Mandy’s garden is really beginning to take shape. The front planter is brimming with rosemary, cabbage and bok choy among others while her rosemary transplants are surviving. (Sometimes, that’s all we can ask!) She’s been busy adding herbs to her walkway as well, tucking them in between the Vs of each paver–which stopped me in my merry photo shoot tracks.
AGH–you put them where? I stared at them in alarm, then I turned to face her. Bright-eyed and proud, she stood awaiting my reply. How was I going to break this gently? I mean, disappointing enthusiastic gardeners was not on the top of my list of things to do. But she had to be told.
“Um, Mandy…these oregano are going to spread quite wide and far and–”
“Oh, I know!” she chirped (she’s very happy that way). “But those radish will clear out pretty quickly so I’m planning on having the oregano fill in the space.”
I smiled. Well I do like a knowledgable garden gal! She’d already planned for near catastrophe–or more specifically–how to avoid it. “Perfect,” I replied and resumed the business of snapping pictures.
Not only does she have oregano in place, but parsley, thyme, chives, basil–the works! And while some of these will grow to be a tad crowded, it’s nothing she can’t manage with a little clipping. Besides, this woman plans to USE these herbs, not just gaze at them in admiration!
But we did notice a wee bit of a bug problem with the cabbage. Seems someone is chewing holes in her leaves. Solution?
Follow your nose! And the stinkier the better when it comes to organic pest control. By that I mean garlic, coffee, compost, manure, mint…really depends on what beast you’re after for which method you choose. Check the Garden Elements section of my website for full details, but with some experimenting on Mandy’s part, I’m sure she’ll find just the right concoction to rid her garden of pests. Let’s hope for some windy days ahead, too. Will help minimize the front porch stench.
No worries! We’d rather be temporarily inconvenienced by the all-natural aromas than permanently poisoned by toxic alternatives. 🙂
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