What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

I took a very short break at lunch today and walked down to the garden. Imagine my IMMENSE sense of satisfaction when I found a squash bug crawling on top of the newly installed insect netting over the hoop house. At least this little demon was denied access to my biggest squash plants...

Later this evening I took a bowl of soapy water down to go hunt the little demons since they are clearly on the prowl. Didn't find any squash bugs but I DID figure out that worms are decimating my broccoli! I sprayed them with some neem and castile soap. Picked off as many as I could find. I went back over them again with some BT. We are expecting rain from Tuesday - Friday so I didn't want to waste too much time and effort on treatment that will simply wash away.

 

[Acre4Me]

Just looked at the forecast...a low of 43F on Saturday!! Say what?? So, the plants will be droopy and unhappy. They should survive, but not be very happy. Three nights in a row of nighttime temps in the 40s.

today, nice and hot. Then it cools off and rains for a few days. That will be nice for the garden.

 

[Sueby]

We had a chilly night here & a couple more in the 40's to come here too @Acre4Me. As soon as I saw it I was thinking how my peppers are going to hate that, lol.

I got the goods in & sprayed my itty squash plants, hopefully that helps with the stupid squash bugs.

I FINALLY have the bean plants straight, I have purple bush beans everywhere (lol) & a few blue lakes coming up now for the poles. What a joke all that was.

I got some morning glory planted, got a little fence up around the butterfly weed so I stop stepping on it in the garden. The dill is looking real good. I have a couple dahlias popping up & my neighbor is passing on some of his late wife's dahlia tubers to me. Hopefully I can do them justice for her.

I had to pull off a ton of flowers on the strawberries. That always hurts. So impressed with the bare roots though, every single one survived & is thriving.

All the peppers are in, just in time for a few chilly nights. The garden is done & just needs to grow now!

 

[Acre4Me]

Just recently was told that watermelon and zucchini can cross pollinate and that they cannot be planted next to each other. If they are, then you will get a bad tasting fruit. I had never heard of this, so I told the person, "oh, I think that would be what would grow from the seed...so in 2022 if I planted a seed from this year, I'd get a bad tasting cross". "No!" They told me, that just the act of cross pollination would would affect this year's fruit. They even showed me a picture of the weird hybrid.


No, this person is not a gardener, but did grow up in a southern state helping all summer long with grandmas very large garden, and received this guidance "Never plant watermelon and zucchini next to/ near each other" from grandma.

So, I looked it up today...am not finding anything on this, and still believe that the issue would come next year from the cross pollinated seeds gathered this year.

Anyone else ever hear of this?

 

[Acre4Me]

I got the goods in & sprayed my itty squash plants, hopefully that helps with the stupid squash bugs.

I'm curious as to how bad we will have them this year. They were pretty persistent and numerous last year. The only good thing I found out is that they generally don't harm the plant unless numbers are very high. Still irritating and they are quite large when at end of their growth cycle. So, I will look for the eggs and the little spidery looking nymphs to try to curtail their numbers.

 

[Sueby]

Weird! I have grown them next to each other but never had any issues. I always thought cross pollination weirdness happened with the seeds saved from the plants that cross pollinated.

 

[Sally PB]

"Never plant watermelon and zucchini next to/ near each other" from grandma.

So, I looked it up today...am not finding anything on this, and still believe that the issue would come next year from the cross pollinated seeds gathered this year.

Anyone else ever hear of this?

No, never have. I'm interested in what others have to say.

 

[Sueby]

I'm curious as to how bad we will have them this year. They were pretty persistent and numerous last year. The only good thing I found out is that they generally don't harm the plant unless numbers are very high. Still irritating and they are quite large when at end of their growth cycle. So, I will look for the eggs and the little spidery looking nymphs to try to curtail their numbers.

That's what I have now, the little black spidery things. I had sooo many last year it grossed me out, but you're right, they didn't do much damage to the squash but they did ruin my cukes. The plants were never able to grow big enough. It was the vine borers that hurt the squash, but so late in the season it didn't matter. Just talking about it creeps me out & makes me want to rip out the stupid squash.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Just recently was told that watermelon and zucchini can cross pollinate and that they cannot be planted next to each other. If they are, then you will get a bad tasting fruit. I had never heard of this, so I told the person, "oh, I think that would be what would grow from the seed...so in 2022 if I planted a seed from this year, I'd get a bad tasting cross". "No!" They told me, that just the act of cross pollination would would affect this year's fruit. They even showed me a picture of the weird hybrid.


No, this person is not a gardener, but did grow up in a southern state helping all summer long with grandmas very large garden, and received this guidance "Never plant watermelon and zucchini next to/ near each other" from grandma.

So, I looked it up today...am not finding anything on this, and still believe that the issue would come next year from the cross pollinated seeds gathered this year.

Anyone else ever hear of this?

It’s a common myth here in the south but they are different species people also claim they cross with cucumbers, and cantaloupe but that’s another myth. Watermelons only cross with other watermelons and other types of citron melons.

 

[jerryse]

Just recently was told that watermelon and zucchini can cross pollinate and that they cannot be planted next to each other. If they are, then you will get a bad tasting fruit. I had never heard of this, so I told the person, "oh, I think that would be what would grow from the seed...so in 2022 if I planted a seed from this year, I'd get a bad tasting cross". "No!" They told me, that just the act of cross pollination would would affect this year's fruit. They even showed me a picture of the weird hybrid.


No, this person is not a gardener, but did grow up in a southern state helping all summer long with grandmas very large garden, and received this guidance "Never plant watermelon and zucchini next to/ near each other" from grandma.

So, I looked it up today...am not finding anything on this, and still believe that the issue would come next year from the cross pollinated seeds gathered this year.

Anyone else ever hear of this?

Myth . If pollen from a different species takes the seed is a blank . I know this is true from my squash breeding . Hand pollination of bush butternut by zucchini resulted in a squash with blank seed . I tried this in the 80's due to bad information .