Thursday, June 11, 2009

Our favorite gardening tool: Chopsticks!

by June

We bee-lined out to the garden after a rain. The Chinese Blues cabbage was riddled with holes. And the wretched slugs were still there gnawing, the nerve. Never fear! The girls and I were armed with...chopsticks!

We pinched up the gooey invaders and hurled them off into the meadow.

Fern: "Look, they're on the kale too!"

Blossom: "Why do they only go for the good stuff? It would actually help if they'd eat the weeds."


Ever since I stumbled onto the Japanese Gardener's post about using chopsticks to perk up his violas, we've been using them for everything. We fish edamame beans out of the inoculant slurry and poke them into the soil with one deft motion. Same with nasturtium and morning glory seeds, oh glory! We scratch the soil before broadcasting tiny seeds and pluck tiny weed sprouts out from among the radishes.


Once in New York City, I saw a woman using chopsticks in a way so clever I thought it could never be topped. She was obeying the "pooper scooper" laws meant to keep the sidewalks clear of dog doo: pickin' up the poopoo, puttin' it in the baggie. But, I have to say, I feel almost as clever clearing the cabbage of pests -- without having to scour slug slime off my fingers afterward. Just wait until tomato horn worm season...

20 comments:

Quinn Lavigne said...

haha!! when the pests come, i'll call your girls to get rid of them for me!! get those chopsticks ready!!

June said...

In the meantime, can you get over here to help, Sportslover? With all this damp weather, the slugs are having a slugfest out there.

HKpowers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Heather said...

Me too, I use them for so many things in the garden!

Mayberry Magpie said...

Hi there blog neighbor! Thanks for visiting Mayberry Magpie. I'm having a delight exploring your blog and feel like I've found a kindred spirit. (Yes, I'm a town dweller, albeit a very small town, but I've always wanted a "gentleman's farm" and yours looks lovely.) Your photography is gorgeous and your posts are right up my alley. Thanks for leading me here!

P.S. My favorite television show of all time is obviously Andy Griffith, but Green Acres runs a close second.

Beegirl said...

Holy cow ..those slugs are enormous!! Do you have any chickens you can feed them to? Just wanted to drop you a line - so far the newspaper and grass clippings seem to be working great. Haven't tried shredded paper..wondering if I should? For now been folding the sheets in half. Seems to be keeping the weeds down nicely. Hoping it will till under in the fall, other wise I'll be picking out a mess of paper!!

tom tall clover farm said...

Thank goodness I saw your post after a delicious lunch at our local Chinese Restaurant. I must admit your chopstick solution is a kinder gentler approach than my satay skewer slug patrol. Some of the slugs around Seattle are so big you may have to forget the chopsticks and pick up some BBQ tongs.

Anonymous said...

Inspired! Not only can I remove slugs from the garden but I can practice my noodle-eating technique at the same time!

Garden Mum said...

Little Garden Girl has been learning how to uses chopsticks - now she can practice on the slugs. What a great idea. And great blog too - lovely blog award for you over at mine.

Colleen - the AmAzINg Mrs. B said...

Hahaha! I'll have to sent this to my neighbor - our little street's resident Gardner :-)

Sharon said...

Delightful! I'll have to give it a whirl!

June said...

Heather, Aren't they versatile? Please stop by with news of any unique work you put them to...

Mayberry Magpie, When I stumbled upon your blog, I thought I had stumbled into a little piece of heaven. I grew up very near your Mayberry, and it's like a trip home to read your goings-on about town. Thank you for following me back here. I can tell we'll be back and forth A LOT!

Beegirl, You got it. The slugs are enormous. Our chickens won't touch 'em. Which is why we need ducks. But the girls are still sensitive about losing their favorite chicken, Tuesday, and they are afraid to give their heart to another mortal species. I love your weed control and will be watching avidly to hear how the season treats it.

Tom, Satay skewers!!! Sometimes I feel like that would be JUST the thing. Malevolence does spring up in my heart when confronted with the legions of slugs. They are practically Roman around here. Yesterday, I did use the chopsticks for the truly benevolent purpose of helping a bee out of pail.

Drooling Vegetable, What should be my iPod soundtrack for picking up slugs? Thanks for stopping by!

Garden Mum, OH, thank you for the blog award. How very nice of you! I get such a kick out of following along with you and your little gardeners. I'm glad Garden Girl will have another way to practice her chopstick skills.

Utah Grammie, Are slugs bad in Utah? It seems so dry and nice out there...

Sharon, Please let me know how it goes for you. I'm sure you'll make yet more discoveries about their usefulness.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone. We love "chatting" with you.

Toni said...

What a good idea!

No slugs out here in Wyoming. Too dry for them...

Unknown said...

ugg boots
basketball shoes,basketball sneakers,lebron james shoes,sports shoes,kobe bryant shoes,kobe sneakers,nike basketball shoes,running shoes,mens sport shoes,nike shoes
mulberry outlet store
air force 1 shoes
chicago blackhawks
cheap nfl jersey
christian louboutin outlet
coach outlet store
michael kors handbags clearance
uggs outlet
beats by dre
new york knicks
the north face outlet
ghd uk
timberland shoes
los angeles lakers
air jordan 11
tods shoes
coach outlet online
michael kors handbags
1110minko

柯云 said...

2015-12-07keyun
timberlands
cheap oakley sunglasses
mulberry uk
coach outlet online
coach factory outlet
jordan 11s
louis vuitton purses
mont blanc mountain
ugg boots
chanel handbags
louis vuitton bags
true religion jeans outlet
michael kors outlet
prada
coach outlet
michael kors outlet online
uggs for sale
air force 1 trainers
uggs on sale
uggs for chea
ugg sale
nike trainers sale
cheap toms
the north face jackets
cheap air jordans
uggs on sale
michaek kors outlet
louis vuitton handbags
michael kors outlet
canada goose outlet
michael kors outlet
nike air huarache
ray-ban sunglasses
cheap ugg boots
instyler
ralph lauren sale
louis vuitton outlet stores
abercrombie and fitch
toms outlet
north face jackets

xjd7410@gmail.com said...

michael kors outlet
ray ban sunglasses
lebron 13
hermes handbags
ugg boots sale
cheap ray ban sunglasses
louis vuitton outlet
jordan retro
michael kors purses
uggs on sale
ugg boot uk
cheap jordan shoes
toms shoes
ugg boots
kevin durant 8 shoes
supra sneakers
mont blanc pens
ray ban sunglasses
ugg boots
coach outlet store online clearances
nike outlet
ray ban pas cher
air max 90
oakley sunglasses outlet
the north face jackets
jordan 3 white cenment
seattle seahawks jerseys
gucci handbags
cheap ray ban sunglasses
chenyingying2016815

raybanoutlet001 said...

michael kors handbags
green bay packers jerseys
redskins jerseys
fitflops
denver broncos jerseys
nike huarache
cheap nhl jerseys
golden state warriors
nike huarache
canada goose jackets

Unknown said...

michael kors outlet clearance
coach outlet
michael kors outlet clearance
adidas originals tubular
adidas outlet store
michael kors outlet clearance
michael kors handbags
coach outlet store online
lebron 14 shoes
coach factory online
2017.5.15chenlixiang

raybanoutlet001 said...

ugg boots
ugg outlet
replica watches
jordan 4
armani outlet
sac longchamp
cheap nike shoes
omega watches
new balance outlet
fitflops sale clearance

chenmeinv0 said...

nfl jerseys
longchamp les pliages
jordan retro 12
coach factory outlet
burberry bags
mac cosmetics makeup
michael kors outlet clearance
michael kors outlet clearance
columbia outlet store
nike air max 2017
hzx20170619