My sweet little 19 year-old girl.

Honey Badger Dahlias don't care about #Helene here in Western North Carolina.

Every year I plant several squash/zucchini varieties, hoping to find one that really stands out. I finally found it: Long White of Polermo. I started two of these in mid-April in my basement and set them out around Mother's Day (I'm in zone 6b/7a), and they're still going strong. I've been getting at least one zucchini a day since they started producing. In years past, my plants have succumbed to vine bores and squash bugs before August and my second plantings always fell victim to pickle worms. Not this year, and it's because of all the flowers I've been planting around the garden, which attracts a huge number of pollinators and other beneficials. I haven't used any pesticides at all for the past two years. Last year I had a few problems (mostly mexican bean beetles), but this year I had no pest problems at all. I highly recommend following Lisa Mason-Ziegler's program as outlined in her book, Vegetables Love Flowers. #grownostr #garden #organic

Who's in my garden? This guy really stands out in the drab browns of dying Bachelor's Button flowers. #grownostr #photography

Who's in my garden? I noticed this piece of fluff drifting by, but then realized it was actually flying. It goes by many names, most of which sound innocuous, if not flattering, such as fairy flies, fluff bugs, and angel bugs. Also known as Woolly Aphids, they are not particularly desirable.

Who's in my garden? This handsome little guy will always be welcome in my garden. #grownostr #photography #macro

Who's in my garden? Unlike the Yellow-Faced Bee, this little guy has lots of hairs for collecting pollen.

Who's in my garden? It's sometimes hard to identify an unfamiliar insect. Not so for this little guy. It's obviously a yellow-faced something, in this case a bee. Unlike other bees, yellow-faced bees don't have hairs or other external appendages for carrying pollen. Instead, they transport pollen in a special compartment of their stomach known as the crop (aka, honey stomach), and then regurgitate it in their nests. #grownostr #insect #pollinator #macrophotography

Who's in my garden? I've been photographing as many critter-visitors to my garden as I can, both good and "bad." I was happy to see this one. Tachinid Flies serve as pollinators as adults, and are parasites of various pests in the larval stage.

First cabbage from the garden. #grownostr #garden #harvest #cabbage

These are some recent visitors to my Bupleurum. The photo showing my fingertips gives an idea of the size of these insects. It's important to plant a variety of flowers around your vegetable garden to attract a variety of beneficial insects. #grownostr #garden #flowers #insects #beneficials #pollinators

I get a kick out of watching Mockingbirds harassing Blackbirds.

The cabbage is looking good!

The ability to follow a hash tag is a pretty neat feature. Following #grownostr will fill up your feed...

I posted previously about how friendly Eli is and how he makes me smile. This is him. #grownostr #catsofnostr

Trying a new method for planting tomatoes that will hopefully reduce the likelihood of soil-borne diseases, which I have trouble with every year. Instead of planting in my regular garden beds, I'm going to plant in smart pots and use a soil-less mixture. I rolled down the top third of the pots for the initial planting and will unroll and add more planting mix as the tomatoes grow. This will solve the problem of crop rotation as well. I can replace the planting mix every year and not have to change their location, which means I won't have to move the trellis any more. #grownostr #tomatoes #garden

It's baffling to me that these guys can go from sitting on the water to flying, almost effortlessly. #grownostr

Classic pose. #grownostr

So impressive. #grownostr