“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” – Margaret Atwood
Oh my goodness, it’s already March 9th and I haven’t welcomed March yet! Please forgive me, as I have been working like crazy to get my garden structures together so I can start focusing more on the production of the garden and content to share! Then, of course, the lovely Monarchs decided to make another appearance. I just had to help them along. That turned out quite well and 30 gorgeous Monarchs were raised, released, and became part of our little ecosystem.
For March, I will be planting some seedlings but not quite as much as in the past two months. This is due in part to having so many seedlings becoming transplants. Also, I have purchased numerous transplants to regain some of the time I lost in getting things started. However, the seeds I am planting are located below. As a reminder, you can go here to learn what you can grow for your zone.
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What I am planting in March:
*All the transplants from February that are ready to go out * Baby’s Breath *Borage *Dahlias (hopefully-still haven’t found it)*Ginger *Hairy Balls Milkweed *Heavy Hitter Okra *Potatoes (wrong time to do it so this is experimental) *Sweet Potatoes *Turmeric
Another addition to the garden is Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars that have all but taken over my one and only passionflower vine. There are several there so we will see what happens. I will not take them in and raise them, however, since I only have one plant. Hopefully, there is enough there for them. I may be visiting some of my local nurseries to see if I can get more.
They definitely eat quite a bit differently than Monarchs. Monarchs quickly devour every cell of the milkweed, including the stems! The fritillaries, on the other hand, do not eat fast at all and seem to only make selective chew holes in each leaf, leaving most of the leaf intact. It is very interesting to note the differences.
I am making the decision in March to possibly sell what’s left of the mealworms. I say what’s left because nearly all of them have morphed into darkling beetles, which I will also be selling. Really the rest are in the pupa stage of the beetles at this point. I am very glad that I got them so I could go through the process (post upcoming) and share it with others who are interested. However, they just take too much time for me at this time.
I thought I might be getting chickens, so they would be beyond awesome for that. I am just not where I can do that now, due to ongoing fencing issues. I am so glad that I did it though because if and when I do get chickens I want to get them again and repeat the process. It was really cool. I think it will be fantastic then. I did collect what frass I could from them and it is happily enriching my garden. It just became too much of an extra thing to do right now. I prefer to focus more on all the other stuff for now. Like I said, however, I’m super glad I did it and hope that what I share can be of benefit to others.
The worms, on the other hand, are doing spectacularly well! So well, in fact, that I have to divide them up and make extra bins. Additionally, I am giving some to a friend who is passionate about gardening so they can start their own vermicomposting set-up. This makes me so happy to share it on and offline. I will be doing an updated post on the worms, so stay tuned for that. For now, this is where I got the worms from.
The primary focus for March is getting the fence situation resolved, and getting the remainder of the beds built, in place, and filled. Then all of what is to be in the garden out there. I would have liked to have it all set before the end of last month but for sure it will be mostly set in March. Since I am scaling back on some other things it should be easier to accomplish.
Again, I want to thank you so much for joining me here on my journey! Please feel free to comment here, tell me what you are growing, and let me know about some successes in your garden, garden preparations, or struggles. I want to know!
“When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden.” ~ Minnie Aumonier
February got off to a great start and I have been the busiest I have been in my garden since, well, ever. I have never taken on this scale for my garden. Between still managing debris and repairs to my home, property, fence, etc., and building the infrastructure, I haven’t had a moment to get bored. Of course, I typically don’t get bored. This year, though, I am really planting and doing more in my garden than ever before-whether here or anywhere else I have gardened! I always wanted to do all that I am, just wasn’t sure it would ever be possible. Now, I see it is and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I really have become a planting and transplanting fool. Not to mention trying all of the new things that I am trying including the WORMS! You can learn more about the process and progress and where I got them here. There has also been a re-development, can you guess what that is? We’ll get to that in a minute.
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It is such a blessing to be enjoying the process of full-on gardening now. I am still building the garden but it has been nice to be planting so many seedlings. So many new experiments. It has also been wonderful to plant transplants and some of the seedlings from January. I feel like this new garden really is going to be the best one I have ever had! I am so happy that I decided to go forward with rebuilding on such a scale!
So, the re-development? Well, my Monarch Butterfly ladies have apparently been rather busy laying eggs all over my milkweed. I kind of felt I had to protect the caterpillars and so now, I have a whole brand new bunch of Monarchs to raise, possibly double what there was before if the ones outside make it. This bunch has been more ravenous than the first! I haven’t wanted to say anything about them because I wasn’t sure how they would fare.
Before I realized that they were all over, horrible, awful aphids moved in all over my milkweed and were wreaking havoc on them, the caterpillar eggs, and some of the caterpillars. I kept removing them from the milkweed but they kept taking over. I have done what I could. I did bring in quite a few to ensure more of them make it all the way. However, I did leave some on the milkweed inside the lanai and outside in the garden. All have been happily enjoying themselves and the milkweed. So, we shall see how it goes.
Hopefully, in the next week or two there will be a big bunch of magnificent new Monarchs to release and welcome spring into the garden. Meanwhile, they are completely depleting all of the milkweeds that I have planted! So, I am planting even more! It looks as if I have enough to get all of them to chrysalis, so that is great. Hopefully, enough of the milkweeds will have grown back by the time they eclose. Really, they have just been getting a hard prune!
The first one went into chrysalis yesterday morning and most that were in the fifth instar went into chrysalis between yesterday and today. The ones that were in the lanai and outside in the garden are traveling to j-hang wherever they choose. It will be interesting to see if I can spot them throughout the lanai and garden. I have already found a few.
How did all that I planted and transplanted for January go? Well, I tried a new planting method for January. More on that in an upcoming post. Most things went very well. However, some of the seeds did not germinate. That’s okay though because the things that didn’t germinate I was kind of pushing for this time of year anyway, plus the seeds were a little older.
So, now the month is nearly over and I haven’t discussed what I am planting here in zone 10a! So, here is a list of what I already have planted and the few things left that I will be planting more of. Back to what I already have planted in my garden for February. I went to a plant sale at the beginning of the month and visited a few nurseries to get some transplants. I have a ton of seeds planted but I also wanted to get a head start since I lost so much time. I think it is great that we have options, I like options. For February, I have added the following for my zone 10a garden (or will be adding):
Veggies & Herbs
*Arugula *Basil *Carrots *Cilantro *Chamomile *Cucumbers-Ashley, Bush Crop *Dill-seeds from old garden and also Elephant Dill *Eggplant-Black Beauty & Little Fingers *Elderberry *Lettuce-Merlot & Buttercrunch *Luffa (seeds from luffa grown in my garden) *Melons-Cantaloupe, Honeydew & Sugarbaby Watermelon *Okra-Orange Jing & Clemson Spineless *Oregano *Parsley *Peppers-Cayenne, Grand Bell, Purple Beauty, Jalapeños, Datil, Cubanelle, Aji Charapita, Sugar Rush Peach, and Tobasco *Radish-Purple, French Breakfast *Sage *Seminole Pumpkin *Summer Squash-Zucchini & Yellow Straightneck *Tomatoes-Large Red Cherry, Sweet 100, Beefsteak, Mortgage Lifter, Chadwick Cherry, Brad’s Atomic Grape, and Roma (already have Everglade’s doing great from January) *Thyme
Flowers:
*African Iris *Alyssum *Echinacea *Gaillardia *Lavender *Marigold-Orange & Yellow, also Orange Hawaii Variety *Morning Glory-Moonflower & Carnevale Di Venezia *Milkweed-Tropical, Pink, *Nasturtiums-Orange Cream & Tip Top Mahogany (to start) *Porterweed, *Snapdragons, *Sunflowers-Autumn Beauty, Lemon Queen and Mexican and *Zinnias -Mazurkia & Polar Bear.
Between all of that, continuing the build on the garden, the worms, and the Monarch Caterpillars, I am a little behind. I am still moving forward though so that has to count for something!
It’s just a bit of a race right now to be able to get the tail end of the best part to grow here in Southwest Florida. Since I missed out on the best–fall–I really want to get as much as I can out of this last bit of the better planting time here. So, hopefully, it will all work out! I will do my best to keep things going on here and continue to build social channels. I am really looking forward to being mostly set so I can start doing some YouTube videos as well. So many, many blessings!
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my website and taking the time to read this post! I’m so happy and grateful to have you here!
Mary Swanson : I beg your pardon? Lloyd Christmas : That’s what we’re gonna call it. “I Got Worms!” We’re gonna specialize in selling worm farms.You know, like ant farms. ~From Dumb & Dumber, the Movie
I just couldn’t resist! This post begged for that name. I realize that not everyone will find it as humorous as I do, but hopefully, some will get a giggle out of the wiggle. While I am not necessarily starting a worm farm to sell worms, I am going to be creating the most magical compost, castings, and worm tea kissed by the warmth of the Florida Sun and cared for by loving hands. So stay tuned for more on that.
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Rehydrating the Worms
So, I am now the proud owner of one thousand Red Wiggler Composting Worms, one hundred European Nightcrawlers, and one thousand Mealworms! That’s two-thousand-one hundred worms! Holy moly! I didn’t set out to do that, but here I am. I have built three separate bins. The primary bin will house the Red Wiggler composting worms and be the main producer of vermicompost and worm tea for my garden. I will also have a smaller-scale bin for the night crawlers and then a multi-tiered bin for the mealworms.
Wait, Mealworms?? Yup. I was just as shocked. You see, I have been wanting to start with the vermicomposting for a while. In fact, I did just set up a magnificent bin and was ready to order a big bunch of red wigglers right before the storm. We all know how that turned out. So, now that things are getting to a good place with the garden I figured it was an opportune time.
I did have one bin set up for compost for the past couple of months so I am not wasting my scraps. Now that I have the worms I will be oh so happy to feed them! Okay, so the mealworms. Yeah, well, I went online to do something garden related and ended up on Uncle Jim’s page. Funny how these things happen.
The site had a pop-up wheel you could spin on it. Usually, I don’t participate but I was already planning to purchase worms from Uncle Jim since I have heard magnificent things about his worms (was going to purchase from Amazon originally here) and their customer service. So I spun the wheel and I actually “won” one thousand mealworms! Score!
Before I got too excited I did a bit of research to find out if I actually wanted the prize. I learned so much about mealworms that I never knew before. Enough to make a completely separate post (upcoming) and also enough to go ahead and claim that prize! I am not entirely certain of how I will use the mealworms yet but I do have a couple of ideas.
Mealworms
Firstly, I have entertained the notion of getting chickens. I am not 100% there but still thinking about it. If I do, I would love to have the mealworms as a wonderful source of protein for the girls. If I don’t get chickens, the mealworms can still prove plenty useful. Of course, their frass is incredibly useful as a fertilizer in the garden. Additionally, they can be sold to others as feed for their pets, or chickens. Either way, I figured I might just as well try it out!
So I went ahead and put my order in on the site, instead. I mean, there were already discounts, and then the free mealworms so it was a much better deal. I like deals, oh so much. If you do too, you can check the site out yourself here! Comparing the two options, even with shipping, ordering from the site turned out to be a far better deal so that’s what I did.
Within a day or two, my little wormies were on their way to me, I was so happy! I know, I’m an odd duck, what can I say? So, I started getting things prepared. I already had what I needed for the Red Wigglers but I had initially planned to get less. I am Super grateful to my daughter for her donation of two three-drawer bins. This will allow me to have one for the mealworms and one for the European Nightcrawlers, then have an extra drawer for smaller supplies. The Red Wigglers are in a very large tote.
There was an issue with the shipping. Nothing at all to do with Uncle Jim’s, it was on the carrier’s side. The shipment took 5 days instead of 2-3. The mealworms were definitely fine. However, I was in communication with Uncle Jim’s Customer Service and they are AMAZING! They told me to keep an eye on them and let them know. Their response was lightning fast and their consideration was top-notch. They have livened up quite a bit since their arrival. They are comfy, cozy, and eating and pooping like the champs that they are. **Turned out that they recovered just fine. Very pleased!
“Essential advice for the gardener: grow peas of mind, lettuce be thankful, squash selfishness, turnip to help thy neighbor, and always make thyme for loved ones.” ~Unknown
So, so much going on in the garden to start February off on the right foot! I got most of the seeds planted that I wanted to for January and much of them have sprouted. I also got some starts and will be buying more over the next few days. Totally looking forward to the first plant sale of the year that I will be going to on Saturday!
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Many beds were built and brought out and two arched trellises have been put up. A very important feature of my main beds is just about ready to be installed. I have my new indoor grow light and heat mat set up so that I can plant many of my tomatoes and peppers tomorrow. I bought lots of new seeds, found a new source for seeds (yup, and ordered even more seeds), and have gotten the ones I have so far organized and ready to go (post to follow). I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to get all of this accomplished and to be able to share it here!
I am getting together videos to start on YouTube and working on getting all of the other social media along with this website where it needs to be. It is all a work in progress. I continuously remind myself, “progress, not perfection”. Additionally, I am planning to start monthly and possibly weekly giveaways, so that will be fun! I am even restarting something that I had already been doing, a little earlier than I had originally planned. Oh, and I got 2100 more mouths to feed…but more on all that later! Stay tuned for so, so much more!!
“To dream a garden and then to plant it is an act of independence and even defiance to the greater world.” ~ Stanley Crawford
My humble garden before Ian was very simple, yet very functional to start. At first, I just started with some seeds and some soil and began starting seedlings inside my home and in my lanai. This began at the end of 2019. The enclosure (which I didn’t start until 2020) was comprised predominantly of pallets, t-posts, rebar, screening (stapled on the inside of fencing made from pallets to keep critters out-in theory), chicken wire, and some other fencing, along with one gate.
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In the above photo, you can see the outer chain link fence was still a fence and had not yet grown to be the living bee wall that it was. The enclosure was 18’x27′, so relatively small but still adequate to grow enough food for myself and my family-I hoped. It was perfectly imperfect. Over the past three years, it grew to be quite beautiful in its simplicity and was very efficient.
Inside the garden enclosure, I utilized chairs to hold the totes to create small raised beds that were up off the ground to protect from most of the critters that could get at them. Additionally, there were a couple of raised beds on the ground, made from bookcases, kiddie pools, numerous large pots, and even a turtle sandbox (which thankfully made it and will be in the new garden). It was modest but it served its purpose.
I found that the best way for me to get started in a simple and cost-effective way was to grow in plastic storage totes. Upon research, I found this to be a safe and effective way to grow food in my garden. I learned this information initially from Robbie of Robbie & Gary Gardening Easy (via YouTube below). I was so grateful to learn this along with so much more from this channel! If you do not yet know about Robbie & Gary, I suggest you visit their channel for profound, genius, yet simple advice!
Robbie has been successfully growing in them (and many other things) for years. I learned so much from her and her husband Gary. She really is a GENIUS in the garden, they both are. I just adore them!
Over the years it evolved and ultimately I got rid of the beds that were directly on the ground because of nematodes and deterioration of the beds. This led to only growing in the containers. My new garden will be comprised mostly of raised beds but I am doing all I can to prevent the nematodes. I will have a section where I have a few totes to grow in, just because they really do work so well!
I kept learning more and more things from so many channels and online resources that it was just amazing to me how much information we have available to us at our fingertips! Whenever I can, I will share where I got the information from but I have forgotten some of what I learned from where. Let it Bee Garden will hopefully become a valuable resource for many others as well!
The more I learned, the more I grew, and the more I knew the more I was hooked. My desire for growing food created a voracious hunger within me to gain, utilize, and share as much knowledge about gardening and ecosystems here in Florida as possible.
I started enjoying the success of the garden so much (still with many challenges) that I thought about starting my own channel. I thought, what the heck? Only, I ended up not having/taking the time to put the effort into it. Since I had just started being a Realtor, then 2020 happened, along with so many other profound challenges for that year. Then, 2021?? I am still not sure where in the world that went. I know we all felt that in many different ways. The point is, I didn’t do it. I didn’t do that and allowed the garden to stay in its “experimental”, yet fully productive form. Hey, if it isn’t broken??!!
I started finding everything that was in and around my garden to be a fascinating gift each day. Even when I would learn of a new pest or other challenges in my garden, I found it to be a gift. Despite the fact that it often didn’t appear that way! I knew that I needed to learn all that I could to not only help myself and my family by growing the food but also assist with the development of a special ecosystem within my own little piece of paradise. I want to bring the pollinators and help to support them throughout their life cycle. I also really want to help others with their own gardens.
Like this Green Orchid Bee (below). I will never forget the first time I saw these bees in my garden. I was completely mesmerized! The first ones I saw were much more blue than green. Until I reached an expert on blue bees on Facebook, I thought they were a type of blue bees (this was due to the wrong images attached to an article). Once I learned that it was a Green Orchid Bee I was still super stoked. They are so beautiful! I love metallic things and these do not disappoint. They don’t seem to mind me a bit as I am filming them or just admiring their task and beauty. They absolutely LOVE eggplant flowers. So I will always grow eggplants! We are rather fond of eggplants anyway so it works out well.
@letitbeegarden I am missing my garden terribly. It was my solace, my therapy, my joy. My garden was not my home and thankfully my own home is mostly intact. I am beyond grateful for this every day. My heart aches for the losses for so many. Please keep safe and getting better. No, my garden was not my home…However my garden was home to many, many creatures including this very special green orchid bee. I am in the process of getting my own home repaired and rebuilding My garden and making it bigger and better than it ever was before. Instead of an enclosure, my garden will be my entire backyard. I have no doubt that many bees including the green orchid bee will be back to pollinate And enjoy their very own little ecosystem, their piece of Paradise. #beestrong#englewoodflorida#englewoodstrong#gardenjoy#zone10a#garden#pollinators#growyourownfood#southwestflorida#healmegarden#mygarden#floridagardener#swfl♬ You Gotta Be – Des’ree
Black Beauty Eggplants
I even put a bee box in my garden (have to replace it as the storm destroyed it), for any of the bees that wanted to use it. It worked well until it was wrecked in the storm (Ian). So, as time has passed, I have learned much. I originally had planned on having a garden channel/website when I first started but I allowed life to get in the way. Thankfully, I did take a lot of pictures and some videos so I will be sharing them here and via social media channels while I get my new garden up and running.
Garden Bee Box (the tree on the left is shown after Ian below)
My garden produced a good deal of veggies that greatly added to my family’s nutrition. Due to the previous size of the enclosed garden, however, I never got hundreds of pounds of food. I chose to only grow one or two of a variety of things. This limited production–especially due to pest stress. With the new garden, I plan to plant SO much more and include more succession planting. Regardless, I was always incredibly grateful for the gifts that my garden gave to me and my family. Until it was broken. Into smithereens, and buried beneath insulation, shingles, twisted unknown metal, and the fence that was once the bee wall. So, broken it was.
Some of the food I have grown
My First Successful Zucchini!
After Ian
Obviously, most of us in Southwest Florida experienced the wrath of Ian. Many lost vehicles and/or their homes and some even more than that. My heart goes out to them continuously. I continue to be incredibly grateful that each of my family only had significant damage to our homes and quite a bit to my vehicle (a huge tree limb caved in the roof of my van but I still drive it). We are very fortunate that we did not lose more than that.
Throughout the process of mitigating the damages to our homes and vehicles, I contemplated. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do about my garden. I seriously considered not starting it back up. After seeing how completely destroyed it could be, I really wondered if it were worth the effort. I recalled all of the challenges of the past three years of learning how to garden in this incredible paradise. Doing so certainly allowed me to place my garden in a holding pattern. So, I let it bee…for the time being.
This tree was green, full, and lush the day before.
The only problem with that was that I longed for my garden. I missed the time each day in nature that didn’t have to do with cleaning up debris, meeting with adjusters, contractors, etc. I missed my anoles, butterflies, dragonflies, birds, and all the other critters that the garden afforded me each day. I SO missed my bees!
Knowing that the bee wall was no more, I worried about the bees. I did not want them to leave. Not that they would entirely, of course, and they would come back if they did. Regardless, I missed seeing them each day. So, when our “Florida Snow” popped up, for the first time, I actually let it bee. Totally! I let it completely take over my backyard. I did mow the front, eventually, and grudgingly. However, the backyard was theirs and they absolutely LOVED it. Every day the flowers were covered in bees, it was glorious. When they die off I will plant wildflowers in the same areas.
Meanwhile, we all managed. Once we were at a place where I felt good about thinking about my garden I removed it from the back burner. Like with most things I do, I weighed my options and did my “pros and cons” list. I looked at it from all angles-figuratively and literally. Additionally, I talked about it with friends and family for input.
I did, for a moment, entertain calling my new garden the Garden of Ian. However, I didn’t really want the negative connotation associated with my beautiful garden. Despite the fact that I wanted to show that even out of something so horrific, something new and full of beauty can grow, I just wanted a better feeling attached to it. What better than the bees that have a great responsibility for much of the success of the garden? So, I thought I’ll just Let it Bee, and so that is what it is.
My decision was to fully rebuild the garden, only this time use the entire yard. Which was what I wanted to do “someday” anyway. Most of us know how “somedays” end up more often than not. Ian completely knocked us on our bums. The storm has pushed me to seek more solace in my life. To seek more of what my garden gives me. because of this ordeal, I have decided that I want to focus completely on what gives me peace, and joy in my life. So, I am going to focus on my garden. I have decided to make my garden the focal point of not only my property but also my life (after my family of course).
The Last Zinnias I picked from my previous garden, the day of Ian
The Beginning of the New Garden
The First Beds of the New Garden
My precious new garden is finally moving in the right direction. Perhaps with great challenges that did not exist before but also with great momentum forward that was previously lacking. Why must we get thoroughly thrashed when we aren’t doing what we really want to do?
Let it Bee Garden is now fully underway. The fabulously functional old garden may have been destroyed on September 28, 2022, but the new and greatly improved one was established, in December of 2022. I have so many of the supplies and have been working on the planning and replanning. At the time of this post, I have built and brought 7 of the many beds out into the garden and placed them where they will live.
I am in the process of purchasing starts and starting many things from seed to plant. You can see what I am planting in January and find what is right for your zone here. Additionally, I have included and will include other very interesting things in my garden, such as my Monarch Project. So stay tuned!
“The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity”. ~George Carlin
What started as 3 little caterpillars quickly grew to 27-unintentionally! So, it is important to take care when starting out on this endeavor. Once I heard about folks in my neighborhood raising and releasing Monarch Butterflies, I really wanted to participate (thank you, Pam)!
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The more time you spend with me the more you will realize that I really like to do things in the most cost-effective manner possible. So, while I could have easily ordered the enclosures I have here I did not do so yet. I started them in enclosures that I made from plastic Dollar Tree cookie containers with lids. They had ample room for several to be inside each one. I have seen people use takeout containers, these were at least three times the size and three times as tall. They worked very well for this small-scale run. However, having said that, I will definitely order the ones I have included here and/or build one next time.
The Cookie Tub
Enclosures
I cut the centers of the lids out, I used the cutout lid portion on the bottom of the containers wrapped in a paper towel to make frass cleanup easier. Between the lid frame and container, I used tulle (pronounced tool-netting for party favors, etc.) and it really has proven to be very efficient for this experiment (not to mention tulle has SO many other uses in the garden). I felt it was better than spending exorbitant amounts of money on enclosures and such before I was committed to doing this on a regular basis. So, less than $2 for each container seemed ideal. Not to mention that they are cute for holiday time. These enclosures are kept inside my lanai (for those not familiar, think screened-in porch) to help keep them as safe as possible from potential predators. Between being inside the lanai and in the enclosures they have been safe.
I Cut the Center of the Lid Out
Lid Center to be Wrapped in Paper Towel
Paper Towel Wrapped Lid in the Bottom of the Tub
First Caterpillar to J-hang
The Caterpillar Containers with Chrysalides
Other Enclosures
When I do this again, I will design and build a large enclosure that will house different stages on different levels and I will purchase habitats such as this one.
There are also options for less expensive ones, such as this one.
The most important thing is that they are kept safe. There are also other types of things that will be helpful that I want to include for the next round, such as these milkweed holders. Of course, I am sure there are even less expensive ways of going about it, but you get the idea.
It will definitely be better to have enclosures that are designed for this purpose. I will most likely grab one of the premade enclosures and also build one, just to see what I like better and why so I can share it here.
The Care & Feeding of the Caterpillars
Each day began with carefully removing the caterpillars in order to remove the frass, cleaning the enclosure, and replacing the paper towel and milkweed, and the caterpillars of course! I used a small spray bottle to keep the paper towel slightly damp as well as the leaves, this provides water to drink and also keeps the leaves fresh. I never had any leaves dry out using this method, it has worked well. I repeat the process in the evening. I let them tell me how much they want to eat. I start them with several leaves each in the morning. If they have consumed them by midday I replace them then. Otherwise, I just replenish them in the evening when I clean the enclosure again.
Once a caterpillar has gone to chrysalis (see below top), it is a matter of waiting for them to eclose-the emergence of the adult butterfly. As they are nearing the time of eclosing, they will start to turn in color and transparency (see below middle). You can tell when they are ready to do so because the chrysalis will start to become transparent (see below bottom). When this happens it can be a matter of hours or a day or two before they will eclose. On January 2nd I woke up to one that had just eclosed within minutes and one that was due to eclose any minute. The night before, they were not even fully transparent. The others went a full day from transparency to eclose. There doesn’t seem to be any real rhyme or reason to this that I can tell at the moment. Whenever they do it, it is a beautiful and interesting thing, as is going into the chrysalis stage.
One of the First to Chrysalis
Chrysalis Nearing Time to Eclose
Chrysalis Minutes Before it Eclosed
Doing this in these containers, however, meant I really wanted to transfer them individually into a taller container when it came time to eclose. I did this to keep them separate and to give them more clearance for their wings to fill upon closure. I used very tall pickle jars that I cleaned and sterilized before moving the chrysalids. This basically just meant moving the tulle, with the attached chrysalis. I then used wire around the neck of the jar and added binder clips to the top to help keep them contained.
I did not want to go overboard to start. I did intentionally collect and hatch a few eggs, literally, like 3. However, once I realized how much milkweed these delightful critters ate, I felt I needed to reel in my enthusiasm for the project. Whatever eggs hatched without assistance was what would be. Ensuring I would have enough milkweed to bring each of them to chrysalis was of the utmost importance. So, keeping this small and manageable has been key. I am very happy with how it went, overall. Below is a timelapse video about the transformation from the fifth instar to the butterfly eclosing.
My Monarch Project has been going so well, along with the new garden! So much beauty in the process. Perhaps that’s why I was so incredibly drawn to this project in the first place-transformation. As I have been planning, building and developing Let It Bee Garden, I have also welcomed this delightful addition. Caring for and watching these beautiful creatures has been such a blessing. As the last Caterpillars are getting ready to chrysalis, I’m enjoying it all. I’m so happy to be able to share this here and look forward to making it a part of my garden again in the spring/summer months. For now, I appreciate all of this amazing beauty… thank you for joining me. Check out my website let it bee garden🥰💐🐛🦋 #lifeisbeautiful#projectmonarch#floridagardener#letitbeegarden#englewoodflorida#monarchproject#fypシ#gratitude#monarch#gardenjoy#floridagardening#floridagardener#transformation#englewoodstrong
I very much enjoyed this project and sharing it with friends and family members, including my little partner in the project. She is enjoying it as well as you can see in the video below. She did hold one caterpillar that was in its fifth instar also (one of the 20 that have since eclosed) and she has now held the first one to eclose. She will no doubt be involved in releasing some of them as well. She has enjoyed watching their transformation.
If I do this again, she wants to take responsibility for some of them. It is a wonderfully educational project. We really enjoyed this. We already miss not having butterflies eclosing on a regular basis. However, I am content to wait until spring to restart this endeavor more properly prepared.
I do not want to be reliant on any outside sources for milkweed. Hopefully, I will have enough again by mid-spring or summer–if not by fall. Either way, I am over the moon that we did it! Oh, and by the way, we actually named each and every Monarch! If you want to see (most of) them and learn a little more about them, there will be a post in the next few days. I am also preparing a post on one that I was blessed to see eclose completely. Once completed I will add the links here (if you don’t see the links they haven’t been published yet).
Again, I cannot stress enough that milkweed is key. Whether you want to help by giving them a habitat outdoors, rear caterpillars yourself, or both. It is critical to have a good, healthy, clean source of viable milkweed. This will ensure the highest success rate of bringing these amazing creatures from tiny eggs to brilliant butterflies. If you want to grow milkweed in small pots, even that would be super helpful. Not to mention bring the beauty of the butterflies right to you! I purchased the milkweed seeds below and they have been chilling in the fridge. I will be planting them over the weekend. I also just found and bought more milkweed plants to put in the garden now, from Florida Native Plants Nursery.
It’s also very important to ensure that you have the time to give this type of project the right amount of attention. As long as you will be home in the morning and in the evening it should be enough. You may want to start them with more than a few leaves if you aren’t checking on them midday. Depending on where you are they may eat less. From what I can tell, the climate seems to make a difference in how much time they take to go from egg to adult.
Additionally, I will be taking other measures in the next phase. I may want to participate in tagging and if you are interested in that, you can find more information here at Monarch Watch. They also have a very helpful resource of nurseries with milkweed nationwide and have put it into a spreadsheet here. I also want to be even more responsible and test the adults for things before release. This will involve getting a microscope as well. This was the first shot to see if it would be something I could manage with all of the other responsibilities while still building my garden. We did it, and even through all the holidays too! I am so beyond happy! In total, I have released 20 beautiful adult Monarchs! Now that I know this it worked so well, for them and us, we will be repeating it. It’s all dependent upon how much milkweed we end up with and when.
One of the most helpful resources that I found during this project was the channel below. This guy is incredibly helpful. The video below is part one of a five-part series. Beyond the series, he has many other videos on rearing and releasing monarchs.
*I realize that there is another “project monarch” out there that has nothing to do with butterflies, I assure you, this has absolutely nothing to do with that. Please note, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
“You have to get up and plant the seed and see if it grows, but you can’t just wait around, you have to water it and take care of it.” – Bootsy Collins
Things surely have been busy here in the new garden! This is one of the best times of the year to grow here in Southwest Florida. So I really have to GET GROWING, since I already missed the fall. Not only have I been busy with getting things rebuilt for the garden but oh so much more. Like getting this website up and running and blog posts, etc. Getting all the social media accounts created. Not to mention creating, editing, and posting content. It really is all so exciting! I felt I needed more to take on…you know, during the holidays, following a hurricane! Yikes, lol. So, of course, I decided to add yet another project…raising and releasing Monarch Butterflies! It was a wonderful thing, to be sure. You can read more about it here if you are interested.
Now, however, I have to get back on track and finish getting the structures of the garden built, put out, filled with soil, and get all the herbs, flowers, and veggies planted. Easy peasy! Otherwise, I will miss out on growing entirely at the best time to grow in Florida. Obviously, that is the last thing I want to do, so there will be more to come in the upcoming days, stay tuned!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
I like to follow many gardeners on YouTube and have learned so very much from them over the years. I also get the growing information appropriate for my zone from the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. To learn your zone in the US, just go to The National Gardening Association Zone Checker here. I am here in Florida in zone 10. I usually go by this guide for Florida from UF/IFAS here, just pop in your zip code, and bam! There is all the information you need to figure out what you want to grow for your zone! You can click on “more info” at the bottom right of the pictures to get a lot of great information on how to grow each vegetable. If you are located in a colder climate, you could start some seeds indoors, depending on where you are located, outside of Florida, you can find what you can start growing for your zone here.
So, for the month of January, I am planting the following: Arugula, Basil, Beans, Broccoli, Brussels, Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Dill, Eggplant, Kale, Lettuce, Marigolds, Milkweed (for the Bees, Monarch Caterpillars & Butterflies), Oregano, Peas, Peppers, Radishes, Rosemary, Sage, Spinach. Summer Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Watermelon, and Winter Squash.
To help me keep track of what I am doing in the garden I got myself this handy and inexpensive garden planner. I got one for myself and gave one as a present for Christmas. I really like the simplicity of it and it is a great, cost-effective way to keep track of everything I am planting, my supplies, and my gardening goals. At some point I will design my own, for now, I am thrilled that I have this one!
I’ll also be planting more flowers than indicated, some from seeds, some I will purchase started. I will be direct sowing most of these herbs and veggies, with a few I will start indoors from seed. Please note, due to so much time lost I did purchase quite a few starts from local nurseries. So, where are you located and what will you be planting in January??
Please note, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. ~Maya Angelou
Funny how things happen sometimes. I was looking through posts on Nextdoor looking for contractor recommendations when I happened upon an interesting post. “I released #119 today!” Pam from East Englewood exclaimed. Looking further into the post to see what was released revealed monarch butterflies. Apparently, this fascinating woman was raising and releasing Monarch butterflies from egg to newly hatched butterfly! I have to look more into what she meant by #119…whether that was a number or if she released that many in one day?
Being in full swing with the new garden plans, I thought, hmm, what the heck? Take on one more project, why not!? I decided to go to a nursery that I had not gone to yet, the next day. Hazeltine Nurseries in Venice, Florida. Interestingly enough, in December 2020, Venice was named a Monarch City! Basically, this means that it is officially a city that has made a commitment to help support the Monarch Butterfly population to recover and grow. What better place to go to get the milkweed that I would need to start this new project?!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
So, I started the research that evening and vowed to go to Hazeltine’s the next day. The next day, I went out to the lanai to water the plants there and in the garden. There was a butterfly inside the lanai! It wasn’t a monarch but that didn’t matter, I thought it was a beautiful indication that I was going in the right direction. Then, something even more special happened. I reached out to the butterfly and it walked right up onto my hand! Thankfully I had my phone with me, so I was able to have a quick clip of the butterfly on my hand. It wasn’t focused very well, but that was okay. I was more focused on the butterfly than the phone. Regardless, it was a super special thing. I kept trying to help it get out of the lanai and it didn’t really seem to want to go at first, but after a few minutes, it finally took off.
Following the butterfly encounter, I went off to the nursery to get the milkweed. There is so much construction on River Rd., where the nursery is located. Using the GPS, even though I knew about where it was, helped immensely. The nursery itself is wonderful and I am looking forward to going back. They have a massive selection of plants, flowers, and trees–including Christmas Trees.
I spent time wandering, taking it all in but very intent on finding milkweed. It didn’t take very long. All I had to do was stand back and scan the property. As soon as I was able to see where all the butterflies were, I knew I found the milkweed! So many butterflies, white peacock butterflies, a yellow variety that I am not sure of yet, and of course, the monarchs. I started to inspect the plants to see if there were eggs on any of the leaves, boy was there! I expected to find a few but each plant had several. Then, much to my delight, I found a caterpillar!
Going through the remainder of the plants, I found two more “cats” and many eggs. I was very happy with my selection of six milkweed plants. I also found a bird of paradise that I wanted and was happy to head home with my “babies”. Then a sweet couple looking over plants while I was there asked me about the milkweed. I told them that they were what the monarchs wanted and showed them how to look for eggs. They were pretty excited and decided to choose two plants for themselves–with quite a few eggs.
I was very pleased with the visit and was excited to get them home. I know I have quite a bit to do already but I just had to get them. I really felt compelled to not only plant milkweed but also to attempt to raise some of them myself. Considering the fact that they have such a low rate of making it through all of the cycles, I really wanted to help.
Many gardeners are aware that most things in the garden are considered experiments. This is yet another experiment for what was becoming the new garden. I felt that this was a wonderful way to add another element of transformational beauty to the garden. I already planned to plant a lot more flowers to attract all the pollinators. I just had no idea that I was going to be moved to do this.
After getting the plants home, as I suspected, I found more. I found more eggs. I could hardly believe my good fortune. I set up a couple of enclosures for the two stages that there were and another for some eggs.
By the next morning, there were newly hatched caterpillars. I cleaned out the enclosures and supplied new leaves for them. They all seemed to have grown overnight! I learned that their life cycles are quicker in warmer areas. Soon, we’ll see how quickly they move through each “instar”. So, that’s it for now…I just wanted to share that. I really hope I don’t become the all-new kind of crazy “cat” lady!
(I will put more about this and probably make this part a separate post in the upcoming days but right now there is one in chrysalis! The first picture is eating, the second is the final shedding and the last is the chrysalis it is now in! I was so disappointed that it happened overnight as I slept. I so wanted to get the video…next time.)
Monarch Caterpillar
Fifth Instar Shedding
Chrysalis
I will be making more posts about this exciting new facet of the garden. You can see more regarding Project Monarch here. Meanwhile, here is a great resource if you happen to be interested in learning more about raising monarchs:
More grows in the garden than the gardener sows. – Spanish proverb
I was in my garden today, working on removing the last two containers that had surviving plants. One cayenne pepper and one jalapeño pepper were the only surviving plants that were within my garden enclosure. All else was destroyed. I am still working on trying to revive some marigolds, and another cayenne, but other than that, no other food made it that I have been able to see. Oh, except, possibly all the pineapple plants–about 20. There are still parts of my fence that are covering okra and other things but I am all but certain that just the new weeds are all that is there.
I have been putting off moving those two plants because I knew how happy they were there. I also knew that they were so incredibly strong together to have weathered the storm. Additionally, they occupied the space where all my peppers have grown-“Pepper Lane” I called it. Moving them meant that Pepper Lane was no more. So, it made me a little sad at first. I had to remind myself, as I moved those two precious peppers, I am making a new garden. In order to make that new garden I have to completely change what was. It no longer served me in its present condition. As I moved them to their new “temporary” home, I vowed to make a new Pepper Lane for them, only now, I think I’ll call it “Pepper Place”.
Certainly, none of this would matter to anyone else, and perhaps they wouldn’t understand. However, it really brought me to tears. In a good way actually. After I moved them, I was reaching in to remove some leaves from the cayenne and noticed a bunch of peppers on a broken branch. At least I can continue to ripen them inside. Then, however, I was doing the same with the jalapeño and started finding all of these peppers that were grown! I was very excited by this. I have been so busy that I didn’t notice that it has been fruiting! Anyway, needless to say, I am very, very happy about this. This particular pepper was one that had just given me its first 2 very delicious peppers before Ian came for a visit.
While I have always known it on some level, it really hit me hard today. A garden is so much more than the seeds we plant, the plants that grow, and the food or flowers that those efforts yield. A garden is a special place. It is not here just for us. It is here for all the magnificent life force that chooses to enter it. It is there for the butterflies, the dragonflies, all the good bugs and all the bad bugs, and of course, all the bees. However, I believe, on some level that it is there as an energy stream. I feel that all of the good, loving energy that we pour into our gardens offers a space for “other” energy.
In 2020, I lost two very important people in my life. My father (stepdad but really my dad), and one of my very best friends. I had a spot in the garden for each of them. It wasn’t something I really talked about, it was just something that was private to me. I knew that these special places were places that I hoped–if it was possible, that their energy might come to visit somehow. I held that space for them. The storm destroyed those spaces. Or did it?
I have to remind myself that those spaces, too, like Pepper Lane, will be reborn. The energy, love, and dedication are all still there. When I went to the garden today to work on things, there was a dragonfly on part of the fencing that was left from Pepper Lane. I slowly reached towards it and it not only allowed me to touch its leg but climbed onto my finger. I was, as I often am in my garden, in awe. That dragonfly looked at me and I looked at it for a few moments and then he went on its merry way. Yes, the energy, whatever it is, is absolutely still there. Going forward that energy, joy, and space to welcome all the critters will not be confined to an 18’x27′ enclosure. Instead, it is growing to be the entire yard.
As gardeners, we invest so much in our gardens. Not just to feed ourselves, our families, our friends, and others but to feed our very souls. Our garden gives us soul food that feeds us so much more than anything that comes from it ever could. That was the reminder that I needed today. Thank you. Have a Bee-autiful Day!
“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” ~Claude Monet
Green Orchid Bee Pollinating Eggplant
Welcome to Let it Bee Garden, from Gorgeous Southwest Florida, Zone 10a. My garden has seen its fair share of challenges, up to and including Hurricane Ian. I have been gardening here in Southwest Florida for three years. I also have experience gardening in two other states up north. I have learned so much about gardening in general and even more about gardening here in the Sunshine State. I want to be able to pass what I have learned on to you here while learning even more!
While I have learned much, I feel I have so much more to learn. Each and every day is packed with new experiences and I appreciate the lessons. I am so grateful to have you join me here as I learn and share my knowledge with you! I am also looking forward to learning what you know as well. Together, I want to build a community here and via social media channels to get more people interested in gardening. Additionally, I am looking forward to watching more people become active gardeners!
I am a student of the garden. I like to think that we all are. So, anything I share here is from my own experiences. Whenever possible, I will give credit to anyone and everyone that I find helpful. Thank goodness for all of the educational platforms that we have infinite access to! I love to share, so I will often share things that I have found from other gardeners. I have some absolute favorites. I sure hope I am able to do some collaborations with some of them on occasion as well! That will be so much fun (a post of my favorites will be up soon).
Thank you for joining me here! Feel free to subscribe, here and on your preferred social media, and please share anything and everything that you find interesting that may help others. If you have questions, ideas, tips, etc., please feel free to contact me here or on your preferred social media. Have a Bee-autiful day!
Jennifer
{PS, at this point this site and all the social are being set up! As with my garden, it is all a work in progress. Please bear with me and THANK YOU so much for coming along for the ride! }
