What did you do in the garden today?

[LifeSimpleAndSweet]

Today, I went to You Tube to learn how to make short bread cookies and found out that they are very easy to make. However, I would have probably died of a heart attack if I learned how to make them in my teens.

I love making shortbread cookies!
So easy, quick, yummy, and cozy!

Even worse, is when you learn how to make chocolate peanut butter cups... LOL

 

[fuzzi]

I get squash seedlings everywhere after spreading our compost in the garden. It amazes me how much they can handle. I've had a pile really cooking before even that I focused on turning frequently that was actually very hot to the touch and "sure enough!" squash seedlings came up even from that compost when it was spread. It is astounding!

One of my raised beds was full of volunteers, probably watermelons. Much of the soil in the beds came from the compost pile.

I watched a couple videos by "Gardener Scott" in which he created trellises out of cattle panels. I decided to try growing my melons and tomatoes this year in that manner.

Watermelon volunteers on left, the rest of the volunteers I removed and fed to the chickens. On the right I am going to plant cantaloupes but apparently I used up all the seeds from last year. I'll buy some tomorrow:

New trellis added to the tomato bed, will add strings tomorrow:

I cut the edges of the cattle panels so they had "spikes" to sink into the soil and help hold the trellis in place.

I highly recommend Gardener Scott and his YT channel if anyone is interested.

 

[fuzzi]

Yes! I mean that!
No place for them to hide, just bare dirt, a trunk, and sunshine. They don't like it at all.

Tying them up is not the easiest thing to accomplish, but it's worth it.

Care to share a "How To"?

 

[CedarLane]

1View attachment 3485946View attachment 3485947View attachment 3485948
First book has a good variety of Rhubarb recipes and info on picking and storage. Recipes are make and eat now, or for freezing, some canning info.

The Practical Produce is excellent! Includes information on a wide variety of vegetables and fruits!

 

[LifeSimpleAndSweet]

Care to share a "How To"?

Sure!

Plant your seed very close to a solid and grippy post of some sort. (pvc is too slippery and they slide down) You'll only be able to tie up one plant per stake, unless you really want to work hard.

Summer squash looks bushy, but most have a single stem. You've got to gently tie that up as it grows.

Remove older, yellowed leaves at the bottom as they die back.

Don't use mulch. The squash bugs hide in there. Just add lots of organic matter to your soil when you plant them.

 

[fuzzi]

Sure!

Plant your seed very close to a solid and grippy post of some sort. (pvc is too slippery and they slide down) You'll only be able to tie up one plant per stake, unless you really want to work hard.

Summer squash looks bushy, but most have a single stem. You've got to gently tie that up as it grows.

Remove older, yellowed leaves at the bottom as they die back.

Don't use mulch. The squash bugs hide in there. Just add lots of organic matter to your soil when you plant them.

Excellent.

Does it help against borers?

 

[Acre4Me]

Excellent.

Does it help against borers?

no, I doubt it. The vine borer finds the stem, near the dirt, lays an egg. As soon as it hatches, the tiny caterpillar bores into the stem to remain and feed off the plant, eventually killing it. Since it’s inside the stem, it’s not harmed by pesticides.

Last year, I used soapy water in yellow bowls. Super effective for many bugs. But, SVB come out late July here, and I was caring them AND bees in the bowls, so I removed the bowls in favor of the bees.

You can cover the squash with insect netting. This worked well, but need to hand pollinate or let in a bee or two under the netting.

You can plant a “trap crop” -SVB prefer things in the squash group that includes Hubbard squash ( mochata group?), and will preferentially attack them. Last year I inadvertently planted squash in this group (butterCUP squash) and they were preferentially attacked. But, butternut squash are in a different group, and are not preferred. One year I only had a couple of regular summer squash and butternut planted-the SVB did attack the butternut that year. This year I plan to use hubbard squash as a trap crop.

 

[LifeSimpleAndSweet]

Excellent.

Does it help against borers?

The stem is exposed, so you can inspect it easily.

I've not had any trouble with them. But if you do, I've heard you can just slice the stem, kill the insect, and the plant survives just fine.

 

[triciayoung]

I tried to save the 4 raised beds my chicken got into, even though I thought I adequately protected them.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

no, I doubt it. The vine borer finds the stem, near the dirt, lays an egg. As soon as it hatches, the tiny caterpillar bores into the stem to remain and feed off the plant, eventually killing it. Since it’s inside the stem, it’s not harmed by pesticides.

Last year, I used soapy water in yellow bowls. Super effective for many bugs. But, SVB come out late July here, and I was caring them AND bees in the bowls, so I removed the bowls in favor of the bees.

You can cover the squash with insect netting. This worked well, but need to hand pollinate or let in a bee or two under the netting.

You can plant a “trap crop” -SVB prefer things in the squash group that includes Hubbard squash ( mochata group?), and will preferentially attack them. Last year I inadvertently planted squash in this group (butterCUP squash) and they were preferentially attacked. But, butternut squash are in a different group, and are not preferred. One year I only had a couple of regular summer squash and butternut planted-the SVB did attack the butternut that year. This year I plan to use hubbard squash as a trap crop.

I have also found Patty Pan squash to be a favorite of vine borers. They always go for my Patty Pan squash before anything else. I love Patty Pan so I keep trying, lol.