aphids, ladybugs and peppers

March 10 -

Have continued treating habeneros and jalapenos for aphids. Large colony of aphids on the sunflower. I am finally seeing ladybugs frequently. Hopefully, they'll tackle the aphids. Am treating loofah for aphid also, but noticed today that the leaves are showing yellow spots on edge. I am not familiar with this problem. I will take in a sample to the extension agent. It might be a bacteria.

T. was mulching in garden when I arrived. She was using her hands to pull mulch into a large pot. I brought out a rake and raked the mulch back into a pile, makes it easier to handle. I decided to turn the compost pile while she was standing there, while I did it I explained what I was doing and why it was necessary.

Asked T. to transplant beans to bed #7 and to transplant tomatoes to the back corner by the papayas. She went into a long explanation on why planting was interrupting her work and keeping her from finishing the mulching. When she finished her point, I explained that planting always takes priority because the plants have to be transplanted while at the correct size. Mulching is not urgent. She can transplant and then go back and finish the mulching. I gave her two other tasks, to carefully weed the makai end of bed #7, looking for peppers and cilantro. I had cleared around the plants and pointed the plants out to her, naming the plants.

Her third task is to clear out the vine tomatoes which have taken over a large area but are no longer producing enough fruit.

I moved 12 cups of basil and 7 cups mesclun mix to aquabed 2. The plants are showing visible growth now that the circulation pump is running on a regular basis. The lettuce that looked rather yellow is becoming more green.

Today I seeded okra, bulb onion, long beans and the last packet of green onion in pots in nursery.
Moved half a flat of tomato plants to bed #1, under protective netting. The plan is to keep half the plants protected for another few weeks while the other half will go into the garden beds in the next few days.

I noticed a row of onions with the greens clipped off and asked T. if she had cut the tops. She told me she bought the onions in Chinatown and planted them. I dug one up to look. It is a green onion. She cut half of the green stalk off before planting it. She stated that it was how onions are grown in the Philippines.

Chickens have kitchen waste to eat and threw in a cup of grain (large coop).
Still have not identified plant in garden with cabbage like leaves. Have found info on harvest procedure for swiss chard. The third plant I found referred to as a type of chinese cabbage, though I think it looks more like a type of lettuce.  I did not see any of the three at the farmers market in Kaneohe.