3 August 2008
Aren’t We Done Yet?!
Posted by admin under: Uncategorized .
Author’s Note: Due to the overwhelming reader response (ok, 1 person expressed a preference), I’m changing where I put the captions. Each caption will now appear above the picture. Thanks!
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More garden pics! Yay!
I chose to plant bush beans instead of pole beans. Next year, I think I will borrow a technique from the Iroquois. They used to plant their corn, beans, and squash (known as the “Three Sisters”, click the link for a neat article about them at Nativetech.org) all together. The corn stalk served as a pole for the beans to climb, the beans put nitrogen in the soil for the corn to use, and the squash vines and leaves served as a groundcover, helping to keep moisture in the soil and prevent erosion. Pretty cool, huh? It makes me sad when I think of how much we could have learned from the Native Americans when the first Europeans came here, but instead they were killed off and forced off their land. A truly tragic chapter in our history.
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Here is my pride and joy: my quinoa plants!! Quinoa is a South American grain that is closely related to amaranth and lamb’s quarter (in fact, a gardener friend of mine very dolefully informed me the other day that my quinoa had been overtaken by weeds because she thought the quinoa plants were lamb’s quarter! I was so relieved she was wrong!). The Inca used quinoa extensively. Quinoa isn’t really a grain, because it didn’t derive from a grass. It is highly nutritous, and contains some amino acids that are usually only found in meats so it is great for vegetarians and Vegans.
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This is a close-up of some quinoa grains. They’re not ready to harvest until the leaves fall off. Quinoa grains are coated with a very bitter, waxy substance, so they need to be rinsed extensively before eating.
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These are some freaky beetles I found eating my plants. I knocked ‘em off and haven’t seen too many since. If anyone knows what they are, and how to control them without chemicals, I’d appreciate it if you let me know!
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Well, that’s all the pics for now. I will have more later, though!
One Comment so far...
Ashley Bigelow Says:
3 August 2008 at 4:58 pm.
I believe thoe freaky beetles you found are indeed “japanese beetles.” i do not, however, know how you get rid of them organically speaking. otherwise i know there’s powder you sprinkle and to get rid or them….or my neighbors have bags hanging up in their yards….and now that i’m thinking of it…i think my mom said my uncle knocks them off into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. hope that helps! 
