Chifffie gardens

pipersgrip · Post by **pipersgrip** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 4:56 pm

growing the world's largest pumpkin and watermelon breen, purple carrots, heirloom brandywine tomatoes, and the hottest hobenero peppers.

CountryKitty · Post by **CountryKitty** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:41 pm

Because of school I had to scale back the veggie garden this year. Mostly I transplanted perennials out of a small bed overgrown with spearmint to the veggie area, along with starting a few cuttings.

Around 25 Tomatoes: Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple, Arkansas Traveler, Green Zebra, Riesentraube and Large Red Cherry.

Swan Gourds.

70+ strawberries.

A Golden Tiara Hosta and or 7 offsets.

A few Butter-and-Eggs (wild snapdragons).

10 cuttings of curly willow.

A tricolor sage and a bronze fennel that I picked up on sale, some lemon balm that volunteered from plants I grew a couple years ago, plus a sorrel plant that I divided into 4 new plants. I've also seeded some purple basil, summer savory, rosemary, oregano, thyme, chives and garlic chives and bunching onions.

I also have a little grove of trees out front, most notably is a massive 90' triple-trunk cottonwood. To maintain the area (we don't want to hit some of the exposed roots and damage the tree) I've been underplanting mostly with native shade-plants. Native dogwood, wood fern, pennyroyal, and trilliums, a few bleeding heart and columbine. I also have a few oriental lillies and daylillies and iris in there too, plus blackberry lillies and sweet peas and pinks and am hoping the vinca minor will make a nice groundcover.

Caroluna · Post by **Caroluna** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:58 pm

It's wonderful to hear these descriptions. I'm getting all inspired!

Cowtime-- I didn't realize how bad of a drought it was out your way. I just took a look here...

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

We're in MD and we're getting good rain this year. I just sort of assumed it was that way for everybody :slaps hand on forehead :

Now please, all you gardeners who have experience with things in the squash family.

How do you deal with squash bugs? I'm desperate!

CountryKitty · Post by **CountryKitty** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:09 pm

Do you mean squash borers?

Having not had trouble with squash borers (knock on wood) I can't vouch for this from personal experience, but I did hear of it from an organic gardener/author with lots of good advice and many years experience with squash.

His advice was to allow the squash vines to make contact with the ground in multiple places rather than mulching underneath or trellising. The vines will grow roots at many places along their length (I know that part for a fact) and thus borer damage to any one section of the vine isn't likely to do major damage.

Of course, if the borers bring in a disease from someone else's garden that's another story...

Caroluna · Post by **Caroluna** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:12 pm

I just Googled 'em and this is the first entry that came up

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2141.html

The squash bug is one of the most common and troublesome pests attacking squash and pumpkin plants. Both nymphs and adults suck

I agree

Here's the rest of the quote

sap from the leaves and stems, apparently at the same time injecting a toxic substance into the plant causing a wilting known as Anasa wilt of cucurbits. This closely resembles bacterial wilt, a true disease. After wilting, vines and leaves turn black and crisp, and become brittle. Small plants are killed entirely, while larger plants have several runners affected. Squash bugs are often found in large populations, congregated in dense clusters on vines and unripe fruits. Sometimes no fruits are formed.

Here's a great picture.

Izzy, if you're reading, hide your eyes!!
note, really they're about as long as your fingernail.

http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/IMG/cucurbits/SqBadbig.jpg

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:44 am

Wouldn't a few baths of soapy water take care of them? Leave the soap on for a few hours and then rinse with clean water. I know you'd have to apply this several times over the season, but its organic, inobtrusive, and can be used against many types of plant attackers.

djm

Coffee · Post by **Coffee** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:10 am

Caroluna, I found a site that's pretty useful. I think some of you others might like it as wull:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5g2kv3

According to the site what I have is Bird Cherry.

Caroluna · Post by **Caroluna** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:17 am

Cofaidh wrote:Caroluna, I found a site that's pretty useful. I think some of you others might like it as wull:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5g2kv3

According to the site what I have is Bird Cherry.

That's a cool site. The pictures are very clear.

I looked up Prunus padus in my hort text and they called it European bird cherry

....said it's distributed in Europe through northern Asia to Japan. Said that it lost its leaves in the winter. I thought if you kept a deciduous tree in a warm climate it lost its leaves anyway? I will have to ask my botanist friend about that. It's been about 6 mo since I've talked to him and it's a good excuse to give him a call

Caroluna · Post by **Caroluna** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:28 am

djm wrote:Wouldn't a few baths of soapy water take care of them? Leave the soap on for a few hours and then rinse with clean water. I know you'd have to apply this several times over the season, but its organic, inobtrusive, and can be used against many types of plant attackers.

djm

We tried that, but by the time I'd figured out what was going on it may have been too late....

I've read--

companion plant w/ marigolds or nasturtiums

put shingles on ground, the squash bugs hide under them, then collect / kill bugs

pull bugs and egg masses off by hand

I was wondering what was tried and true! Sounds like many of you guys are Gardeners with a capital G!!. I'm not. I feel much more comfortable with indoor plants. I can grow Sinningia pusilla from seed (it's a tiny little terrarium plant)... but I can't grow a zuchini.
Arrrgh!!

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 3:01 pm

Tomatos and garlic in a pot.

Caroluna · Post by **Caroluna** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:03 pm

Cranberry wrote:Tomatos and garlic in a pot.

How are they doing so far?

pipersgrip · Post by **pipersgrip** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:38 pm

caroluna, i use praying mantises to kill the squash bugs, i also make some garlic onion pepper water and spray it on the plants. that keep pretty much all bugs off, and ladybugs are you best friend

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:10 pm

I'm not sure how spraying apprentices would help?

djm

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 4:19 pm

Caroluna wrote:
Cranberry wrote:Tomatos and garlic in a pot.
How are they doing so far?

They're growing like crazy. The tomatoes at least. The garlic is just now poking its head above the dirt. I have to water them every day. It's part of my new routine.

In fall I want to get one of those big 55 gallon pots and plant tulips and lillies...

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:48 pm

cowtime wrote: The EVIDENCE of our mysterious critter that has destroyed so many of my plants. Yes, it's still around. These holes were dug last night.
GRRRR I tell you I need some younger outside dogs!
[img][img]http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/5341/1000978zm6.th.jpg[/img][/img]

Looks like a couple of armadillo digs.