Still Life with fruit and pumpkin - Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) |
We have lost most of the fruit to fruit-fly infestation. I
have taken some drastic measures to reduce their numbers, like picking all the
fruit from a tree when I notice any infestation, just to break the life-cycle
of the fruit-flies. The organic traps
did not seem to help much, even though I put one in each tree. One trap should have been enough for the
whole orchard based on coverage data.
I have discovered that fruit-fly management must happen throughout
the year. After studying the life-cycle of the fruit-fly, to the point where I
can write a thesis on it, it is time to put my annual fruit-fly management plan
into practice.
I do not want to use chemicals in our garden. For us,
gardening is more about biology than chemistry. If gardens could produce fruit
300 years ago without chemical intervention I need to find out how.
Still life with figs and bread - Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) |
I love Luis Egidio Meléndez’s still life paintings for their
honesty and reality. I decided to embrace our less than perfect fruit and vegetables
and discovered that they taste delicious, even in their imperfection. It only
takes a bit more time to ‘prep’ because of the insect bites and blemishes.
I am still aspiring to bowls and baskets of beautiful fruit and vegetables gracing the tables in the house. I am searching for the holy grail of healthy gardens but will always try to live in harmony with nature. I believe that nature tells us exactly what she needs. We need only to learn the art of listening again.
I am putting new battle plans in place to fight garden pests
and diseases. My book on South African garden pests and diseases is dog-eared
from frequent use. It has become my trusted companion for identifying and
fighting the myriad of pests and diseases eating away at my gardening spirit.
Still life with pears and bread - Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) |
Luis Melendez was clearly a disciple of realism as opposed to the current age of 'virtualism'. Give me the certainty of perfect imperfection any day! Lovely post, thanks.
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