The pine hadn’t been looking too hot this Spring but I hadn’t looked too [...]

How to Stake a Tree

Short answer, don’t. Most trees that are staked do not need to be. In fact I would venture that most trees you, the individual homeowner, plant do not need to be staked. Yes, any tree small enough to be handled by one person really doesn’t need to be staked. Trees only need to be staked [...]

How to Protect Plants from Frost, and Building Microclimates

So, bad knews. I thought last weekend was the end. I allowed myself to say “Wow, no late frosts this year, awesome!” Boy was that stupid. Now, tonight, they’re predicting a late frost.
I bought some hardy kiwi vines in 2004 and they have grown quite a bit. Had I known in advance I would have [...]

Using Pressure Treated Lumber in Raised Garden Beds

Short Answer: Yes, it is safe. Long Answer: Read On…

I am a man of science. I don’t believe in anecdotes, and having an analytical mind and having been exposed to rigorous scientific study in college when I was a research assistant in a lab, as well as of course the academic work in college, I’ve [...]

Opossum on the Porch, Compost Eating Critter

No picture with this post, this is probably the first post I’ve done ever without a picture, for some reason I didn’t think about it last night.
So, last night I made some skillet apples, and as I do normally I got out a brown paper bag to put all the scraps into for taking out [...]

Pear Tree Down

So, a couple weeks ago (I’ve been so busy it has taken me this long to blog about it) I woke up to a sight… my pear tree was missing it’s trunk.
Planted in 2003 this tree was getting fairly large, and bore a good deal of fruit this year. It was around 7 feet when [...]

Bean Leef Beetle Damage

I can’t catch a break with my bean plants. Earlier in the year it was slugs, which I handily dispatched with a cold beer. This time however, I have bean leaf beetles, and the solution is not so simple.

I know I have bean leaf beetles because instead of having large holes, I have many many [...]

Zucchini Plants Dying from Squash Vine Borer

So, I tossed two of my zucchini plants in my compost tumbler yesterday, when pulling them up I didn’t need to uproot them, the squash borers had basically destroyed the main stem to the point that the top of the plant was hardly connected to the roots at all.
I knew it was squash borer [...]

Beer, Beans, and Slugs

Due to the rising cost of food I’ve been adding a lot more edibles to my garden this year, and am growing some for the first time, including, bush green beans.
Having never grown green beans before I did not know what to make of damage that was all but killing my young sprouts. The leaves [...]

Perennial Lettuce?

It has been so nice getting out and gardening this past week now that weather has finally warmed up. You do not realize how much joy, or the sense of peace, it gives you until you get to flip that switch from being stuck inside to being able to go out.
Anyways, in inspecting my [...]

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