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Posted on 06/18/2022 4:30:46 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
re: trapping Japanese beetles - the biggest problem I see with the hardware store pheromone traps is that they don’t have enough space to hold a lot of beetles.
I found that in years when there are a lot of them around, even a five gallon bucket isn’t adequate to go a single day before it’s full. A 30 gallon plastic trash can makes a perfect catchment system. You just have to cut a small hole in the lid and hang the trap above that opening. It helps to rig up a little tent from cardboard or whatever between the trap and the trash can lid. Doesn’t have to be fancy, just needs to close the gap and help funnel the bugs into the opening in the trash can lid.
At the end of the day after the beetles have stopped flying around, put a few drops of Dawn dish soap down the hole followed by the garden hose. It only takes enough water to get them all wet so they can’t fly back out. Let them stew for 30 minutes and almost all of them will be dead.
Dump the trash can (compost heap, fish pond, etc.) and set it back up for the next day.
I trapped on that scale for three summers and got rid of pretty much every beetle in the county. I’ve hardly noticed any of the nasty things the past two summers. If their numbers start going up again I’m going to suspend a couple traps over the pond and see if I can skip the fill up the bucket/can part of the exercize.
That was the hottest I’ve seen it in there. Was my fault - I forgot to latch the door open so there wasn’t much air exchange happening. I’ve seen it go past 130° with the door open, which is still crazy hot. Mrs. Augie bought some shade cloth yesterday. I’m hoping that stuff will help to reduce the daytime high temps inside.
The basils that I cut back a couple weeks ago are loving it in there. They have put on a tremendous amount of new growth and are very close to the size they were when I harvested them earlier.
I started another batch a few days later. That stuff germinated within two days, and a week later was big enough to move to grow-out pots. Now that I’ve learned the technique of preserving fresh basil in olive oil I’m going to start growing more of it.
And I probably should label the jars when I put them in the freezer...
Thanks for the tips! WOW ... 5+ gallon buckets, etc. .... that’s a LOT of Japanese Beetles!
I’m still plugging along “spot shotting” on the zinnias. The bed is only 3’ x 6’ so this method works just fine. I check morning & evening & if I happen to be out at the garden for some reason at a different time, I take a look then as well. I just keep the bottle in the bed (shaded by the zinnias) so it’s handy.
Is it an heirloom cabbage? I’m asking because other crops in the same family can cross pollinate and affect flavor.
I had a whole crop of watermelon once that tasted like cucumber 😂
Really hot this week in GA too. I think some of my plants are having heat stress already.
I noticed my zucchini has yellowing around the edges of the leaves… I sure hope this is not another fungus attacking my garden. I already had to spray my tomato plants with copper
Hmmm. It is an heirloom cabbage. I alternated the smaller Golden Acre with a larger variety in a row. I figured once the smaller ones harvested, the bigger ones would have more room.
96 degrees here, yesterday. Greenhouse hit 109! Today we’re heading to 98 degrees, so is 112 out of the question? Stay tuned, LOL!
This is what I came up with to hold the door open. It's just a little piece of flat steel with a keyhole slot cut in one end. Cheap, easy to open and shut. Works great.
Check this out. CRISPR gene edited tomato plant that produces in 40 days
Not the same as GMO where they insert a gene from a completely different species. In this case, they remove a gene or two.
Whatever works! Shade cloth will make a world of difference for your greenhouse.
If they take genes OUT, is it still considered a ‘Frankenfood?’ LOL!
Right off the bat they say it can be used to create new GMOs and the EU is regulating it as such. They talk about tomatoes too.
The patenting of seed might be of concern.
Outdoor temps yesterday were a bit higher than the day I recorded 152° in the greenhouse. I intentionally left the door shut and checked it a couple times throughout the day. 118° was the highest temp that I observed.
That’s quite an improvement.
I have a question for all, but especially anyone living southeast… I am looking for a good heirloom seed company since SeedSavers no longer ships to GA. I tried Annie’s last year but was not happy with the yield. Most of my seeds I have saved for years, but I want to introduce some new vegetables to my garden.
Any recommendations?
Heirloom Seed Company Question for ya!
Baker Creek is really good. (Rareseeds.com) But Ellendra knows them all. :)
You could also try Aaron Whaley. He is the son of Seed Savers and has his own company, now. He lives up the road from me and used to be my Boss when I worked at their (now-defunct) Madison store.
Baker Creek: https://www.rareseeds.com
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange: https://www.southernexposure.com/
Sow True Seed: https://sowtrueseed.com
And Native Seeds Search: https://www.nativeseeds.org/
Those would be my top recommendations for that region.
Well, Baker Creek is my top recommendation for any region, and not just because they pay me :)
Thank you both!
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