23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
I would opt option 3
Why rake I the manure ? It is the best soil amender and conditioner. Of course it depend op the native soil underneath. But all the aged manure can help.
Another consideration would be direct sun. I think in zone one the more direct sun, the better for gardening.
Good luck !
Look like aphids to me. As heavy as this infestation is, I would pick off the worst leaves and dispose of them. Then use a strong jet of water to knock the rest of them off. You may have to do it a couple of times, but it nearly always works.
I tried your method of steaming my corn on the cob to freeze and look forward to the taste this winter. Also if you are concerned about taking up too much space in the freezer and prefer to cut the corn off the cob to freeze, try cutting it off before blanching. Not only do you have space to blanch more corn at one time but you are not tempted to handle the hot corn. Suggestion given to me by long time Iowa corn farmers who really know their corn.
Strange. That can only happen if someone was chewing on the roots. Chemical residues or imbalance would effect plants around it, and probably wouldn't cause it to wilt badly overnight. Dehydration and insect damage would also show up in the plants next to it. Brown spots may not be related.
I suppose some kind of disease is a possibility, but if so, you'll very quickly see it on adjacent plants, and it wouldn't choose targets randomly in a row.
I did dig up one of the wilted plants and tried to preserve as much of the root system as I could.
The grass clippings wouldn't be the cause as my lawn has not been treated.
In the past two mornings, I have not had any more peppers wilt. So I'm leaning towards too much water as a cause.- even though we are very dry here. I had watered two mornings in a row and when I dug up the pepper it was not dry but dark, black, and crumbly. Seemed about ideal for growing here in Iowa. I've grown peppers for many years and have never seen this - even in rainy years. But that sounds like the best explanation.
Its supposed resistance to svb lies iin its vigor. This little pumpkin is a very vigorous growing plant under suitable conditions and is able to fend off the svb damage in some cases. On the other hand it is a C. pepo with hollow vines. Of course under a major assault from svb even the hard vine plants may succomb.
uscjusto - I replied to this question on another thread. If you have the SWEET burpee burpless hybrid, it is indeed gynoecious [having only female flowers] and needs a pollinator, another vine that produces male flowers. Seeds for this should be included in the seed packet, marked as such.
Your plant probably did produce one or two male flowers, which is how your single fruit got pollinated. This isn't unusual.
I start seeds twice during the summer. I set out the first ones after potatoes, for eating in fall, and will start a second run soon for growing under cover through the winter. The seedlings grow fast and strong outdoors, nothing like the slow growth you see when starting onions indoors in late winter.
I have had butternut squash vines hold up after a squash bug hatch much much better than any zuke could ever do. The vine does eventually die, but it really makes a valiant effort to live, and often you can get it to produce mature squash if you search out the growing hatchlings and kill them. A zucchini would never make it that long. So yes, it's resistant.
Ants do not do harm in the garden, as they are not vegetarians. They might even be beneficial by hunting some insects. However, they like nectars and sweet stuff. Sometimes saps coming out of an injured plan might attract them. Also, sometime some plants get this sticky thing on their stems/leaves .... ants like that too. They are not responsible if the plant dies or gets diseased.
But there is controversial thing that some say ants farm/ breed aphids(like a farmer breeds cow and pigs). Believe it or not !
Haven't seen the squash bugs around lately and I keep taking off leaves with eggs (gotta ask DH where the duct tape is!) but I must have missed some b/c I did see a bunch of what I thought were baby spiders a few days ago - turns out they were 1st instar and this leaf damage is SB damage.
Still don't know what marks on stems/fruit and that weird pile of frass(?) is (see other thread).
Iowi,
How did your galvanized water troughs work out? I'm a Seattle resident who would like to try the same but am utterly new to gardening (this is the first year I've owned a house with a substantial area in which to give it a try). We'd like to have one area with raised beds and another with galvanized tanks as beds. Not sure how to proceed with either but the tanks really have me stymied. Are small holes drilled in the bottom adequate drainage given our PNW rains? Or would it almost be better to cut out the bottoms of the tanks? Is it safe to grow food in galvanized metal? I know some zinc consumption is safe but I think the cadmium is a greater concern.
Nila, Could you elaborate on your soil instructions? Are you recommending mixing these 2 components are layering them in some manner? Would you recommend this same mixture for other types of raised beds as well?
Thanks guys! Hoping the GW community will take me under their collective wing and help grow a new gardener!
Hi Tess :)
I would be inclined to cut a giant hole in the bottom of the tank, personally. Like, remove most of the bottom, and cover the opening with landscape fabric.
If you choose to drill holes instead, make sure they are big enough. You have to at least be able to put your finger through each hole, and 2-3 inches diameter is better. Water doesn't drain well through small holes when dirt is involved, because of surface tension (not to mention clogging).
Don't layer the soil. You don't have to mix it perfectly, either. Put in a shovelful or two of one component, then a shovelful or two of another :).
Personally, I don't worry about soil compaction in my bed. Sure, the sandy mixes are very dense. But worms plus gardening means lot of soil gets moved around. And the plants are happy.
HTH :).
carolml-
Preserving garlic in olive oil is only recommended for up to 30 days unless it is frozen. That is because garlic and oil make the ideal medium for severe food born illnesses such as botulism.
If you do this, be sure to keep refrigerated and disgard after 30 days unless frozen.
They slip
Thank you!