2020 How does your garden grow

[Carbon 6]

Capt. Jack's Dead bug seems effective.

That's what I bought.

 

[Carbon 6]

A few hours later and they all seem dead to me.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Even dead their jaws are locked onto the leaves but look close tomorrow and I'll bet you find more live ones. They seem to hatch new ones over night. I've dosed three days in a row. Never had these before.

 

[Carbon 6]

Day two, not a live beetle to be found.

 

[Carbon 6]

Now I have Japanese beetles.

 

[Tacksman45]

Latecomer to this conversation but wanted to share some pictures of the garden. We have had a ton of rain here in NC this year, unlike some other years. However we've also had a cool spring which has led to some fungus problems, but overall things seem to be doing good. We're just starting to get a good crop of tomatoes off of the several tomato plant varieties that we have planted. The tomatoes on the first row are a combination of cherry, marglobe, and plum tomatoes. The marglobes are fantastic for making fried green tomatoes. The second row is a combination of German Johnson, Early Girl, Beefsteak heirloom, and Beefmaster hybrid tomatoes. The rows behind that are Bushsteak tomatoes, and green tomatillos. I have a couple of tomato plants on the ends of each row which I was planning to move Tobacco/Tomato Hornworms to which have parasitoid wasp cocoons on them, but so far I have only found one worm which did not have cocoons on it. We've already had some good sweet corn as well as a huge crop of potatoes which we harvested about 2 weeks ago. As well as onions, squash, cabbage, carrots, and turnips. Also have sunflowers on the corner to encourage pollinators, as well as hazelnut bushes and pear trees which I just planted this year. Early next year I'm going to put in Muscadine and Scuppernong grapes. I'm also thinking about putting in a couple of fig trees, and I'm going to dig some wild blackberry plants from my uncle's property and transplant them along one of the sides. The garden this year has been a collaborative effort between myself, my uncle, and my neighbor who my neighbor who tilled up the ground for us. We have been able to give plenty away to friends and neighbors and still have a gracious plenty for all of us.

 

[TNGhost]

Pretty impressive looks like you've put in lot of work there. Great looking bunch of potatoes

 

[Tacksman45]

Pretty impressive looks like you've put in lot of work there. Great looking bunch of potatoes

Thanks! It has been lots of work, but I enjoy doing it, and it helps me stay active! Some of the taters are from seed potatoes, and some are from a bag of supermarket taters which Mama had under the sink, which had sprouted, that I cut up and planted.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Now I have Japanese beetles. View attachment 35453

Me too. They love raspberry bushes. Some of them are eating while many appear to be making more Japanese Beetles.

 

[TNGhost]

Dursban and Diazanon both used to make short work of those Japanese beetles, unfortunately they have been taken away from us children.

I live too far north to enjoy the pleasure of their company, so I have no way of knowing if Spinosad or any of the other insecticides I use (Sevin, Malathion, Pyrethrin) would be effective.

Meanwhile I continue my battle with critters eating my seedlings. Good excuse to pack a C&B revolver out to the garden with me each day.

At least we have finally gotten some rain and things are starting to take off.

 

[Cattman]

i dont know where every one lives here but the only bugs i have are the honey bees from the hives in my pasture.

 

[nkbj]

Seen the first of the beetles this week in NW Indiana.
Grasshoppers are off to a late start.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

This must be a buggy year. I have just discovered some other ugly grey flying critter destroying my cukes. Damned near invisible lying along the stem. Had to pump up the sprayer to dose them plus the Japanese Beetles.

 

[Cattman]

now and then we have a problem with grasshoppers. many years ago they cleaned out my big garden in one night. they were like a lawn mower. they moved off of a wheat field onto my garden and it was gone.

 

[clarksvillejoe]

For Japanese beetles we use Milky Spore, powder you sprinkle on ground, after it takes hold it kills the grubs that produce beetles. Treated yard about 20 years ago and we might see 3 beetles a season. Kind of expensive but it does work and lasts for a long time.

 

[TNGhost]

So as I mentioned we got some rain and things are starting to take off. My bean plantings are starting to come up, but a high percentage of the seedlings are emerging without leaves (just a stem) and others with malformed, stunted leaves.

I don't believe they are being eaten by anything, as there is no sign of that, and it is happening with two different varieties I planted, a Blue Lake bush and a flat Italian style pole green bean, in different locations in the garden.

I have looked on the net and it seems to be a problem, but I couldn't find any explanation or solution.

Anybody have any ideas of what the problem may be?

 

[Gun Tramp]

Brambles. Here, this year's wild black raspberries.

 

[Coots]

I bought a new hoe this year like this one. I like it.


View attachment 33411

Got one and use it regularly. Great job and makes weeding easy. I call it my pull & push hoe.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Got one and use it regularly. Great job and makes weeding easy. I call it my pull & push hoe.

I've been playing with backyard blacksmithing lately and made a garden tool from rebar that looks like half of your hoe, or maybe a slim sand wedge. Anyway, its very handy and nimble for close quarters weeding.

 

[Carbon 6]

Did you know you can buy robot weeders now ?