What did you do in the garden today?

[Ascholten]

Hmmm, OK. I'm willing to treat for spider mites before pulling everything. Anyone have any suggestions?

Soapy Water, Neem Oil, Pyrethin/Permethin based pesticides.

here's an article that might help you a bit

https://www.thespruce.com/controlling-spider-mites-3269371

Aaron

 

[TJAnonymous]

Soapy Water, Neem Oil, Pyrethin/Permethin based pesticides.

here's an article that might help you a bit

https://www.thespruce.com/controlling-spider-mites-3269371

Aaron

Thanks... Just read that too. I will emulsify some neem tomorrow and start treating. I'm certain it's coming from the tomatoes which have gone wild.

 

[Ascholten]

be careful on the neem oil, a little goes a long way. I dosed it too strong once on my night blooming jasmines, and it burned the heck out of the leaves. Good luck and hopefully that gets it taken care of for you. Nothing more annoying than little problems which you can't really put a finger on and are not easy to fix.

Aaron

 

[Swiss]

HTH do hornworms go from invisible to the size of a school bus over night?!?!?
I check every day!
This morning the entire top of a plant was missing. (Due to be trimmed off this weekend anyway) but there it was, HUGE, fatter than the stems it left me to find.
Found out ONE of my hens love them, so she's in for a real banquet this way because it's not the only one out there.
Crazy things.

Breakfast and then time to smash 'maters.

It's because they (if I remember the number correctly) eat up to three times their body weight EVERY DAY!!!!!! Ridiculous creatures. I found a third a few days ago. Into the wild bird feeder it went. I had to mow the lawn, so I didn't get to see it get eaten, at least, I hope it got eaten and didn't escape.

I'm freezing mine.
They said to keep the stink down to put it into a freezer proof container, so I bagged it and put it into a freezer container. I couldn't detect any smell at all.

That's what I do when I put cut onion in the fridge. In a plastic bag, and into a Tupperware. I haven't had my fridge smell like onion since I started doing this.

We really like the spaghetti squash that my garden has produced, but the skins are so hard and tough that they're nigh impervious to even the sharpest kitchen cutlery. But I'm a man and I have cordless power tools, so I'm not going to let that stop me. Of course the circular and jig saws would be overkill (c'mon, I'm not a barbarian), which left the oscillating tool and angle grinder with cutting wheel as options. Both were effective at cutting through the stubborn cucurbit's hide like it wasn't even there. But the oscillating tool gets the win for neatness...simply because when a cutting wheel spinning at 9,000 RPM hits the soft guts of a squash the aforementioned guts tend to not stay as confined as one would prefer. Plus the oscillating tool is much easier to use with one hand.

This has been today's helpful tip from the Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor School of Culinary Arts.

View attachment 3242932

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MORE POWER!!!! *grunt grunt grunt*

Speaking of torches...when you don't want to fire up the grill to sear just one steak...

Oh my word! That would do it!!

 

[Elyrian1]

Weeds are growing like weeds. Rain, some more! Ugh, I could have used this rain spread out over the summer, not every day for weeks. The mosquitoes are insane.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Went out this afternoon and found one of my Chinaberry trees had toppled sometime during the day.

I got it all chopped up and moved but crushed my poor baby green beans and squash a bit in the process. Found the trunk was riddled with bug holes right down the center.

 

[WthrLady]

I MADE A DISCOVERY!
It was only 90 degrees near sunset, and it was windless, so I took the opportunity before dark to go trim all tomato plants down to 4 feet tall (except the hoop house, it got too dark near the end). I came to one plant that was fine last night, but tonight, totally naked stick from 5ft to 7 feet. ARGH. OK WHERE IS IT?!?!? I looked at each stem, and when I cleared it of being infested, I trimmed it off and tossed it over the fence. Soon, all the stems were gone, which meant either a bird saw its fat butt and ate it OR it went lower to get in the shade.
So I started to look deeper. As I checked each branch like a crazed woman, I heard rattling/clicking and I FROZE (I'm from rattlesnake country.) It was faint, but there. We do have them here, but I haven't seen one for 8 years. I was wearing flip flops and shorts. Was I doomed? I looked around my feet and saw nothing. I used a tomato branch as a decoy probe under the plants, keeping my feet still, nothing. I didn't hear it anymore, and hoped I had given it a chance to move along, not being a threat. If it was there is was little, but they still pack a punch. I went back to the worm hunt. THERE IT WAS AGAIN, OMG IN THE PLANT! No way.
OK what the heck?!
It made noise when I moved the plant.
No way it was a rattler 3 feet up a tomato plant.
The search was on. It was the HORNWORM!!!!! When he/his stick was disturbed, he was CLICKING and rattling loud enough for me to hear him!!! OMG! I never, ever before have heard that. I have video on twitter, but I was shocked (thrilled about not being a snake too!)

 

[Ascholten]

wow thats crazy, but yes good it wasn't a rattler, those are just bad news period no matter what!

aaron

 

[igorsMistress]

Hey all. Been busy with the first week of classes & packing for vacation. Going away for a couple weeks. Picked all the veggies I could, will water in the am. I pulled the blue lake beans, very disappointing this year. Pulled the last of the cucumbers too. Did all I could, now the garden is in DH's hands, Godspeed veggies!

Have a great couple weeks y'all.

Safe travels!

 

[igorsMistress]

I MADE A DISCOVERY!
It was only 90 degrees near sunset, and it was windless, so I took the opportunity before dark to go trim all tomato plants down to 4 feet tall (except the hoop house, it got too dark near the end). I came to one plant that was fine last night, but tonight, totally naked stick from 5ft to 7 feet. ARGH. OK WHERE IS IT?!?!? I looked at each stem, and when I cleared it of being infested, I trimmed it off and tossed it over the fence. Soon, all the stems were gone, which meant either a bird saw its fat butt and ate it OR it went lower to get in the shade.
So I started to look deeper. As I checked each branch like a crazed woman, I heard rattling/clicking and I FROZE (I'm from rattlesnake country.) It was faint, but there. We do have them here, but I haven't seen one for 8 years. I was wearing flip flops and shorts. Was I doomed? I looked around my feet and saw nothing. I used a tomato branch as a decoy probe under the plants, keeping my feet still, nothing. I didn't hear it anymore, and hoped I had given it a chance to move along, not being a threat. If it was there is was little, but they still pack a punch. I went back to the worm hunt. THERE IT WAS AGAIN, OMG IN THE PLANT! No way.
OK what the heck?!
It made noise when I moved the plant.
No way it was a rattler 3 feet up a tomato plant.
The search was on. It was the HORNWORM!!!!! When he/his stick was disturbed, he was CLICKING and rattling loud enough for me to hear him!!! OMG! I never, ever before have heard that. I have video on twitter, but I was shocked (thrilled about not being a snake too!)

Glad it wasn’t a rattler since the babies are more dangerous than the adults.