http://www.thelaketoday.com/news/2015/mar/25/how-start-seeds-part-5-getting-your-vegetable-flow/
And some more cool pics from Eric:
Posted on 03/27/2015 1:25:20 PM PDT by greeneyes
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Do you know what an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper is? Ugh, all over the place here. Grow to be about 3” long. Not much that will kill them including insecticides unless they are applied directly. My latest joy is a couple of bird feeders that I put in the middle of the “garden”. Hoping Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird that have been visiting it make a whole bunch of little bluebirds that will come eat the grasshoppers!
The aluminum foil will prevent cut-worms , looks sorta like a grub that girdles the plant at soil level, or just below.
If the problem is borers, they leave a 'frass' that looks like brown/yellowed sawdust at the point of entry .
Actually , you can save the plant if its borers, by using a sharp knife and slitting the stem until you find the borer, remove it,
and then bury the slit under some soil. Chances are the plant will recover, and possibly form new roots in the soil mound.
Squash Borers and squash bugs will both impact cukes, melons, squash, and other curcubits .
The squash borer attcks the stem near a leaf ; squash bugs (beetle like) generally lay eggs on the underside of leaves
The borer is the pupal stage ; the adult is a gey/white moth which attacks plants May /June generally at night .
Timely administration of insecticidal controls (and insecticidal soaps), and totally clean up in the fall are the best controls to prevent next years problems.
Good choice with the bird feeder, but I would encourage bird houses in the garden, myself. I would encourage birds, but not feed them .
Being totally unfamiliar with "Eastern Lubber Grasshopper" ,I found some information at a comercial pesticide applicator :
www.http://collierpestcontrol.com/eastern-lubber-grasshoppers.html
They seem to breed and hangout in pine forest areas, and in drainage ditches.
"If you deprive grasshoppers of their favored food, often they will leave or perish. If you cannot control them through hand-picking, insecticides can be applied.
Insecticide-containing baits are often used for grasshopper control.
Bran bait containing corn oil and insecticide is attractive to lubbers, and they will perish after eating only a small amount of the bait." I hope that helps .
Yeah, we have a longleaf pine orchard across the street, so that makes sense. Thank you for that info about the bait.
I just got my order from Baker’s Creek, and I already have my wish list for next year!
And here’s my plug for Pinetree in Maine, and Sample Seeds in upstate NY - inexpensive, great selection and good resources for the northern gardener.
Well, it seems like everything in my garden is growing nicely. Beans are through the soil and leaves are present. Does anyone know anything about artichokes? I have two plants in the ground, growing nicely, just don’t know if they are going to grow up or out.
Artichokes need to be tricked into thinking it is their second year of growth, to do this you let them get hit with a little frost but not too cold for long as it will kill them.
That wasn't there when I ordered, at least that I saw. I suspect it's a spiral that many businesses fall into when they begin to fail. They cut back on staff to save money which in turn puts them behind which in turn causes loss of orders as they did mine.
That icon probably appeared as complaints from irritated customers continued to mount...I generally order from small ‘hobby gardener’ outfits who place a priority on quality and customer service.
http://www.thelaketoday.com/news/2015/mar/25/how-start-seeds-part-5-getting-your-vegetable-flow/
And some more cool pics from Eric:
The three photos are:
Tomatoes, mostly Amish paste variety and a few Sweet Millions. The majority of these have little flower buds.
Peppers. Several kinds, including poblanos, jalapeños, etc.
The third pix is something new; I dehydrated and ground in a blender a double handful of jalapeños from last year. I bought a new Omega blender that really, really pulverizes. I can add a sifting of “wow” on just about anything with this salt shaker from Target. My old blender would turn out little pieces of hard pepper. The Omega 2500 turns everything into dust.
But, it's never all bad. The baby peeps are doing well. I got the asparagus bed cleaned out. All of the bluebird and wren houses have been hung up around the yard. The computer is mostly fixed. I had to buy a new one and thank goodness I had Carbonite. It took three days to pull my files down, but that beats hell out of losing them for sure.
The rhubarb is peeking out of the ground.
The cold frame did its job protecting the babies from the ice we had Thursday night.
Two hens arguing over who's going to be first to lay an egg in the mineral bucket this morning.
I want chickens.
How many do you have ?
Rooster ?
What do you do with the eggs ?
This is about all the garden I'm going to do until I eat lunch. The weather here is so wonderful that I really want to stay outside and work.
I didn't do much except clear out the leaves and trim stuff back. And forgot about lunch. ;)
/johnny
A better picture, closer, than the last one.
I must be feeling better to get camera crazy again.
I blame the absolutely perfect weather we're having here today.
/johnny
It’s been 34 degrees and snowing all day here in Massachusetts.
They look very healthy!
It's so freaking beautiful out there I just want to be out there.
We are blessed with great weather right now. I bet Marcella is making hay while the sun shines, and she's working her new garden.
/johnny
Spring is such a wonderful time. The smells, the sounds, the feeling of the warm sun and breezes on your skin. :)
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