Garden Seeds // Beware: Tomato Hornworms

Last week I was casually making the rounds in my garden when I noticed, from a distance, that my pepper plants looked terrible.  At closer glance, I found four tomato hornworms on my three plants.  I had checked my plants that morning, and within a six-hour span of time, they had eaten more than half of each plant.

A fascinating and beautiful caterpillar, but not one you want in your garden!  They are a major pest.

The tomato hornworm appears in warmer weather, May - August.  They are bright green, with a distinguishing "horn" on their rear side.  They typically are about three inches long and one-half inch wide.  Despite their size, they blend in very well with the green foliage of plants.  Look closely!  You can even use a black light at night to locate them.  They transform into a large, five-spotted, grey moth called a Manduca quinquemaculata.









Hornworms are found on tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tobacco and potato plants.  I have only seen them on tomatoes and peppers in my experience.

Simply pluck these caterpillars off your plant - immediately!  They have a tight grip.   I would not recommend using any type of spray on them since they prey upon edible plants.  Remove them instantly as they can consume a large amount of foliage and will destroy your plant in no time.  As I mentioned, I estimate they were on my pepper plants for six hours.  This photo shows the destruction in that time.  Two-thirds of this pepper plant is gone and I doubt it will recover.




Hornworm hunting is a favorite among children.  Give them a magnifying glass and send them into your garden.  I offer a reward for every one they find!

Happy Hunting!

Lessoned Learned // Holiday Decorations

Hello there friends! I'm so excited to announce a new segment we will be featuring each month from one our our hello there! house home & garden event attendees all about how she has incorporated the techniques she has learned to make her own home more unique and fabulous. Now, without further ado- here's Lydia!

One thing that Rosemary emphasized a lot to make a house a home (I recall 4 different activities throughout the event) was putting up holiday decorations. Since that time, I've found it is the easiest and most inexpensive to jazz up my home. Mostly with items I had on hand (or pilfered from my mom's craft room), my house went from lame to festive. And my 3 year old appreciates my efforts.

Halloween:

Christmas:

Valentine's Day:

Cinco de Mayo:

inspired by oh happy day

FYI: Any twine used in these decorations came from the swag bags given at the event.

Organize Your Life // Large Format Desk Calendars

Here's another free printable for you all! My husband & I were tired of getting our schedules mixed up and over booking ourselves, so I whipped up this big desk calendar for us to write down all our commitments so we will always see it. I'll be doing all the months, so stay tuned for those!

May 2012 Large Format Calendar

This is perfect to send to alphagraphics and have them print large format (22 x 17)- it's super cheap and they are FAST.

D.I. Y. Tutorials // Wood Planters

Ok, have you all been to Ana White? If not stop whatever you are doing and go spend the day there. She has so so many free plans to make just about everything under the sun! I spent about 3 days scouring her blog and drooling over all the amazing projects I want to start making. Some day I'll be making this beauty

Source: ana-white.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Swoonzies. But for now, I need to start small, so I chose this project for my first

Source: ana-white.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

So cute, right? If you want to whip up your own Planters, follow these instructions on Ana White's website!

Garden Seeds // May Garden Checklist

The beginning of each month is a good time to create a checklist for your garden.  Here are some priorities to include for May:

• Adjust your irrigation timers for hotter weather.   It is best to water in the early morning or late evening.  Always water deeply and less frequently to give those roots a nice drink.  For a complete watering guide, download this excellent  resource:  Landscape Watering by the Numbers:  http://www.amwua.org/watering.html

Suspended shade structure over tomatoes last summer

• Shade your tomatoes and peppers using a 30 or 50% shade cloth.  This will prolong their productivity into June-July.
• Add mulch or compost to your vegetable garden to help retain moisture in the soil.
• Move potted plants into partial shade.  Full Arizona sun in the summer is stressful on most non desert-adapted plants.  As a result, I like to rearrange my pots in May to give them a little protection.  Remember, pots also dry out quickly.  Group them together if you are hand watering to decrease your watering time.
• Stock up on sunscreen and big hats to protect your skin while gardening in the hot sun.  Especially your hands!  I was recently reminded by a dermatologist that sun spots often occur on the hands because people forget to apply sunscreen to them.   

May planting includes:

Edibles: Armenian cucumbers (most tolerant variety for heat), black eyed peas, melons, basil, okra, sweet potatoes and sunflowers

Hibiscus Sabdariffa

Flowers:  Cosmos, zinnias, some amaranths, balsam, hibiscus sabdariffa, mexican sunflower, vinca and portulaca.  Last year was the first time I grew hibiscus sabdariffa - it is a gorgeous shrub!

Domestic Fashion // Dip-Dyed

Dip Dye. It's so hot right now.

via house or earnest

via oh happy day

via craftgawke

via design for mankind

via french by design

via curbly

via wish flowers

via kicsi haz

via design for mankind

via element of style

via michael penney style

via martha stewart

via design sponge

via martha stewart

Organize Your Life // Emergency Food Supply

via martha stewart

This topic has been on my mind lately. It's something that I know my family needs but doesn't have. We insure our homes, cars and lives...but how many of us have food insurance?! There is so much information out there on how to organize your home to be prepared for an emergency. There is so much to learn about food storage (year supply, 72 hour kits, 3 month supply, water drums vs. bottled water, etc)!

What a great feeling it is to be prepared! So if you have a sudden loss of income or a natural disaster occurs you can feed your family!!

It seems like an overwhelming task for both storage space and finances. So I googled around to find someone who has done it so they can tell me where to start!

Here is what Provident Living Today suggested:

When I set out to put together my three-month supply of meals ready to eat, it seemed overwhelming. I needed a plan. My friend, Claudia also wanted to put together a plan that broke this project down into steps. Here's what we came up with:

1. Pick out 2 weeks of recipes. Use easy meals your family eats now.



2. Convert each meal to “non-perishable” foods. If you use fresh chicken, use canned. Fresh or frozen corn, use canned. You get the idea.



3. Write each converted recipe on a 3 X 5 card. Run each card off 6 times.



4. Times each ingredient by 6 and write how much or how many you need on a shopping list. There you have it a 12 week supply of food.



5. Go shopping!!! Remember to take some help! You can do this in one big trip if you have the money, or gather the supplies over the next few months.
   
   
   Note: Use name brand labels.
   The metal is heavier and stores longer.
   
   
6. Take each recipe and all the ingredients and put them in a gallon freezer bag - right down to the spices and cup of rice.
7. 
   Use Ziploc freezer bags, they hold up better. You can also buy the Jumbo size bags for a large family. Put the spices in a snack size bag. The ingredients like rice or a cup of biscuit mix can go into a sandwich size bag.
   Now put the recipe in and ZIP . . . It’s “ in the bag!” Store them in boxes under the bed or bins in the closet. You want them to be easily accessible.

Keep a few meals ready to eat in the pantry and use them on busy hectic days. Keep the recipe cards. When you have a few stacked up, go to the store and replace the ingredients. This is a great way to rotate your three-month supply of food. Start eating your food storage now and save money.

I like this concept because it's food storage that your family will actually use and be accustomed to. You can use the items before they expire in your every day life, as opposed to canned wheat you need to grind to use. I am so on it! And don't forget water and medications too!