What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Evo]

Ok! These are called "Supersweet 100". They're 2-3cm across, and are very sweet. I've just got them in growbags on the patio.

Very nice Brewnog!

turbo and MB, there's nothing nicer than seeing one of those assassins with it's fangs in a tomato horn worm.

 

[baywax]

BTW, assassin bugs have pretty painful bites. Their venom is strong and assists in liquefying the innards of its prey. So don't go handling your garden buddies.

I had no idea man!

It is a whole other way to protect your garden. I was surprised to find that the Okanagan has a natural population of Praying Mantises. They are very cool bugs.

Some farmers in India use ants to wipe out the larvae and adult pests. They spray their fields with Pepsi or the equivalent and the ants come for dinner and dessert. I think we've covered this already.

 

[Evo]

After several weeks of no caterpillars on my tomatoes, they returned with a vengeance. I have picked off almost a dozen today and I'm sure there are more. The suckers are really hard to find.

 

[turbo]

After several weeks of no caterpillars on my tomatoes, they returned with a vengeance. I have picked off almost a dozen today and I'm sure there are more. The suckers are really hard to find.

Some caterpillars/moths can go through several generations per season. Even the bigger ones like horn-tails and cutworms can plague you at least twice a season. I want MORE assassins!

 

[turbo]

Another likely garden-pal! I saw this tiny wasp today eating from a goldenrod. If you have goldenrods where you live and you look at the size of the florets, you know this wasp is minuscule. But look at the length of that ovipositor! I hope this nice lady plants her babies in herbivorous caterpillars, cutworms, grubs, etc.

 

[rewebster]

that has got to be one of the nicest pictures of a bug you've posted, turbo

 

[turbo]

that has got to be one of the nicest pictures of a bug you've posted, turbo

Thanks, rewebster! Luckily, she was busy with that tiny floret, and I got pretty close and snapped away. Then she raised her tail (possibly to gain leverage to get deeper into that bloom) for the "money shot".

Edit: It may not be such a helpful wasp after all. It seems that this family of parasitic wasps parasitizes solitary-nesting bees and wasps.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/208164#289957
http://www.tolweb.org/Gasteruptiinae

 

[Evo]

That's an awesome picture turbo!

 

[baywax]

That's an awesome picture turbo!

Yeah!

Killer stinger on that baby! Which planet are you on?

 

[turbo]

Thanks you two. That's an ovipositor that the wasp uses to inject eggs into her prey, which unfortunately is solitary-nesting wasps and bees. I'll have to let her alone, even though she is likely to parasitize some of my solitary mason bees and other pollinators.

 

[baywax]

Thanks you two. That's an ovipositor that the wasp uses to inject eggs into her prey, which unfortunately is solitary-nesting wasps and bees. I'll have to let her alone, even though she is likely to parasitize some of my solitary mason bees and other pollinators.

Why not get out the glock?!

 

[turbo]

Why not get out the glock?!

Don't want to knock down the bees with pressure-shock. Have you ever fired a model 20? You'll need ear-plugs AND muffs - no kidding!

 

[baywax]

Don't want to knock down the bees with pressure-shock. Have you ever fired a model 20? You'll need ear-plugs AND muffs - no kidding!

Nah! All my firearms were confiscated... but that was
just the tank and the ones with silencers on them.

What can I do man?... I live in Canada. Side arms are severely restricted.

I wouldn't want to disturb any bees either actually.
Anyone that does deals with my bazooka.

 

[rewebster]

Don't want to knock down the bees with pressure-shock. Have you ever fired a model 20? You'll need ear-plugs AND muffs - no kidding!

the bees have had a hard time the last few years with that virus/mite or whatever has killed off, what, over 50%----I don't think its from bazookas and model 20s though----

SAVE THE BEES!


(donations taken at the PF lounge)

 

[rewebster]

we had (another) storm roll through the other day--branches, trees, power down

 

[Moonbear]

More storms here too. My "safety net" for the tomatoes didn't completely prevent them from tipping, but they rested gently against it instead of falling to the ground, and no new broken branches this time. Yay!

 

[Evo]

More storms here too. My "safety net" for the tomatoes didn't completely prevent them from tipping, but they rested gently against it instead of falling to the ground, and no new broken branches this time. Yay!

I am so glad to hear that!

What is with you getting bad storms!?

Right now I am battling caterpillars, I found two more today.

From all of the rain we've been getting, a lot of my tomatoes have split, I just knew it would happen. Oh well, I can see a lot of salsa in my future.

 

[Moonbear]

What is with you getting bad storms!?

I have no idea what's going on. This time of year, a brief late day thundershower isn't that odd, but we've been getting fairly severe storms quite often with torrential downpours (yesterday, I was home in the afternoon when it started and I couldn't even see out the window the rain was so hard...it was like someone was spraying a garden hose at the window; the ditches that drain the rain water from the roads looked like whitewater rapids there was so much water running through them afterward). It's just insane. The storms just don't seem to want to let up!

It's going to be a mess in two weeks when students return to town. Most of the road construction done over the summer is far from complete with all the storms slowing down work, and the roads are only getting worse from all the heavy rain water undermining sections where the ditches along the road are turning into ravines from the force of water running through them.

 

[Evo]

I have no idea what's going on. This time of year, a brief late day thundershower isn't that odd, but we've been getting fairly severe storms quite often with torrential downpours (yesterday, I was home in the afternoon when it started and I couldn't even see out the window the rain was so hard...it was like someone was spraying a garden hose at the window; the ditches that drain the rain water from the roads looked like whitewater rapids there was so much water running through them afterward). It's just insane. The storms just don't seem to want to let up!

I'm just glad it's not me for a change!

It's going to be a mess in two weeks when students return to town. Most of the road construction done over the summer is far from complete with all the storms slowing down work, and the roads are only getting worse from all the heavy rain water undermining sections where the ditches along the road are turning into ravines from the force of water running through them.

That's not good, cold weather we be upon us sooner than we realize and if they aren't finished, that's going to be a mess!

 

[rewebster]

we were within an inch of breaking the all time record for rain for the month of July

(global warming/climate changes)

 

[Evo]

I want to go to Alaska, they are about to break an all time record for the coldest summer ever. But I don't want to be there for winter.

We had several years of severe drought, really severe, but the past couple of years have been back to normal as far as rainfal, with cooler temperatures than normal (very nice!). And I don't want to jinx it, but the weather has not been as severe as usual. It seems Moonbear is getting hit instead.

 

[rewebster]

or any of the earthquakes


I hear they have mosquitoes the size of dragonflies

 

[Moonbear]

And I don't want to jinx it, but the weather has not been as severe as usual. It seems Moonbear is getting hit instead.

You can have it back! I think turbo has been getting some of the same storms I have. It seems he gets hit the day after me pretty regularly, which is about how long it would take a storm system to get from here up to Maine with these slow-moving, torrential-downpour-soaking storms. Of course, I'd have thought the clouds would be wrung out by the time they got there they're dumping so much out here.

And, yeah, it's not just rain, it's the winds that go with it. This is the first summer where I've had to worry about keeping my patio umbrella closed. In the past, even if I forgot to close it and a storm came through, it was sheltered enough between the house, the hill, and the privacy fences that any wind was usually blocked down on my deck.

At least we've mostly been spared the hail here. That has been hitting PA just over the border, though.

 

[rewebster]

we haven't had as many tornadoes, but we've had a lot more strong straight line winds--that's what has knocked down trees the last few times

 

[baywax]

we haven't had as many tornadoes, but we've had a lot more strong straight line winds--that's what has knocked down trees the last few times

Nice shot of the clouds rewebster. Those are some of my favourite because they change so rapidly and often emit electricity, like a wonder of nature. Thank you!

 

[turbo]

You can have it back! I think turbo has been getting some of the same storms I have. It seems he gets hit the day after me pretty regularly, which is about how long it would take a storm system to get from here up to Maine with these slow-moving, torrential-downpour-soaking storms. Of course, I'd have thought the clouds would be wrung out by the time they got there they're dumping so much out here.

One of our problems is that when those little "disturbances" get here they are often accompanied by swirling air-flows that sweep moisture off the Atlantic and bring the flows into contact with cooler stationary fronts from Canada. The result is VERY energetic storms with torrential rains. I am losing tomatoes to rot, with stem-rot spoiling the fruit before they can ripen off. I need at least 2-3 dry hot days at a time, or I'll lose much of my garden.

 

[Evo]

One of our problems is that when those little "disturbances" get here they are often accompanied by swirling air-flows that sweep moisture off the Atlantic and bring the flows into contact with cooler stationary fronts from Canada. The result is VERY energetic storms with torrential rains. I am losing tomatoes to rot, with stem-rot spoiling the fruit before they can ripen off. I need at least 2-3 dry hot days at a time, or I'll lose much of my garden.

Oh no!

I'm pulling off tomatoes with split skins. Too much water too suddenly. This is quite the year for gardeners.

I'm going to post some "happy" pictures of my garden in a bit. Keep taking pictures of your gardens, so at least you have some "happy" memories. I've found taking pictures has helped me to spot several garden pests I would have otherwise missed!

The lawn people here are very cool about the fact that I've spread my garden into "unauthorized territory". My patio is too small and blocks the sun, so I've moved a lot of plants onto the grass around my patio, (it backs up against the ravine so no one sees it)the mower & trimmer guys told me to leave them (I was moving them whenever they came by) they just mow and trim around them.

 

[rewebster]

Nice shot of the clouds rewebster. Those are some of my favourite because they change so rapidly and often emit electricity, like a wonder of nature. Thank you!

thanks---the thing with those is that usually you can't watch them too long (rain follows them quickly) but they are interesting to watch as they churn.

When I lived in Minnesota, a storm came through. I was out on the boat, looked up, and I wish I had a video/movie camera. The sky turned that funny green color, and a horizontal funnel cloud (or whatever the true name for it is) was rolling just at the lowest level of the clouds, was really long and lasted the entire time that it rolled from horizon to horizon which was maybe 4 to 5 minutes as the cloud layer was so low.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm pulling off tomatoes with split skins. Too much water too suddenly. This is quite the year for gardeners.

Same here...too much rain and the tomatoes are cracking. Fortunately, it's not a lot of them yet, so there might still be some hope. Mostly it's the ones ripening now anyway, so I think I can keep them on the vine another day or two until they finish ripening. They'll look ugly, but hopefully will taste good.

 

[rewebster]

Oh no!

I'm pulling off tomatoes with split skins. Too much water too suddenly. This is quite the year for gardeners.

I'm going to post some "hapy" pictures of my garden in a bit. Keep taking pictures of your gardens, so at least you have some "happy" memories. I've found taking pictures has helped me to spot several garden pests I would have otherwise missed!

OH NO! (to quote Mr Bill)---water, water--too much water everywhere

I may have 'happy' photos of the peppers, but I think wilt/blight has hit my tomatoes--leaves are spotting, turning yellow, and dying--it's happened a few times--even with resistant varieties---another 'oh, well'----but they usually come back a little in the late fall.

my tomatoes are falling off still green

 

[Evo]

I'm hoping for an Indian Summer, a nice mellow fall would be nice so we can get some late harvests in. We had such a delayed summer with all of the cooler than normal spring and early summer, that everything was stunted and delayed. My luck, freak freeze September first. A few years back, we had a blizzard the first of October. This is the middle of the country, that shouldn't be happening!

 

[turbo]

My tomatoes are suffering, and the constantly-wet weather has me battling powdery mildew on the string beans. Meanwhile the Bell peppers seem to be loving this. Here is a shot of today's crop. They are now all chopped and bagged in the freezers with the exception of 4 of the largest ones, which we'll stuff and bake sometime in the next few days.

 

[Evo]

Nice batch of peppers!

 

[turbo]

Nice batch of peppers!

Thanks! They'll keep coming, and so will the Hungarian Wax chilies. We'll be getting batches of Bell peppers like this every week or sooner, as long as the weather cooperates. The jalapeno chilies are fruiting well, too, though the habaneros (my favorites!) have been suppressed by all the wet cloudy weather. Normally I don't fertilize peppers too heavily, since high nitrogen availability makes the plants leafy and suppresses flowers/fruits. This year, I planted the peppers in a richer part of the garden than previously, and it seems to have helped offset the cloudy-wet weather. The plants are bushy and have enough leaf area to make energy on sub-optimal days, and enough nutrients to develop nice fruits.

Did you notice that I'm trying to stick to "happy" garden pictures? No images of powdery mildew in my snap beans or black stem-rot in my tomatoes. I really would love a dry spell. I have a dug well and a drilled well, and I can water the garden if needed. I have no handy way to de-water the garden, though, and the constant high humidity and daily heavy rains are beating me up. With the soaring prices of food, I hate to see the waste caused by the horrible weather.

 

[Moonbear]

Nice peppers! We had MORE rain last night. Actually, a series of thunderstorms. I didn't sleep very well at all...just as I'd be ready to fall back asleep after one kept me up, the next would roll in and keep me up again (didn't help that between storms, Ember would snuggle next to me, and as soon as the next hit, she'd run over me to get off the bed and under it...she prefers to be under the bed during loud storms lately). And, the poor tomatoes look about ready to quit. All still standing, but looking just plain drowned. Another green tomato knocked to the ground too.

My zucchinis are huge though! I just need to walk through the mud to get to them though. They're ready to be picked.