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Gardening Thread

I hope you guys got a good soaking as we got nothing in upstate SC. Hottest day of the year coming today as its supposed to clock in at 97 with stupid humidity.
 
Yeah in south Charlotte we got a little rain but missed the deluge. Bullshit. Hopefully at least a little bit soaked in.
 
Got home from a 10 day vacation excited to find a few watermelons on the vine, but the excitement quickly vanished when I took a closer look...
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Looks like your watermelons are feeding the whole neighborhood of insects. Sorry to see that.
 
Squash bugs suck...radishes are a good trap crop and insectidal soap is a good larvae prevention for future control
 
At this point I'm going to attempt to control them one by one I guess. Last night I filled the bottom of the shop vac with a water/detergent mix and went to town on the watermelon plant. Took out quite a few of them. Went out again this morning and got a few more (not nearly as many out there this morning as last night.) Hopefully after a few days I'll have the bulk of them taken care of.
 
Made two different pasta salads this weekend with roasted vegetables from our garden (zucchini and eggplant) plus basil and fresh green beans. Also sliced up some cukes and jalapenos for some quick refrigerator pickles.

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Cucumbers really liking being trellised up in the air. Seven harvested so far, and lots of little ones hanging on. Also, Zucchini have started their production. Three so far, with lots more on the way. Harvest season is in full swing!
 
That's why dandelions are considered weeds. If they were hard to grow, they might be a popular flower. They are kinda cute, but certainly very invasive.
 
RubbinsRacin said:
My sprouting cucumbers have white flies, sob! anything I can do?
Click to expand...

Natural predation and water spray seems to be the most benign route. Neem oil and Safer soap are two insecticides that can be used.

From the University of California web site:http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7401.html
"In gardens, whitefly populations in the early stages of population development can be held down by a vigilant program of removing infested leaves or hosing down with water sprays. Reflective mulches can repel whiteflies from vegetable gardens, and yellow sticky traps can be used to monitor or, at high levels, reduce whitefly numbers. If you choose to use insecticides, insecticidal soaps or oils such as neem oil may reduce but not eliminate populations. Systemic insecticides may be more effective but can have negative impacts on beneficial insects and pollinators.

Whiteflies have many natural enemies, and outbreaks frequently occur when these natural enemies have been disturbed or destroyed by pesticides, dust buildup, or other factors.


General predators include lacewings, bigeyed bugs, and minute pirate bugs. Several small lady beetles including Clitostethus arcuatus (on ash whitefly) and scale predators, such as Scymnus or Chilocorus species, and the Asian multicolored lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, feed on whiteflies.


Whiteflies have a number of naturally occurring parasites that can be very important in controlling some species. Encarsia spp. parasites are commercially available for release in greenhouse situations; however, they are not generally recommended for outdoor use because they are not well adapted for survival in temperate zones. "
 
Much of the garden is done, but tomatoes and green beans keep on producing. Got over 2 lbs of green beans today, and that is from about a dozen plants.
 
Green beans are really hanging on. Got another pound of beans yesterday.

Anybody still getting production from theirs?
 
My son's pickles took third place for his age group at the NC State Fair yesterday.
 
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