23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Oh, thank you for propping the little guy up. I will sleep easier tonight. ( oddly I was compelled to check back again to make sure he was going to be okay ) Yeah, another plant saved by GW. You could still adjust once you see how it grows. But safe from the Humpty Dumpty problem.

Yeah, cucumbers and zucchini plants seem to be born with mildews. It's just one of those things. I have a Star of India clematis that is well known for powdery mildew, after the blooms get going, and before it's over for the year. It's so pretty and so big, I hate the moment in time when it gets going. I've found with the clematis if I catch it at the very first sign, and spray with baking soda ( a teaspoon or a table spoon..forget which), a drop of dish soap, and water ( 4 1/2 quarts is my sprayer... recipe on the internet ) I can most often stop it. Depends on how well I do at remembering, and the weather.

Powdery mildew happens with warm dry weather or with dry soil and humid conditions.

Downy mildew likes cool, wet conditions.

Both thrive with lack of ventilation.

So, not too dry, not too wet, not too warm, and not too cool. LOL Hey.. it's going to happen. Don't sweat the small stuff. I do remember last summer I used the same clematis technique on my zucchinis and they eventually came out of it and grew on with new leaves and new flowers. The older parts looked neckid, but that how it rolls sometimes. I've learned if I can find room I plant two zucchinis or two cucumbers just because of this. Generally they act up separately and one will be worse than the other, so I can yank one completely out if needed and all is well.

Honestly, this time of year zucchini is super cheap at the market. And if you have a local farmers market, all the better. It's a chance to wander around and see what folks around you are growing now, pick up something yummy. Plus meet really nice people.

I don't remember ever spraying for bugs the last 40 years in this garden, though I probably did back when I first started. I'm just about to go to war and actually use a spray for the first time this year. Leaf miners have crossed the line ( yes, it seems there was a "line" I wasn't aware of ). They are mowing down the north east corner..many hostas and my two favorite clematises. Hundreds of dollars. :(

After this last clematis ( Clematis 'Yukikomachi') finishes blooming I'll start, since then there will be no flowers in the area to attract pollinators, thus lessen my odds of causing damage to my little bee friends. Weighed dumping the plants , but I'm just not ready to go there yet.

So here my beautiful clematis this afternoon ... see ? The leaves are not clematis leaves.. I've picked those off for now. That's worth a war at least for now I've decided. But I sort of want to cry. How dare they !

Just saw this followup plaid bird - sorry for missing it. I might try baking soda next. The milk seemed to work actually pretty well, and I'm thinking of alternating the two techniques - keep that mildew guessing! ;)

Also, I just moved the zuke branch out of the bed onto a cinderblock - the stem is intense and not sure how I'm going to get it to drape - I may just keep adding surface at the same level (maybe a shelf on two cinderblocks?) It's definitely vining - but very stiff and hard to train.

There's a farmer's market a couple blocks away every Sunday - I haven't been going as much but should pop by and see what is in season....

I'm certain.... There are other zucchini (dark green long) on the same plant... Very weird....

looks like a pumpkin to me

Thanks everyone!

I'm about to start planting my Brussels Sprouts in Zone 6 (direct sow).

I think beans and summer squash would be good choices if you don't have 'em going.

Otherwise in a couple weeks it might be better for planting, carrots and broccoli and peas.

Yes - you should be able to get a fall harvest for your beets. And with a light straw mulch, the beets should be able to be carried into fairly cold temps. They don't germinate well if the soil is really hot, so keep them covered with light soil/sand/compost mix and watered well. I mulch when they've been thinned a bit to keep them cool and they love it!

I planted Burpee's Detroit Supreme this year, and while I got a ton of greens, I got very little root, it barely made one side dish out of 10 feet of row, and the plants struggled, often topping over with their own weight and a few of them wilted and recovered a few times, might have been a pest of some kind, but they turned out pretty resilient for whatever their issues were.

Can someone recommend a better variety for beetroot? I want to grow another round for fall.

?somebody?

Don't know.. They might be springtails... A slow gradual dry down of your soil may help..

Dave, thank you for the answer.
Rina

Thanks a lot everyone for all of the advice. After reading the posts I was kind of thinking the same thing that spring has few things that can beat out fall Glib. But I guess one thing spring does have over fall it comes right after winter and a lot of folk are bursting to get something planted. It seems sad that summer comes just before fall as a lot of people are getting tired and are busy getting another school year started and miss out on the fall treats.

I was just called away at the beginning of June for a family emergency. By the time I got back two weeks later, the weeds had attacked and conquered everywhere. The asparagus bed is full of violets.

Fortunately, when the stalks die back in November, it's possible to do some serious weed work in the bed.

Yes, Dave . The Hawaii weed gods got me good! LOL
I wish could bring back some of their non-weeds! Nancy

In sandy soil especially, frequent light waterings produce shallow-rooted plants with no ability to withstand drought. In heavy soils it might create root rot and other saturation-related problems.

It is a matter of necessity and convenience.
When plants can find water and nutrients right in front of their nose , why bother to dig in ? That's smart !. In nature everything pick the path of least resistance ( = easy route) .

It looks as if a furrow has been chewed across the skin of the tomato. It could be some kind of caterpillar. I had some caterpillars eat the skin around where the tomato is attached to the stem. Either spray insecticide (organic is a good choice) or just conduct a daly inspection and pull them off. Look closely...they know how to hide.

Thanks a lot for your responses.
All the branches below this tomato, and 2 more tomatoes are missing, everything has completely vanished. I looked around in the yard to find any traces but din't find anything. I don't think it's caterpillars, I have never seen any of them in my garden yet.

Inch a week. I flood the rows about once the week.

When you stop to realize that hundreds of thousands of acres of corn are grown annually using only rainfall and ground water to hydrate them then you get an accurate idea of the water needs of corn. An inch to 1 1/2" of water a week is adequate unless growing in an exceptionally hot and dry climate.

So once again - where do you live and garden?

Dave

Yes, everything is looking good.... you'll be enjoying the fruits of your labor soon ;)

emmers - Thanks for the info as I didn't know. I've been on here for years but mostly as a searcher/lurker.

eheheh the animals are to scare away the bad and keep em company. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Funny most miss them but once they see one they can't stop trying to find them all.

In order of the pics left to right I have:
Peppers:
The Big Early
Purple Beauty Sweet
Golden California Wonder Sweet
Red Chili Hot
Tomatoes:
Sugary
Patio
La Roma
Golden Jubilee
Squash:
Yellow Straight Neck
Hybrid Cucumber
Zucchini
and last Black Beauty Egg Plant

WOW! I never knew about SVB and I haven't seen any signs and now I will keep a look out. Thanks so much for the advise.

I just pick one Yellow and Zucchini yesterday but that's it so far.

loribee2 - Thank you and I certainly don't mind trail and error :) that's life after all.

melikeeatplants - Thanks! I can't wait!!