What did you do in the garden today?

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Went out to check the squash mound (pumpkin, cushaw, zucchini, and watermelon) this morning and saw a SVB on one of my plants... Tried killing that sucker but I'm not sure if I got it. Started examining all the plants and found LOTS of eggs. Going to spray some BT today... There's too many plants to cover or wrap the stems so BT is my best option, I think. Not sure how often I'll have to spray it... Thought it had to be on contact?

I thought it had to be injected but that might have been when the larva gets into the stem. This is my first year growing squash of any kind though so

Good luck regardless!

 

[jerryse]

I thought it had to be injected but that might have been when the larva gets into the stem. This is my first year growing squash of any kind though so

Good luck regardless!

Once in the stem then you must inject BT into the hollow stem. Other insecticide may also work but I use BT which is organic.

 

[jerryse]

Persimmon grafts are starting to grow.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

A couple of the nickel- and dime-sized potatoes I threw into a pot have started to peek through the soil.

 

[Smokerbill]

I picked the collards this morning, but didn't cook them yet. They're trimmed, washed, chopped up and packed into a gallon ziplock bag. I'll cook and freeze in a couple of days.

I pruned the lower leaves from the cabbage plants that looked bad or were laying flat on the ground, fed them to the chickens. I fertilized all the brassicas with a few gallons of rotted weed tea fertilizer and watered it in. Now I just wait until there are leaves big enough to pick again.

There were several leaves that were chewed on a little, and I found one fat green worm when I was cleaning the collards. Guess I'll get out the BT and spray them.



Next project is to get rid of the Himalayan blackberry that's out of control by the shop. They are prickly suckers.

 

[Molpet]

More on my statin experience. They kept me on statins. It lowered my immune system allowing me to get toxoplasmosis parasite. Carried by cats. I had no cat but a relative did. My first clue was while driving the power lines were wavy. Eye doctors were stumped. One finally tested for toxoplasmosis. Took zpack azithromycin for a year. Can't kill it but makes it go dormant. Optic nerve inflamed. Scar tissue provided traction to detach my retina. Ruined my vision in the right eye. Still wanted me on statins. I said no way. Done too much damage. They now list me as allergic to statins. Never test my cholesterol now.

Yeah my cholesterol is high and I don't do anything about it. I also have questions if it's even a problem. A 30 year old guy at work had 600. It's genetic and nothing would lower it.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Once in the stem then you must inject BT into the hollow stem. Other insecticide may also work but I use BT which is organic.

Trying to avoid insecticide since the plants are actively flowering and I don't want to harm pollinators. That's why I settled on BT. Hoping it would kill larva once it hatches. I'm also trying to remove any eggs I see. Found 2 sets of squash bug eggs but quite a few SVB eggs on stems of the cushaw, pumpkin, and zucchini.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Well CRAP.... So much for that plan!

 

[Smokerbill]

I ended up hiring my 8 year old granddaughter to get rid of that Himalayan blackberry. She did a good job with the pruning shears. My 10 year old grandson got up on the shop overhang roof and cleaned off all the branches and fir needles with a couple of brooms. And the 5 year old raked up the stuff that was swept off the roof. They all did great work and it was well worth the $15 I gave them. It was fun seeing them get excited about earning money.

 

[Molpet]

Anybody use paper bags on fruit? They claim it drys out after a rain and is fine