# The good and the bad of gardening!



## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I think I'm gonna keep growing these Atlantic Giants as a trap crop for EVERYTHING! I swear I could plant them next to the house and lightning would pass the house to hit them!


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## Scut Farkas (Jun 7, 2007)

What is an Atlantic Giant?


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Scut Farkas said:


> What is an Atlantic Giant?


http://www.anonymousphilanthropist.com/jots/wamp.jpg


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## Beacon Woods (Aug 2, 2006)

Yikes! I thought I had a big garden. Did your vine die because of those dreaded squash beetles... you know, the ones with the "armour" on their back? I read last year that if you plant nastergium around and in the vines the squash bug will leave the squash alone. Apparently those squash bugs don't like the smell of nastergium. I'm trying it this year. So far so good. Not a one.

Your new potatoes look grand!


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I haven't had much trouble with squash bugs, although they are laying eggs right now. I'm chalking this one up to squash vine borers.


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

*vine borers*

vine borers are my mortal enemy. Just when you're getting squash and zucchini.BAM the plants start shrivelling. I would have thought there would be a solution other than spraying, or cutting them out after the fact. I'm trying cedar mulch around some plants, but don't have any high hopes.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

berkshire bee,

If you figure out how to stop borers PLEASE let me know. They got mine before the zuchinni even started blooming. When you see the holes and pulp coming out of the vine it's all over.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I keep hearing about the "radish trick", but haven't tried it. I wonder if canola would work? I have too much trouble growing nasturtiums!

Everything other than the AG's I just leave to their own devices.


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

Beacon Woods said:


> Your new potatoes look grand!


Forget the taters, I'll take the kohlrabies!


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

Looks to me more like a fungus. For me, when the vine borers hit, the whole vine wilts, not just parts of leaves going brown. Pumpkins aren't impervious, but they usually can root at the leaf nodes, lessening the effect of the borers.

I've found that I can inspect the vine for signs of the borers, usually a hole with some frass hanging out. Then carefully split the stem with a knife along the stem until you find the nasty grub, then mercilessly stab, squish, and otherwise murder the evil little thing, laughing maniacally. Repeat until all signs of the borers are gone. 

Sure, you endanger the life of the plant, but it is doomed anyway if you leave the grubs, it at least has a chance if you kill the grubs, and I find that they do recover fine and live a happy productive life afterwards.

I'm going to need to get out there soon and make sure mine are fine, I've been seeing the waspy little moths out there for a while.

Rick


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

*This might help*

I'm not sure how organic you are in your gardening. I am about 75%, Here is a few things that has worked well for me the last few years. 

1st. beneficial nematodes. I was secptical one this at the start a couple of years ago. But I spray my yard and garden with them at the start of every growing season. I used to have a ton of grub worms in my yard and garden. Now I have none. 

2nd. Horticulture Cornmeal. This has been a great fungus control. I spread a layer on the garden before I till. I also save some and stuff it in some panty hose and soak it in water and put it in a sprayer as treatment. Works very well.

3rd. Dry molasses. This has been the cheapest and the best. It stimulates biological activity in the soil. It also works very well. And cheap.


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

*ck this link*

Yes again Robert that's how you do it. Here's a link that folks talked about this a few weeks ago.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220823&highlight=crush+strain


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

I have slit the vine and killed the grubs in the past. If you do that, cover the vine where you cut it with a big mound of dirt and it will live, but it seems like a never ending battle


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

FYI, I can hear Queen tuning up the bass, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMenB9Ywh2Q










Split all the vines on the first one today, no sign of borers! So I guess the triazicide did the trick, all the roots I was able to dig looked just fine too. Stumped!

Rototilled 'em both and going to plant buckwheat as soon as this t-storm passes.


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

I thought I was going to have SVB this year, because I managed to catch a moth hanging out in the spaghetti squash plants, but I managed to catch her, apparently before she laid eggs. In the past, I have injected BT into the stem bases as a preventative measure, and either it worked, or there weren't any here to begin with. Squash bugs and stink bugs are my biggest garden pests, but I've kept bird feeders out this summer and there are so many birds I suspect they are keeping the bug population way down.


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

You've got to love the birds! Until they are eating your honeybees! Fortunately I have few swallows around.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Of the two Atlantic Giant plants that survived, one produced 4 pumpkins totalling over 800#, this is the biggest.

Full size: http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/...0-4-08/?action=view&current=DavidGroup245.jpg


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