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| My township has a nice program in which they let residents have a small plot of land in which to grow vegetables during the growing season. I have grown vegetables on such a plot for several years now. But in recent years I have had a bad problem with bugs (someone told me they're stink bugs) and these bugs have destroyed my cucumbers, yellow squash, and zucchini every time. They leave my peppers and tomatoes alone. But I can't justify working a whole season just to get three week's worth of peppers and tomatoes. Can anyone suggest insect-resistant varieties of squash, zucchini, and/or cucumbers? My wife objects to using any kind of pesticide (as does the Township running the program) or to use of beneficial insects etc. Thanks. Barry |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by theforgottenone1013 5b/6a MI (My Page) on Wed, Oct 8, 14 at 19:29
| They are most likely squash bugs, not stink bugs, since they are only attacking your cucurbits. If you can't spray then you need to go on search and destroy missions to hand kill the eggs, nymphs, and adults. Or you could grow your plants under row covers but you'll either have to hand pollinate them or grow parthenocarpic varieties. Not sure which varieties of peppers and tomatoes you are growing but you should be able to harvest them from August (even mid-July) through October. Rodney |
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| Ahhh wouldn't insect-resistant varieties be nice. Unfortunately they just don't exist. Bugs are a normal part of gardening but there are ways to control them without the use of pesticides once knows for sure exactly what pest they are combating. Dave |
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- Posted by daninthedirt 8b / HZ10 Cent. TX (My Page) on Wed, Oct 8, 14 at 21:38
| That's true that stink bugs would attack tomatoes, but they'd attack the fruit, not the leaves. If you don't have tomato fruit, they won't attack the plants. If you really do have stink bugs (or leaf-footed bugs, which are similar) dusting the plants with diatomaceous earth (DE) will work well. DE is inexpensive, and not a chemical pesticide. Look it up. It's not hard to do. I spray the plants with water, then grab a handful of DE, and blow it in a cloud that surrounds the plant. A shop vac works great for that, but a leaf blower would work as well. The dust sticks to the plant, coating it pretty uniformly. Do that every few weeks, or after a strong rain. The solution to your problem isn't insect-proof varieties (which, as noted, are largely non-existent), but safe ways to get rid of insects. |
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| County Fair cucumber is highly resistant to the cucumber beetle wilt. |
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| Oriental long squash is pretty insect-resistant, I have grown for about 3 years in FL. |
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- Posted by zensojourner (My Page) on Sun, Oct 12, 14 at 0:31
| Are you not allowed to use organic pesticides either? Because neem, spinosad, and pyrethrums will pretty much take care of nearly anything trying to eat your garden, bugwise. If its squash bugs row covers will do the trick, if you can be sure they won't be "borrowed" away from your plants. I think by the time they start blossoming and you have to remove them, most of the squash bugs are gone. |
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| Indeed I find DE is effective on a small scale. It also adds Ca to the soil which rarely goes amiss in the east. Those who subscribe to the notion that malnourished plants are easily susceptible to insect attack sometimes pinpoint low S as the main issue. Another strategy is to grow a crop in the general class but different enough that it may not suffer as much predation. Examples: cowpea is less favored by MBB than common beans; some kales and collards less favored by ICM than heading cabbage/broccoli/cauliflower; edible gourd is less susceptible to pests and some diseases than the three main squash species. |
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