HOOPHOUSE SLUGS

Slugs have been a problem in the hoophouse because of the high humidity, eventhough it is opened up everyday to air it out.  It's been pretty rainy here, compounding the problem.  I'm counting the days until I can take it off for the summer.  But those darned old slugs ate most of the basil, half the marigolds !!! and I think the pepper plants too.  It's hard to assess the damage because it is so packed full of stuff, I can hardly see the forest for the trees, if you know what I mean.  I should have kept the seedlings on the windowsill afterall or sprinkled the soil with wood ash.  A regular standing greenhouse would have been handy for the seedlings.  The seedlings resting on the dirt were fair game for those slimey pests.  They don't seem to bother the tomatoes and as you can see, the tomato plants are doing great.  There are lots of flowers on the plants.  The heirloom tomatoes have big, strange-looking flowers.  Maybe there will be big, strange-looking fruits!  Friends are coming around for their tomato plants and it seems that the cherry tomatoes are first choice.

We went to a local flea market (Rice's) in Bucks County where I bought some flowers, herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme), zucchini plants and eggplants.  I bought 4 zucchini plants, which will produce way too many vegetables for our consumption.  The only other thing that I will probably have to buy this year are the pepper plants. 

Today I couldn't resist and planted my other tomato plants out in the open garden.  Afterward, I nervously covered them with row covers just to keep them a little warmer for the next week or so.  The nights are still getting down into the 50s and might shock them a little too much.  I put in some beans the other day and the peas are climbing up the supports.  The broccoli are forming heads and it looks like we will have a bumper crop!  The Swiss Chard that was wintered over is still producing big, dark green leaves and I wonder how long they can go on.  Still no sign of the asparagus, although the weeds certainly are trying their best to take over the bed.  Some of the lettuce is getting a bit long in the tooth and I hack at it every day and give it to friends and neighbors.   Sunday, Mother's Day, is the official day to plant here as the weather has warmed sufficiently.   Maybe I'll spend the day knee deep in the garden, doing what I like to do best.