Pea crop failure?

[Natural Girl]

Do you have a favorite organic method?

[songbird]

yes, do nothing, often enough problems will sort themselves out. plants do have defenses.

observation and patience are good things to practice.

that said, hand-picking bugs off plants is sometimes needed (especially tomato worms). japanese beetles i'll pick and smush and leave on the stepping stones for the birds (hoping to train them to eat them off the plants :) ).

i haven't had to do anything for aphids or flea beetles yet. having perennial plants that hold over the ladybugs seems to keep them around. we do lose some leaves to the fireflies when they come out. for the flea beetles the beans outgrew the problem, only had troubles with the bottom leaves. for tomato fungi, catching it early and pulling leaves, using mulches to control splashing (once the ground is warm enough), etc.

there's really no one method that works for everything, but keeping your eyes peeled and spending some time observing will help. asking others for help is ok too. if you got some old codger that's spent 40 years in the gardens and seems to be getting good results in all different kinds of conditions then they are someone you want as a friend.

burying things to rot under enough dirt is a good way to compost something without having to get fancy or expensive. using underneath spaces to store materials for later can help in low spots. free compost is sometimes best avoided (if you don't see it beforehand and know the conditions where it was produced it can be a disaster).

looks like the strawberries are starting to bloom. last year they were blooming by March 11.

and we're back to a normal spring drought after having too much rain. the farmers can get things planted at last. good for them. not a regular rain in some days. gotta water the newly seeded garden.

took some pics from the roof today when i was sealing up the stonework fireplace. if they turned out i can use them to replace the older ones i have online.

uhg, i think i'll take a nap. observing the insides of one's own eyelids is often refreshing.

songbird

[Natural Girl]

Thanks for all the ideas and advice, songbird. I'll try to remember what you said.