We had an Aphid Problem
Having a greenhouse means having new problems. We found little red aphids on the spinach plants that we were eating off of. We killed them as we picked the leaves. We put soap and water mixture on them, but we suspected the menthol in the soap (mint) damaged our plants, they looked spotted and tasted like mint. We learned not to spray edible leaves with insecticidal soap because you can’t wash it off, that’s why the light green spinach tasted funny.
The problem got more concerning when we found our tomato seedlings covered with aphids. First we killed the aphids all by hand by smashing them. We forgot about them bit, and they all came back. The second time they returned we killed all by hand and took the plants out of the greenhouse. When we put them back in, and we kept each plant separated and kept spot-checking them daily. When we put them in the ground about a week later, the problem seemed mostly resolved. We continue to check them and after 5 days they haven’t shown any sign of returning. We will continue to spot-check.
In the future to prevent or minimize this problem we will try putting lady bugs in the green house, possibly praying mantis, and be sure to spot-check everything. Also separation of plants, better airflow made for better airflow (fans?).
Week One
5/13-5/17
Tasks:
Planted: tomatoes, brussel sprouts, broccoli, egg plant
Sowed: bush beans, red noodle beans
Seed blocked: additional okra, cucurbits, pumpkins, zucchini, melons, gourds, squash
Potted-on: Peppers
Cultivated: raised beds, potatoes, onions, garlic, leeks, peas
Weeded: asparagus patch, berry patches with trimmer, rhubarb
Trimmed around the trees and beds
Mulched the trees
At Farm--
Plowed, tilled, planted strawberries
Put up low hoops and row cover over the strawberries
Cleared alfalfa, plowed, tilled, planted potatoes
Gathered honeysuckle into piles
Notes:
Beans: Remember to inoculate the beans! We forgot, we’re going to see what happens and probably plant again.
Watering: We now have the responsibility to water things at the farm, the strawberries and vines—and the trees when it gets more hot.
Greenhouse: Have to be watered every day morning and night, NOT during the day if the temperature is about approx. 90 degrees, especially the foliage. Also the greenhouse needs to be monitored throughout the day, and adjusted to the increasing temperatures (opening and closing windows/door, turning on the fan).
Water pump: The pump at the bottom of the hill is set up so now we can use the rain barrels at the top of the hill. We’re anticipating getting another (or a few?) large rain barrel.
Seed blocking: We need to create a sifter with a smaller grate so that our seed block mixture isn’t too grainy.