I found something great to keep bugs away. It is just great, I have been giving it to Buddy to keep away fleas. It is called Diatomaceous Earth www.earthworkshealth.com It is good for their joi9nts skin and hair. You can dust it on your plants and it will not harm anything, in fact it is good for the soil. You can cust your lawn with it and you can also use it for sore joints, lower cholesterol and blood pressure.plus much much more. . I got 10 pounds, it was only 14.00 and the shipping was 14.60. But all in all it is well worth it. I would spend more then that getting Buddy junk for fleas

Hope this is helpful.

Myrna

I think your tomatoes look great! Some farmers here have really babied theirs along and we are starting to see some. Sunshine can be a real challenge here - the lack of it!

It almost seems like summer comes and goes. Today was nice and I got back to my weeding. I even got to wear shorts! Today, I'll admit I broke a sweat. Wow! Maybe I am getting adjusted to the cooler weather.

I will admit this part of the country is wonderful for fabulous peaches, cherries, blueberries, and lots more. You can pick blackberries alongside roads as they are everywhere and are considered a nuisance. So much so that people earn a living eradicating them for people. It is really difficult to really, finally, once and for all, get rid of them.

In my weeding today, I found more slugs so I'll put bait out again. Since I feed the birds I get stuff that you can use around animals. It is a constant battle.

The rufous hummingbirds are here now. They are really bossy and want the other birds to stay away. Of course, I feed them all. It's funny to see them confront much larger birds. They are fearless.

I have not noticed any more aphids. I had seen some ladybugs arrive so I was hoping they were going to bring their friends and get fat!

It's been so cool and wet that I am still struggling with leaf spot, too. And the spider mites are still here, too, so I will have to do some more discouraging.

You know, in Florida we do not have a garden in the summer because it is too hot. We have winter and spring gardens.

The season here in the Northwest is sometimes so short, the crops don't ripen. That can happen to tomatoes sometimes. And the corn is still growing taller for a while yet.

The fruit here is the best. You just can't get it in the grocery store like you can at roadside stands and farmers markets.

I am hoping for a little more sunshine this summer. It has sure been intermittent. I've never seen my skin this white in my whole entire life! LOL

How are you and your gardens holding up in the heat?

Cheryl

Wow, that garlic sounds like a good one to try. Do you think it might work on aphids and spider mites? I'd sure be interested in that, too.

I'd have to try the bulb garlic.

I don't think I can completely get rid of the slugs. This is their hometown, I think. I've made a lot of progress. I started out putting out several small containers of beer a couple of years ago. That put a real dent in the population. I had 3 containers out and got at least a dozen in each container every morning. I just got tired of the mess.

I am planning on going to the Slug Festival next year. I figure I need to learn more about them to keep up. LOL

It was a lovely day today. I hope to get over to my mother-in-law's tomorrow to finish one small place I haven't weeded yet and just touch up the rest so it shouldn't take long. Then I'll be back working at our place. Still more weeds to go. Getting the upper hand is in sight!!

I know you are busy with outside work, too, Roger. I enjoy that kind of work.

I've got some plants inside, too, and have to be careful they don't take over. I've got spider plants, episcias, a couple of African violets, some Calatheas and some Aglaenemas (sp?). I have a couple of Christmas cactus, too. My problem is that somehow I just seem to have some cuttings, etc., and I put them in another pot and then things just go from there.

I do enjoy them and sometimes one of the cats enjoys them just a little too much.

Take care,

Cheryl

These last 2 years have been different for in gardening. Last year I just gave up it was so dye.

This year it started off wonderful, my garden was just bursting with everything. I had so much lettuce I ddin't know what to do with it. It was so good and tender. My onion are just great. The lima beans didn't produce much, but we have gotten low humidity that everything just started to dry up. I have been watering my tomatoes, but they are hard with out much taste, the zucchini is drying up even watering it every day. I have an eggplant that just has gotten a blossom hopefully that will make it. My Stevia plant and parsley are doing well too. It is a better year then last year, I am thankful for what I have gotten. Forgot to mention Red beets, I got 6 pints which was very low, but I had them to close to the lima beans. Better luck next year.

I would like to plant.some more lettuce and spinach later, if we get rain, to see if I could get a fall crop of that.

Here is a picture of it, I took it from my deck, not the best, but idea of what it looked like.

I planted onions the whole way around the garden to keep out the rabbits. It worked, didn't lose any green beans this year.