Garden out and doing great

[Bartcephus]

Bugs... They are killing my squash! That and the heat/drought. Earliest I have ever lost squash plants. Put out some Sevin Dust but ran out before I could get full coverage. And I thought I was going to get a bunch of squash this year.....

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Mine did the same thing but here it is the heat, they looked just the same.

 

[Bartcephus]

If you look closely at the photos, you will see hundreds of squash ("stink") bugs on the leaves, stems, ground..... It was depressing.....

 

[jinman]

If you look closely at the photos, you will see hundreds of squash ("stink") bugs on the leaves, stems, ground..... It was depressing.....

I saw the bugs on your leaves and I think they might be squash vine borers. You can treat them with liquid Sevin (Carbaryl) and Rotenone. For real squash bugs that look like they have a shield on their back. Bacillus thuringiensis is a good treatment for true squash bugs. I find dusting with Sevin Dust is good for low infestations and before infestation to prevent bugs, but liquid Sevin and BT are my favorite insecticides once I spot adults. Many gardeners find that you need to spray squash from the time it emerges from the ground to prevent pests.

Bart, your failed squash must really be disheartening. I think the bugs bring diseases in addition to eating the plants. Once you have a heavy infestation, it is really hard to control them. All you can do next year is to start early with prevention.

Edit: Bart, I looked closer at your photos and saw that you indeed do have young squash bugs. I didn't see any borers, but they cause the plants to collapse overnight much like yours.

 

[Chuck52]

Last year I got a fair crop of squash before the bugs started showing up, but they got me in the end. I thought the bugs I had were squash bugs because they looked like stink bugs. The problem with them was they came on while the squash was ready to pick, so I didn't want to use Sevin. I found that insecticidal soap with Rotenone added did a number on them, but they were so dense that they, or the diseases they spread, killed the squash anyway. They also hit my cucumbers, again while there was fruit on the vine, and the soap + Rotenone might have done the job there, but I also had cucumber beetles, and the beetles didn't seem to be much affected by that combo.

I'm not an organic gardener, but when the fruit is ready to pick there are limited ways to protect it and still eat it.

Chuck

 

[jinman]

I'm not an organic gardener, but when the fruit is ready to pick there are limited ways to protect it and still eat it.

Chuck

That's right Chuck. Once you have the bugs, you almost have to pick them off one at a time and squish them. YUK! You also have to look at the underside of the leaves for eggs. Making a small fire and burning the leaves with eggs is fun revenge.:thumbsup:

 

[ericrm2005]

anybody have any ideas what is killing my green beans? looks like some sort of disease......never had problems with green beans like this before

i have a few more rows to put in but i fear theyl all end up dyin out

 

[Chuck52]

anybody have any ideas what is killing my green beans? looks like some sort of disease......never had problems with green beans like this before

i have a few more rows to put in but i fear theyl all end up dyin out

I don't know what that is, but it looks very much like what I had with my first three plantings of beans this year. Because the weather was terrible, cold and wet and then way too hot, I just figured I had bad luck due to that. I tilled under all three plantings and now have some coming up and looking OK. I planted pole beans about the same time as the last of those three bush bean disasters and they are looking pretty good, but are just now getting flowers and hopefully setting beans. If, and I say again if, you think it may be a fungal disease, you might try Daconil or one of the other anti-fungal treatments. If it is a bacterial or viral disease I don't know what you can do about it except hope they grow out of it.

I had terrible luck last year with beans, and they also looked similar to yours. Late in the summer I planted another batch and they did very well. If it was a disease, possible whatever insect vector spread it may have been gone later in the summer. I plan to have enough seed that I can put in more beans for a late crop this year, too, but I am presently hopeful about the ones coming in now. Last year the Japanese beetles feasted on my pole beans. It is always something.

Another thought....you didn't fertilize them, did you? Beans don't need or want extra nitrogen.

Chuck

 

[Chuck52]

That's right Chuck. Once you have the bugs, you almost have to pick them off one at a time and squish them. YUK! You also have to look at the underside of the leaves for eggs. Making a small fire and burning the leaves with eggs is fun revenge.:thumbsup:

It took me a long time to wash the Japanese beetle goo off my hands last year.:laughing:. They hit my raspberries so hard that I could squish ten or more at a time by just slapping my hands on a leaf covered with beetles who were so busy with each other that they didn't see disaster coming.

My favorite to squish, however, is tomato hornworms. Those suckers fight back!

Chuck

 

[ericrm2005]

I don't know what that is, but it looks very much like what I had with my first three plantings of beans this year. Because the weather was terrible, cold and wet and then way too hot, I just figured I had bad luck due to that. I tilled under all three plantings and now have some coming up and looking OK. I planted pole beans about the same time as the last of those three bush bean disasters and they are looking pretty good, but are just now getting flowers and hopefully setting beans. If, and I say again if, you think it may be a fungal disease, you might try Daconil or one of the other anti-fungal treatments. If it is a bacterial or viral disease I don't know what you can do about it except hope they grow out of it.

I had terrible luck last year with beans, and they also looked similar to yours. Late in the summer I planted another batch and they did very well. If it was a disease, possible whatever insect vector spread it may have been gone later in the summer. I plan to have enough seed that I can put in more beans for a late crop this year, too, but I am presently hopeful about the ones coming in now. Last year the Japanese beetles feasted on my pole beans. It is always something.

Another thought....you didn't fertilize them, did you? Beans don't need or want extra nitrogen.

Chuck

Thanks for the response. When I planted, we were finally past the cool wet spell but then went right into the dry heat. All my other plants have NO fungal issues this year which is why im unsure about what it is. I have a bottle of daconil left over from last year, I just need to get around to applying. I have never had good luck reviving antyhing with anti fungal spray. It seems to only work when it is applied before anything breaks out or VERY early.

Also, I did broadcast a small amount of 10-10-10 over my entire garden early in the season when I tilled, however im sure this particular area is not over fertilized as it was planted into corn last summer, so it shodulnt be too high in nitrogen. Maybe my later plantings will be better. We can only hope.

 

[keegs]

I was going to suggest maybe too much fertilizer.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I don't know but I have never mulched green beans. I'm wondering if its keeping the plants to damp letting the fungus grow. I wouldn't put straw around them, they can stand being dry better then being kept to wet.

 

[Chuck52]

I don't know but I have never mulched green beans. I'm wondering if its keeping the plants to damp letting the fungus grow. I wouldn't put straw around them, they can stand being dry better then being kept to wet.

I hadn't thought about that. Maybe my pole beans are doing better because they are up off the ground. My bush beans mainly got smashed into the ground by heavy rains. I'm pretty sure I saved my tomatoes, which had the same problem, by hitting them with the Daconil as soon after the rain as I could get to them, but I didn't spray the beans.

Chuck

 

[ericrm2005]

I don't know but I have never mulched green beans. I'm wondering if its keeping the plants to damp letting the fungus grow. I wouldn't put straw around them, they can stand being dry better then being kept to wet.

I actually put that straw down right before I took the picture so thats not it. The ground has been actually fairly perfect in terms of moisture since ive planted. I sometimes mulch around beans, other times I do not. I wanted to get rid of a broken bale I had so I figured why not. I dont think it makes a huge difference but if I were to get a windstorm that knocked the beans over, the straw definately keeps them out of the dirt somewhat. It also helps with weeds somewhat, and this year I have less time to devote to my garden so every little bit less weeds is a help.:thumbsup:

 

[Bartcephus]

Thanks for the info on the squash bugs. I hope they don't move to my only remaining cucumber plant that survived and has a cuke on it now. I also hope those bugs don't infest the tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and watermelon I have nearby. Only had three pea plants germinate and one of them is gone (vanished) now. So I don't think I'm getting any peas this year. I could hardly beleive my eyes when I was watering the squash and these things just seemed like they came crawling out of the soil. It was like a horror movie. I can't imagine taking the time to hand pick and squish that many little pests. Although I would like to extract some revenge. Next time it might be a little diesel fuel followed by a "weed burner" and turn them "thar critters into a roasted treat for the birds." Makes a man wanna cuss and loose his civility. I'm usually pretty generous but I hate sharing my house and crops with insects and and other vermin.

Regards,

Bart

 

[Chuck52]

I usually don't find the vermin until they have already done too much damage. Seems like many and maybe most don't just eat the leaves, they spread some kind of disease that kills the plants even if you get them. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, either, so I often have trouble finding the tomato hornworms and such. It is a real joy to go out to the garden to see if any of those tomatoes you were looking at yesterday are about to get ripe, only to find that overnight one big hornworm has taken half the leaves off the plant and also chewed on the best tomato. This year I'm really trying to be more vigilant, and I'll also have the grankids in the garden some days to help with weeding, since DW is watching them every day. I'm almost looking forward to finding a hornworm for them to "play" with! You grab a big one of those and it will go rigid on you and do its best to bite.

Chuck

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I went out to whats left of the garden today to pick tomatoes. I was sure there couldn't be many. Well later I go back to the house with over a half wagon of tomatoes, and its fair sized.

Hubby said why pick them if you aren't going to use them, I says I'm not wasting any of this produce.

So we tried the catsup and relish at noon, both was really good, DD loved the relish on just plain bread, but I have 19 more jars and I would have to have cucumbers which I dont.

We also tried the barbeque sauce on some hamburgers, not bad but I will spice it up a bit when I use some of it and I think I have enough.

So I decided to make those tomatoes up into catsup, only had three and a half pints in the first batch so even if I only get that much again it will be welcome. Sure takes a long time to cook it down, but man its good. So tomorrow, make more catsup.

I told hubby I think the tomatoes are about done. Tomorrow I'm cutting the fabric and pulling it out and getting ready for him to till. I'm keeping the staked tomatoes for now, bell pepper plants and banana pepper plants plus the sage, that's it. I hope I don't get anymore but if I do they will go into stewed tomatoes. A lot of these are getting pretty puny now.

It costs a bunch for plants this year but I sure can't complain. We have had a huge return from most of it.

 

[keegs]

My wife makes a really delicious red bell pepper and potato soup. She broils the peppers and boils the potatoes. While that's cooking she fries up lots of sliced up garlic and bits of andouille sausage in some olive oil. When the peppers are cooked she peels off the skins and chops them up. When the potatoes are cooked she course chops them up. She then combines all that into a pot with the andouille bits and the garlic and some stock, adds water and seasonings (mostly salt and Italian red pepper I think) and lets it simmer..man is that good soup... :thumbsup:

 

[SandburRanch]

I'm going to try drying some with the tops off. And did that ever increase the onion aroma in the garage. As soon as some of that onion aroma dissipates and they dry a few more days they will be going to the basement to a temperature in the 70s. But until then they should dry rather well in the garage with the outdoor ambient at 104°F and 11 percent RH.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I'm thinking of buying a couple of quarts of strawberries and making some strawberry jam. Hubby says why bother, because it TASTES so much better. I can't say it will save any money from buying jars of it but stuff like that homemade is delicious.

I added 4 1/2 pints of catsup yesterday to the 3 1/2 I already had. That will last for awhile. It takes a long time to make it and a ton of tomatoes.