Hello from sunny Modesto, California!

Good morning! My name is Nicole and this will be my 3rd year planting in my 1 and only 4 x 4 square foot garden. In 2011, I planted tomatoes, peppers and zucchini and made lots of vegetarian pizza from scratch. Yum! Last year, my teenage son got in on the action and we planted the same plus pumpkin and cantaloupe and some HOT HOT HOT peppers. Unfortunately, we suffered a serious aphid attack and lost most of our vegis mid-summer. This year, I have planted spinach, onions, kale and collards. Most of my plantings have been from transplants. A couple of days ago, I contacted PNG_Grandma as she and her hubby live nearby. My husband and I are excited to visit her beautiful community garden and hopefully gain some inspiration and confidence to build more boxes and plant more vegetables (from seed) and learn what works and what doesn't for our area. I cannot express what a joy my little garden has provided my family and me. Now if only I can come up with a solution to keeping cats out of my garden!

Welcome! The aphids have now arrived here in Pasadena, CA. I found them in my garlic and onions! I quickly blasted them with water and I will keep my eyes on these plants from now until harvest. I'm also getting out the herbal spray I bought last year just in case I am using too much water.

Last year my sister had trouble with rabbits, so she added four PVC post and placed nylon tulle around the border to prevent them from an easy hop into her beds. It worked. Something like this:
http://www.gardeners.com/Small-Animal-Barriers/40-335RS,default,pd.html?start=8&cgid=YardPests_DogsCats

Roseinarosecity wrote:Welcome! The aphids have now arrived here in Pasadena, CA. I found them in my garlic and onions! I quickly blasted them with water and I will keep my eyes on these plants from now until harvest. I'm also getting out the herbal spray I bought last year just in case I am using too much water.

Last year my sister had trouble with rabbits, so she added four PVC post and placed nylon tulle around the border to prevent them from an easy hop into her beds. It worked. Something like this:
http://www.gardeners.com/Small-Animal-Barriers/40-335RS,default,pd.html?start=8&cgid=YardPests_DogsCats

Rose, you're in Pasadena? We're practically next door in Tujunga

I have my boxes covered with tulle right now to keep bugs off my seedlings (they were getting decapitated ) and I use a 2-strand electric fence around it to keep critters out. I doubt it would work for cats because they can jump, but (sad to say) the local coyotes keep the cat population in check here so they have not been a problem

I'm a huge fan of food-grade diatomaceous earth for aphids and their ant farmers. Just ordered another 5 pounds from Amazon which should last a couple of years at least. The ants won't go anywhere near it, and it kills aphids. YES.

I think the tulle or bird netting might be my best option. Yesterday afternoon there were to yellow butterflies "dancing" around my box. I looked hilarious trying to shoo them away. Looked a little like this...

Coelli, I am in Pasadena. Tujunga would be 25 minutes away? Are you near the Theodore Payne Foundation for California native plants? I go down there once in a while.

I have food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) but I haven't thought about using it because once you wet it the DE won't work. I'll consider it and maybe alternate applications if I need to reapply. I bought my DE at a horse store in Glendale. Thanks.

Roseinarosecity wrote:Coelli, I am in Pasadena. Tujunga would be 25 minutes away? Are you near the Theodore Payne Foundation for California native plants? I go down there once in a while.

I have food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) but I haven't thought about using it because once you wet it the DE won't work. I'll consider it and maybe alternate applications if I need to reapply. I bought my DE at a horse store in Glendale. Thanks.

Yes, we're right up the 210 from you. I haven't been to the Theodore Payne Foundation but that sounds like a very Tujunga-like thing, lol. In fact the community has just adopted the corner of Foothill and Fenwick, where the "Welcome to Sunland-Tujunga" sign is, to plant a welcome garden of mostly native plants. Being so close to the Angeles National Forest, this is an oddly rural area considering it's part of the city of L.A., but it's very cool (I've only lived here 2 years, but my other half grew up here).

I think DE will start to work again once dry on the ground; but you're right, it rinses off the plants. I re-apply if it rains (HA!) or after watering. So far no aphids here, but the ants and fungus gnats are having a blast. I found one little grasshopper-like guy before the tulle went on and everything seems to be fine now.

ncolindres wrote:I think the tulle or bird netting might be my best option. Yesterday afternoon there were to yellow butterflies "dancing" around my box. I looked hilarious trying to shoo them away. Looked a little like this...

Haha!

I used tulle last year to great effect, especially around my potted tomatoes and basil while they were small. It doesn't keep everything out, but it keeps most of the flying bugs away. I will be wrapping some of my tomatoes again this year as they start to flower so I can save the seeds (especially Blue Berry Blend, which several friends have requested seeds from).