What Did You Do In The Garden?

[Jane23]

Today, I removed all my bolting broccoli. This happened last year, so I have pounds of seeds. I think I will do a fall planting to see if I can get some and stick only to fall plantings. The weather is too chancy in the spring and when the heat hits, thats it.

I also added some straw covered with duck poop to my garden to start letting it break down into the soil, maybe improving it. I have 3 open beds at this point, so I think I will let the 2 cover crop beds go until next year and plant the third with a mixture of beans, peas, romaine, and spinach for the fall. Not all once, but soon.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

The san marzanoes are about halfway done. I am kinda glad. I think I find them best if they come from Italy and not Alabama. But I have been bringing in 5 gallon buckets and now the work begins. Cucumbers, eggplants, squash of course are all producing. I am glad I did not plant okra. Picking everyother day is enough. All the other tomatoes are about to blush. I think I will replant winter squash where the kale and radisheshave come out. They can chase the summer plants out of the garden as they grow crazy. Blackberries are gone by so they get some calcium nitrate soon. Blueberries are blue. and dropping. We have multiple heat warnings and I was drenched by 7am so maybe later I will pick them.

 

[Jane23]

A little gray bug is eating all my flowers. I have been picking them off one by one. It seems to start in the middle of the flower and eat outwards. My potato plants have no flowers left and they have started in on my borage. Any ideas what this bug is? My flowers are all dead.

 

[digitS']

Little as in tiny?

Eating as in discoloring and drying up?

Thrips can certainly be a problem in flowers. They do damage something like aphids do but concentrate, somewhat, on flowers. Insecticidal soap and neem oil kills thrips & aphids but those sprays can also damage petals. Leaf hoppers and flea beetles will eat holes in any part of the potato plant. I have never been much concerned about those flowers, however.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

are they aphids, catepillars, beetles or ? there's a number of little gray bugs and it helps to know what type they might be...

i have some gray catepillars that like to munch on the moneywort (aka Creeping Jenny) and some other plant families like loosestrifes (but they don't seem to go after the purple invasive kind). if i see them i'll pick them off, but i never get them all - like all creatures they seem to go in cycles with some years being much worse than others.

can you knock them off the plants with a spray of water?

 

[Jane23]

are they aphids, catepillars, beetles or ? there's a number of little gray bugs and it helps to know what type they might be...

i have some gray catepillars that like to munch on the moneywort (aka Creeping Jenny) and some other plant families like loosestrifes (but they don't seem to go after the purple invasive kind). if i see them i'll pick them off, but i never get them all - like all creatures they seem to go in cycles with some years being much worse than others.

can you knock them off the plants with a spray of water?

I have sprayed some off with water, but its not stopping them. My neighbor found some this morning too. It seems to only go after flowers.

 

[digitS']

Pulled the first planting of peas. Surprised that they did much of anything for a harvest but they have. The flea beetles chewed on them until I sprayed, then we had 3 different times when temperatures went above 90° (32C) and that is tough on peas. Went over the ground with a spading fork and planted a 3rd (4th?) sowing of green beans with newly purchased seed.

Tried out a 5th sprinkler to "fill in" for the 4 which are really stretched too far apart, especially when there is wind. It was a little breezy and we are facing a HOT forecast for days & days! The 1" hoses I have coming into the garden just don't bring enough pressure to run 5 impulse sprinklers well. This is especially true with the poorly designed one at the end of the line. Anyway, I made do and will be back tomorrow or Saturday with some touch-up watering if necessary.

Harvested some new potatoes (even without the peas to go with them) because - why not ? More cucumbers! A handful of radish that the marmot left alone and a bucket of scallions to be chopped and frozen. (Continuing no sign of the marmot doing anything in the garden. Yay!)

The 1st planting of sweetcorn is looking real good, some of the tassels are already starting to dry.

What can you do with dill flowers if'n you don't make pickles and you having the fragrance around?
Okay, Okay! I photoshopped the butterfly in there.

Steve

 

[Alasgun]

I guess if we’re gonna breakout the butterflies. I got these! This pair spent an afternoon AND all night on my work boot setting on the deck.
Made me feel real special! This is from a couple years back.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

A little gray bug is eating all my flowers. I have been picking them off one by one. It seems to start in the middle of the flower and eat outwards. My potato plants have no flowers left and they have started in on my borage. Any ideas what this bug is? My flowers are all dead.

Are they tiny slugs?

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I picked squash and pulled a couple of chewed up cabbage and I put them in the compost bin. White butterflies followed me and went down into the barrel following the cabbage. I said there now, you have your own garden. I am going to pull a crooked neck squash tonight. It has been having little bitty squash with the ends soft and I need the room. I brought in some cabbage for coleslaw. I blanched some kale and I pulled up some radishes that are bolting. I planted basil on the outside of the garden, but the cherry tomatoes have grown so tall they went over the fence and through the fence and shading the basil, which might be okay. The beans are covered in flowers.