23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

There are bigger beasties involved in processing plant material into compost than just microorganisms. Yes, it will harm some of these. No, it doesn't effectively matter much.

Thanks grubby.

Tomato plants, are perennial by their nature, tho they are grown mostly as annual in the northern hemisphere.

Therefore, by their genetic program and data, they have no recognition of frost. And so they grow as if they will live perennially. In this case they could have made good use of every sucker/new growth they have. But as far as we, The Gardeners, are concerned and know there is a window of time for tomato plants to produce fruits for us. And that is our concern. In reality we know more about tomatoes than tomatoes know themselves. That is why we grow them our way not letting them to grow their way, as if there wont be a cool fall and a First Frost .
This, in my view, is a proactive gardening; where the gardener takes charge, intervenes. Pruning and keeping the plant size under control is one aspect of proactive gardening.

Not sure where you are, but in HZ10 eight foot cherry vines have a really hard time pumping water in midsummer. I top them at six feet to keep them green. I'm probably losing some fruit that would try to grow at the tips I cut off, but it seems to be beneficial for the whole plant.

I see no reason to cut off branches lower down, even if they don't have fruit or flowers. Useless branches? They're probably pretty useful to the plant, in that they are absorbing sunlight.

Eastern Nebraska (zone 5):
Cabbage butterfly/looper - saw plenty of the butterflies this year, my bT may be too old because it didn't seem to be working very well when I sprayed the plants, cabbage had the worst looper damage, kohlrabi the least.
SVB - infested the spaghetti squash, and even bored up into the fruit.
Squash bug - haven't seen any so far this year (knock on wood).
Cucumber beetles - I have seen more on my roses than I have on my cucumbers.
Bean beetles - they've been chewing the pole beans and the fall bush beans, a little pyrethrum dust keeping them under control.

It's been a good year for lack of bugs. Have had the usual suspects: squash bug, colorado potato bug, cucumber beetle and flea beetles but the numbers have been a lot less than previous years. My biggest problem this year is what seems like constant heavy rainfall and lower than normal temperatures.

If you haven't already noticed, green bean leaves will stick to your clothing. Or, if you're out picking on a hot day and start to sweat, they'll stick to your skin. This can be especially enchanting if you're surrounded by pole beans. :-)

While waiting for my pole beans to bear this week, I bought some "locally grown" green beans at the supermarket yesterday. They were perfectly smooth--almost shiny. They were perfect in every other way, too, except for . . .

Here is a link that might be useful: Those

I think the grocery store ones get smooth and shiny because they get so much handling. Just like store cucumbers have the spines knocked off them.

I'm not sure a critter would've gotten a taste, it's in between the main house and a garage and is totally fenced in. Unless it was an insect or cat I don't see how an animal got in there to bite it. Although this is also my first time growing it too.

The attached picture is the main vine. It's huge. It sucks down a ton of water and the fruits double in size every 4 days it seems. It's fun to see it try and grow up the side and then watch it fall because it doesn't have anything to grab onto. I don't plan on eating them, but use them for a crafting project. I hope they grow to full size before frost.

Bites could be from voles or mice. Most fencing does not keep them out. Chipmunks and ground squirrels (gophers) are other possibilities since they can burrow and climb. Many insects and slugs cause damage, also, and can get in almost anywhere. However, the damage shown doesn't look like it came from a slug or insect. In my garden, damage like you show is usually only on a few fruits and there are plenty of undamaged ones left so I don't try too hard to get rid of the culprit (s). Some gardeners have reported more damage during very dry weather and have found providing water for wildlife away from the garden keeps critters from nibbling on their produce for moisture.

I guess that I think differently than many here. If I had an unknown variety, why would I be saving seed. I would just order a suitable variety from a catalog. Someone help me out here.

I let my celery go to seed for the pollinators. It volunteered nicely the next year. I prefer cutting celery since it has lots of flavor for soups. I also grow regular but don't blanch. So much better than store bought, even if my stems aren't fat.

"... BTW, I'm doing a sizable fall pea sowing this year. Ever have much luck with them?"

Yes, with "Sugar Lace". It is a bush habit, so it starts to flower earlier than the pole types... and it actually has better germination if sown in warm soil. I usually plant the Fall crop in July, though. Your season is a little longer than mine, you might still get some peas if you plant them soon.

You might get some shelling peas too, but I would recommend using a short-DTM variety.

I sowed some Sugar Ann a few days ago. Typically no hard frost here until mid-november, sometimes later. Thanks for the tip on Sugar Lace.

Re locating the larva, I read that using a flashlight at night is best. You'll be able to see through the stem and ID the larva.

I read this after I performed the surgery on four of my winter squash plants. I cut out the grub, but didn't clean out the interior of the stem (which I later read is a good thing to do). Then I tied up the incision with nylon stocking and mounded soil over it. One badly affected plant didn't survive, but the others look pretty good.

Afterward, I wondered if there could be more larvae inside the stem. I had assumed there would be only one. Anyone know?

Glo, I got this off the web:
The squash vine borer overwinters as a mature larva
hibernating in a tough, dirt-covered, silk-lined cocoon,
usually 1 to 2 inches (but up to 6 inches) deep in the soil.
In early spring the larva
enters the pupal stage. After
two to three weeks, the
pupa breaks and exits the
cocoon. By wiggling its
abdomen, and with the aid
of the abdominal circlets of
spines, the pupa moves upward
and through the soil
surface. The pupa splits
behind the head, and after
about five minutes, the moth has dragged itself free. In
another 15 minutes, the outer surface of the moth's body
has hardened and it is ready to fly.

So I believe your plants are safe, any larvae gone under should be in a cocoon to overwinter. I would rotate where I planted my squash next year. I covered mine with row covers and hand pollinated for the beginning of summer. They did get me after removing them, but I caught all of them before significant damage.

If you're done harvesting heads, you can also eat the leaves. They are similar to loose cabbage leaves or collard greens. They are all very closely related.

I imagine you aren't growing cabbage or collards, or at least not letting them bloom at the same time as your brocolli, since they will cross pollinate and the resulting seeds will produce a mix in the next generation. If you are just after the greens, then the mixing probably doesn't matter much.

The bright yellow broccoli flowers are edible and delicious. If you miss harvesting at the tight bud stage, you can still harvest broccoli, even with the flowers open. Broccoli flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. Use them as an edible garnish or include them as a nutritious and attractive addition to any salad. Completely opened flowers will wilt when steamed, but partially opened buds retain their shape. Broccoli flowers have a pleasant, mild flavor. Some specialty markets sell yellow broccoli flowers in the produce section as a delicacy item.

Hi,
I'm trying to get to the bottom of this compost tea drip system dilemma. Can it be done? Do drip emitters require a filter? If so, what is the mesh size? Will the compost tea fit through that mesh size? I'm talking protozoa, bacterias and all the good stuff tea provides.
Thanks. Nobody seems to have a straight answer to this question of applying compost tea via drip tube.

I use deere row drip tape and fertilize with organic liquid fertilizer via a mazzei injector. I buy my fertilizer but if you make your own you I would think a screen on the venturi would be needed. The drip tape or drip emitters would be the limiting factor for particle size, not the injector. The mazzei injector have no settings, I bought the smallest one and use it for about 2000 feet of drip tape. You have to calculate the flow rates and can adjust in/out pressure to change flow. I think other companies have adjustable injectors.

I'm chiming in a little late here but I have to recommend 'Aunt Ruby's German Green' tomato, they are large slicing tomatoes that are pale green and surprisingly firm when ripe - but absolutely delicious. Very challenging to tell when they are ready to pick. Another odd one I've had success with is 'Chocolate Cherry,' they are large cherry tomatoes that are a rather unattractive brown color.

I'm not sure how helpful this could be but I just have to share... When we were kids my brother left his T-Rex toy in our uncle's garden, when the gardener came across it hiding under a fern he nearly died of a heart attack. Maybe get some creepy looking toys - like spiders and snakes - and tuck them in about your plants. Hopefully people will be startled away before they look close enough to realize they're fake.

Pnbrown, It is very strange. Still rude but I am glad it wasn't a terrible loss! The person probably thought it was edible. I find that most people who steal, don't know very much about gardening. They just grab it and eat it at least in my area. But I am sure some thief will surprise me with what they will take. I read an old thread here from about 7 years ago and the guy said he had compost stolen among other bizarre things. I guess some thieves are gardeners too lol. Hopefully, you will get another volunteer next year to have :).

Peachymomo, I am looking for a great green variety. Thanks for letting me know! I am growing a green zebra but is one of my slowest even though it is one of the strongest plants so I'd like to try a different green one next year. I grew the zebra this year for kicks not thinking of thieves lol. 'Chocolate Cherry has been one I've wanted to try before this happened but I didn't think about the dark color. I definitely think they go for the traditional red tomatoes.

Fake spiders and snakes is a very cool idea! I don't think they spend a lot of time in the garden more like a grab and dash so they probably would be scared off.