24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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elisa_z5

Wow. Also, old tires are notorious mosquito breeders, as are any other chachkas with any indentations. I was at a beach house last week on the outer banks of NC (bad mosquito territory) and they had a collection of shells out front, many of which had turned over and were catching rain! It doesn't have to be big standing water :) (assuming that field will eventually absorb . . . )

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Miss_Moose (Winnipeg, Canda. Zone 2)

I live in Winnipeg, Canada, and used to live in coastal Alaska. Both areas infamous for mosquito problems. Here, in the burbs they fog for them and release dragon flies to eat them. But for you, since you're next to this water hole that you can't do much about and the bugs are past their larvae stage and in the air now, the only things you can do are repel or catch/kill. Here are my suggestions:

1. put up a trap as others have suggested. I don't have a suggestion on which to use, because I don't live near a water hole and bug spray is good enough to at least harvest veggies.

2. I know most people don't have clothes specifically for gardening... but if you were to take say the top 3 shirts and pants you would most likely wear in the garden and soak them in a permethrin solution, that will not only repel, but kill any mosquito that lands on you. Satisfying, isn't it? lol You can get high strength for horse application online and dilute it, or pay a pretty penny for the stuff in a spray can for human use. Permethrin is meant for clothing, not skin application although it does not absorb in the skin (my husband is a chemist and told me this), and will last through something like 20 washes according to the label. No odor, no colour, will not ruin clothing.

3. Wear a bug hat with one of those nifty mesh cages that come down over your face. Sure, you'll look like a bee keeper, but it's satisfying to know they can't get to you through the mesh, try and try as they may.

4. Put out mosquito coils... you know those green incense things.... they always seemed gimmicky to me, until I moved north and found they worked great. Skeeters hate them.

If you can, find a way to increase your dragonfly population. They're beautiful, they don't bother people and they eat the skeeters. Last summer, the city of Winnipeg decided to try a green approach to the mosquito control and had tens of thousands of dragonflies released in the city and the parks. I would walk through open fields of grass with my 4 year old daughter, and clouds of blue/green dragonflies would rise in our wake, and hover above us. It was quite fantastical, but even better, not a mosquito in sight!

Even if you do find a solution, never deny yourself the occasional swat! in the air... it's immensely gratifying to squash one, mid-flight! Lol

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vamtngranny

Only the lowest 2-3 leaves are yellow/brown. I think it's ready because I dug one and it was well filled-out-- I read on a website that is how you tell. The same site is the one that said not to water for a period before harvest, to help them cure. I will dig today or tomorrow regardless! Thank you!

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elisa_z5

Sounds like a good decision. It seems that this is the year, so far, to figure out what to do when there are NO dry conditions!

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farmerdill

Should not be a problem as you apparently replaced the nutrients. Corn is a very heavy feeder and continouos planting will suck the life out the soil unless you make the effort to rebuild it. Soil borne diseases are rarely a factor with corn.

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exmar

Agree with farmerdill. Didn't the indians tell the early settlers to put a dead fish in each hill of corn? Gives you an idea of what an aggressive feeder it is. I'd also put some 10-10-10 in the row and then also sidedress with same.

The indians also advocated "the three sisters," which were corn, beans and squash in the same hill. Squash may be as aggressive feeding as corn, explains why the indians changed garden areas often. :-)

Ev

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Charles S.

Next question would be, are they going to be a problem since they are on just about every single leaf? And as far as mineral def. not surprising, Missouri clay is the soil, slowly working organic matter in but it's a slow process unless I spend quite a bit of cash on a dump truck load or two.

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exmar

I've been gardening for 50+ years and have suckered tomatoes and not suckered them, ditto with your issue. I've learned to let things go and usually get a good yield. I do believe that the corn suckers are caused by too much nitrogen, maybe cut back on that?

Got into "natural" beekeeping a couple years ago, natural beekeeping is not using chemicals, food supplements, etc. That has taught me alot about the environment and just letting things happen. It seems that most of our crops and things (ignoring agribuisness!!) work well in spite of our intervention. :-)

Ev

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elisa_z5

Agree with other posters, and just want to add that squash doesn't transplant very well, so if you move it be very careful not to disturb the roots (take a lot of soil with each plant.)

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exmar

If you have limited space, forget squash, remove the plants-period. What you'll come to learn is that when your squash are ripe they'll be very cheap at the farmer's market, etc. You could put something like cukes in that space and train them up the wall-if you like cukes.

My suggestion to begining gardeners is have a serious talk with yourself about what your family actually eats, then look at your available space, then read the seed catalogs, then go from there. Also, if space is limited, get some large pots and do container gardening, put them on your porch, deck, etc. have to water often, but you'll be surprised at the yield.

You might also Google Square Foot Gardening, it's a bit extreme for me, but has some very good info and has a ton of followers.

Ev

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

<Do eggplants need to be hand pollinated under cover? I thought they are self-pollinating, like peppers...>

Have to? No just as you don't have to uncover them when they bloom for pollination. But it makes big difference in production just as it does with all other members of the family. They are also shielded from the wind when under cover and wind plays a role in pollination of eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers.

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jocoyn

Planting peppermint between our eggplants seems really to have with the flea beetles though something else has ravaged them. I am not sure why eggplants are so attractive to bugs.

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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

I've got some Kennebecs on a table that I did not need to plant. they are green sprouted. Some eyes have up to 8 shoots. I believe that nice sized seed pieces provide more starting food than small ones, but small ones that are fertilized are ok. I do cut large potatoes in 2 pieces usually and rub off some of the eyes....they do not rot for me.

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elisa_z5

If you're fussy about weeds, you won't like my mulch of choice: hay. Are you near a bay? Eel grass is very effective mulch and has no weed seeds.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

<Mother nature is doing most of the watering, but if there's no rain for 2 days, I'll hand water. >

Watering every 2 days IS over-watering and then rain on top of that within the same week is definitely over-watering. Unless plants are in containers think about water in terms of "this week" not days. :)

Dave

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gumby_ct(CT it says Z5)

Not to mention that peat moss will retain water. AND some areas on this planet have gotten 20 inches or more of rain.

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njitgrad(6A/6B)
They are 20 gallon containers so I guess that's fine. Next year no cages definitely. We'll see what happens as the season goes on.
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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Yeah 20 gallon containers will handle 2 plants fine. I have done 3 in 25 gallons with no problems. Just space them further apart next time.

Dave

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hokiehorticulture(z7 RIC/VA)

I'll agree with Dave and place my bet on rabbits as well

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smelvis36

Never caught the bugger but a small fence has seemed to work. I'm glad whatever it was wasn't a glutton.

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farmerdill

No, It is jst a standard NPK in soluble form with the additionof micronutrients . None of the micros are harmful to common plants.

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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

Suckers are common on early planted Ambrosia corn. I have had them so abundant that inner rows were...well very thick looking.

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farmerdill

Lawn grass ferilizer is also very expensive for what you get. If you want a processed nitrate supplement, field fertizer which comes in 50 lb bags at farm suppliers is much less expensive. You will have your choice of Ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, urea, and possibly sodium nitrate.

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lgteacher(SCal zone 9b)

You can give it a try. There are way more seeds in a packet than you will need unless you are planning on having a farmstand. You can plant a few now and save the rest for next spring. I'm in 9b in SoCal and I'd do it (except I already have more zucchini than I know what to do with).

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Joe B

Im in 8a, and will probably plant a few more today fyi. I usually plant less than I want because sometimes a plant or two will really produce way more than we eat, other years it may take more plants. just so happens this year we are loving squash and zuch's so I am gonna plant a couple more. It helps zuchs especially love heat, so I set them up on my drip system, or if not, make sure I keep the soil watered well until they start taking off. I don't have to worry about squash bugs here in west texas, and if I am seeing borers, I will spray new plants with spinasad every few weeks on the stems and that seems to do the trick.

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Miss_Moose (Winnipeg, Canda. Zone 2)

@Weirdtrev, thanks for the advice, they're outdoors. I know tomatoes have both sexes in one flower... I vibrate them to mimic the effect of a bug or bee landing on the flower and shaking the pollen loose so it can pollinate itself. What's been happening in the past, is I let nature do the work and I get a super tiny tomato harvest... lots of blooms, no maters.

Growing some hybrid determinate bush tomatoes, they're at about maturity now and pushing out blooms

Then growing some heirloom indeterminate tomatoes, they too are at maturity and some are pushing out flowers. Thanks!

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weirdtrev

I don't think pollination is your problem, it is likely the temperatures. Blooms can abort on nights below 55 F and I see you are still getting nights in the high 40s low 50s. Hopefully it warms up for you so you can get some fruit set.

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