Ladybeetles vs. Aphids

I was glad to see all these little guys (lady beetle larvae) hanging out on the shade side of the parking bumper in the back yard. There were a lot more a few days ago, but I think the "landscape" crew disturbed them when they cut the grass (more like haphazardly whacked away at everything in the yard with a weedeater). As neat as it was, seeing the eggs and larvae most likely meant that there were also aphids somewhere nearby, and that my garden was in danger.

And, here they are, making themselves a little colony in a container of leaf lettuce (the tiny, round green things on the middle leaf).

This wasn't a massive infestation, rather, a small nuisance. I read that one should blast them off with a hose, or use some kind of soap or herbal mixture, but I chose to harvest all the plants and save what I could. It was getting too hot for the lettuce anyway. My method was to either shake or flick the aphids off after cutting the plants down to the soil, then smash them with a blunt object on the porch. I took the lettuce leaves that had too many aphids to get rid of out to a dirt and yard waste pile where a large colony of ants could get them. Well, where the ants could herd and use them. Here are more aphids on the underside of a lettuce plant (the small, black things).

The first time I tried my hand at container gardening, I lost a couple of columbine plants to aphids. I discovered them too late, and the plants were overrun and destroyed, which was too bad because they attracted hummingbirds.

I manged to get 5 large bags of lettuce from the plants I had. Total, I spent about $12 on seedlings and got at least 2 or 3 months worth of organic greens out of it that we'll use for salads, in BLTs (Morningstar Farms soy bacon) and as toppings for garden burgers. We may even have enough to share with our next-door neighbors. I plan on re-working the soil in the containers and planting some nasturtiums and garlic, or some more carrots, mixed with radishes. And, when summer draws near to its end, I plan on planting more lettuce and cool weather plants, like peas and spinach, so we can harvest them for late fall and winter. Thankfully, the aphids didn't get to the squash or cucumber plants.

If you're interested in identifying common garden bugs, may I recommend the following book:

The Setup and Layout

My garden layout (from top right, clockwise):

In the large, white container, I have a tomato (Carolina Gold) plant, basil, marigolds and zinnia. Basil is said to improve growth and the flavor of tomato plants and is supposed to repel some pests, like mosquitoes, scented marigolds are supposed to repel pests (supposedly attract slugs, though), and zinnia are said to attract bees. I've yet to find any aphids on or around anything planted near marigolds, and I have seen bees attracted to the zinnia, so I guess at least some of the companion planting techniques I'm employing are working.

Below the white container, a strawberry (everbearing) plant, a bush bean plant, and thyme. Beans are supposed to fix nitrogen in the soil and thyme is said to deter cabbage worms, which may not be a huge problem in containers. I use it as an ornamental and possibly for cooking. In the clay pot, flat leaf parsley and oregano, which I'll use primarily in pasta sauces.

Opposite end of the steps, some basil seedlings that I started from one of those Triscuit box seed packets. Depending on how they do, I may thin them and plant a couple as border in the makeshift raised bed (more on that later). Up from that, in the green container, a tomato (Brandywine) plant that I started from seed, marigolds and zinnia (again with the companion planting). On top of that, in an old shipping crate I found for $5 at an antique shop, I have a mint plant. I use the leaves in herbal teas.

Beside the mint box, in the brown, plastic container: rosemary, a cucumber plant that I started from seed, and carrot seeds that have yet to show any signs of doing anything. I also crammed some nasturtium seeds in there. I may, or may not, use some kind of rosemary infusion for baths, or experiment with combining some with other herbs, like lavender, thyme, and/or mint to make a sleep pillow. Not sure about that one, though, since I don't know how to sew, yet, and I'm not sure of whether or not having my head on a bunch of herbs would really improve my sleep.

I have an 18-gallon plastic bin that was left over from my worm bin experiment. I drilled holes in the bottom and put a thin layer of gravel from the back yard on the bottom to help with drainage. The bin formerly contained green and red leaf lettuce (see previous post regarding my nasty aphid infestation), and now contains several sunflowers, chives, a cucumber plant, and carrot and radish seeds. The idea was to use the sunflowers to support a cucumber plant and provide shade for the the lettuce. I planned it poorly and found myself harvesting the lettuce while the sunflowers were still babies, so there went that theory.

Also, where the lettuce once was, I planted a couple of cloves of garlic to try the green garlic growing method. According to the authors of Bountiful Container, you harvest the plants when they form green leaves, trim away the roots, and use the entire plant before any bulbs fully form. I like to use garlic when cooking, but it sounds like it takes a long time to grow and I'd just assume buy it any time, year-round. If this works, I can still have a hint of garlic when needed, and get it quickly and easily from my own back porch.

A tomato (Brandywine) plant that I started from seed, which is doing well, along with marigolds and zinnia.

My "work" area: the green bucket is for holding water. Have to use this since there are no outside water taps. I try to use it to capture rainwater whenever possible (I'll step up to rain barrels some day). I use my kids' leftover Easter baskets for harvesting, which cost, I think, $1-$2 each, use 2 watering cans (1 for regular water, 1 for the plant food water), and use organic compost. The blue, plastic bin is the "worm house," where I have some red wigglers and Carolina red worms working on composting some of our kitchen scraps. They seem to be doing well, and I expect to be collecting some nice castings pretty soon.

Not pictured:
-sweet yellow corn x3
-tomato (Brandywine) plant in a container with nasturtium, bee balm (use it for herbal teas), zinnia, and marigolds (may be overcrowded, but everything seems to be doing okay)
-stevia (will dry out the leaves and crush them for sweetener)
-broccoli x2
-cucumber
-strawberry (everbearing) in a hanging basket with another bush bean plant
-sugar baby watermelon
-cantaloupe
-Blue Lake pole stringless bean (planted near corn for support, instead of buying a trellis or pole)
-tomato (better bush) x2

If you're starting, or already have, a container garden, might I suggest the following book. It contains a wealth of information and tips on growing herbs, fruits and vegetables in containers, including plans for themed gardens, and I wish I would have discovered and read it well before I started planning my garden.

The Xperiment

Last season (2009), I attempted to grow some vegetables and herbs in containers on our apartment balcony. Sadly, most of what I was growing didn't get enough sunlight and/or water and perished. I think I managed to get 3 or 4 sad, little cherry tomatoes off of 1 plant before it died. The previous year, 2008, I had more success. I mainly grew herbs on the balcony of our apartment (different apartment), but had to give most of them away when we moved since we didn't have a lot of space at the new apartment.

This season (2010), with a little more space, time, knowledge, and better conditions, I'm attempting to grow more vegetables and herbs. I'm growing tomatoes (Brandywine, Carolina Gold, Better Bush), bush beans, cucumbers, squash, leaf lettuce, corn (sweet yellow), watermelon (sugar baby), strawberries (everbearing), broccoli, carrots, and the following herbs: parsley, oregano, mint, rosemary, stevia, thyme, bee balm, basil. I've also planted sunflowers, marigold, zinnia, and some wildflowers, mainly to practice some companion planting techniques/ideas, to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and for color.

Here is a view of my back porch container garden, along with a makeshift raised bed. I've read some books and have done some research online, but I have no idea what I'm doing. So, I'm considering this a rather large experiment in becoming more self-sufficient.