23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Yes, they will rebuild their population quickly, but they don't "come back " when washed off. Aphids have an astonishing reproductive system but can't return to their host plants once removed.
That's why you have to repeat the process every few days. It's a far superior method than using sevin which very quickly kills any beneficials that might be wanting to chow down.
Once again Rhizo1, people using Sevin need education.
I have a bag of Sevin in my garage. I use it all the time. Whenever somebody comes over and asks me what I use for pest control and attract beneficials, I point to the bag of Sevin and say, "Not that!"
Uscjusto, make it a point to research IPM. Plant beneficial plants to flower year round(or almost year round). That will take care of a a majority of pests, IMO. But for now, jets of water every couple days and or insecticidal soap. As mentioned already, you gotta stay with the treatments though. Eventually the populations decrease to livable amounts.
Kevin
At the risk of taking this further off topic for a moment (please excuse me), do either of you guys also have moles as a problem in the light soils? Because it seems to me the problems mainly start with a mole tunnel the the little tuber-eating bast*, er, voles move into and use to get near the plants underground without making a single hole I can spot from above ground. So I was thinking if I could get the moles out of the garden, maybe the voles couldn't be as destructive. Or is it just wishful thinking on my part? Because those little jerks are really getting on my nerves with the sweet potatoes... I have better luck with the irish potatoes in spring.
I also really like the Korean Purple SPs.
I can't say that I have any clue about that, other than I never see moles and I see lots of active digging and I see voles often. When I lift any large piece of cover there are voles underneath. That's at my remote garden, at home I have rats, sometimes huge numbers. However because they eat from the compost pile they don't do as much damage to crops.
Since it's only a year in that location, it should transplant successfully. Wait until the ferns are completely brown, then cut them to the ground. Use a fork, not a spade to dig the roots, this will help remove them with less damage. Get as deep as you can.
Good luck.
Regarding whether to eat the holey leaves. I would certainly eat the one on the right but not the one on the left. Nothing to do with the holes but the left one just looks too old to be palatable. If those holes are representative of the type of damage you're getting I personally wouldn't do anything except give the plants a good shake and maybe a blast from the hose.
I don't know what Bt costs in the States but here it is extremely expensive and almost impossible to find for sale. I don't know why. It has to be ordered from the US and the postage at least doubles the cost. I wouldn't bother going to that amount of effort unless I had a massive problem and my livelihood depended on a perfect crop. A few holes are par for the course and will do you no harm.
I raise Black Swallowtails (as well as Monarchs, and other swallowtail species) and usually have a few black caterpillars each year.
The Monarch caterpillars can have more or less black in their striping too. There is a theory that they are blacker in cooler weather - to absorb more solar heat.
Hawaii doesn't have more diverse climates than CA. HI doesn't even have diverse seasons. There's no place in HI that has high chilling and a warm growing season. That rules out all crops and fruits that need chilling and summer heat.
CA has blazing deserts and the biggest trees in the world growing in a cloud forest. It also has all combinations of cool, warm, and hot summers/winters except truly tropical, ie warm all year. And the elevation extremes in CA are as large as in HI.
This post was edited by fruitnut on Sun, Oct 6, 13 at 17:52
Yep: just going up the Palm Springs Tramway, one goes from desert to alpine in a 15 minute ride. I went on it one time in April when the temps at the bottom were in the 90's and there were people cross country skiing at the top.
Kevin
One thing to keep in mind is that all vegetable plants must not suffer any stoppage in their growth, or they will turn bitter. Usually it's too little or too much water, lack of nutrients, or wild temperature fluctuations. Using the methods pioneered by Alan Chadwick, the so called, French Intensive method, helps a lot. See the descriptions here:
Alan Chadwick
Click on "Techniques", then on "Kale" for more on that plant also.
Here is a link that might be useful: Alan Chadwick
I grow Red Russian Kale and Dino Kale and leave them all winter. The only fear is the overwintering baby slugs. You definitely want to check under the leaves to get rid of them, because it will give them a nice supply of food once we get near Spring!
My favorite cherry tomato is the Chadwick Chrerry, sold by various outlets, but I get mine from SEEDS OF CHANGE. This is a strain developed by the famous Alan Chadwick. More about tomato culture can be found at the following website:
Here is a link that might be useful: Alan Chadwick
Certainly covering what threatens my garden's bok choy.
I have never quite understood the idea of a "catch crop" unless the grower returns and destroys all of the pests, as well as sacrificing the plants.
Left to themselves, something like flea beetle larva will feast on the host plant roots then mature into mobile adults. I would assume that these adults would be happy to move on from the radish, a real flea beetle favorite, to the other garden plants.
Steve
I had one plant that out did anything I have ever grown. It covered an area about 10' x 20' . the vine branched off 40 + times, I lost count because it was a tangled mess. It was like a fish net. When I pulled the leaves fo the side there was blossoms every 2 to 3 inches. I have no idea how many cukes I picked. Lots over a 6 week period. I gave the neighbor a couple of bushels to feed the chickens.
I grew straight eights and Eurekas last year and this was a volunteer.
In my opinion, seed tapes aren't worth the effort. It's not worth the time of making the seed tape and I found that it's easier and quicker to just plant the individual seeds than it is to fiddle with planting the tape.
As long as the beets aren't woody inside, then there's nothing wrong with them getting big. However, it sounds like you're wanting baby beets. So yeah, 2-3 inches should work for that purpose.
Rodney
Thanks Rodney! And I agree that planting the tape might be fiddly, but not as wiggly as my son, who wants to "help" next year. He is really in love with beets, so if I get his hands in the dirt, maybe fiddly tape is worth the learning time!
And we have been enjoying all sizes of beets this year. Both these varieties have remained very nice even when large, and maturing in warmer weather than I was told beets prefer.
I know this was asked a long time ago, but this also happened to me. It was not good to make spaghetti squash at all, so I cut it up and took all the seeds out and cooked it in a small amount of water. I added molasses and a stick of cinnamon and it was actually pretty good. Way better than letting it go to waste. :)
marbella ...I agree. spaghetti squash, when mature just develops more texture an has slightly less water contents. it is similr to other squash types called SHARK FIN and COYOTE(?). The latter is sold at Asian markets when quite young. It is often is substituted for SHARK FIN squash in summer. I have made shark fin (faux) soup with it many time.