23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Looks like a Crane Fly. I don't think of them as any sort of problem, although they do have subterranean larvae that in large numbers can be problematic in lawns. In any case, I doubt they cause any problem in your veg garden. I don't think they even eat anything as adults.

I vote crane fly.
Should not be a danger - adults mate and die - don't even eat.

Adult
The main goal of the adult crane fly in the spring is mating. During the adult stage, the crane fly does not eat. For the short 10- to 15-day period, the adults mate on plants or in the air near the water. Afterwards, the female deposits her eggs. When mating and egg distribution is complete, female dies. The male only lives up to 15 days as well.

It is true that the early stages of the creature's development can be a lawn problem: http://lakewhatcom.wsu.edu/gardenkit/unwantedpests/cranefly.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: THE LIFESPAN OF A CRANE FLY

ditto to what CaraRose said. Here in FL wild ground cherry looks like this:

,

not like thirstydirt's photo.

Our local wild ground cherries look exactly like Thirsty Dirt's photo.

Check online for photos of tomatillo and ground cherry flowers, which IIRC are very different.

Do they have organic potting mix?

Yes, many brands of it available. And the existence of fungus growths like toadstools and such is considered beneficial, normal, desirable.

Trying to garden organically in containers has its own set of problems to overcome since it is totally different from gardening organically in the ground where a soil food web exists to provide nutrients. But the 'mushrooms' isn't one of them.

Dave

What type of problems?

Agree...slugs.
I have a few visit but not overwhelming so I ignore.
I would deter them until your plants get some height and vigor.

I've found pill worms love bean seedlings. Try Sluggo plus if you have them.

Thank you I will add those to the list! I'm using a planting calendar from the state of Arizona for when I'll plant the different vegetables

I have an area just like this. I have it planted in flowers but I also plant chard, kale and cherry tomatoes, plus a native chiltepan pepper.
We use the chiltepan peppers dry and crushed in a pepper grinder in place of pizza red pepper flakes.
My chard seeded itself this year from last spring.
In this area is also some Parsley, basil and hyacinth beans, plus some bulking flowers and tropicals.
I've had huge crops of Armenian cucumbers and squash in this area, too.
Also, during cooler seasons I plant salad veggies like lettuce, spinach and radishes in my shadier spots. Cowpeas will do okay but better in sun.

I found this link very helpful for our Zone 5 planting:

Here is a link that might be useful: PLANTING CALENDAR

galinas... tim does a very good job with his garden. I've shared that link on GW to help some folks out with their intensive gardening strategies!

This post was edited by nugrdnnut on Sat, Jun 7, 14 at 17:43

Looking at the zone you are in you should be fine. The last two years due to the drought I've planted the first week of July here in zone 6a and they have produced well. I cover mine with about a 1/4" of potting soil and keep it moist and then harvest and plant the slips as they form. I usually go straight to the garden with them and then cover with a light covering of straw for a few days if it is going to be above 80. Set them out last year and the next day was 100 and I lost one out of 30 slips. The problem I have with putting them in water is they tend to get slimy and will die in 3-4 days if water isn't changed. If I can't plant them and I'm going to be around I just wrap a wet damp cloth around them. They will send out roots and do fine until I find time to plant them.

Looking at the zone you are in you should be fine. The last two years due to the drought I've planted the first week of July here in zone 6a and they have produced well. I cover mine with about a 1/4" of potting soil and keep it moist and then harvest and plant the slips as they form. I usually go straight to the garden with them and then cover with a light covering of straw for a few days if it is going to be above 80. Set them out last year and the next day was 100 and I lost one out of 30 slips. The problem I have with putting them in water is they tend to get slimy and will die in 3-4 days if water isn't changed. If I can't plant them and I'm going to be around I just wrap a wet damp cloth around them. They will send out roots and do fine until I find time to plant them.

So much helpful information. Thank you, Everyone, for taking the time to help me get some cucumbers going! I think overwatering is often my problem.... I worry they're drying out and douse them the next few days. Haha.

Here is an interesting fact about cucumbers. When you over water them they start wilting. Strange, right? Like they getting dry... In fact - they are!!! Roots when soaked in water can't move water up to leaves. And cucumber plant dries out staying in a puddle of water. From other point, sometimes plants are pretty much stronger then we think). I helped my mother to transplant some melons she started in the milk cartons. She watered them in the morning of transplanting day still in pots, but few hours later I noticed one melon still sits in a puddle of water. I checked the pot - sure enough it missed drainage holes. Just this one. When I took that melon out of the pot, I found that it kept all it's roots in top 1 inch of soil. And it was in that pot for almost 2 months... So I planed it in the ground and said to my mom that it most likely already dead. That was a week ago. Guess what? It didn't even wilt once during this week and shows signs of new grows. My mom promised to update me on its well been through out a season

Welcome to the site!
Where are you located? What types of crops are you having problems with? How large of a bed are we talking about?

Cultivating twice with at least a few days inbetween helps me quite a bit - before seeding or transplanting. Also, keep track of what is growing in the garden year-round (not just at planting time).

Many of the conditions that vegetables like encourage weeds. How often do you weed the bed?

Best of luck!

edit- I now see the 50x60 plot size -should be large enough to see some results from all of your effort.

This post was edited by cheapheap on Sat, Jun 7, 14 at 5:09

Last year's continuous rain really set me back because I couldn't keep up with the quickweed (galinsoga), and the "seed rain" that came from outside the garden was probably huge. But my problems are small compared to Bermuda grass, which I dealt with in another garden. Raised beds will just introduce more frustration because the runners will hunker down in the corners. Your best bet is to install a permanent perimeter around the garden using heavy duty geotextile fabric covered with wood chips. You'll have to clean out the grass and renew it every winter when the grass is dormant, but it does work.

Straw is 4x the cost of hay around here and that's if you can get it in any way - which you can't. Even hay is used for Halloween decorations in this neck of the woods.

The availability of both straw and hay is regional folks. So if you can get straw - great. If you can't, get hay. And both have advantages and disadvantages to their use just like any other form of mulch does. But either one is far more beneficial than no mulch at all.

All the other benefits of mulching aside, you want to see weeds (in all caps)? Just don't use any mulch.

Dave

Of course, things are different down here. I mulch with leaves. My lot has LOTS of trees. many live oak, but many with leaves that drop and, around here, they don't really drop until January. Cottonwood, cedar elm, and a humungous red oak next door. I mow over the leaves on the grass, which mulches the turf, but everywhere else, like between the houses, they just pile up. In the spring, when crops are up, and it's getting hot, I till gently between the rows, and then pile on the leaves. At least six inches deep. I have to water half as much as I would otherwise and, once I water, the leaves bind together so they won't blow away. At the end of the season, they're pretty well digested, and I just dig them in.

I have neighbors who garden, but who don't have that many trees. In January and February, when lots of people are raking and bagging, and leaving the bags out for city pickup, they just grab the bags and stack them up until summer.

fava beans can get up to 18" long. Mine never do, but some varieties can.

favas can be eaten at all stages, I have eaten the greens, including any flowers, the immature seeds, the mature seeds, and the dried seed.

I checked mine a little bit ago and the largest one is just starting to form a head, it's about 14 inches tall.

May be getting a little warm for them in TN, Broccoli, Cabbage and cauliflower like cooler weather.

Thanks! I thought the first one looked like a firefly, but I didn't see on its end where the lantern/light up part is.

I will leave them alone :-)

The soldier beetles love to eat aphids, good to have around ....