Author Archives: Maryjane Utley

I am officially designating Spring 2022 as the Season of the Aphid!😫😫 They are literally everywhere. Peas, tomatoes , potatoes, etc. They are currently under control after a misting with Shield All Plus from Gardens Alive!. This product is amazingly effective having its main ingredient as Neem Oil. Also works for controlling powdery mildew onContinue reading “Spring of 2022”

This very destructive and insidious pest was first detected around 2015 in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Just yesterday we detected one example of ALM eggs laid on some wild garlic growing very close to the main garlic crop. So it’s here in RI folks and I will keep you updated on our success (or failure) toContinue reading “4/20/2022 Gardeners beware … Allium leaf miner has arrived !!”

The 2022 gardening season officially began on the hill today with the planting of our peas . We seem to be past the sub freezing nighttime temperatures and the soil is warming up more everyday. As part of the garden rotation, peas are planted in the bed where tomatoes grew last year. The raised fenceContinue reading “Planting Peas 4/2/22”

Preparation of the bed includes mounding up the soil high enough to support deep planting of about 12 inches. This is followed by placing a layer of newspaper over the soil , thoroughly wetting it down and then covering the whole planting area with clean straw. Two irrigation tubes were placed down the center andContinue reading “Planting Leeks 5/4/2021”

After giving up our flock of sheep several years ago (a super source of fertilizer and moisture-holding organic matter), we have been looking for organic ways to enrich our garden soil with both macro and micronutrients. We have been trying to utilize no-till or minimum till methods to refresh the planting beds for this season.Continue reading “The Big Green Manure Experiment”

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right. You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click theContinue reading “Introduce Yourself (Example Post)”

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right. You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click theContinue reading “Introduce Yourself (Example Post)”

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right. You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click theContinue reading “Introduce Yourself (Example Post)”