Garden Redux

Now that Labor Day has come and passed, I believe a briefing on garden progress is due. I've heard that some neighbors are unhappy about my growing compost pile, fearing that it will attract "rats." These unnamed people can suck an egg, to use the parlance of not our time. I assume the complaintants to be of the yuppie variety, fearing any and all rodentia even as they munch their organic vegetation. How the fuck do you think "organic" food comes to be? These unnamed hypocrites, fearing that their overleveraged finances will be dealt a fatal blow as their house value crumbles in a rodent fueled sell off, might benefit from a few moments of carefully reasoned thought. Compost does not attract rodents. It is not a garbage pile. No meat, oil, or other odoriferous scraps find their way into my pile. Last I checked, rats weren't eating corn husks, bell peppers seeds, or banana peels. No, they are too busy sneering at me for spraying my broccoli and kale and foregoing the sanctifying and unassailable good that is organic vegetation.

To the spraying. My hopes for a fall crop have been meeting my expectations. Broccoli and kale seem to be thriving and the last of my summer vegetables, green peppers, jalapenos, and cucumbers, continue to bear fruit.

Hello bell pepper.

Kale: king of greens

Despite their rich appearance, the kale and broccoli plants have been under siege. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed that leaf matter was disappearing at an alarming rate. Up until this point, I had not run into any cultiavtional issues. Having a garden was basically a matter of pulling out anything I didn't want (weeds) and watering what was supposed to stick around.

What was an inexperienced gardener to do? At first, I basically ignored the problem. As it grew, I blamed my neighbors outdoor cat. Cats like broccoli, no? Last weekend, I finally investigated the matter more fully and quickly realized the issue: broccoli caterpillar infestation.

These green caterpillars were literally all over my plants, leaving their mark in the form of mini poops and dissappearing greenery. More than that, my garden had become a haven for white butterfly, stage two of these ravenous creatures. Recognizing the problem, I purchased some sort of sulfur-based spray and seem to have vanquished my well camouflaged foe.

With luck, the broccoli and kale will be joined by recently planted beet and carrots for a fall harvest. Beets apparently can withstand a frost. I'm somewhat skeptical, given that their greens are delicate and succulent. Nevertheless, the beets continue to grow, coaxed forth by the warm sun and with nary a care in the world.