23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
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.
To clarify on DigDirt's post - Aphids CAN and DO come from eggs - but not always. Aphids lay eggs typically in colder seasons, such as fall. When established (such as in summer) the females will give birth to females because they are viviparous. It is not true that aphids don't produce eggs - they do, which is why they become such a pest in spring and the cycle continues.
There are about a 150 different spotted, orange red beetles. See if any of the pics below look like it.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Spotted orange-red beetles pics
gardengal13:
Neem oil is a decent fungicide, but it's kinda pricy and I'm still not too sure on it's effect of beneficial insects. This was to be my 1st year of practicing what I preached to you, but the monsoonal moisture came a about 2 months too early and the next thing I knew, I saw some spores forming.
So, through my research, I read recently that potassium bicarbonate (NOT sodium bicarbonate(baking soda), which is one of the recommended homemade remedies) is pretty effective and can actually cure AFTER symptoms show. So, I went and found some at a wine making shop for $6/lb. Even if you have to buy it online, it's still quite reasonable and much cheaper than commercial fungicides and even the milk solutions that I've read about.
Only 2 treatments so far, so it's much too early for a review. But so far, so good.
Good luck.
Kevin
Fun idea, might want to try some indoor growing yourself now to fine tune your choices before you do this with students.
Fluorescent grow lights work best when you keep plants within an inch or two of the tubes. Increasing the distance will result in tall floppy plants that don't grow well. Put together a set up that lets you raise pots or adjust light height and consider the plants different heights if you decide to plant a variety of veggies. Strong light from windows can help some but usually isn't sufficient alone.
Soiless container mixes used in pots with drain holes will give good soil moisture and healthy plants. Larger containers will make it easier to maintain consistant moisture levels, especially over weekends.
Choose varieties that are naturally compact such as many of those recommended for container growing. Tiny Tim tomatoes and dwarf marigolds (not a veggie, I know) are two that could stay manageable and good looking inside. Compact buttercrunch type lettuces and herbs are also good.
I wish you well. I've enjoyed sharing the world of plants with many students. Many have no prior experience with them and most everyone loves the planting, growing, harvesting, eating, etc. And some even like weeding when we grow outdoors!
With eggplants, it is more about sheen and less about size. You should harvest them before the sheen begins to fade. Early-season eggplants often fade before they reach full-size, and the eggplant in this photo is an example of that (unless my eyes are playing tricks on me). So, pick it now. However, you will find that when the plants get bigger and healthier, the eggplants will grow larger than this before they fade. A normal Rosa Bianca should be the size of a large man's fist.
You can always play it safe and pick them early. No harm in that.
Thanks all for the feedback. Slimy okra the dullness on the first one and the size was throwing me off thanks for explaining! Just had my first seasons harvest of my first vegetable grown from seed; rosabianca!!! So happy! I was gonna have them for dinner but I ended up sauteing one in garlic and oil cause I couldnt wait to try.... best flavor ever!!!
I just picked one of these!! It was yellow on the top, but had a slightly streaked green place that I did not see until I cut it. It tasted great, but could have gone a week or so longer.
I have 4 vines, but only have fruit on one stem of one plant. Hopefully more will come along.....
Nancy
Some of the plants in the photo are clearly maize (in the foreground with the wide ribboned leaves), others are probably grass (with the narrow leaves and thin stems). When the sprouts are very small it can be quite hard to tell from some grass species but as they get large it should be much easier to distinguish.
Whatever the reason for the failing plants, you have too many and they are indeed too crowded. If I were in your position, I would throw out the two bad plants, sterilize the soil (or better yet,use it somewhere else or throw it out), then use the container (be sure to wash it out with PineSol or someother disinfectant cleaner) to transplant one of the good plants.
Whatever the variety you have, you do not need 4 zucchini plants. I have two plants of an unknown bush variety planted out in the ground and I am feeding the neighborhood.
Last year I had another variety that vined more and the four plants just overtook anything in their way so I isolated the zucchini in another part of the yard this year. This years two plants are producing enough for 4 families plus a weekly drop an my mom's exercise group.
Hmmmm well they have set up shop in the butternut now that the zucchini is gone. I am hunting them daily though so i hope the plants will be fine :)
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.