Garden Wisdom Blog

Cabbage moth is the name given to the very common Small White butterfly (Pieris rapae) in North America. True Cabbageworms and Cabbage Moth introduced from Europe (Mamestra brassicae) are small and brown, but both types do the same type of damage. The female lays tiny white eggs (that turn straw yellow before hatching) on the underside of Brassicas. These can easily be seen and knocked off. Left unchecked these eggs hatch into medium-sized green catapillars which eat large holes in the leaves of Brassicas and members of the mustard family. Using floating row covers prevents the butterfly from landing and laying...

Some vegetable varieties thrive in the cool conditions of fall and early winter, and offered a bit of protection from extreme cold, they can be harvested right through until spring. The best winter gardening varieties actually improve in flavour, texture, and sweetness once the cold weather arrives. As you would start many vegetables in late winter and early spring for summer harvests, winter gardening requires sowing seeds in mid- to late summer. This allows the plants to gain a little growth before the days begin to get shorter and the sunlight becomes less intense. The secret is choosing the right...

Known as greenflies in the UK, there are over 5,000 species of aphids worldwide. Fewer than 10% of known species are agricultural pests, but they are a genuine nuisance. Like whiteflies, aphids are classed in the order Hemiptera because of their sucking mouthparts. They range in size from 1 to 10 mm long and may be green, grey, or black in colour. Local species usually occur in large numbers along the stems and flower buds of a wide range of plants. Aphids feed by puncturing the outer cells of plants and sucking out nutrients. This robs the plant of the...

Collards (Brassica oleracea Acephala group) Kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala group) Russian or Napa Kale (Brassica rapus ssp. pabularia syn. B. napus) Learn about kale and collards here. As the name suggests, Brassicas in the Acephala group do not form central heads, as cabbages do, or they form central heads that are relatively loose and open. Sometimes called Spring Greens, collards and kale are extremely similar, genetically speaking. Both form upright, open plants with large leaves that are often veined with distinctive colours. Collards typically have smoother, broader, more rounded leaves compared to those of kale, which can be extremely curled....

About Melons: Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) & Muskmelon (Cucumis melo) One of the basic facts about melons is that they can be challenging to grow well here in south coastal BC. But with a bit of added heat they can be very productive. Melons picked fresh from the vine are unbelievably sweet and, like so many other kinds of garden produce, are nothing at all like the ones you might find in a grocery store. The flavour and sugar content of fresh melons are positively mind-blowing, and make the effort to grow them very worth while. Both watermelon and muskmelon (a...