This is a sad picture. My arugula plant, dead from scale, what this photo doesn't show are all the other casualties of this sticky leaf sucking pest. I was so upset and ashamed about it last year I couldn't bear to blog about it.
It was a hot and humid summer last year, and at first I thought I was a complete failure. But as it turns out even my gifted gardening Aunt had a scale problem that killed everything on her balcony garden. She has the kind of garden that is flourishing and abundant with gnomes and fairies and happy tomatoes. I joke, (sort of). This year I have been perusing gardening catalogues and I am finding myself quite excited to start sowing some seeds indoors this year. But I only will buy seeds from companies that have taken the safe seed pledge, this is a great list compiled by the garden of eatin' http://www.garden-of-eatin.com/how-to-avoid-monsanto(I'm sorry you will have to copy and paste my link is not working). It is the end of January right now, and time to begin planning, I hungrily anticipate the arrival of my gardening catalogues.
I am quite casual still, but I do intend to do a redesign of my space starting with a paint job on the hideous floor of the balcony and getting out my graph paper and my measuring tape so I can bring some aesthetics back to the space and so it will no longer resemble a concrete bunker. As always wish me luck!
