#ladygator

Today I wanted to give some garden updates!

⭐️Things that have Sprouted ⭐️

🌱Dill. 🌱Cilantro l

🌱Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)

🌱Melons (sugar baby) 🌱 Honeydew (Barnyard mix)

⭐️Planted & Direct seed⭐️

🌻Ginger root. 🌻Gladiolus bulbs

🌻 Swiss chard 🌻Carrots

🌻Green beans (bush variety, Blue lake) 1st planting. (4 planned in total)

I still need to plant a few more things but currently I'm held back by lack of wood, soil and the rising heat coming in. Thankfully the sun's staying out later now too, so that should be useful

Also

my Plans currently for those curious about the beans planting cycle. As I mentioned intentions is 4 total plantings.

When the greens beans 1st planting sprouts and is a little more grown, I'll be seeding the other side of the bed with more beans, same variety. 2nd planting, when they sprout, i intend to direct seed the space around the 1st planting with a few more bush type, with a third planting to try and draw out our homes' fresh harvest. (Plus, if the first doesn't do so well, we'll at least be able to hopefully still see some sort of harvest)

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Also thought this was pretty cool and wanted to share, as ya'all know I've been growing broccoli and letting it go to seed.

I cut, collected and set aside the branches si thought closest to having usable seed and~

Found ladybugs!

This one's fresh hatched I believe, some of the hatched ones were red, but most seemed a bright orange (like when butterflies emerge and dry out)

I've never seen the stage between the ladybug gator and the ladybug too. Figure most haven't, particularly those in urban and inner city areas.

This one was just resting next to the empty shell.

Some lady gators chilling. They look a bit spooky but at this stage they eat more aphids than in the adult stage. And as I learned from a web search they eat more than just aphids??

Apparently they eat aphids, scale insects, insect eggs, mealy bugs, leaf hoppers and cornworms among others? Which awesome if so!

Even if the great broccoli seed experiment doesn't work this year or next I'll likely leave a few up again, even if solely for the ladygators and future ladybugs and other beneficials in the garden.

We also found what we believe might be a buckmoth caterpillar? We aren't absolutly certain given everytime I've seen 'em, it's on a hollyhock and not what is their usual food sources? It is Possible a bird brought it over for a snack and went blegh too lol.

We know at least bare minimun it's a stinging type of caterpillar so we'll be cautious as we proceed with care of the Hollyhocks.

That's it for now, Thanks for stopping by :)

🌱🍃Happy Homesteading and Gardening🍃🌱