Where did they all go?

It's just a day before the official start of summer and those pesky Japanese beetles that most always made an appearance in early June are nowhere to be found in 2013! Tis a puzzler for sure.

Also, AWOL are the ticks (hunters have killed all the deer in my area), the grasshoppers. mosquitoes and the other irksome insects that generally make gardening such an irksome battle! The only real problems I've encountered, thus far, are tiny flea beetles which took an early and lasting liking to my potato plants. The shotgun appearance of the leaves, pictured above, are testament to their collective hunger. In spite of that, the tater plants seem to be surviving just fine.

This 'insect free' situation has made for a very pleasant spring down here in southwest Missouri. But, it makes me also wonder if this is natural for nature – i.e. some cyclical species variation, or is this a trend that could prove deleterious down the road? You know, like the honey bees that are disappearing worldwide. A side note: i.e. means "that is". It's from the latin "id est"!

Home grown tomatoes! This year for sure!

While I've never been accused of having a green thumb, I generally do alright in the home garden arena. Over the years, I've produced bumper crops of romaine lettuce, Kentucky pole beans, onions and even some potatoes just last season. But, its tomato growing where I've consistently fallen on my face. I'm not sure what it is I'm doing wrong, but something always seems to go wrong. One year it was deer that ate all my plants down to the ground, and then over the past couple of seasons ,it's been both the deer and some hungry Japanese beetles that have left me having to resort to farmers markets in order to sate my appetite.

But this year is going to be different! First off, all the deer have been killed by hunters and not only are they not around but the tics that generally accompany them have bee absent too. That just leaves those pesky beetles and they are due to show in just a few more days! But, I'll be ready for those little critters with lots of grow cloth or as its commercially known reemay. And, any deer that might show up will have to cut their way through some chicken wire. Wish me luck!