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Yep….it’s that time of year alright….experiencing that comforting feeling of having carefully set out our prized vegetables and fruit plants that were lovingly sprouted and nurtured in our greenhouse during the late winter. However, we must be diligent and not allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security…thinking we can kick-back and wait for the strawberries and tomatoes to ripen for our eagerly awaiting palates
Upon closer inspection….we might find that the by the time we get around to checking the on the garden, the slugs have been busy eating away at the ripest strawberries….and the tomato horn-worms have literally devoured our tomato plants down to the ground.
If this scenario sounds familiar….then you may have personally experienced these tough lessons in gardening.
Regardless if you are a novice gardener….or a seasoned ‘master’ gardener….the heat and bugs, the horn worms & slugs could care less…as long as they get their fill of your ripest fruits and vegetables.
So….to relieve plant stress, now is the time to be sure you have plenty of mulch around your vegetables to keep the feeder roots near the soil surface cool and moist.
Small plates or jar lids filled with beer spread around the garden will entice the slugs to imbibe in a drunken feast…hopefully leading to their demise.
As far as those pesky voracious horn-worms are concerned…you’d better get out there and pull them off the tomatoes and feed them to your chickens…or simply dispose of them in the most humane manner possible. Either way, save your tomatoes and your strawberries!
Okay…its time for me to go check my garden!
Happy Growing from the Folks at Gothic Arch Greenhouses!