Gardening Advice From My Mom

in-too-deep · Aug 30, 2015

I was complaining to her about being so busy with wheat harvest that the weeds were getting bad in our vegetable gardens. She said "Don't worry about the weeds, they confuse the bugs and distract them from the veggies!"

NY 986 · Aug 30, 2015

I wish it worked that way. I could not do a thing in June and early July due to being too wet. The weeds came and overtook everything. I had it looking good at a couple of points but the weeds roared back. The cabbage ought to be dusted everyday judging by the insect presence but that worries me in terms of build up. Next year I will use the insectal soap. I fear using mulch on the heavy clay will promote mold if we have wet spells such as we had this year. In terms of weeds everything will get sprayed next year. At least the wood ash has stopped the bottom rot on the tomatoes this year so that will stay. I would love to not use much in the way of chemicals but it does not seem realistic for me.

Gambles · Aug 30, 2015

Ha Ha Ha! Nice!
But tell that to the grasshoppers that have been so bad this year that I'm having a hard time keeping leaves on some young fruit trees.

TomA in CA · Aug 30, 2015

We had grasshoppers so bad one year they ate the bark off and killed fruit trees.

Billy NY · Aug 30, 2015

I have a fair amount of clay in my soil, and the only trouble I have is, later in the season, powdery mildew on summer squash and cucumbers. No real insect problems, well I did find an earworm long before tassling, that was odd. There are some peonies nearby that get it first, so I don't know if its those, the grass mulch mold, its unrelated or the plants get to the end of their cycle, and just get it, as its on the older leaves not the new ones. I figure the way around it is to mulch until just those shade out the ground, then remove it, it does not effect tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant, and if the tomatoes are not caged or trellised, the ripe ones will sit on dry thatch, I have a bunch out there now, but of course I'm not at my best, so instead of not getting planted, now I'm missing out on harvest LOL, always something.

pat sublett · Aug 30, 2015

Grasshoppers were so bad here a couple of years ago that they killed some 2yr old apricot trees (older than that but had been set out 2 years) I did every thing I could think of to stop them. I had a bunch of roses in a hedge about 6 ft. tall and 60 ft. long. There was nothing but stems left, stripped all the leaves off. Not bad this year though. Anytime we have a drouth, we are plaged by hoppers. I saw them 2 years ago on a 5 stran barb wire fence on the bottom side of the wire head to tail as far as you could see. I suppose they were under the wire for shade in the heat of the day.

Traditional Farmer · Aug 31, 2015

Get some Muscovy ducks they're grasshopper and Stink bug eaters.

Donald Lehman · Aug 31, 2015

Keeping the weeds down here has been a real battle, too. A battle that I am NOT winning. Except for my sweet corn, the yields have been pretty good this year, though.

Gardening Advice From My Mom

in-too-deep

Well-known Member

NY 986

Well-known Member

Gambles

Well-known Member

TomA in CA

Member

Billy NY

Well-known Member

pat sublett

Well-known Member

Traditional Farmer

Well-known Member

Donald Lehman

Well-known Member

Similar threads