24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
marlyn041

I'd like to know if a spaghetti squash is supposed to have a lot of seeds when it's ripe. I just cut open a yellow one that looked ripe on the vine and it had very few seeds.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Yes it normally has a quite large seed cavity filled with seeds if mature. If there were only a few then it was likely not mature and ready for harvest yet. Was the stem on it hard, dry and brown? The cavity in the pic is full of hundreds of seeds.

Dave

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
hyde961

I'm not sure if it ever got down to 55 since they've been out but possibly. I've had that happen in the past some too and stunted their growth but at some point they recovered, still not to full potential but ive never had one literally stay 2". I'm doing some soil testing today so we'll see what that comes up with. Thanks!

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
PRO
Jim's(6 East end of Long Island)

Here is my stunted pepper.

They were planted at the same time but the little pale green puff was germinated earlier and was left in the cool evening air by accident. The other two plants are about 24-30" tall. I know a local farmer and I asked him last year why some plants just stay tiny or don't grow. He shrugged and said, 'sometimes they just don't". Not the most analytical explanation but suppose it has some merit.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Ohiofem(6a Ohio)

Whoops. I reread your question and see that you haven't added horse manure for the last two years. In that case, it may be time to add some balanced fertilizer or compost. I believe cucumbers are pretty heavy feeders and your earlier crop may have depleted the soil.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
jidusek

Second crop planted in other part of garden.\,but you are probably right. Yesterday did see about 6 bees getting a drink in dogs water bowl,first I have seen this year.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
tigrikt (Central NJ)(6B)

Geez, cut mine for a salad today - bitter. Time to start new seeds.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM

The mulch might help. One thing I have seen at some nurseries is a lettuce bowl. They plant a bunch of seed in a wide, shallow pot (Kind of like a bowl). As the lettuce grows, it shades the the soil as it is sown pretty thick. A packet of seeds that is a blend of lettuces would be a good candidate for such. If done in pots, the color of pot could be critical. Too dark and it may absorb too much heat for summertime lettuce.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Peter (6b SE NY)

It is a hybrid... they keep 2 separate regularly pollinated parent lines that they cross breed to produce it. Also, the all male varieties are not 100% all male.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
LoneJack Zn 6a, KC

Yep, I have both Jersey Knight and Jersey Supreme in 2 separate beds and there are at least 10% female plants. I must have plucked 200 baby Gus sprouts out of those beds this spring. My bed that has 12 Mary Washington plants only has 2 female plants by chance.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
glib(5.5)

I have gardened in CA and you have my sympathy re: gophers. I think you can use weed cloth if you know what you are doing. for asp, IMHO, wood chips are the best muclh, as they prevent weeds but they let spears through.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
nancyjane_gardener(Zone 8ish North of San Francisco in the "real" wine country)

Thanks glib, I wasn't thinking about the gus getting through the weed cloth! I don't have them in rows, so the weed cloth wouldn't work. Maybe I'll go with some newspaper (not too thick as to crust up, but thick enough to help against new weed seed) and some wood chips. Our main problem is that we are right next to horse fields with some nasty weeds that blow in during the winters! Once those get established it's hell to get them out! Nancy

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
matmcintyre

Yes, by saying poison I should have said the "active" bait. The system I used is actually advance not advantage. The active ingredient for treatment is Diflubenzuron & considered a Toxic level 3 by the EPA. I would not want it in my edible garden, I also wouldn't use pressure treated would for raised bed edible garden. But that's just me. Hopefully with monitoring this will eventually drive the colony out & keep future infestations from happening. Here are 2 links for more info.

http://www.doityourselftermitecontrol.com/termitebaiting.htm

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidefactsheets/toxic/diflubenzuron.php

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Rocio Martinez

Lost 11 trees to termites in the past 2 years and 5 more about to fall down. We need help!! Someone tell me how to get rid of termites, fire ants and carpenter Ants!!

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

It doesn't become rainfast. You apply it to the pest problems as a last resort, any insect that comes into contact with it may be affected. It will wash off in rain, but it also degrades in sunlight.

What is the name of the product you're using...perhaps it has added ingredients that make it last longer.

    Bookmark     Thanked by mjacobbe
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

When one doesn't first fully understand the use, methods, durability, how it kills and what it kills, its water resistance, its rate and frequency of application and all the other factors associated with the use of a pesticide should they be using them?

Just because a pesticide is labeled 'organic' does not mean it has no negative side effects or that its use can't be abused.

For starters: Pyrethrins Fact Sheet

Dave

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
carriehelene(5 Upstate NY)

That's really something you don't want to get wrong. If it were me, I'd check the companies website and if nothing there, wait until tomorrow to call them.

    Bookmark     Thanked by mjacobbe
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

PHI is the length of time after application that harvesting is PROHIBITED. If the label says 3 days, you may harvest on the fourth day.

I don't mean this in any way but kindly, mjacobbe, but I worry that if you are not educated in the meaning of some of the label terminology, that you might not be able to make sense of the entire label.

Is there anyway we can help you with interpretation? Labels can be very complicated documents and not having a full understanding of the contents in their entirety can be dangerous.

    Bookmark     Thanked by mjacobbe
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
rgreen48(7a)

Yeah, Romanescos are an extremely vigorous and rigid squash. I've broken them trying to manage their growth. Depending on how long the vines, they will branch and can produce on those branches. I can't say for certain yours will produce, but if they've branched, then it's possible. It may even toss out a branch at the nearest internode back from the break and continue on like nothing happened.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Mahonia [Sunset Zone 15, USDA 8B]

Thanks, I'll give it some time & see what it does. We're really not ready for the zucchini harvest to be done with for the season.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Lynn in Parkton, Maryland

The white tail deer have begun eating my kennebec potato leaves. This is the first time I have ever had non-sweet potatoes leaves eaten. They started with buds and are coming back every night until now the plants are only a foot tall. My question is, will I still get potatoes or will production stop when the leaves are gone? I'm in the Maryland and the plants were not mature.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
cindy_7

Spraying the potato plants with seaweed/fish emulsion will definitely deter the deer.

They do eat mine when nothing else appeals to them, but usually just the tops. We now have five bucks around.

1 Like    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
glib(5.5)

It is nice that so many people are now in favor of compost in place. Traditional composting is good for exercise, like going out in midwinter to turn a pile, and bad for nitrogen content. It is also negative for earthworms and fungal flora, which are deprived of the food they need, and which are the two best friends a gardener has.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

I do sheet composting I would say...adding rotted horse manure with a lot of hay in it...leaf mulch,...and the crop residues chopped up in situ.

I even till these things in and have added other texture improving material to my silty clay soil to improve friability [looseness and workability].

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
jungleexplorer(7)

Great Idea! Thanks.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
booberry85(5)

The one on the left is a banana / Hungarian sweet pepper. Not sure of the one on right.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
lsst(7b)

Here is a pic of my twin crookneck squash. Both had their own flower which opened one day apart.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
ccabal(7)

Here is one of mine. I have another one on the plant growing which is a little bit more symmetrical.

    Bookmark