Posted on 06/05/2008 10:10:48 AM PDT by Gabz
Please remember folks --- this article is from 2006!
June is here, and along with it, summer. Gone are the soft pastels of flowering vines such as jasmine and wisteria. The bolder, brighter summer colors of orange trumpet vine and the tropical colors of mandevillas are on their way. The soft, new greens of spring have been replaced by the harder greens of maturing leaves. Crepe myrtles and gardenias and hydrangeas are showing off their colors. Now that the things we hate about warm weather are back in full force-all the mosquitoes, sand gnats, yellow flies, and various other nasty biting insects, along with the heat and humidity and scads of weeds—we’re once again questioning our sanity. Why, exactly, is it that we have another garden planted? Didn’t we promise ourselves last year that we weren’t doing this again next year? Somehow, in the long span between springs, gardeners always forget the bad things about gardening and remember only the taste of that first ripe tomato, or the joy of a freshly cut bouquet. The scent of warm soil calls us, compels us to dig and plant, as seductive as any siren’s song.
Among the vines that will be blooming are the wild roses. The white one that smells like cinnamon and spices blooms early, perfuming the air. Too bad the flowers aren’t much. Another one is a pretty little hot pink rose, one that seems to haunt ditch banks and other wetter areas. Do not feel sorry for this rose and take a piece of it home. No matter how cute and lonely it seems, like throwing scraps to a stray dog, once given any attention, it will never leave. Almost impossible to kill, it has thorns that proclaim it to be an escapee from the impenetrable wall around Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
The cool weather lasted much longer than we expected and crops will be correspondingly delayed. Tomatoes and other warm season crops will be coming off later, but all they need is some really warm weather, especially at night, and they’ll take off. Watch them for insect pests, they like warm weather also.
Ever check on your tomato plants one day and they’re fine, only to go out the next day to find the vines defoliated and most of the tomatoes almost completely eaten? The culprit is often huge, green caterpillars, called hornworms. Look closely, they’re masters of camouflage. Usually bright green with white stripes, they have a very distinctive horn on one end. If they’re on tomatoes, they’re called tomato hornworm. If they’re on tobacco, they’re called tobacco hornworm. Go figure! Same pest.
Guess what hornworms turn into? Hummingbird moths! If you’ve never seen one, the moths are truly delightful. They resemble a baby hummingbird and are just a little larger than a bumble bee. Hummingbird moths are tan in color, unlike their colorful namesakes, but they fly just like a hummingbird does. They can usually be spotted around flowers early in the morning or late in the evening. Sometimes they will come out during the day if it is cloudy, so if you see something that looks like a baby hummer, look closer. It might not be what you think it is!
One other word about hornworms. They aren’t hard to kill, simply pick them off and squish them. If you see white, rice looking grains on the hornworm, don’t kill it. What?! That’s right, don’t kill it. The rice grains are the eggs of a parasitic wasp. Guess what it eats? Tomato hornworms. Pick it off, certainly, and move it far away from your garden, into the edge of your yard or woods. The wasps will hatch and go find another hornworm to start the process all over again.
Mid June is time to plant pumpkins and gourds and winter squash. Winter squash? Winter squash is a term that means a squash with a hard shell that will keep during the winter. Butternut squash is a good example. Butternut will often keep a year or even longer. Summer squash is a term used to denote softer squash, such as yellow straight neck or crookneck. There’s nothing wrong with planting butternut earlier, it just keeps better if it’s planted later. The cooler weather of fall helps harden the shells.
If you planted Vidalia’s early, June is usually about the time to dig them. Wonderful sliced in quarters or eights and microwaved until tender with a little salt and butter, they are equally delicious stir fried with summer squash. Add a little zucchini and some eggplant and… Technically, the only onions that can be called Vidalia’s are the ones grown in Vidalia. The onions themselves are actually yellow granex. These can also be grown in the fall if you can find the plants. They don’t keep well because of their high sugar content, so enjoy them while they last. Hard to believe that Vidalia’s have about the same sugar content as a large orange.
hubby is the same way. If there’s one flea around, it will crawl over me to get to him.
As long ass the yellow jackets and hornets leave me alone, I’m good.
I’ll take your word for it, but I’ll pass! seems like it would be like eating glass. This was about 50 years ago, before I was born. i’ve heard daddy tell the story. He’s got plenty of others. Mom is kind of a scary cook.
Not here. Heard about the deluge on the Eastern Shore. And could see the flashes of lightening coming from your direction. Would be nice to have some rain. Will help keep down the dirt and grime being kicked up by road work being done nearby.
Trying to garden at 75 is like swimming upstream in a river of cold molasses... you make damn little progress! My First Wife,who is a few years younger, works circles around me every day. I hilled my corn, transplanted a few tomatoes in large tubs, transplanted 3 hills of pumpkins and weeded a patch.
I will have to write a book about my wife’s efforts of today
Congrats to you and your missus! Hope I’m still motivating when I’m 75!
“I had plans to order veggies from you Diana, then, with so much going on, I just bought seeds locally and had to get everything in the ground asap, as usual I was running late.”
Don’t sweat it. They pay me whether you buy anything from me or not, LOL!
My garden is very small this year; 30 tomato plants, 30 pepper plants, a row of beans and some flowers for cutting. Herbs are in pots near the back door for cooking and crafting.
Husband put in an asparagus bed with 60 crowns, so in a few years we will be rich in asparagus beyond our wildest dreams!
I still have Glad bulbs to plant; I hope I can get them in tomorrow between rain storms. We got 2” of liquid gold today, but there were some problems with flooding in parts of our state; some areas seem to get nailed time and again. :(
FIL gave me three LOVERLY Heritage River Birch trees that we planted in a “clump” at the edge of the garden, as well as more pine and fir to put around the edges of our property and an AWESOME Canadian Hemlock, which I think is the prettiest tree on the planet.
My peonies are REALLY behind this season, but all are in bud and should pop in another week. They’re my favorite. I just adore their scent and the obnoxious, blousy blooms!
Today I worked in the rain, which wasn’t too bad, but this afternoon when the sun came out it turned the whole yard into a sauna. Blech! I HATE the humidity, and every third customer is bringing in leaves and branches of various trees and shrubs coated in gall and anthracnose, and every other virus and bug that thrives in cool, wet weather.
It’s a cr@p shoot every year, isn’t it?
“I am new here and know I am preaching to the choir on a lot of issues”
Not necessarily. I am learning something everyday on this thread, and every year in my gardening efforts.
Just got in from watering flowers and my veggie garden, and am soaking wet. It was so hot here, my flowers were wilted. It takes a while to wet everything I have, so I don’t get on here till late at night.
I have a question for anyone here who might help.
This year I bought my first Elephant Ear bulbs. I built a little waterfall last fall and want the “exotic” look in fauna around it. Out of four bulbs only one has shot up (another is just producing a sprout and it’s spindly (sp).
The bulbs came with no directions (other than plant the “knobby” side up, which was confusing.
Anybody on here have any tips on raising these? I have two in big pots and two in the ground. Of the two with any signs of life, one in a pot is looking good, and the one next to the fountain, just producing a sprout, looks sick. Don’t know what happened to the other, have been considering digging them up to see what’s happening, although that would probably kill them if they are even alive.
Lilacs and peonies are one of the few things I miss about living farther north! Neither will do much here, unfortunately.
Humidity? You want to talk about humidity? Let me tell you.... LOLOL
92 here today and miserable—going to get worse. That’s why God gave us AC. We went straight from almost cool enough to run the heat to turning the ac on. There’s a saying—You might be from eastern NC if you’ve run your heat and your ac in the same day!
I’m guessing maters do ok for y’all? Diseases have made it almost impossible to grow any decent ones around here for the last few years.
Always fun to learn new stuff, and we need to be reminded of what we’ve forgotten from time to tiem!
Had to check before I told you wrong! I was going to suggest Epcom salt and that’s what the sites I googled reccommended. They said a cup per plant! That sounds kind of heavy—I usually use one Tablespoon per gallon of water.
Don’t have much trouble growing elephant ears around here—they can get invasive if they get close to a ditch. About the only things that bother them are voles and too much rain.
Gotta hit the sack! See y’all tom!
I have corn out, but just barely and it nearly ended up out with the mulch in the yard, so I pulled the mud as best as I could up around the exposed roots. I have 6 different varieties of tomatoes, some planted in big flower pots and yards away from each other to prevent cross pollination but it will be weeks before I pick any to eat.
The potatoes are starting to bloom and thankfully for that old pool shell they are well protected from the last wash out and are elevated enough that they have great drainage.
I also have three different varieties of cucumbers spaced as far apart as I can get them, and the bush variety is presenting its first blossoms... can't wait for some crunchy cucumbers.
And it is already June.... hard to believe.
Neighbors have been trying to grow Elephant ears with no success; and since I pretty much ignore these plants (outside usual maintenance); I'm telling you what I know. Let me know, if you remember, how these do in pots, pls?
Highs mostly in the 60s here,(OheilO) frost warnings a week ago, now- BAM! the switch is thrown and it’s over 90 degrees for the next week at least. God, I wish we had gradual change like when I was a kid.
Got my first tick on a hiking venture with grandkids a month ago. Showered, cleaned up -- but still found one fat one on me next day, in the shower, no less. Without thinking, I pulled out. Yep, that stupid head was stuck in me. Did major internetting trying to figure out whether to dig the head out or leave it in; information was contradictory, and counseling both. Called the Ranger where I picked up the tick; he told me not to worry; the head would work its way out. Eventually. It is now one month, and still in progress. First sign of a tick here, I'm doing jerry's Rescue!
What a difference the Bay makes.......
Seriously, we seem to be in a sort of never-neverland here when it comes to not only the rest of Virginia, but even the rest of DelMarVa. We have no true local media and so we just get ignored.
Just from reading what you say about gardening, etc., you are running circles around me, and I'm only 47. Heck you do more than my 9 year old!!!!
You sure got that right!!!!!
Thanks to both of you for the tips on the Elephant Ears. This is my first time trying to grow them in Tennessee. They grow everywhere in Lousiana, where I used to live.
The ones I planted in pots were two big bulbs, about the same size, so I couldn’t figure out why one is a foot tall now and the other didn’t sprout. They are in identical pots, and both receive the same amount of watering. Maybe one bulb was bad to start with.
I WILL try the Epson salt, and maybe this will also help if the problem is with pests.
As for ticks, Grammy has already heard about my experience several weeks ago. I hiked in the woods here, then, while taking a bath, noticed one in my groin area, head embedded. Like Alia, I freaked and jerked it out (and of course left the head in).
I had a big bump for awhile, itched like crazy, but it finally healed. I was starting to get worried, as it took what seemed like forever to heal. It finally did.
Like Grammy, I have lots of deer, and along with deer come ticks. I picked one off one of my dogs yesterday, my yellow lab (tick was easy to see on him). Both dogs and my cat get Frontline, I have a feeling we’d be infested otherwise.
I will DEFINETELY do Jerry’s recipe for these this year. And Grammy, first year here we had seed ticks. Wayne and I would sit on the deck and we found one on his face, they seemed to come from nowhere (probably blown by wind from nearby trees).
Now you have me itching all over just thinking about it.
Yikes, I have plenty of skeeters, but on a marsh you must be under invasion.
Like some other posters,anything that bites, stings or crawls finds me, loves me.
I do have a lot of bats, or I would be covered up with them. I also have lots of lizards and frogs, so guess they help.
Wonder if rubbing garlic on our bodies would help? I know it would smell bad (I don’t see much of people under normal circumstances). I have a friend who traveled through Africa in the early 1960s and he swears by eating and wearing garlic. He said it probably saved his life from all the parasites and insects while there.
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