Their plan is still to have a big Open House and party on Saturday, September 15th. See the Facebook announcement at https://www.facebook.com/events/213681278761712/. Come one, come all! There will be food, crafts, our books for sale, and music on Saturday, September 15th, 2012, from 2 until 8 pm. Look for the greenhouse on the east side of Highways 7 and 59, just north of Montevideo, Minnesota!
Bad News
I got a phone call today from a contact in the Twin Cities. She
wanted to talk about the Great Garlic Disaster, which most of us only heard about at the annual Garlic Festival. Few people realize
that most of the garlic in southern Minnesota was wiped out by a
freakish invasion of leaf hoppers! These critters, blown in on
strange winds from Texas, carried a virus that mostly effects garlic.
We're lucky, as a slightly different version effects carrots, cone
flowers (eccinacia), and dozens of other plants. She's been having
some trouble getting solid information on just what happened, and on
whether it's safe to plant her surviving garlic as seed for next
year.
I told her that this illustrates something that I've seen in my
travels- pretty much everywhere is having plagues of invasive
species, or locals gone all out of kilter. I've seen mites, Japanese
beetles, leaf hoppers, flea beetles, and various borers. In some
places they're worried about grasshoppers going berserk just before
harvest.The problem that concerned her is that nobody seems to be talking about this. As gardeners/farmers we're all effected by such events. Knowing what's going on, and what did or didn't help, is vital. I remind folks that we have a site for discussing issues- http://gardengoddessnetwork.ning.com/. It's not much, but it's a way to get the word out. Join us, and post what you've been seeing.
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