On this normally the last day of February, we are transplanting full blast in the greenhouse along with potting our first shipment of perennial plugs from Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Michigan and another company from Iowa called Swift.
Because this year is divisible by the number 4, one day has been added so that on Saturday our next speaker will be Cynthia Druckenbrod talking about “bugs” in the garden and landscape. Cynthia has been a frequent guest here as she is quite knowledgeable and an excellent speaker. Cynthia’s talk will include how to recognize these critters and treatments to keep them under control before they devour the vegetable garden or landscape.
Luckily, insect problems outdoors are not as common as in the greenhouse for in the greenhouse tender and fast growing plants make it a salad bowl. I have talked about before that in 2016 our greenhouse was prematurely closed in early June as a thrip infestation devastated the flowers. Many of the flowers were saved for planting in our beds on the nursery grounds and after one week the plants now on the outside had no signs of thrip as the “beneficial bugs” outside had a delicious feast on them and the environmental conditions changed from the regular predictable warm greenhouse to the fluctuating temperatures and other conditions outside. What a war that must have been with the thrip being eaten alive which would have made and exciting horror movie! Fortunately, the past two years with our employ of beneficial insects, thrips among other harmful insects are at such low levels that it’s difficult to find them in the greenhouse.
Cynthia is sure to give us the low down on controlling harmful insects, spider mites and methods of organic control especially in the vegetable and herb program.
Join is this Saturday at 11 a.m. for this informative program.
Tom