Nectarine Blossom, 2008
Gardener’s , like everyone else, live second by second and minute by minute. What we see at one particular moment is then and there before us. But there is a second way of seeing. Seeing with the eye of memory, not the eye of our anatomy, calls up days and seasons past and years gone by.
~ Allen Lacy, The Gardener’s Eye, 1992
I have long been an organic, farmer’s market kind of girl. (Coming of age in Humboldt County will do this to the enviro-minded.) While some might argue that certain fruits or veggies are not likely to contain pesticide residues (while others are more likely to have residues), my work as a water quality engineer has shown me that even if the produce we end up eating is relatively pesticide free (and that is not the case for all crops), our creeks and farm workers are nonetheless exposed when pesticides are used in crop production. Many commonly used agricultural pesticides are highly toxic to aquatic environments at super duper low levels (like a drop in a swimming pool=aquatic tox).
Last week Melinda (Elements in Time) wrote about her kitty cat’s exposure to agricultural pesticides that were used near her home. Raisin Kitty was out and about playing in her outside world and got exposed. She went into convulsions and nearly died from pesticide exposure, and Melinda got a rash from the toxins!! Luckily, thanks to Melinda’s quick kitty ambulance service and the vet’s quick diagnosis, Raisin is ok.
This leads me to a story about a pest infestation and how we managed it without those nasty toxins that can pollute our creeks, blitz our bees, and make us itch…
Last year we bought ourselves one of those cool fruit salad trees, a single tree with four grafts (two peach, one nectarine, and one plum). We brought it home and set it out in a pot, intending to take it with us when we bought a house.
Then I noticed the little tree in the corner of the yard: it was covered in ick. We clipped a branch of the tree (crab apple, I think?) and took it down to local nursery for a diagnosis: SCALE! Scale is a potentially damaging pest. It looks like little cysts and the ants “farm” scale to produce sweet syrup for their colonies.
The recommended solution was to treat with nontoxic mineral oil. However, the scale of the scale problem (ha!) was such that I was fearful they would infest my new spendy tree. So, we severely pruned the infested tree (hey, it’s a rental) and hoped that would be a sufficient solution. Luckily it was and we didn’t see any more scale all summer long.
Icky Scale, 2007
Now to this year. The little tree has grown some pretty branches and set out white flowers. While planting the seedlings, though, we noticed a little scale back on the tree. Just a few red pods on the older branches. With my garden gloves on, I flicked it all away. I just checked (about 2 weeks later), and there were only about 5 buggers and they were easily crunched & flicked off. Integrated Pest Management at its finest.
The moral of the story is: keep an eagle eye out in your garden for early signs of pests. At a small scale, sometimes simply yanking off the offenders will be a good early intervention, and if you aren’t sure what bugs you’ve got, the folks at the local nursery are almost always more than happy to help find a non-toxic way to combat infestations or prevent the damage.
Happy gardening!
A few seedlings, planted about 2 weeks ago, have begun to sprout here in 
This year, I am journaling my 
Yesterday we stopped by “
Ken has assigned me the authority and responsibility for “the grounds”. There are so many places to plant things and watch them flourish! Where haggard forlorn shrubs sit, soon shall fragrant heirloom roses bloom. The barren boring retaining wall will get some trailing rosemary, maybe some jasmine. Little succulents and perhaps some violets for the utilitarian earth space between levels of the concrete retaining wall. Down the path toward the creek, beneath one of the myriad oaks, humble little irises (the wild kind, not those showy bearded things), some leafy hostas. Ferns ferns, lots of ferns. Eventually the hillside will be sprinkled with native wildflower seeds. There’s a lovely spot for a butterfly 
It was like the wind was saying “but I’m supposed to be casting the seeds!” I took it as challenge and kept on with my work, using my camera to hold down seed packs and big empty pots as “done” and “waiting” sorting bins. Another couple of hours: fill pot, poke hole, open seed pack, drop seeds, cover, label, move to 
