23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

I sure would have been concerned about its use in my garden last year but not this year assuming it was exposed to average winter weather (no location given so can only guess about that). This assuming that product is in fact what they used.

As for the nests of chipmunks that all depends on how you feel about killing them by moving them or delaying planting and letting them mature and leave on their own. I'm a country-dwelling wildlife softie so I'd plant elsewhere and leave them alone until they mature but it is your choice of course.

Once they are gone then I'd suggest a thorough tilling of the entire bed to destroy the tunnels, seal/caulk any access points, and give some thought to fencing/enclosing the bed in some manner so that they can't return.

Dave

One of the things about pyrethroid insecticides is their fast knock-down. Insects are immobilized instantly upon contact, so it is not likely that they carried the insecticide more than a few inches from where it was applied. With an active hornet nest present, I doubt that chipmunks visited the freshly treated area, either.

We start watching for yellow jacket and bald-faced hornet nests about now, and terminate those in bad locations. Boiling water poured down the entry hole at night will make them move on. On level ground, covering the entry hole with a translucent bowl will slowly extinguish a nest, too.

I've noticed that the yellow jackets often relocate in midsummer. We look for new nests in late June so as not to be taken by surprise, but we try to keep a yellow jacket nest close to (but not in) the garden. In years with a working yellow jacket nest nearby, we never see a cabbageworm on fall broccoli and cabbage.

could be cutworms...they come out at night from soil....

I don't think bottle will help with squirrels - they will knock it out. With the rest of the bugs, as soon as they do not come from soil - it should help.

I decided to use sliced radishes sprinkled with sea salt for "potato chips". It makes sense to me-radish slices have crunch and saltiness so why not have a healthy and still flavorful "chip"? Just as good with a sandwich as chips IMO.

Those actually sound like some good ideas! Now, if only my radishes hadn't gotten smashed into sad little heaps by the snow yesterday ...

Mindy, bok choy is one of those things that only work as a fall crop. Spring-planted, as you say, bolts and gets tough very quickly. In your zone, I'd direct-seed it outside in mid to late August.
It can be covered with a low tunnel to prolong the fall harvest period but it is not as hardy as kale or spinach. Harvest it before night temperatures drop below the mid-20s.

Here's some of my Mei Qing Choi, ready to pick as baby choi, which is how I like it. The one on the right seems to be a different kind, so I'll probably pick it first, today.

I don't know how long all these will stand, but it's sure been a cold spring.

They also don't like even partial shade. So if they not in a full sun it make take much longer.

It's been full sun, pretty moist and thinned to 1 inch...

Need nitrogen.

In agreement with the folks who mentioned overwatering. Peppers prefer an irregular deep watering rather than a shallow, daily watering.

Thank you, yes, I meant width (there are hazards to posting too late at night). I will go with 4 feet, as I prefer not to have overhang of the pumpkins. Overhang means it is difficult to see if there are snakes hiding, I like my paths to be rather clear. I am on the taller side and my back is fine so reaching in the 4 feet is not much of a problem (knees are harder for me but no matter the width, I will have to bend down when not using a hoe for weeding). All beds will be double dug at least 18 inches, I hate going to plant and hitting the hardware cloth. Thank you for all input.

You can train the pumpkin vines to stay in a three foot wide bed. Every day just move the very end of any vine that is starting to hang over.

But there is nothing wrong with 4 foot beds either. Mine are all 4 feet by 8 feet.

McKenzie

Root maggots are a major issue around here. I posted a thread a couple weeks ago about using row covers to stop the adult flies from laying eggs in the first place, if you want to do a search for it. There's also a thread on using tulle as a barrier against other small insects.

I finally decided to splurge on something called Proteknet Insect Netting which comes by the roll and is cheaper than tulle when purchased in bulk.

a little secret, at planting time ad some powered ginger in the planting hole and on the surface near and even on the plant. sprinkle some every week or two. till plants are larger.hope this helps. works for all in the cabbage family.

Yes, not all grass seed is the same size. That's an annual grass of some sort. Anyway, you want to get those sooner rather than later. Small weeds are way easier to remove than big ones.

A hoe job...well said Dave.

I have a beautiful volunteer Red Clover seeding, but it comes out.

Sunnibel, that's a great video....hadn't seen that one. The part I liked best was when it grabbed that little twig and pulled it in! Darn it, I can't see the comments.

Gardenper...your story doesn't sound like the work of earthworms. :-)

I'll recommend a book, too, Donna. The Earth Moved (On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms) by Amy Stewart. It's a great read and not nearly as um....boring......as it sounds.

P.S. Worms don't do this for fun. They drag seeds, leaves, twigs, etc. Into their tunnels to eat once the items begin to decompose a little.

This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Mon, May 12, 14 at 11:11

Haha, I love hearing all the different thoughts and theories. What I do think everyone agrees on is that it is possible that seeds can somehow relocate themselves after planting, be it from water, worms, or earthly spirits.

I suspected it might be the SVB, but I didn't realize they were a problem for Zucchini as well as other squashes. I haven't grown much squash. Thanks Dave, for that explanation.

I have a sinking feeling I'm going to be hand-pollinating this year since it seems that most everyone's hives in and around Central Ohio got wiped out this past fall/winter from Colony Colapse :^( so that's good to know about doing it early in the mornings. I imagine the same thing would apply to cucumbers? What about bush green beans, or are they self-pollinating?
Edie