I am just finishing my planting in northern Minnesota and enjoying the first fruits:
spinach, lettuce, arugula and radishes (planted before our last heavy snowfall, which
doesn't seem very long ago). The forest tent caterpillars are at the beginning of a
population explosion and we've been trying to protect the cherry bushes and vegetables
by squishing them or soaking them down with diluted dish detergent. I don't expect
complete defoliation of the hardwoods this year - probably next year, barring extreme
cold this winter (-42 degrees F) or a late frost next spring. I'm planning to use
wood ashes and diatomacious earth to control slugs this year. Has anyone tried copper
barriers? We've had an exceptionally cool and wet spring and the La Nina influence
promises to keep it that way - good for peas and broccoli.
