Comments on: Misc. Ramblings/Ideas/Issues http://www.meadowwoodgarden.com/misc-ramblingsideasissues/ Adventures in Vegetable Gardening Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:03:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Meadowwood Garden http://www.meadowwoodgarden.com/misc-ramblingsideasissues/comment-page-1/#comment-379 Meadowwood Garden Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:11:25 +0000 http://brilove.wordpress.com/?p=43#comment-379 @ Kevin King -- From everything we read Squash Bugs are tough to get rid of. There is a small writeup on the site about them here: <a href="http://www.meadowwoodgarden.com/2008/07/27/zucchini-wilt/" title="Zucchini Wilt" rel="nofollow">Zucchini Wilt Article.</a> The gist is that there is little that can be done organically to control them. Even chemicals don't work well. We are going to try the board trick this year and will report on it later. Crop rotation and succession planting might be the only real solutions. We are working on some pest guides for the website and Squash Bugs are definitely at the top of the list. Keep an eye out over the next few months for more info as we research it. @ Kevin King — From everything we read Squash Bugs are tough to get rid of. There is a small writeup on the site about them here: Zucchini Wilt Article.

The gist is that there is little that can be done organically to control them. Even chemicals don’t work well. We are going to try the board trick this year and will report on it later. Crop rotation and succession planting might be the only real solutions.

We are working on some pest guides for the website and Squash Bugs are definitely at the top of the list. Keep an eye out over the next few months for more info as we research it.

]]> By: kevin king http://www.meadowwoodgarden.com/misc-ramblingsideasissues/comment-page-1/#comment-378 kevin king Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:21:14 +0000 http://brilove.wordpress.com/?p=43#comment-378 Question: Since I prefer not to use any commerical insecticides on my veggy garden, I have no clue what to use to get rid of those aweful squash bugs that show up and evenually swarm on my plants. Oh I get a harvest sure but i don't like seeing those bugs eat the plant up. Seems like every type of garden plant has their own enemy. Almost need a PHD in gardening to some degree. For my tomatoes and beans I use SAFER brand organic insecticide soap. Controls mites, aphids, earwigs, lace bugs, leafhoppers, mealybugs, scales, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies. Can also be used in combination with other organic control agents against hard-to-control insects such as cucumber beetle and tarnished plant bug. By the way, if someone is looking for Purple Royal fence beans in bulk i get this spray and other seeds from www.highmowingseeds.com. They also have a wholesale side if you wanted to sell their organic seeds, but as much as that is interesting to me, i just don't have the time. I need to build five more 70 foot fences for vining plants this week. I usually don't plant till April 7th, but need to get it ready. While it looks like it's near time, other states are still in deep winter. I lost a lot of plants one year planting to early with one week of very warm weather. Let someone else gloat they got their garden in early. Also those chinese vining beans are awesome in flavor and they grow 20 inches long. Amazing! But got to use this spray to help with the potential affids that might show up. First year i tried them i had to rip them out as i did not know what to use other them just regular household soap, which did not work. I used to think healthy soil, healthy plants. Well again, plants have enemies that show up. Personally I think the pests must be in the seed itself some how. All these bad bugs don't show up till you plant the seed. Well thats my 2 cents anyway. SAFER is great stuff and won't hurt your soil or plants. But what to use organicly to stop those squash bugs? Kevin King Hot Springs, AR. Question: Since I prefer not to use any commerical insecticides on my veggy garden, I have no clue what to use to get rid of those aweful squash bugs that show up and evenually swarm on my plants. Oh I get a harvest sure but i don’t like seeing those bugs eat the plant up. Seems like every type of garden plant has their own enemy. Almost need a PHD in gardening to some degree. For my tomatoes and beans I use SAFER brand organic insecticide soap. Controls mites, aphids, earwigs, lace bugs, leafhoppers, mealybugs, scales, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies. Can also be used in combination with other organic control agents against hard-to-control insects such as cucumber beetle and tarnished plant bug. By the way, if someone is looking for Purple Royal fence beans in bulk i get this spray and other seeds from http://www.highmowingseeds.com. They also have a wholesale side if you wanted to sell their organic seeds, but as much as that is interesting to me, i just don’t have the time. I need to build five more 70 foot fences for vining plants this week. I usually don’t plant till April 7th, but need to get it ready. While it looks like it’s near time, other states are still in deep winter. I lost a lot of plants one year planting to early with one week of very warm weather. Let someone else gloat they got their garden in early. Also those chinese vining beans are awesome in flavor and they grow 20 inches long. Amazing! But got to use this spray to help with the potential affids that might show up. First year i tried them i had to rip them out as i did not know what to use other them just regular household soap, which did not work. I used to think healthy soil, healthy plants. Well again, plants have enemies that show up. Personally I think the pests must be in the seed itself some how. All these bad bugs don’t show up till you plant the seed. Well thats my 2 cents anyway. SAFER is great stuff and won’t hurt your soil or plants. But what to use organicly to stop those squash bugs?

Kevin King
Hot Springs, AR.

]]> By: Meadowwood Garden http://www.meadowwoodgarden.com/misc-ramblingsideasissues/comment-page-1/#comment-375 Meadowwood Garden Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:13:04 +0000 http://brilove.wordpress.com/?p=43#comment-375 @ Kevin King -- The hoop cages definitely didn't work out. A tomato plant loaded with fruit is surprisingly heavy as we found out after the Hurricane Ike remnant winds knocked them all over last year. For this year we are considering something along the lines of your fence roll suggestion. Instead of caging them individually we are considering growing the tomatoes between two parallel fences that are maybe a foot apart or so. More to come as we work out all the details... @ Kevin King — The hoop cages definitely didn’t work out. A tomato plant loaded with fruit is surprisingly heavy as we found out after the Hurricane Ike remnant winds knocked them all over last year.

For this year we are considering something along the lines of your fence roll suggestion. Instead of caging them individually we are considering growing the tomatoes between two parallel fences that are maybe a foot apart or so. More to come as we work out all the details…

]]> By: kevin king http://www.meadowwoodgarden.com/misc-ramblingsideasissues/comment-page-1/#comment-373 kevin king Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:47:40 +0000 http://brilove.wordpress.com/?p=43#comment-373 Wanted to comment making your own tomatoe cages. I used to go down to a local woodshop and pick up 2x2 they burned each week and make my own cages before planting time. but now that i'm growing at least 175 tomatoes plants, that took a good week to build. So couple years ago after looking at Walmart hoops and knew that was not going to support a full grow plant. I went and bought 4 feet fence roll. Just count about 12 squares and cut with bolt cutters. Now i got all the cages i'll ever need that will last a life time. Also consider fence guage strength, i did not think but only light duty wire for my first roll. Can get 60 cages out of 330 feet of fence wire. If you're growing 8 ounce or less fruit size light duty fence wire is fine, but i tried some 1-lb and up variety and that light duty wire collapsed, then i had instant tomatoe juice. LOL. Had to tell the plant i was sorry. Thicker wire is twice the price, and while relutant i'm glad i spent the money. Also if anyone grows tomatoes in 5 to 10 gallon pots and sets them on top of weed cloth and does not want to weave wooden stakes to pound though your week cloth, then just cut some 2x2's to place on top of the bottom cage wire. Tilt the pot up side the wood under it. The weight of the pot for 5-10 gallon side is going to hold your cage, plus the drainage holes with work better too. Kevin King Hot Springs, AR. Wanted to comment making your own tomatoe cages. I used to go down
to a local woodshop and pick up 2×2 they burned each week and make my own cages before planting time. but now that i’m growing at least 175 tomatoes plants, that took a good week to build. So couple years ago after looking at Walmart hoops and knew that was not going to support a full grow plant. I went and bought 4 feet fence roll. Just count about 12 squares and cut with bolt cutters. Now i got all the cages i’ll ever need that will last a life time. Also consider fence guage strength, i did not think but only light duty wire for my first roll. Can get 60 cages out of 330 feet of fence wire. If you’re growing 8 ounce or less fruit size light duty fence wire is fine, but i tried some 1-lb and up variety and that light duty wire collapsed, then i had instant tomatoe juice. LOL. Had to tell the plant i was sorry. Thicker wire is twice the price, and while relutant i’m glad i spent the money. Also if anyone grows tomatoes in 5 to 10 gallon pots and sets them on top of weed cloth and does not want to weave wooden stakes to pound though your week cloth, then just cut some 2×2′s to place on top of the bottom cage wire. Tilt the pot up side the wood under it. The weight of the pot for 5-10 gallon side is going to hold your cage, plus the drainage holes with work better too.

Kevin King
Hot Springs, AR.

]]> By: Rob http://www.meadowwoodgarden.com/misc-ramblingsideasissues/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Rob Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:01:22 +0000 http://brilove.wordpress.com/?p=43#comment-21 I see a patent on the horizon and with it . . . An even bigger medow! I see a patent on the horizon and with it . . . An even bigger medow!

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