Turnips too tall!

Planted the red beets next to the turnips... too close it seems. The turnip greens are already almost a foot tall, yet the beet tops are only a few inches long. Since the rows are so close, the turnip greens are shading the beets. Must remember that for next year!

2009 Onions are in!

Of 75 originally planted, ALL the starts survived. Have about 65 onions now, since I've already given away about 9-10 of them.

Ready to braid as soon as I can get the time and a horizontal work surface coordinated. Thinking that this Sunday afternoon after church might work.

Sad about the Cippolinas though... they are the ones that were (inadvertently) allowed to bolt; their central stems are strong and hollow, and will work against being worked into a braid. :(

Late summer squash fail...

The straight-neck yellow summer squash recently planted did not germinate.

Trying in their place (12" container") some of Jung's "Tricolor Bush Bean Blend" from seed box (which I am heavy purging today... found seeds from 2002).

Seed packet was marked for 2005, so hopes are not high, but they listed "52 - 56 day" from seeding, so it is possible. Since they're in a container, if we have possibly frosty nights, I can move them into the garage. Grew them successfully at Sackchewsky's back in 2007.

01049 - Jung's Tricolor Bush Bean Blend
(52 - 56 day) Enjoy a variety of beans from one packet. Our special blend includes green, yellow and purple bush varieties providing lots of good eating over a long harvest period.

Squash vine borers!

Discovered signs of entry at base of each Delicata squash plant... looked like a pile of wet sawdust on the main stem about an inch or two up from the soil. One stem was already mush... I slit the other open and discovered (and removed the grub).

Didn't check regularly because of all the rain. Won't make that mistake again.

SQUASH VINE BORER

"The squash vine borer is a key pest of winter squash, gourds and pumpkins in Kentucky. Unfortunately, it is usually noticed only after it has done its damage. Symptoms appear in mid summer when a long runner or an entire plant wilts suddenly. Infested vines usually die beyond the point of attack.

Sawdust like frass near the base of the plant is the best evidence of squash vine borer activity. Careful examination will uncover yellow brown excrement pushed out through holes in the side of the stem at the point of wilting. If the stem is split open, one to several borers are usually present. The caterpillars reach a length of 1 inch and have a brown head and a cream colored body. Winter squash, particularly 'Hubbard', are most susceptible to damage while 'Butternut' is somewhat resistant.

The adult squash vine borer is a stout dark gray moth with 'hairy' red hind legs, opaque front wings, and clear hind wings with dark veins. Unlike most moths, they fly about the plants during the daytime, appearing more like a paper wasp than a moth.

This insect overwinters as a full grown larva or a pupa one to two inches below the soil surface. If it has not already done so, the larva pupates in the spring. Adult moths begin to emerge about the time the plants begin to run, and moth flight continues through mid August.

The small brown eggs, laid individually on leaf stalks and vines, hatch in seven to 10 days. The newly hatched larva immediately bores into the stem. A larva feeds for 14 to 30 days before exiting the stem to pupate in the soil. There are 1 to 2 generations per year in Kentucky.

Management
The key to squash vine borer management is controlling the borers before they enter the stem. Once inside the vine, insecticidal control is ineffective. Poor timing of sprays is the usual cause of inadequate control. Adult emergence occurs at approximately 1000 degree days (base 50F with a Jan 1 biofix) in the early summer. Use 950 degree days as the time to begin monitoring plants weekly for initial signs of the borer's frass at entrance holes in the stems. This usually corresponds to mid June as the start of the adult flight. Very early signs of larval feeding indicate that other eggs will be hatching soon. Use two insecticide applications 7 days apart to control newly hatching larvae and continue to monitor for additional activity. Sprays need to penetrate the canopy to cover the vines to be effective.

Home gardeners may have some success with deworming the vines. At the first signs of the sawdust like frass, vines are slit lengthwise near where the damage is found and the borers removed. The stems should be immediately covered with earth. Sanitation is also important. After harvest is complete, vines should be removed from the garden and composted to prevent the remaining borers from completing larval development. Burying a few nodes along each vine will encourage rooting at these nodes. This will lessen the impact if squash vine borers girdle the base of the vine."

Fall Sugar Snap Peas

Pulled the burnt-out remnants of the non-vining Blue Lake pole beans from around the antenna support pole and planted Sugar Snap Peas, which were very successful container-grown this spring/summer.

Hoping for a decent crop before frosts set in, since they like the cool weather. The pole and peas would be easy to wrap against frost if an early frost comes to visit (always does, thanks to our micro-climate).

Yellow summer squash

Planted 5x Straight-neck yellow summer squash in 12" pot.

Said to have 42-50 days until harvest... right now expecting approx 55-60 days until first frost.We'll see how they do!

2009 Tomatoes

Planted:

3x Roma (1 home-start, 2 store-bought)
2x Viva Italia (1 home-start, 1 store bought)
1x Siberian (Home start)
1x Opalka (Home start)
1x "Super Sweet" cherry-type (store bought)

VERY wet and cool spring... lots of rain! Would normally set out tomatoes weeks after last frost, which was Mother's Day this year (2nd Sunday in May). Waited until June 05... still cool and wet, but wanted to get the plants out.