Weekly Gardening Outlook

This will be a continuing series. Each Monday we will look ahead at the coming week in gardening for the Northwest Arkansas area.

    Newly planted spaghetti squash vine emerging


Our spaghetti squash have been slaughtered by the squash vine borer (1 vine left).  Ever the optimists, we have replanted.  We should have just enough time to get a crop in before the first frost of the year.  It's our thought that this planting will be too late in the season for the squash vine borers to invade.  We'll keep you updated.  

Things to be on the lookout for:

    Adult cucumber beetle

If you have cucumbers, melons, or squash, be on the lookout for these small yellow beetles.  They can be spotted as shown above or striped as seen here.  The adults can damage leaves and fruits, while the larvae can damage the plant's roots.  These aren't really a huge problem except in very young plants or if you let the adult population get very high.  The real problem with these beetles is that they transmit a disease called bacterial wilt.  We have had every cucumber vine (8 in total) wiped out at a customer's garden this year due to this disease.  We just replanted.    

     Newly planted cucumbers emerging

So what can be done about it?  Once infected with the bacteria, nothing can be done for the vine.  The best strategy is so reduce the cucumber beetle population.  A regular coating of diatomaceous earth on the young seedlings will keep the beetles at bay.  Once the seedlings get up a little, our old standby neem oil will discourage feeding and reduce the population of cucumber beetles.  It has the added benefit of reducing any problems with mildew.

Weather outlook:
-Mid 80's early in the week; warming to low 90's late in the week
-Chance of rain today and tomorrow
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:
-Green beans

-Peppers

-Watermelons

-Chard and kale

-Onions
-Tomatoes
-Cucumbers (MANY cucumbers!)
-Kohlrabi (almost all gone)
-Squash and zucchini
-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves, basil, mint, and other herbs

Weekly Gardening Outlook

This will be a continuing series. Each Monday we will look ahead at the coming week in gardening for the Northwest Arkansas area.

Hurray for rain!  We got rain last night after a hot, dry spell.  It filled the rain barrel, watered the garden, and knocked the dust down.  Despite manually watering the garden during this hot dry spell we've had, there is nothing like a good rain shower for a garden.  The collective "ahhhhh" from our garden plants was almost audible.  We hope your gardens were equally blessed.

Quick Tip:

If you are growing tomatoes, look at the fruits near the stem.  Are the skins cracking?  If so, this probably due to irregular watering.  To reduce this, monitor soil moisture closely using a soil moisture meter or your fingers pushed down 3-4".  The soil should be kept as near to a well wrung out sponge as possible.  Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to deeply water your plants as needed.

Things to be on the lookout for:

It seems that we've been posting on pest problems a lot of late.  This is the peak time of year for insect activity and our posting reflects that.  Before we get down to business, here is a picture of this morning's harvest.

Moving clockwise in the picture above, we have three purple kohlrabi, two cucumbers, six eggs, and four Ronde de Nice zucchini.  Those zucchini will be stuffed with a meat sauce, covered in cheese, and baked this evening for dinner.

     Squash Bug Nymphs

Related to the leaffooted bug, squash bugs are an extremely common pest of squash plants.  They are particularly attracted to the yellow crook necked squash found in many gardens.  The adults and nymphs suck fluids from and inject toxins into the squash plants causing the leaves to wilt, and ultimately, plant death.  Beginning in early June, female squash bugs will begin laying egg masses in clusters of 12 or more eggs on the surface (pictured to the right) or more commonly the underside of the squash plant's leaves.  We have also observed eggs on the leaf stalks. Those eggs hatch small gray nymphs in about 10 days and these nymphs turn into adults by the end of the summer.  The best organic method of control we have found is destroying the eggs by mashing them between the thumb and forefinger.  This takes some effort though as the females will keep depositing these eggs until August.  A thorough check for eggs once per week will keep them in check.  Invariably, some eggs will be missed and hatch out.  Use a vacuum suck them up, or if that fails, use diatomaceous earth as we talked about in this post.

    Adult squash bug

Weather outlook:
-Cooling somewhat into the mid to upper 80's
-Chance of rain early and late in the week
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:
-Onions
-Hearing reports of red tomato harvests (ours are still green)
-Green tomatoes
-Cucumbers
-Kohlrabi
-Squash and zucchini
-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves, basil, mint, and other herbs
-Radishes

What's coming soon:
-Red tomatoes
-Peppers
-Baby watermelons

Leaffooted Bugs

While visiting the garden of one of our customers yesterday, we observed these little nasties on a young watermelon.  These are adults and nymphs of the leaffooted bug.  They are distinguished by the leaf-like projections on the hindlegs of the adult, which can be clearly seen on the adult in the lower left part of the picture to the right (click on the picture to zoom in).  They suck juices from the vines with their piercing mouth parts.  This particular species seems to be watermelon specific, but other members of the family attack a wide variety of food crops (especially squash and tomatoes).  The best method of control is to physically remove them early in the season when the nymphs cluster together as seen below.  They are quick and hard to hand pick and they emit a noxious odor when startled.  Because of this we recommend removing them with a vacuum.  The best tool is an insect vacuum, but a small handheld dustbuster or shop vac will work as well.  Once you are done, stuff a rag in the end of the intake and put the vacuum in the freezer over night to kill the insects.  Diatomaceous earth should also be effective and will be used if this problem persists.  We try not to use nonspecific treatments like diatomaceous earth when possible to avoid killing bees and other beneficial insects.

Weekly Gardening Outlook

This will be a continuing series. Each Monday we will look ahead at the coming week in gardening for the Northwest Arkansas area.

The lettuce is done for the summer, all of it having bolted due to the heat.  It's impressive that it lasted this long considering the heat we've had.  We will definitely be growing this lettuce mix again this fall.  Until then, our salads will consist of chard and kale.  The heat that we are experiencing has also temporarily halted strawberry production.

                                    

Things to be on the lookout for:

      Wilted vine in the foreground

Summer's little nasties are really starting to pop their ugly heads up now.  The newest arrival is the squash vine borer (SVB).  The first sign was one vine was noticeably wilting during the midday heat yesterday.  Upon closer inspection,  a small pile of sawdust-like frass (poop) was found near the base of a vine along with a 2" section turning brown.  The adult SVB lays its eggs on the leafstalk.  When they hatch out the small caterpillar burrows into the stem and grows rather large (1" to 1" 1/2" long) inside the stem.  The damage will kill everything on the vine past the caterpillar.

These guys will also attack other squashes and cucumbers, but they really seem to prefer the spaghetti squash.  This a shame because we LOVE spaghetti squash.  Here's how to treat the problem if this happens to you:  Go out at night with a strong flashlight.  Hold the light behind the stem where it is discolored and the caterpillar will appear as a dark spot in the stem.  Using a very sharp knife (be careful!) slice halfway into the stem lengthwise to open it up.  Cutting as little as possible and being very gentle, open the stem up and remove the caterpillar.  I've seen two caterpillars in the same stem, so use your flashlight to check thoroughly.  Now heap damp well finished compost or peat moss over the base of the stem and wound.  Keep it damp for a couple of weeks and more times than not, the vine will put down new roots and will start to produce fruit again.

How can this be prevented?  Placing mint cuttings near the base of the vines everyday is said to deter the adult SVB.  DO NOT plant mint here as it is very invasive and will take over.  Coating the base of the vines in diatomaceous earth is another option.  Sticky traps can work, but will also catch beneficial insects.

Perhaps the best option is a second crop of squash planted July 15th after the SVB adult has quit flying.  There is still time in the growing season for the vines to mature barring an early frost.

Weather outlook:
-Hot and dry, in the mid 90's
-No chance of rain
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:
-Green tomatoes

-Cucumbers
-Kohlrabi
-Broccoli
-Squash and zucchini
-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves
-Basil, mint, and other herbs
-Radishes

What's coming soon:
-Red tomatoes
-Peppers

Organic Pest Control (Remediation)

So you did everything right (or didn't) and you have an infestation?  Here are some organic methods to try:

• Spray the insects off with a strong stream of water 
• Works especially well on small, less mobile pests like aphids 
• Neem Oil 
• We have had a lot of success as a treatment for powdery mildew, downy mildew, and other fungal problems
• Also, works well as an insecticide because it only harms insects that eat plant material
• Spray in the evening and avoid flowers to reduce the likelihood of harming bees
• Bacillus thuringiensis
• Kills caterpillars and gnats by invading their gut with a harmful bacteria
• Does not harm beneficial insects, humans, pets, etc.
• Beneficial Insects
• Beneficial nematoads are microscopic insects that naturally parasitize many pest insects that live in the soil
• Lady beetles and green lacewings eat large numbers of aphids and other pests
• Diatomaceous Earth
• Kills all insects (especially hard bodied insects) by physically cutting them with its sharp edges allowing natural organisms to invade and kill the insect
• WARNING:  This treatment will also kill beneficial insects, so be thoughtful with when and how it is applied.  Also avoid breathing it in during application.
• Insecticidal Soap or Horticultural Oil
• Kills all types of insects by coating them and depriving them of oxygen
• WARNING:  These treatments will also kill beneficial insects, so be thoughtful with when and how they are applied.
• Additives such as garlic juice and cayenne pepper can be added to insecticidal soap for residual pest repelling properties