Gardening Thread - Show me your gardens!

Well I went away for the weekend and so of course that was when the squash beetles decided it was time to show up. I spent close to an hour picking them off my plants when I got back yesterday afternoon.

 

I just noticed cucumber beetles ( striped) have moved in . Gotta act quick to stop them from ruining my cucurbits . Treated them last night and didn’t see any this morning in the quick peek I took. Not sure when they get active in am . Hopefully I knocked them down some.
Gotta get some sticky traps

 

I haven't gotten any of them yet, just the big stink-beetle looking mofos so far. But I imagine they're not far away, if you've got them.

 

If they look like this



Your crops ( squash , zucchini and pumpkin could be in serious trouble

 

Those I mostly manage to trap before they get to the plants. But I also hill my plants to keep the borers away from the bases, which seems to help.
Apparently they're attracted to the yellow of the blossoms, so I keep a yellow bowl filled with soapy water out by my plants. I don't catch a lot of the moths, but I haven't had much trouble with borers the last couple of years either.

 

I have yellow balls but no soap I have yet to see one in the water

 

Mine's elevated to roughly blossom-height, on an old stump. Not sure if that matters? I know that they say to mount the scented traps at blossom height.

 

Ok so the soapy water in the yellow bowl is supposed to mimic a yellow flower?

So I have been it wrong?
Guess I will wait and see. My zucchini plant is huge now I would hate to see it get killed

 

Something like that, I think. I read about it someplace a couple of years ago, that they're attracted to the yellow of the blossoms.

I had tried to grow an heirloom hubbard variety and they got absolutely destroyed by the borers and squash beetles, so the next year I went on the offensive and started hilling the plants, scattering D.E. around the bases and on the leaves every couple of days, leaving board traps, soapy water traps, burning the spent vines every fall, tilling the soil over right after the first frost, etc.

Finally seem to have the insect population (more) under control the last couple of years.

 

Can you show me what hilling is? Think I have an idea though

 

Same as hilling tomatoes; as the plant grows you shovel dirt up onto the stem. Except that with potatoes it means that they'll put out more potatoes further up the stems because more of the plant is under the soil. With squash, it means that moths can't get at the base of the plant to lay their eggs (which then hatch into the borers).

I've seen people bury the entire vines as well, but I've run into problems with rot on the vines when I've done that (too much moisture in my soil, maybe), so I stick with just burying around the stems.

Edit- Wherever the plant puts down a second set of roots, bury that as well. It basically becomes a new stem when it sinks those roots, bringing moisture and nutrients up into the plant, so the borers like to attack there too, it seems.

 

That’s what I did from when they seedlings . Up to their necks so to speak . So far no more beetles on my pumpkins and now I’m working on squashes. Four plants are producing now but I think I am getting end rot on big plant. Letting soil dry out today and end of tomorrow am going to feed them. Do you think epsom salt and water is a good idea? I have liquid fish fertilizer as well


Edit. Planted marigolds today close by

 

Hail

 

How did I miss this cool thread for 5 years ?

 

Very helpful and tons of ideas from others pics

 

Sure. Epsom salt is a good magnesium source, so it certainly can't hurt. Doesn't take much, though. Maybe two tablespoons per gallon.

 

Thanks Noel

 

I'll second that. It's been a weird season for my garden. Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and yellow squash are doing great. radishes, zucchini, and cucumbers have been a tough go.

 

Finally seeing some blooms on the GB!

 

Need to watch these cucumbers a little better