Hot peppers (forgot to post about these until now)

This year I bought two hot pepper plants, from Hottawa:

- Antilles Red Caribbean
- Bahamian Goat

Unfortunately, I planted them in what ended up completely shady areas overpowered by tomatoes, zinnias, basil, and zucchini, so they hardly grew at all.

However, just the other I day I noticed that they both have a few small peppers growing!  The internet says the Antilles will turn from the current green to orange and then red when ripe; the Bahamian, to peach/orange.

Hopefully something will come of these after all!

Few females opened this morning

Only two females opened this morning, both zucchinis.

Hopefully it's only because there was a rash of females recently, not because the plants have started to die.......... augh

SVB update: Found WORMS in some stems, and in some vines!!!

Oh boy.......... despite all that egg monitoring in recent weeks, some escaped my gaze!

Removed about 5-6 worms today in total.

This includes the following locations (not a comprehensive list):

- central patch:  NW quadrant (base of stem)
- central patch:  SE corner (vine -- two entry points fairly close to each other -- suspected, no visual confirmation)
- air conditioner south side zucchini:  leaf stems (two I think)
- kitchen door zucchini north-most one:  suspected in base of leaf, might have already gone inside (and after inspecting the plant so closely!!)

And others...........

Feeling anxious that all of this will have been for nothing as I'm sure to miss some of them, and I'm not sure how many SVBs it takes to kill a plant...  Wondering if continued vigilance will suffice to save the growing squashes...  If the zucchini goes kaput, oh well, at least I already harvested a relatively decent amount, but the winter squashes, would be so sad to lose them all before any of them are harvestable...

Green stink/shield bug

Found a green stink/shield bug, young in the green/black stage.  Doesn't fly.  Very cute!  Rehomed, just in case.

Took photos of garden from upstairs window

Took photos of garden from upstairs window, now while everything is in full force.  Hopefully the SVB won't destroy it all!

SVB: Found a worm inside bruised leaf stem (central patch)! and removed more eggs

Found a worm inside bruised leaf stem (central patch, so either butternut or pink banana)!  Took photos of the stem to remember what it looks like.  The stem of the leaf looked bruised -- pale green / light brownish/orangish, with frass right there, and the stem was "dented" at that location.  Took the whole stem off but next time should probably just do it as an intact dissection.

Also removed more eggs from various stems -- all in the central patch I believe. 

Saw a SVB moth laying eggs today :-(((((

Saw a SVB moth laying eggs this morning during the morning rounds.  Witnessed her laying eggs (i.e. she wasn't just flying around for the fun of it).

Garlic harvesting is underway (started ~1 week ago)

About a week ago I started harvesting the occasional garlic here and there, several more today.  The cloves look decent -- not huge by any means, and some smaller than others, but healthy-looking.

Butternut: Pollinated the one in the SE area, inward, close to ground cherry plant

Butternut:  Pollinated the one in the SE area, inward, close to ground cherry plant.

Bees galore in the mornings (not bumblebees)

The squashes and zucchinis are abuzz with bees every morning when I do the morning rounds.  They aren't bumblebees, they're much smaller.  Pretty sure they're bees, not wasps.

I assume they are the reason why the males have no pollen left on them.  The pollen tends to have fallen into the bottom of the flower.  So I've been having a harder time doing the pollination, using whatever pollen I can get.  Hopefully the bees are doing it anyway, but I'm continuing, just in case.

Several more butternuts on the way

Wow, after the slow start the butternuts are really rolling in now.  Exciting!

Hopefully the dread pirate SVB won't ruin the day.

Put the vertical butternut into a sling

Put the vertical butternut into a sling, just in case, to help out the vine.

Next year: Grow potatoes in pots

Didn't grow potatoes this year because they haven't done well for me and there wasn't room.  (Except for a few volunteers near the compost, leftover from past years.)  Next year, try growing them in pots.

Very good video:

https://www.growveg.com/guides/how-to-successfully-grow-potatoes-in-containers/


Some key points from the video:

- choose early varieties (70-90 days)

- minimum pot size of 3 gallons / 10 litres

- ensure pot has good drainage

- don't cut the potatoes; instead, trim all but the strongest 2-3 eyes, then plant intact, eyes up

- cover with 4" soil; once leaves grow 4" above soil, add more soil, leaving tips of plants above ground each time

An onion had leek moth, but no caterpillars found in dissection

One of the onions in the garlic patch clearly had some leek moth eggs/caterpillars hatch and enter the "leave"s.  Pulled the onion, sliced it apart carefully -- and didn't find any caterpillars inside.  Bottom-most stem seemed totally intact.  Re-planted it.

Pollinated the butternut near the giant jumbo

Pollinated the butternut near the giant jumbo.  If it takes, it will be the third butternut.

A cucumber surprise!

Yay, a second cucumber has taken!  Found it by accident.  Will be another week or so before harvestable.

Small black beetles found in squash and cucumber flowers

Argh, yet another insect wanting to eat my cucumbers and squash plants.

Started noticing these a few days ago.  They look the size of flea beetles.  I haven't tested to see if they jump, to see whether they are flea beetles, or something else.

A second butternut appears to have taken

The one right at the SE wooden post of the central patch.  Pollinated it a few days ago, and it's looking very good so far.  Today, it measures 4" tip to tip (excluding flower).  Curious to see how many days it takes to grow and mature, will like to know this for future, for example to know if the ones just appearing now have a chance...

Berry alley seasonal status

Raspberries:  Some normal red raspberries and black raspberries, but not a whole lot.  Some were on the main stretch, others scattered throughout the trails.  The main alley has a bit stretch of what look like off-year bushes -- maybe next year will have lots.

Thimbleberries:  Two!  Just starting.  Many more on the way.  Will come back in a couple of weeks.

Blackberries:  Definitely not ripe yet, but lots on the way along the main alley.

Ground cherries:  Didn't see any plants at all.

Removed 15 SVB eggs, all from central patch

Removed 15 SVB eggs, all from central patch.  Did this by sitting down and just looking, then moving a few feet and repeating.

Didn't see any on zucchini plants.

Fewer cucumber beetles now

Seems to be a lot fewer cucumber beetles now. 

Four zukes hand-pollinated today -- will they all set?

Four zukes hand-pollinated today -- will they all set?

On the main four plants:

- northmost of the three at the kitchen door
- air conditioner south side
- air conditioner north side
- solo by the tomatoes

A lot of gorgeous male flowers in the central patch this morning, mostly without beetles though it was only 6:20am.

Ground cherry update

Central patch:  Both tall and vigorous, forced tall to outgrow the giant squash leaves surrounding them.  The south one continues to be a bit bigger than the north one.  Lots of flowers.  No harvest yet (other than a few sporadic ones in earlier days).  Hoping the shading of the lower leaves/fruit by the squash leaves won't be an issue.

By the compost bin:  A nice size, coming along though not as big as the central patch.  Have harvested a few here and there.

Container:  Growth remains stunted following its initial surge.  Harvested some today.  Not many more fruit/flowers on this one.

Air conditioner:  The smallest of all.  No idea why it didn't thrive. 

Container tomatoes rallying!

On July 4th I posted that all three container tomatoes officially looked terrible.

Now, they're rallying!

- The worst-looking one (in the biggest pot, which has not yet produced anything, whose leaves have all turned mega-purple and which hasn't grown an inch in the past month or so) suddenly has a few flowers.  Not sure if they'll take, but it's a sign of life...

- The cherry, which I re-potted into a slightly larger container about two or three weeks ago now looks great!  The leaves have come back to life, and there is new growth!  Have harvested about 10 cherry tomatoes so far.

- The other one, from which I've harvested two or three tomatoes so far, also seems to be coming back to life.

Only one cucumber has set so far

Jeez, so far only one cucumber has set.  It will be ready in a couple of days.  Actually, this is on par with 2017, when the first cuke harvested was on July 25th.  (Not sure how 2018 went.)

I wonder if they have been more susceptible to the cucumber beetles...

Still lots of cucumber and japanese beetles (relocating them)

I'm out there morning, noon, and night (well, noon only on days off), still finding quite a few cucumber and Japanese beetles.

Next year I will be on those cucumber beetles from day one!

Winter squash update: Butternut and jumbo pink banana

Butternut:  The only fruit that has set so far is a beauty on the vertical frame.  It set a few weeks ago and is looking great so far, though has a ways to grow still.  The central patch one has some promising looking new not-yet-flowered ones on the way, and also one on the SE corner that flowered today, hope it took (I'm pretty sure I helped it out this morning).

Jumbo pink banana:  One huge one!  Wow!  Ginormous!  Very cool.  Also another one that's halfway to hugeness.  Also another one that seemed to have took, but then seems to have stalled out on the NE corner.  Several recently flowered in the past few days, not sure yet if they took.

All zucchini plants have slowed production

Not many more promising-looking juvenile zucchinis around.......................  I hope this isnt' the end for all of them!

Wild raspberries

Wild raspberries don't seem to have had a great year.  Just not a lot out there.  Things look dry and shrivelled.  Some clusters of good berries here and there, though.

The patch behind the mall seems to be on its no-fruit year.  Hopefully next year will be a bumper crop!

SVB found inside zucchini leaf stem!!!!!!!!!! (tiny worm) -- and found another SVB moth in central patch

The nice late start zucchini north of the air conditioner had a tiny SVB worm inside a leaf's stem!!

While inspecting the plant I noticed some moist green bits on a leaf stem, down low close to the main "vine".  So I wiped the most bits away and felt the stem, and it was soft there, and it collapsed under my pressure.  So, I used scissors to cut the leaf off.  Sure enough, there was a tiny SVB worm right near the hole.

It begins.........  the clock is ticking.

Also, around 7:30pm while watering the garden I found a SVB moth hanging around down in the central squash patch.

More three-lined potato beetles (adults)

Have been seeing more three-lined potato beetle adults on the central patch ground cherries the past few days.  Have been relocating them. Haven't seen larvae from this round yet, though it's hard to see the whole plants because of all the squash leaves surrounding them.

Uh oh -- best zucchini plant's new leaves look wrong. SVB damage already?

Uh oh -- best zucchini plant's (the most productive one north of the gas meter) new leaves look wrong.  They look like they're curling inward, not healthy.

SVB damage starting already?  It would be on par with the timing of last year's demise starting...

Looked at the stem but couldn't see a hole, but it's big and twisty and full of cut-off zuke stems, easy to miss.

Another SVB moth seen today

Saw another SVB moth today, sitting on the ground cherry in the central patch.  Boooo.

Cucumber beetles galore

So many of them, mostly on the squashes but also some on the cucumbers.

Noticed the occasional one a few weeks ago.  Hadn't done anything about them until today when I realized they're killing the flowers so there won't be much fruit.  So, now am relocating them.  Harder to catch, but not that hard.

Swallowtail butterfly seen

Saw what I'm pretty sure was a black swallowtail butterfly fluttering around the garden, from one plant to another, staying nowhere longer than a second or two, even the parsley wasn't that interested in.

Japanese beetles in full swing

Japanese beetles have been in full swing the past week or so. 

Their favourites are:

- peas
- beans
- zinnias

They don't seem to be interested in anything else.

Capturing and relocating.

Saw two more SQB moths flying around

Saw two more SQB moths flying around.  Didn't have time to look for more eggs.

Self-seeders

These are some things that have popped up on their own this year:

- a Malabar spinach!!

- tomato plants

- cilantro

- several ground cherries (so far still tiny)

Winter squash fruiting update

Jumbo pink banana:  One definitely took, and it grew quickly at first, but now it seems to have really slowed (stopped?).  Two or three am waiting to see if they took.  A good number of other fruits getting ready to flower.

Butternut:  Will it be a flop crop?  So far, only one that is looking decent:  One the vertical frame; hasn't flowered yet.  Three or four others were very early fizzlers (pre-flowering and while still tiny).  The vines in the central plot are very prolific but nothing looking very promising at this point.

Pea harvest pretty much over

Just a few last peas on the vine to grow a little more, then it will be over.  Vines have started dying.

It was a good harvest.  Scooter enjoyed it too.

SVB eggs!!!! and worm!!!! and mystery hole!!!!!! and 2 more adults!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Argh!!!!!

Spent close to an hour diligently inspecting the zucchinis (mostly the younger, less bushy ones) and parts of the winter squashes, picked off about 20 eggs.  Most of the eggs were on the stems of the leaves.  One or two were on ... a flower; a main vine; a baby zuke.  I don't think any were on leaves.  Removed them.  Most were solo eggs, though there was small spaced out "cluster" of ~5.

Then, I arrive at the old zukes and what do I see:  not one, but two adults flying around, laying more eggs!  At least I was able to have visual confirmation that what I thought were the eggs, were indeed.  They are very tiny, size of a pinhead.  The adults fly around high and low, right to the low stems/vines under all the leaves.  A single adult lays many eggs :-((((((

And, while looking for eggs, I happened to find a tiny worm (on top of a leaf or stem, can't remember which), which I can only imagine is an egg that hatched.

And, noticed an actual hole but no frass, on the solo bigger young zuke near the air conditioner.  Used a knife to slit and try to find a worm, but didn't find one.  Will the plant survive my knife?

Found some good articles:

http://groweat.blogspot.com/2015/07/squash-vine-borer-educational.html

https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/squash-vine-borer-vegetables

https://blackgold.bz/beating-squash-vine-borers/ (good photo of tan frass)

Some varieties that may be less susceptible, for next year (https://homeguides.sfgate.com/squash-resistant-squash-vine-borer-77620.html):

- yellow crookneck

- Waltham butternut

- green-striped cushaw

- hubbard

- cucuzzi

-

Squash vine borer wasp seen among squash!!!!!

Oh no!  Saw an unmistakable squash vine borer wasp flying in and out of the squash today (central patch).  Red/black with those three dots.

I had removed the floating row cover from the other central part several weeks ago,

and,

the zucchinis near the kitchen door had outgrown their floating row cover in the past week or two so the cover had been loosely flying over it with many leaves coming out from under it.

The only benefit I can think of from my late start zucchinis is that I'll be able to much more easily inspect the stem for damage, since those plants are so much smaller / less bushy.

What can I do now for the bigger plants though?  Way too many leaves/stems to inspect for eggs.

Pea harvest in full swing

Pea harvest has been in full swing the past week or so.

Seems to be two different kinds of snap peas:  a lighter green which is less sweet (icicle?) and darker green more sweet (typical sugar snap?).

Container tomatoes officially look terrible

All three of them.  Leaves rusted, yellow-tinged, shrivelly.  Booo.  Even the one in the really big pot.

Two of the three planted tomatoes are looking great.  The other isn't thriving.

Small black/mottled non-jumping beetles found on underside of tomato leaf

Small black/mottled non-jumping beetles found on underside of tomato leaf (one of the potted tomatoes).  Can't figure out what they are.  An equal number of tiny white eggs were also on the underside of this leaf, presumably they hatched from the eggs.  They don't seem to be actually eating the leaf.

A few ground cherries harvested

Have harvested a few ground cherries so far.  Two or three every few days.