Blooming Roses and Garden Success Tips

The roses are blooming a second time. I picked this rose with such a lovely scent and a few more flowers for a vase. 

I picked off two Japanese beetles from the rose bush. I am pleased, because overall, I have seen just a few beetles. In years past I would make daily rounds in the yard picking off beetles. My cherry tree had literally hundreds of the beetles feasting on the leaves. Three years ago, I began spreading milky spore on the lawn. Over time it activates in the soil and kills the eggs/larva of the beetles. Japanese beetles lay eggs in the soil (over a season a female beetle may lay 60 eggs) and a new crop of beetles arrives in the place they have chosen.

Last year my currant bushes were attacked by sawflies. The sawfly lays eggs on the leaves which become caterpillars that devour the leaves. I picked off the caterpillars, disturbed the soil around the bushes and added some diatomaceous earth. The bushes are recovering this year with no sign of the sawfly.

The elderberry bushes are heavy with berries. I am picking the large clusters of berries.

Then I remove the berries from all the tiny stems and immediately freeze them. When the harvest is complete, I will make elderberry juice. You can find my recipe here.

My herbs are doing well and I am cutting them fresh for recipes. I am drying them as well. The tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and rutabaga are coming along.  I check weather reports frequently to determine when I need to water. My husband says I am learning what it is like to be a farmer.

It makes sense to grow as much fruit and vegetables as possible. Do you have a garden?