((Serious Gardening))

[feather and mountain man]

Well finally all the Tomatoe plants are sold and shipped out. Now I have time to focus on my family's garden. It has been a stressfull tomatoe plant season with the late freezes and the horrific wind storms. We made it through though.

Now in all the crazy tomatoe plant season I didn't notice the ant nest being built in one of my raised beds. So I have a question about

Ambro Ant and Spider pellets

Will it harm the earthworm and good insects as well as all the harmful insects that it claim to kill. I don't know what else to do about the huge ant nest in the bed.

I was told to sprinkle it around the bed and water thuroughly. I just worry about all the healthy worms that live in the bed and the toads that live there as well. I don't like using pesticides but I don't think I have much choice at this point.

 

[Kassaundra]

This is my first year to grow strawberries and I have a few questions for anyone w/ experience in them.

1) Is it really bad to grow new strawberries from your runners? All the sites say it is, but is that just to get you to buy more plants? (if it really is how do stawberries survive in the wild)

2) Can you start new berries from the seeds off the berries? (is it they won't start at all or just won't come true?)

3) If I do use my runners, can they be cut off the mother plant prior to starting roots, placed in moist sand and allowed to root there, or do they need to stay attatched until they root?

Thanks

 

[Cats Critters]

I planted 45 tomato plants in the garden yesterday

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Yes, you can start new plants from the "mother" plants. I'm amazed someone said it's bad to do that. Used to be, all the gardening books presented this as "the way you do it." I have no idea why it would now be considered "bad."

What they said was basically to let the baby plants root then remove the original plant. The diagrams look like they all grow in orderly star fashion but we all know this isn't what they really do. It's too hot here to really grow strawberries well but I've tried it a bit. Here, we tend mostly to buy the plants, enjoy the strawberries we get, then watch them all die in the summer heat.

Nope, I wouldn't bother with the seeds.

 

[galanie]

Quote:
I have found that ants laugh at Amdro and all other ant baits. The only things they don't laugh at makes us cry. DE just makes white ants, and kills earthworms. Flooding them regularly makes them move over sometimes, and sometimes just makes them hide a while after the initial panic of having their pupae exposed.

My yard has been Ant Central for so long, and it's nearly all Fire Ants. I have finally given up my earthworm friendly ways when it comes to those little monsters in the vegetable garden. Only pyrethrum or something nasty like Diazanon will drive them out of there. I apply some form of pyrethrum liberally IN the garden and they move over or die or both. It does kill your worms but they'll come back. If you put it around the garden, then it drives them right in there where they are nice and safe; in your garden.

After fighting ants for years, it's now "No more Ms. Nice Guy" any more lol. The worms and stuff will come back pretty fast.

 

[skillswife]

Well we are serious about our gardening Just picked up some more plants yesterday and can't wait to get them into the ground. You can check out our blog for more about our gardening.

 

[silkiechicken]

Just had to share!

for peas!

Started these guys inside with grow lights in January... So I do not expect their outdoor brethren planted at the end of march to produce fruit till the end of July or into August. I'm sure you all in warm areas are laughing at my excitement about pea flowers starting at the end of May.

 

[lulumammato2]

My 1st crop of potatoes! Doe anyone have any advice for me?

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:

Hello neighbor, I'm just to your south. My potatoes aren't anywhere near ready to pick. Enjoy them.

 

[galanie]

Quote:
That looks like my crop this year - from 8 plants! Aphids did them in too early. And they are trying to do the same with my Limas. Odd, they didn't really touch anything else. And the ladybugs aren't controlling them at all like they did earlier in the spring.

No advice here

Except that they are wonderful boiled.