#54 Questions from Friends

            We’ve been getting a lot of questions from friends and others. Seems the Victory Gardens are truly springing up all over the place. The madman has been surprised by the source of some of these questions – people he thought would never consider growing a plant. Yet, here they are with a problem. But without further judging people, the madman has been happy to answer questions – he loves the attention.

Plants Not Growing

            The first group of questions revolve around the issues of plants not growing. We had our own share of that. Remember back in early spring, we had spells of warm weather. In fact, it was warm enough on St. Patrick’s Day for the madman to plant his peas – against my better judgement, I might add. “It’s tradition,” he said – that man loves tradition. So, of course, he re-planted his peas – that’s becoming another tradition.

            Anyway, those warm spells fooled a lot of people, and a lot of plants were put in the ground too early. Instead of flourishing as anticipated, the plants just sat there or died. A warm up in temperatures helps the first class, replanting helps the second.

June Heat Wave

            But, suddenly we went from cool weather to unseasonably hot and dry weather. In fact, right now we have just ended the first heat wave of the summer and we are down 4” of rain from the average. And, it’s still June! The madman says this was not the season to have your inaugural Victory Garden. Conditions have been too extreme, yet people have persevered.

            The plants that just sat there earlier have started to take off – if they have gotten water, that is. In fact, the madman has been getting up at the crack of dawn to make sure his precious pepper plants have been properly hydrated. One would think the peppers would thrive in this hot, dry weather. After all, many people associate hot peppers with the American Southwest. And, though Tex Mex cuisine incorporates Chile Peppers, the madman is quick to point out that they don’t grow in the desert. So, water we do – not just the peppers, but the other plants, too. The madman believes that one of the biggest mistakes is not providing enough water after plants have been transplanted. This is why he is quick to recommend careful consideration of water sources before siting a garden. A long walk to water is tiring!

Animals Eating Plants

            Which brings us to the second group of questions – what to do about animals eating plants. We all grow vegetables because they are nutritious and taste great. But, unfortunately all the wild animals in your neighborhood have gotten the same message – vegetables are nutritious and taste good. In fact, up on Chippens Hill in Bristol, word has traveled throughout the animal kingdom that Jayne has put up a vegetable buffet. And, further down the hill woodchucks have happily discovered Dave’s Backyard Veggie Delight.

            The other morning during Virtual Office hours for the Master Gardener program (yes, the pandemic has disrupted everything) we fielded a question from a gardener whose squash plants developed a strange problem. Something was eating just the tender young growth, leaving larger leaves and flower heads behind. The person was baffled – he had examined his plants by day and by night. He dug around the plants and found nothing – what insect could be so stealthy? After much deliberation and discussion we all concluded that insects were most likely not to blame. In fact, our best guess was that there was a well-fed bunny in the area.

Fences

            So what can you do about these wildlife problems? As Robert Frost wrote in Mending Wall, “good fences make good neighbors.” Animal fencing is the best deterrent to garden raids. But, this year, as master gardener Jim Woodworth pointed out, not only are plants and seeds scarce, animal fencing is a rare commodity.

            If you are fortunate enough to have fencing materials, you have to consider a couple of things. If a fence isn’t high enough, animals can get over it. In fact a deer fence needs to be at least 8’ tall (white tailed deer can jump up to 8’ from a standing position). If a fence isn’t low enough, most animals can get under it. In fact, an effective fence should be buried at least 6-10” in the ground. And, even this may not solve everything. At one time, the madman saw a woodchuck climb up one side of his fence and down the other. (And me without my camera!)

Plant Extra

            A farmer once told the madman that he always planted a few extra rows for native wildlife. That philosophy has stuck in our garden – and it has saved the madman a lot of grief. Of course, now that the Robins and Catbirds have been joined by Chipmunks in the Blueberry bushes we’ll see how long his laisse faire attitude will last. Since wildlife can be difficult to deal with and the options are varied, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has included a link to wildlife.org on its Nuisance Wildlife Control page – it’s actually a very useful site.

Bugs

            The final group of questions revolves around bugs. It’s early in the season so the madman has only fielded questions about the Squash Bug (Anasa tristis), the Colorado Potato Beetle (Lepinotarsa decemlineata), and the Stripped Cucumber Beetle (Acalymma vittatum). The average homeowner may be quick to pull the trigger on a can of insecticide when confronted by these troublemakers and their relatives. If practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the insecticide method of control should be the last resort. Actually, pest control starts in the previous season. All these insects love to hide in garden debris, so make sure it is cleared away at the end of every season. But, even so, adult insects have wings and can show up on the wind from as far away as across town.

Scouting

            For a new gardener, the fact that insects can come from afar is very disconcerting. No matter how they get there, you have to deal with them. If you don’t have too many plants and not a lot of bugs, you can pick them off. But, you MUST be diligent: we suggest a coffee stroll in the morning, a lemonade shuffle around noon and, if you’re so inclined a chardonnay saunter before dinner. Stay alert – pick them off! But, if they become too numerous, you may have to go the chemical route – there are some good organic choices out there, but as the madman says “make sure you read and follow the label.”

            Earlier we said that bug control starts by removing plant debris at the end of last season. Another effective method of control revolves around planting time. Don’t plant so early – yours doesn’t have to be the first garden on the block. Insects have a specific life cycle. Putting your plants in the ground a few weeks later may bypass the adult/larval feeding frenzies. The madman has learned this trick with all three of the culprits that are now causing grief among Connecticut gardeners, the Squash Bug, the Striped Cucumber Beetle and the Colorado Potato Beetle. Life would be good if these were the only three bugs we face, but they really aren’t, they just happen to be the three the madman has been asked about.

Squash Bug

            First up is the Squash Bug, a serious pest of our squash and a lesser pest of our cucumbers. The adult beetles spend the winter hiding in debris and protected areas. They emerge in mid-June, looking for tender young plants. After about 10 days, they begin to mate and lay eggs. Eggs will hatch in about 10 days and both adults and larvae cause damage.

            A safe method of control is the old wet board trick. Put a damp plank on the ground near the squash plants at night. These monsters will use the board for shelter. Check under the board early next morning: you will find them lurking underneath. Scoop them into a bucket of soapy water. Since they love to hide in debris and mulch, the madman has learned the hard way not to mulch his squash and cucumbers.

Beetles

            Speaking of cucurbits, it seems we are always fighting the Striped Cucumber Beetle. Again, good garden hygiene and vigilant scouting is key to managing this pest. Since populations hit their peak in mid to late June, delaying your planting until about now might be a good strategy.

           Finally is the pest that wins my award for the ugliest bug in our garden, the Colorado Potato Beetle. Not only is this guy ugly, he’s tough and easily becomes resistant to pesticides. The best control is scouting and picking to squish. Since one female can lay 350-500 eggs, make sure you check the underside of leaves and destroy the eggs you find.

            Today our scouting really paid off; again our numbers of insects are low, so we don’t consider that we have a problem. But, we found a masquerader – what we thought were Striped Cucumber Beetles on the Evening Fragrance Datura in the Moon Garden were actually Three -Lined Potato Beetles ( Lema daturaphila), and we found eggs, larvae and adults. None survived. Our research showed us that this bug rarely goes to potatoes, but they do like Jimson Weed and Nightshades. I guess that all these weird plants that the madman likes to grow have come with some baggage. As long as we can scout and squish, we think we’ll be okay and I’ll let him go with the weird plants.

            After he washes his hands, I’ll pour him some lemonade.