Cucumbers

Cucumbers are a very space efficient crop, growing readily on a trellis and giving large numbers of fruits per plant.  Vines can reach 12-14' long. Four plants of a standard straight eight type cucumber will easily yield a fruit a day and even more in optimal conditions. 


Planting:

Sow seeds in a sunny location after all danger of frost has passed (early May in Northwest Arkansas).  In square foot gardening , we've found that one plant per square foot provides plenty of production and avoids overcrowding.  Seeds don't germinate 100% of the time.  To increase the odds of a seedling in each spot, sow two seeds in each hole.  Keep well watered until they come up (about a week).  Using scissors, thin the seedlings to one plant per hole by cutting the smallest plant off at its base.

Tips and Tricks:

• Save some money and buy cucumber seed rather than seedlings.  Save unused seeds in a ziptop bag and keep them in a cool, dark place until next year.
• If the soil in your garden is clay based and clumpy, create a pocket of finished compost or peat in which to plant the seeds.  This will hold moisture around the seed and give it a loose medium to push through as it emerges. 
• To reduce fungal disease and maximize space efficiency, provide the cucumbers with a trellis to grow on.  Half of a cattle panel cost $8.00 and gives a solid 8' tall trellis.  
• At the first sign of powdery mildew or downy mildew, treat with Serenade.
• The only other serious problem that we've run into is bacterial wilt.  Once a vine has this disease, there is no treatment.  It is transmitted by cucumber beetles.  Inspect the vines often and if these beetles are found, treat with neem oil.  
• It is normal for cucumbers to have small spines on them.  Run your hand up and down them under cold running water to remove.

Putting Up the Harvest:

• We prefer to eat these fresh.  They store best at room temperature.  We've found that they dehydrate somewhat after several days in the refrigerator.
• They can obviously be pickled.  We haven't yet made pickles, but we suggest following direct instructions from a good pickling book in your first attempt.  You will want to grow a variety of cucumber that is bred to have a size and texture especially for pickling.  An example is Snow's Fancy Pickling.
• Another option is chutney, which can be canned.  As always, we suggest following canning instructions from the ball blue book.

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)

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

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

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.

This week we will see our first 90+ degree days. It is normal for a plant to appear slightly wilted during midday with these kind of temperatures. You should only be concerned if the edges of the leaves turn brown or the plant doesn't perk up when watered.

Things to be on the lookout for:
Maintain even soil moisture. Uneven watering can cause poor fruit development and unhealthy plants. Try to keep your soil as damp as a just wrung out sponge. It is perfectly normal for the top inch of soil to dry out and develop a crust, but below that it should be lightly damp to the touch. Check your soil each day, but water no more than once a day (preferably in the morning).

Check the underside of the leaves on squash plants (especially yellow squash) for clusters of small orange to dark red eggs. If found, crush them. These are squash bug eggs. If squash bug nymphs or adults are found on your plants, a dusting with diatomaceous earth (DE) will help control them. DE is the crushed remains of ancient algae. It gets into the crevices in the bodies of insects and physically cuts them apart. It is organic and chemical free, but wear a mask when applying to avoid getting it into your lungs. Also, keep it off of the squash flowers to protect bees.

Continue to be on the lookout for imported cabbage worm on your broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi and for signs of powdery mildew and downy mildew on your squash, cucumber, and melons. Read my previous post on these problems.

Squash, tomato, and watermelon tip:
Save your eggs shells, let them dry, crush them into small pieces, and then mix them into the top inch of soil around your squashes, tomatoes, and watermelons. These plants are susceptible to blossom end rot which is caused by a calcium deficiency. The egg shells will boost the calcium in your soil.

Weather outlook:
-Hot, climbing into the mid to upper 90's
-Chance of sporadic rain throughout the week
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:
-Garlic scapes
-Baby squash and zucchini
-Celeriac leaves
-Basil, mint, and other herbs
-Squash blossoms
-Loose lettuce (probably the last week for this unless your lettuce area is heavily shaded)
-Turnips
-Radishes
-Strawberries
-Green onions

What's coming soon:
-Broccoli heads are getting really close (harvest when the individual buds in the head are the size of match heads)
-Peppers and early tomatoes are putting on fruits
-Kohlrabi is starting to head up

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.


With the warmer days, insects are beginning to arrive.  Don't be disheartened to see large numbers of insects in your garden.  Most of them are beneficial or harmless! 


Things to be on the lookout for:
Imported cabbageworm is a pest of broccoli, cabbage, kale, and kohlrabi.  If you are growing any of these be on the lookout for small white moths fluttering about, large holes in leaves, and small (up to 1 1/2" long) green caterpillars on the undersides of leaves.  They like to align their bodies with the central vein of the leaf to better blend in.  If you see any of the signs of this insect, spray both sides of the leaves with Bacillus thuringiensis to control them.  This is very effective and organic.


Powdery mildew and Downy mildew are severe diseases that can quickly kill squash, cucumber, and melons.  If you see any white powdery spots or small yellowing spots on the leaves of these plants, take action immediately.  There are many treatments, but our favorite organic solution is neem oil.  Be sure to spray it in the evening hours to avoid direct contact with bees.


Watering tips:
-Avoid getting water on the leaves if possible to lessen fungal problems
-Water in the morning (evening if you must)
-Do not water during the heat of the day
-It is better to water very well once than to water lightly often


What's being harvested:
-Squash blossoms (they are good fried!)

-Loose Lettuce (enjoy this now, because this hot weather will soon have them turning bitter)

-Turnips

-Radishes

-Strawberries

-Mint

-Green onions


What's coming soon:
-Broccoli heads are forming
-Pepper and squashes are putting on fruits


Weather outlook:
-very warm (mid 80's)
-chance of rain Tuesday-Thursday
-10 day forecast