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| My tomatoes and peppers are doing quite well, although it looks like some kind of bug may be trying to eat some of the peppers. Any suggestions or advice? (Front to back: spinach and lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes.) |
Note the citronella candle in the upper picture. I went out early in the morning to beat the heat and it still was a warm 81 degrees at 8 in the morning! Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were enjoying their time outside as well. We officially had record rainfall this spring and I think we will unofficially have the worst year of mosquitoes as a result. I went out there and was swarmed by them. I tried in vain to spray myself with Off!® and lit a citronella candle, but it didn’t work. I just weeded really fast. J
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| My spinach and lettuce are finally poking up as well! |
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| My summer squash seeds came up too. (Front to back: ornamental gourds, summer squash, and zucchini.) |
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| The cucumbers are also up. (Front to back: cucumbers and cantaloupe.) |
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| AND, my zinnias are coming up! |
I also purchased a chive plant and a catnip plant. Did you know that if you make catnip tea and spray that on instead of bug spray, it is supposed to be 10 times more effective than DEET? I’m definitely going to be trying that. J
I’m still waiting for my nasturtium to come up and my cilantro. I think I may have to replant the cilantro because I accidently flooded the pot when I first planted it. I flipped the nozzle of the hose to full blast instead of turning it off. You can easily picture the innocent gardening novice reeling back in shock, as dirt and seeds go flying out of the bucket while she wrestles with the garden hose. Yes, not a pretty picture. J Anyway, I think more of the seeds ended up outside the pot than in it. Good thing I didn’t put all of my seeds in one pot!
What’s coming up in your gardens? I’d love to know!
6 comments:
Yeah! It's so fun to watch seeds sprout into plants.
Isn't it exciting, Bianca, when the seedlings start coming up?! I'm happy for you! Everything is looking so nice.
What's coming up in our garden? Well, everything is up now! Though, I did just plant cilantro, as well as more pickling cucumbers, parsnips, Swiss chard, and basil today. So those should all be coming up before too long. We just started harvesting our first produce of the spring this past week . . . lettuce which we enjoyed in salads and then one zucchini with more just about ready. It's a fun time of year!
Enjoy your gardening!
Everything is up in our garden except for the second planting of corn and the third planting of lettuce. Maybe you should stop by when you come up to Midland next and come take a look!
If the peppers are getting eaten at the base of the stem, it is cutworms. Next time when you plant them, roll up an index card and put it around the stem.
If it is the leaves, turn over the leaves and try and see what might be eating them. We don't usually have anything bother the peppers besides the cutworms, so I don't know what it might be.
Just from the pictures, your garden seems a little dry. If your garden has a hard crust to it, the seeds may not be able to break through it. If it is a raised bed, I'd water it every day unless you get a lot of rain. Then next year, get some sand and mix it in with your soil. It will help with drainage when you get lots of rain and it will help keep the soil more crumbly and easy for the plants to come up through.
Also for next year, I would move the zucchini away from the fence. We usually plant zucchini with a 2 foot radius of free garden space around them. They will really get that big!
Last advice - get a claw if you don't already have one! I use mine all the time. In face, all the children have one of their own. It is a small hand tool that has three prongs on it. It is officially called a hand garden cultivator if you look it up on Amazon, but we call it the claw. You loosen up the soil first, then pull the weeds. The weeds should then come up, roots and all!
It is indeed very fun to watch seedlings sprout, Amy! :-)
~Bianca
It is a very exciting time of year, Sarah! It sounds like your garden will be very fruitful this year! Everything has come up in my garden except the spinach and cilantro. I'm looking forward to harvesting my first produce in the next few weeks!
~Bianca
Thank you so much for your comment, Technoprairie! You've been so helpful in giving me advice on gardening!
We would love to stop by when we're in Midland! Mom may try to email you about that later.
Right now, it's only the leaves of the pepper plants being eaten. I turned several leaves over, but I didn't see anything. It's only about 2/3 of the plants that are being eaten. I'll keep looking for pests though!
My garden is indeed very hard and dry. I will be watering it every day as you recommended. Thankfully, my Dad just bought a garden hose that can stretch out there. Before that, I was trying to haul all of my water back there and it took nearly an hour! It definitely didn't make me want to water as often as I should!
I will also remember your advice about the zucchini and the gardening claw. In fact, I think we may have the type of tool you're talking about. I will have to try it!
Thanks again for all of your help! It is very much appreciated!
~Bianca
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