Do you have mosquitoes there? And, how do you cut that grass? Do you need me to come over and do that part?
The mosquitos aren't terrible, but they are around. I think they're worse at our apartment.
Here's how Will cuts the grass:
Косой
Originally uploaded by fylliska.
Want to try? 
Is that plant some kind of nettle or false nettle? Is the caterpillar a relative of the red admiral?
Yes, it's a nettle plant. There are so many nettle-eating caterpillars here, that I don't know which are which yet. I'll let you know what this one was when we find out. (The pupa looks more like a moth!)
How was it, staying at the dacha? Did you hate to go back to the apartment? When will you go back?
Phyllis, I have a special picture for you. I hope to put it on my blog today -- I'm sure it will bring you a smile!
Staying at the dacha is wonderful! I'm usually happy to come back to the apartment afterwards, though, because I'm ready for a bath.
Will gets to clean up when he runs by our apartment before various events, but I pretty much stay at the dacha while we're there, so I look forward to the weekends just for hot, running water. Oh, after the first week, we got here and found that the hot water was off. I almost cried, thinking it might be off for the summer already. It came back on the next morning, though. And that time, when I bathed the children--who usually love water--they screamed the whole time. It seemed like they had forgotten what it means to be clean! However, since then they've enjoyed their weekend baths.I've been wanting to get online again, specifically to see your photo! I got this comment by email last week, and I had even copied the text of your blog to read offline, but I don't get the photos that way. (My chances to get online are so short, that I just grab the text, without taking time to read or let the photos load.) By the time this is posted, I should have seen the photo, though. Thanks!
There's nothing better than a friendly visiting cat. The cat and children seem very content. Caterpillars are fun to watch but petting a cat is so soft!
You're right. But the cat hasn't come back, and we get in plenty of caterpillar petting time.
Jaan and "Masha"
Originally uploaded by fylliska.
Ты прям на этой фотке не Вилл, а Василий! :D Класс! Какой у вас большой участок! Здорово! Что-нибудь будете сажать?
Все там знают его как Володя, не Вилл. Так легче.
Да, много места. У нас 4 сотки! Да, много всего сажали, но правда не ожидаю большой урожай. Мы поздно начали, и под ужасным жаром. И все что я делаю, я делаю с маленьками помощниками, которые любят семена просто бросать и везде топтать. Короче, я больше занимаюсь с детми, и не с огородом. Но это тоже большая радость, конечно.Pictures of the leaf sewn around him [the caterpillar] would be appreciated!
Our camera doesn't usually do close ups, so I don't have anything that shows that. However, if you look at the garden photos over to the side here, the caterpillar is there, so at least you can see it. (Here’s a direct link.)
Now for my questions:
1. Why should garlic be planted with strawberries? Everyone puts them together, but when I've asked why, I've gotten, "Because that's the way to do it" and "Because it scares something off. . . can't remember what."
2. What would be a good way to get rid of the beetles that are eating our leaf crops? Mom suggested soapy water, and I tried that. We'll see if it worked when we go back next week.
3. What is this wildflower?
Mystery legume
Originally uploaded by fylliska.
(I know it's probably hard to see, but I had to include the cute little girl, too. )
4. Would anyone like to find a photo to show of a bird called a Bluethroat? They're my new favorites.
5. When do gooseberries ripen? (I think I have the right berry; крыжовник is gooseberry, right?)
7 comments:
goosberries ripen over a 2 week period in june... so I've read
I typed in garlic and strawberries and found you do those together to prevent fungus- but I found the following on organic gardening and thought you'd fing it helpful!!!
Repellents: Stay away from insecticides and pesticides and rather opt for natural deterring sprays.
Control weeds manually instead of using weed killers.
Marigolds are great to plant with and around the veggie garden as it repel a variety of insects.
Sage will repel cabbage moths to a certain degree and is therefore a good addition to plant close to cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.
Chives (and garlic sprays) are known to repel aphids.
Control ant numbers with mint planted under attacked plants.
Trap fruit beetles by making holes in the sides of a plastic cool drink bottle. Dice an old pineapple into little cubes and place in the bottom of the bottle. Sprinkle alcohol over. Hang this bottle close to plants that are susceptible to fruit beetles.
Plant strong smelling herbs under fruit trees attacked by fruit fly.
Whiteflies can be controlled by spraying with a garlic tea.
Flee beetles are deterred by lettuce.
Spraying a concentrated sugary liquid on the undersides of the leaves to create a sticky, unpleasant area can deter red spider mite. Mineral oil or garlic sprays can also be used but not during hot weather.
Wood shavings repel slugs and snails when fresh. Always rake your soil evenly to avoid hiding places ideal for laying eggs.
thats all I looked uo. hope it helps!!
Have a great day and enjoy those little darlings!!!
~debi~
does Raia always wear her hair like that? I think she would look really cute with pigtails or her hair down with a cute bow :)
Phyllis! Something that I've heard is great for keeping pests away from plants is boiled water/cayenne pepper...it's a 19th century method that we use in our garden at the historic farm I work at...I think that boiling the water and then pouring over the plants helps with mixing...that's what my boss says anyway.......I love hearing about your dacha!! :)
oops, correction--boiling the water before pouring it over the dried/ground PEPPER (not plants) helps with mixing...
I think the flower is Cow Vetch (Pea, leguminosae). It looks like what we have but I can't be sure from the picture. Chickens are a great way to control beetles. I read about a lady who put her Japanese Beetle trap over the chicken area and they sat under it eating the beetles as they fell through the trap! I've also heard of diluting dishwashing soap and spraying it on the plants.
Thank you so much! Dish soap and water may have helped cut down the numbers of beetles some. So has picking them off by hand. (My helpers are great at that!) I just heard that we should cut the flower buds off of the garlic, soak them in water, and then spray with that. So, I have them soaking, and we'll try that when we go back.
I'll look up cow vetch and see if that's it. . . .
Yes, Raia almost always wears her hair like that. Down doesn't work, because I've never cut her bangs. We do pigtails once in a while. Very cute, but hard to get her to sit long enough put them in.
Aunt Lindy, you were exactly right! Here it is:
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/viciacrac.html
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