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Squash Vine Borers
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 24 - 1:57 am
- Hi there! Thank you so much for doing this! I have a couple questions on squash vine borers, which have been a HUGE issue in my garden this year. I have been surgically removing the larvae from my curcurbit vines every few days for over two months now (along the way losing both of my zucchini plants and one patty pan squash plant; now I have one patty pan and 4 pumpkin plants remaining). My questions are: How much longer should I expect new larvae to bore into my plants? And is there anything I can do next season to organically prevent these pests (or perhaps control them in a less laborious fashion!)?
- Hello! Thank you for your question. It sounds like you have had a challenging season with this difficult pest. Your surgical removal of the larvae is one part of the solution, and it sounds like you have mastered that particular process. There are other things you can do as well. To answer your first question, it is important to understand the lifecycle of the squash vine borer. Eggs will first appear in our area in May, will hatch in early summer, and then the larvae will bore into the squash stem to feed for up to 4 weeks. When the larvae are mature at 4-6 weeks, they will leave the vine and the dig 1-2 inches in the soil to pupate. In our climate, we can sometimes have 2 generations of larvae in a season. So unfortunately, once infested, this pest can present a problem for most of the growing season. In addition to the surgical removal process of the larvae in the stems, you can also use an organically approved insecticide such as Spinosad or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Apply the product on the leaf stems and the main stem of the plant - do not spray the flowers. Apply one of these insecticides once per week during the growing season. It will kill the borer's eggs and larvae quickly. Again, these are organically approved products, and we recommend staying away from any synthetic, non-organic insecticides. Another method for prevention early in the season is to cover the young plants with a floating row cover until flowering occurs. The row cover will keep out the insect in the critical early part of the season, and will still allow sun, water, and air to get to the plant. Once flowering begins, remove the cover to ensure pollination is not disrupted. If or when you do have an infected vine(s), seal them in a plastic bag before the larvae pupate. This will break the lifecycle of the squash vine borer. And finally, the other important practice is to till under all crop debris after harvest, which also disrupts larvae in the soil, and prevents buildup of the squash borer population. Implementation of these practices should minimize the need for constant surgical removal of the larvae, and yield healthier plants and better crop. Good luck, and please reach out with any other questions!
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Squash Bug Control
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Date Posted: Sun, Aug 22 - 3:10 pm
- I have been having a hard year with squash bugs taking over my zucchini plants. I am wondering if you have any tips on how to prepare the soil this winter to decrease their activity next season. Thank you!
- Good morning! Thank you for your question. You are certainly a step ahead in that you have identified the pest, and have probably read about effective means to control and hopefully rid many of the insects during the growing season. Nevertheless, they are difficult to eradicate. You are smart to be thinking about ways to overwinter the garden to minimize the problem next spring. Do you use mulch around your zucchini plants? Mulches give adult squash bugs a place to overwinter, and you want to remove that mulch if you have used it. Straw is a better alternative to use around these plants in the growing season. As fall/winter approaches, you want to be sure and clean your garden of old vines, crop, and leaf debris where adult bugs will hide over the winter. Squash bugs will rarely survive cold winters without places to hide. However, Richmond has been known to have very mild winters, and you surely don't want to give these bugs a place to hide. Once you have removed all debris (and mulch, if you have it), till the soil. This also helps eliminate the pests. If you have the room in your garden (which most city properties do not), it is also helpful to rotate your crops year to year to keep down insect population. But the best thing to do is completely clear the garden of all debris for the winter, and till the soil. One tip for next spring/summer, is to place boards or old shingles on the ground next to the garden (especially at night time). Squash bugs love to hide under these, and they make excellent traps for collecting the bugs in the morning, and then placing the bugs in a bucket of soapy water. And of course, regular inspection during the early growing season to collect these bugs from your plants helps as well. But definitely follow the guidelines for garden cleanup and tilling to properly overwinter, and that will certainly get you off to a clean start in the spring!
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Sod died-alternative
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Date Posted: Wed, Aug 18 - 2:07 pm
- We have a very small 200sf area in the front of the house that was previously sod. That grass has died this summer (we think from a fungus) and we are thinking about doing something lower maintenance like a moss. Any recommendations or thoughts on that? The yard is am sun, north east facing, good drainage. Thanks!
- Hello there! Since your sod failed it would be worthwhile to have your soil tested. You can request a soil testing kit from the local extension office-the phone number for Richmond City is (804) 786-4150. You can check this link for the process: https://www.soiltest.vt.edu/sampling-insttructions.html. Also ask about the whether the demise of your sod was most likely due to incorrect ph or a fungus. Once you've established your soil's ph (whether it's an alkaline or acidic soil) you'll be able to make informed decisions about what plants to use. If you want to use moss, you'll need soil on the acidic side-5.5. I've included a link about mosses in lawns and how to grow a moss garden. Skip to the section entitled "Moss Gardens" for pertinent information. Here's the link: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-536/430-536.html You'll have to judge how much sun your space receives and whether or not that might be too much for mosses. In lieu of mosses, there are many alternative ground covers. I mentioned a number of them in the post Dog proof ground covers. Often a combination of them can be very pleasing and generally low maintenance. The addition of shrubs with some good mulch can also add interest with minimal upkeep. Enjoy the project!
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August Beauty Gardenia
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Date Posted: Wed, Aug 18 - 1:59 pm
- I have purchased an August Beauty Gardenia shrub and would like to give it the best chance to thrive in my yard. Would it be better to plant it in a spot with the most sun (also near the house), yet fairly exposed as no other plantings near, or in a bed which gets a good amount of sun and has established hedge (hollies) which may offer protection from the elements? Thank you in advance for your help.
- What a beautiful plant selection! You’ll enjoy the long blooming season of this plant, and of course their wonderful fragrance. In terms of best location, you should keep two things in mind. First, to ensure a prolific bloom all summer, you want to maximize early day sun exposure. If one of your described locations is on the east side of your yard and gets several hours of early day sun, that would be ideal, especially near a walkway or porch where you would enjoy the fragrance. I would try to avoid a location that is fully exposed to our late afternoon hot sun during July/August. Secondly, consider your soil and drainage in selecting your location. Gardenias like evenly moist acidic soil which provides good drainage. You want to avoid planting your gardenia where its roots would compete for moisture with nearby trees. The bed with hedge hollies would be fine if you have several hours of early day sun there. If you are planting your new gardenia this time of year, be sure and add plenty of organic matter to your soil, mulch around your plant, and provide plenty of water during this last phase of summer. Enjoy your beautiful plant, and let us know if further questions!
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Trellising Blackberries
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Date Posted: Wed, Aug 18 - 1:44 pm
- I am wanting to grow blackberries in containers. I have a full sun spot behind my house. Do you think galvanized feeder troughs would be a good thing in which to plant them? And was planning/thought I could trellis them on my fence - do you think that would work? Thank you
- Hello there, that sounds like a great scheme. The troughs should be fine. Galvanized containers are only a problem when they start to corrode so starting with new ones will be fine and serve you for many years. You didn't mention the type of blackberry or the height of your fence. Assuming you are using erect blackberries they will probably top out at 4-5 ft. tall. So factor that in with the height of your planters. If your trough is a foot high add in the mature height of the bushes at 5 feet. Assuming your fence is 6 feet high your good to go. Even if the fence is a bit shorter it will still work. Blackberries can get pretty tangled so you're smart to want to control them a bit with a support. Generally, you will cut down the cane after it has fruited and you've harvested. However, the pruning can vary depending on whether the plant fruits in summer or fall so just be sure to get all that information when you select a variety. It would be good to have some air circulation behind and around the plants so hopefully your fence isn't solid boards. You might wind up with some space in the front of the berries which could be a nice spot for growing herbs. Good luck with the project!
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Recommendations for spring vegetables in garden box
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 17 - 8:33 pm
- We have two garden boxes planted with a variety of spring vegetables. I'd like to add a new box or two this week, but worry I've missed the planting window. Any recommendations for plants that would do well starting in June?
- Thanks for your question. It’s definitely not too late to plant for some vegetable varieties. Several good options include carrots, beets, radishes, as well as peppers and tomatoes. Chard is also an option. Carrots, beets, and radishes can be planted every 2 weeks until mid-summer for continual harvest (depending on size of your garden boxes). Tomatoes and peppers generally take approximately 60 days to maturity - check the labels on the varieties for maturity time. Chard can be seed planted until mid-summer in our zone (zone 7). Hope this helps, and let us know if further questions!
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Raised beds, native ground cover, bio-diversity, dog-friendly
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 06 - 8:50 pm
- Thank you for doing this, first of all! My question is: How do I maintain a yard with raised garden beds, while also allowing natural biodiversity to thrive AND keeping it safe for my 2 small pet dogs to roam in? I am about to move into a place with a beautiful, old mulberry tree and a yard full of both native groundcover and some invasives like English ivy. I want to convert it into a big produce garden to share with my neighbors, and have planned out having 4 raised beds, along with allowing native groundcover to grow between the beds. However, I also want to be mindful of the fact that I need to keep any plants that may harm my dogs away, and keep ticks to a minimum (though I know theyre kinda unavoidable because nature is nature). Whatre your thoughts/suggestions?
- It sounds like you've got a great plan. Assuming you have the right amount of direct sun, 6 hours or more, you should have a good site for growing vegetables, herbs ,etc. You mention a large mulberry tree, I hope that it doesn't prevent you from getting the right amount of sunshine. Are you planning on building frames for the beds? I find this to be the best method. It helps deter critters (domestic and otherwise), allows for good drainage, and helps keep weeds at bay. Since you already have some native ground cover you could make the most of that by dividing the existing planting and planting the divisions between the beds. I'm not sure what native you have but if it can take some foot traffic that would be the way to go. Dividing is most successful when done in spring or fall. It sounds like you've got a good amount of yard space In addition to the raised beds so for diversity you could add native shrubs and perennials. Blueberries make an excellent edible addition to a shrub planting or border. There are many lovely native shrubs to choose from - summersweet (clethra alnifolia), fothergilla, sweetspire (itea viriginica) - to name a few. Just remember - right place, right plant. Be sure to consider the specific location you are planting in: sunny/shady, moist/ dry, etc. As far as dog-friendly plants go, I would make a list of all the plants -food and ornamental- you're considering and then check the web to see if any pose a danger to dogs. For example, some herbs are a problem for dogs and some are beneficial, so it takes some research. Regarding maintenance, the raised beds will help with this for the vegetables and herbs, and generally, all plantings (shrubs, perennials) are easier to maintain when a good mulch is applied right after planting. Also, close plantings can minimize space for weeds to take over and a mature ground cover pretty much takes care of itself. And lastly, a convenient water source is critical. I think you'll have some fun with this-Good luck!
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Gardening in Raised Bed
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Date Posted: Mon, Jul 05 - 6:29 pm
- I bought a cedar raised bed kit from Lowes that stands on legs off the ground. I bought bags of organic raised bed soil as the kids suggested. I planted lettuce in it and it only made seedlings. So I put the tomato plants in it but they didn't grow either. I watered every day and it was in direct sun. Why would this be happening?
- Good afternoon! Thank you for your question. I know from experience that it is frustrating when you put time and effort into planting new plants, only to have them not thrive. Gardening is certainly a learning experience! From the information you provided, I am assuming you planted the lettuce and then the tomatoes in recent weeks. The first thing that comes to mind as far as the lettuce goes is that lettuce is a cool season vegetable, best planted in very early spring (March) for harvest in late spring or early summer. I'm wondering if you planted your lettuce from seed in late spring and by the time germination occurred the weather was already getting too warm. If lettuce is planted in late spring, it will certainly need some shade as summer approaches. Your best bet is to try planting your lettuce again in the fall season. And as you did before, water frequently and keep it in a sunny location during the cool fall season. With the tomatoes, it sounds like you planted them at the appropriate time, and in a sunny location which they require. My only thought here is that the tomatoes may have been watered too frequently, and the soil did not have a chance to dry out enough before a subsequent watering. Overwatering tomato plants can cause the leaves to turn yellow if the roots are not getting enough oxygen from overly saturated soil that does not have a chance to dry out. You may also want to check the drainage in your raised bed. Does it have a liner? This could be a factor in water retention in your bed if you are perhaps watering too frequently and proper drainage is not occurring. The best rule of thumb to check soil moisture is to insert a trowel, or wooden dowel, about 6 inches into the soil, and check to see if it comes out clean (soil has dried out), or if it comes out with damp soil clinging to the trowel or dowel. If it comes out with damp soil clinging, you do not need to water. Overwatering is a common mistake in gardening, and growing plants in pots or raised beds makes it even trickier. But with the right practices in routinely checking your soil moisture several inches down into the soil (before watering), you should have better success. If you have other questions, or experienced other circumstances than what I assumed above, feel free to reach back out to us and we'll be happy to help!