Of bugs and such...

Those little red aphids don't look very mean, but I know from experience they suck. And I mean that literally. So when I found them on my PRIZED tomato plants earlier this week, I begin to comb the internet for remedies...organic, natural remedies, mind you, not chemical ones. Found one that works like a charm and I want to share it. This is what you do:

First, zest one large lemon onto a napkin or paper towel. Then, bring two cups of water to boil in a stainless steel or non-reactive pot. Remove the pot from the heat source once it is boiling, add the lemon zest, cover the pot and let it steep overnight. The next morning, strain out your lemon zest, mix it half and half (or even a little stronger if you have a lot of aphids) into a spray bottle and go ninja on those little guys! (I hate killing any creature at my core, but I love tomatoes more). I did this two days in a row and the aphids either died or left town. Either way, YAY!

Now, another tip. In looking for ways to increase my plants (tomatoes, squash, peppers, flowers, all that are blooming and beginning to set fruit) phosphorus intake, I came upon this idea. I always save my shrimp shells to make stock for gumbo and whatnot (NOT Gulf of Mexico shrimp, by the way, these are Argentine reds), so had about a gallon bag full in the freezer. Crustacean shells are rich in phosphorus. I put about half the bag into a pot, covered with water, and proceeded to cook them down for about 30-45 minutes, adding more water as I went, to keep the level just over the shells at all times. When this was done, I set them off the heat and let them cool. I then strained out the shells and poured this mixture up into a 2 quart glass jar. From this, I mixed half and half with water into my sprayer and sprayed all my plants on their leaves, where the little stomata reside...the stomata being the part of the plant that takes in the nutrients. THEN, I took the shells themselves, dug two fairly deep holes in the garden in various spots, and buried them. Let's see how this affects the plants. I will report on the results.

Ha!

Call me crazy, but the past three years have been so busy and CHANGING (which I love), I actually FORGOT I had this blog! Not until today, when I went to 'follow' a new friend's blog, did my signing in with my Google account lead me back to The Davis House....I imagine that since I am on a hiatus from Facebook of undetermined duration, I will be using this little tool more now. I'm glad I rediscovered this; kinda like finding a twenty in the jeans you last wore a few years ago.