Garden Status

I had three tubers still in the basement grow racks that had barely sprouted and never produced visible roots. I took a closer look at them this week and found that the tubers were soft or completely rotten, so those are a lost cause. Everything else continues to grow. I’ve got a few plants in the beds that are going very slowly, but so far nothing that made it outside has died.

More beetles have shown up, including a variety that has given me trouble in the past:

I want to avoid spraying poison that would kill the good bugs, so for now I go out once or twice a night and hand-pick any beetles. So far the numbers have been very low, and some nights I find only one or even none.

The toads are still around and seem to be doing well. They hide during the day, but I routinely see up to five of them at night, especially if it’s rained recently. I just need to watch where I step because they sometimes sit in the middle of the sidewalk.

There’s definitely not as many mantises around, though. I see one or two occasionally but I suspect most have either moved on or become prey.