Chomping the calliandra

Can you count all the caterpillars and the hoverfly in this picture?

We planted pink powder puff calliandras to trail up the two patio support posts in our back yard. The one with the most new growth attracted tons of green caterpillars ... which quickly became big green caterpillars. None of them has gone into a cocoon yet. Once they get big the birds eat them. They are always replaced by new baby caterpillars.

I was picking the caterpillars off at first, because I did not want them to wreck my plant. But my mom -- who is a beneficial bug expert -- convinced me to let them do their thing. It's been fun for me and the kids to watch them get big ... and then become food for all the birdies in our yard.

 1 big greenie

1 little fuzzy

2 big greenies and a hoverfly

A Case of Gardener's Block

Temperatures have been lower, so the past few days I've been walking my backyard, sketching it, considering it, photographing it, considering it ... everything but DOING something in it.

I started a few seeds indoors for broccoli and lettuce, but my mental now-now-now push to plant a vegetable garden outside, well, it's been waking me up in the middle of the night.

Warning: "Before" photos ahead!

Former planned site for vegetable garden.
South-facing back fence, shed and
black cat Deuce (she says hi).

I thought I knew where I was going to put a huge lasagna mulch for the foundation of my vegetable garden. Now after studying it for a few days, it seems like that area is too shady. So am I going to cut down two trees or choose a new spot?

Something must be planted soon or I think I am going to miss this growing season.

Plus: Close to house. Irrigation ready.
Minus: Close to house. Not a large space. 

My other two potential vegetable garden sites are not as ideal; they would require more work (removal of gravel or pebbles) before mulching. But they do get a good deal more sun.



Plus: Well situated by shed.
Minus: A ton of gravel covers area.
Not a large space.



Suckers!

We just moved in to a home with 5 citrus trees and a peach tree. Now that I've had some time to look them over, it appears that I have three grapefruits, a peach and two big suckers!

These suckers -- which are defined in my "California Master Gardener Handbook" as rapidly growing, upright secondary vegetative shoots that develop from the root, crown or stem of a plant -- occurred when the trees' fruiting (grafted) stock was pruned off or died, and the rooting stock took over. It's not good.

This is my peach. The fruit is small (could use some thinning in the future) and it needs some pruning. But I think it may do all right.

This is my old granny yellow grapefruit. The poor thing has been underwatered for years and needs a ton of pruning. Fruit is OK.

Here is one of the suckers. Note the long shoots, lack of flowers and fruit, and spiky spines along the trunk.

Sucker #2. Long, leafy shoots. Again, no sign of fruit or flowers. Just lots of shoot.

And a close-up of a Sucker #2's "trunk," which is just a long shoot coming up from the base. Get a load of those spines!

Ahhh, this is nice to see. My second grapefruit -- don't yet know if it will be yellow or red flesh. But please note the thick trunk, evidence of fruit and outward (not just upward) growth.

Thankfully, I also have this wonderful and delicious ruby red grapefruit (at left and above left) that is doing fine.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Now that I have identified the suckers, they are on the pull-out list.

They will never grow fruit!

I need contributors, not suckers! I'm thinking an orange, a lemon and a lime, for starters. Any suggestions for good desert varieties?

Flailing

We lost our camera at the park during Fourth of July fireworks (which were spectacular).

Timing could not be worse. I want to take pictures of everything right as we are moving in, to get all the "pre" photos.

A new camera is not affordable right now, so I am going to have to come up with something! 

On a plateau

I can't say much more about this, but for the last few weeks we've been on the verge of a big change in our lives.

Unfortunately, it's the type of thing that is putting everything else in my life on hold (or simple maintenance). Any of the energy I'd normally gear toward starting new projects, blogging, researching or thinking of new challenges has been diverted to this change.

I wonder if this is the most common reason that many people who would like to live more sustainably end up putting it off. They are waiting for a more opportune time?

That's where I find myself now: on a plateau. I've made some progress on the Way of the Green, but am currently unable to make a move due to outside forces.

Do you feel an ebb and flow in your ability to move toward sustainability?

"But what about ______? I need paper towels for that."

OK, in response to my earlier Paper towels: Not necessary post, a few people have asked about two potential paper towel must-haves. I think I have an answer for both:

1. Bacon (or other greasy foods). How to cope with food items that require blotting? Or are cooked in the microwave inside paper towels?

Answer: Have a very large white cotton cloth that is for food-oil blotting only. Cook bacon
-- or fry tortillas or fries or tofu -- on the stove in a pan (natch). Then lay out your special cloth on the counter or fold on a plate, and blot the grease the same way you would with paper towels. Hand wash the cloth afterward with a degreasing soap like Dr. Bronner's. It's definitely more work, but you're no longer wasting 10 paper towels to make breakfast.

2. Disgusting messes such as a squished bug or cat barf (or worse). If you've given up paper towels, how do you clean up the occasional extremely gross thing? You would never want to use the cloth again.

Answer: Collect and store thin pieces of cardboard or subscription coupons that fall out of magazines to deal with solid messes. Slide the cardboard piece underneath slowly, then lift. Place on compost pile (if applicable) or throw out. For less solid messes, rip or cut off a piece of your oldest, yuckiest rag to clean up the gooeyness, then throw it on your compost pile (if you've got one) or throw out.

Also, a way to get yourself jump-started without paper towels is to put one of your nice cloths where the paper towels used to be. Just hang it right on the holder. I'm thinking of sewing together the ends of a couple of my best cloths so that they'll be like one of those rolling towels you sometimes see in public restrooms.

Note: I am a cold-turkey, out-of-sight-out-of-mind person, so I don't even keep paper towels in the house anymore -- I would end up using them all the time again! But I could totally see a more strong-willed person being able to have a roll or two around for oil-blotting or super-yuck stuff.

You old meanie

The beastie making holes in my tomatoes is the cabbage looper worm. Here is a photo of one of the suckers. I have found and squished about 10 so far this season. And destroyed 3 cocoon thingies I found under curled leaves.

Friends at mygreenriverside.com helped me identify the culprit and have said I can treat them with a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis), a natural remedy.

Funny thing is, they are really only attacking one of my tomato plants. I have two varieties. Additionally, the susceptible variety is the one that's not producing any tomatoes. Think I may just uproot the affected one and give all my love to the resistant one. It's a no-brainer.

Backsliding

Today, I just threw all the wet, clean towels from the July Fourth holiday right in the dryer.

Bought a bunch of fruit and vegetables today and didn't even look at where it was from.

Dreading the diaper experiment.

Still cleaning with vinegar and baking soda though! And heard of a new way to make dishwasher soap. Two teaspoons borax and two teaspoons baking soda. Hope springs eternal!

This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy ...

I feel like Clark Griswold from "National Lampoon's Vacation" did as he clapped his hands together right before diving in the pool (skinny dipping).

I just had a wonderful (awful) idea.

After watching a YouTube video of a baby dancing in his diapers, I remembered that at one time I'd wanted to diaper my children in cloth. The hopeful plan soon fell by the wayside--it didn't quite stand up to the reality of an infant's 10 to 12 changes a day.

Reminded of this good intention gone awry, I thought, "Well, it's too late now."

But wait a second. This is called NeverTooLateToGreen, right?

You see where I am going here ...

My daughter Charlotte--17 months--still wears diapers. And though she occasionally uses the potty, she generally goes through 3 to 4 diapers a day.

The challenge: Once the diapers I have are used up (maybe about 25 left) we are going cloth! For real this time.

Foul creatures ...

Looking for a green way to rid my container garden of pests.

At this point, my strategy consists of looking for the buggers (but not finding them) and shaking the plants so insects fall off of them.

My tomatoes are getting bitten up by an unseen foe. Help me!