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 tide has turned in the war to protect the pole beans from Japanese beetles.  After two treatments with neem oil in one week, the beetles are nowhere to be seen.  The pole beans lost maybe 25% of their foliage, but these hardy vines are still producing and will recover just fine.  If you're using neem for the first time, be aware that it takes 5-7 days to work. It doesn't kill on contact like some chemical poisons.

        

We've been having an issue with leaf spot on some of our potted blue berry bushes.  We came across an organic anti-fungal product called Serenade and after a short period of time using it, we are pleased.  Since using it, the bushes have been able to put on uninfected new growth.  Serenade treatments combined with manually removing the affected leaves (seen in the bottom of the picture) should limit future fungal disease issues.  It is also effective against early blight in tomatoes, powdery mildew in cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, melons, pumpkins, etc.), and any other fungal disease.  Next year, we will periodically pretreat susceptible garden plants  as a preventative measure.

What is it and how does it work?  It contains a probiotic (Bacillus subtilus) that infects and destroys fungal spores.  No spores, no disease.  Also, by colonizing the plant's surface, it will reduce bacterial disease problems through increased site competition.  As mentioned earlier, it is approved for organic gardens and will not harm beneficial insects, pets, or children.

This is not from our garden and it's not a pumpkin.  We bought this unusual watermelon for a reasonable price ($6.50) from a local grower at the Fayetteville farmer's market.  The grower says it came from their local family farm and that her father developed this variety over the course of 25 years of experimentation.  Very cool.  We couldn't pass it up.  It has a firm, juicy flesh with good flavor.  It's much too large a melon to grow on trellises in our current garden, but we've saved the seeds and will give them a go after we move to a larger, more rural property.

Things to be on the lookout for:

Meet the harlequin bug.  At about 5/8" long and with its bright colors it is hard to miss if it's in your garden.  The key to identifying it is the deep V shape on its back.  It prefers to feed on turnips, broccoli, kale, collards, and radishes, but will attack other crops like tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes if their numbers get high enough.  The harlequin bug sucks fluids from plants and, if there are enough of them, can kill the plants.  The first line of defense in controlling them is to search the underside of leaves and stems for the black and white eggs seen here and to pick off and destroy any adults found.  They aren't particularly fast, so this is fairly effective.  If the numbers have gotten too high, use a quality insecticidal soap.

Weather outlook:
-Low 90's (Keep your gardens well watered during these dog days of summer)
-Chance of scattered showers early in the week
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:
-Green beans (Japanese beetles have slowed production a little, but not much)

-Peppers (Really loaded down with new peppers)

-Watermelons

-Chard and kale

-Onions (Just a few left in the ground)
-Tomatoes (Picking several pounds a day)
-Cucumbers (Getting several a day)
-Squash and zucchini (Squash vine borer has hurt the harvest, one strong vine remaining and several young vines starting to grow)
-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves, basil, mint, and other herbs (all going strong)

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