Garden Updates

[vern]

I'd say squirrels. They've chopped down plenty of my plants over the years. I really hate when they chop off the big tomatoes or peppers & only take a single bite out of them! They also love digging up freshly planted seeds & flowers. I'd say the squirrels do more damage & are harder to defend against. The rabbits just want to eat but the squirrels like to destroy things & taunt you.

[hanson]

I'd say squirrels. They've chopped down plenty of my plants over the years. I really hate when they chop off the big tomatoes or peppers & only take a single bite out of them! They also love digging up freshly planted seeds & flowers. I'd say the squirrels do more damage & are harder to defend against. The rabbits just want to eat but the squirrels like to destroy things & taunt you.

I'm convinced its the squirrels now. Really didn't think they were the perps but I'm starting to figure it out now. One of my big potted plants (decorative spike & pansies) got dug up while I was gone over the weekend. Couple blades of the spike were chewed off and 2 entire pansie plants were dug out and left on my steps. Then one of my big daylilies next to the steps looked like someone threw a football into it. Squirrels are burying or digging for stuff in my bark mulch all over the place.

Ohhhh... the thrill of the hunt!

[glenn57]

could be cut worms they do that also. especially if it looks like it was mowed off as you stated. i like to put ashes from a wood stove/campfire ring in the dirt and till up seems to keep them at bay. thr planter is a hole new battle.

[UdeLakeTom]

A friend where I used to work, put out some Tomcat baits for rodents....a couple of weeks later, no racoons, mice, chipmunks, or squirrels. All the rodent bait was gone.

[glenn57]

key words " where i used to work" right ULT??

[harvey lee]

I had not looked at the garden for a week or so other than turning on the sprinkler. Many peppers, tomates and grape tomatoes are growing.

Pretty soon some BlT's with garden fresh tomatoes.

[UdeLakeTom]

key words " where i used to work" right ULT??

You caught that one!!!!

I love using that phrase.

[toughguy]

Pretty soon some BlT's with garden fresh tomatoes.

Oh yeah. I can't wait. My tomatoes are just starting to show some fruit. A few weeks to go yet. Now if I could get my bacon plants to grow a little.

[glenn57]

garden doing good. best radish crop i can remember. started getting kalarabi, nummy. tomatoes lookin good, pepers punny but flowering, cukes coming just starting to vine. evenin contol of the weeds for the most part. sure do like that preen.

[glenn57]

Originally Posted By: glenn57

key words " where i used to work" right ULT??

You caught that one!!!!

I love using that phrase.

YES I DID!!!!!!!!!

[hanson]

My daily garden soap opera...

This was my big(ger) corn plants until yesterday.

Good news is nothing else is being touched and is now growing like crazy. Tomatoes are growing out the top of the cages, peppers have taken off like crazy now that they aren't being nipped at by the bunnies, radishes are ready to pick, beans are looking good, pumpkins are really going nuts now.

Bad news I'll probably have to buy my corn this year. That was a row of nearly 2' high corn yesterday morning. Come back from work and its all mowed down.

[glenn57]

i'm still thinkin cutworms, especially if they where snipped right below ground level.

[IcePro]

The corn damage could be a blessing in disguise. Based on the few corn seeds that you planted and in a straight row the chance of pollination could be poor.

Because corn is wind-pollinated, plant it in blocks of rows, rather than in a long, single row, which would result in poor pollen distribution on the silks and many kernel "skips".

I also believe your problem is cutworms.

[fishwater]

Hanson, was that a new garden plot? Usually cutworms are an issue on plots newly converted from grass. First year I setup my current garden I lost nearly every pepper plant within 3 days of each other. I haven't lost a plant now in 7 years.

The garlic in the far back is starting to set cloves and yellowing a bit, peas are really looking bad. I let the row go to seed a week ago. The row with the flowers just past the onions are a fingerling potato, they are the biggest plants I've ever grown.

[hanson]

Yeah... its a new garden.

Only reason I don't think its cutworms is there has been enough critter activity around the outside of my fence as well as in the garden to make me think its still a critter of some kind. Only critters I've seen around my yard are the bunnies, gray squirrels and some neighbors cat who keeps crapping by my backyard hose bib (faucet).

Some of those corn stalks were cut down and ended up in the opposite corner by my tomatoes. Something tried to dig under the fence from the inside in the corner where the tomatoes are as well.

I don't know... I really didn't think squirrels were into eating garden crops that much. And like I said, only the corn. Doesn't seam like much use in replanting it now either.

Life is good if this is the biggest worry I have right now.

[IcePro]

Fishwater, I think you are track with the cutworms with a new garden. I remember the first year my wife put a garden in, the tomatoes and peppers did not make it.

She replanted after I put bug killer down and wrapped the tomato and pepper stems with newspaper to keep the cutworms away.

[Pickelfarmer]

I have a garden that I added onto this spring. I made it about twice as big as it was for the last few years. The new part of the garden is not doing as well as the older part. I was lucky in the fact that the only thing I put in the newly dug part was corn, Dill weed and a couple of melon plants.

Question, These cut worms you speak of,can you see them? If so what do they look like? I see some kind of light brown bettle looking things in the dirt when I till but only in the new part of the garden. I was just wondering if these are hurting my garden and if I can(should) get rid of them?

The rest of the garden is nice. Tomatos are blooming along with peppers. I have one banana pepper thats about 3 inches long.

[fishwater]

You know, after looking up a picture of a cutworm, I realized the problem I was talking about with my peppers was due to wireworms. Doh..

Here's some pics:

Cutworm

Wireworm

I don't believe cutworms are a problem in new gardens, wireworms are for sure.

[Pickelfarmer]

yes!!!! I have seen those wire worms in my garden alot!!!! Is there any way to get rid of them???? How much damage can they do to a garden??I think they are whats causing alot of my gardening problems. I have seen alot of them in my garden and I hope theres a way to get rid of them.

[leechmann]

I dug our first potatoes of the year tonight. I think they are the early red variety. Some were as big a tennis balls. Anyway, fresh garden peas and new potatoes in cream sauce. Does it get any better than that?

[KEN W]

I dug our first potatoes of the year tonight. I think they are the early red variety. Some were as big a tennis balls. Anyway, fresh garden peas and new potatoes in cream sauce. Does it get any better than that?

That's what we are having for supper tonight for the first time also.Along with new red beets.If you have early red's.....they are most likely Red Norland.Best early potatoe ever developed.

[klecker]

Checked the potatoes tonight and oh my god are they huge. Cant wait to they are ready to harvest my belly is just going nuts to eat these things.

Chad

[nofishfisherman]

Does anyone have any color to their tomatoes yet? I've got 6 different varieties and they are all green still.

[IcePro]

I thought green was a color

No red tomatoes yet, still all green.

[nofishfisherman]

I thought the same thing while typing that. I guess I do have one variety that stays green when ripe but is supposed to develop stripes.