New England June 2014

Uh oh. This doesn't sound good.

The little bugger(s) got 14 out of my 18 sunflowers I'd started.  The remaining 4 are being watched over by a trail cam so I can be sure who the culprit is but I have a pretty good idea based on the evidence of this toothmark...



...on this poor little thing that was almost 5" tall already and I thought had passed the danger zone:



Other casualties:



Know that this is the second planting of sunflowers.  NO, the third.  There are still 3 survivors from the second planting.  The first planting never had a chance.  They got uprooted and chawed almost as soon as they poked out of the ground.

So far, that's all the 'munk has gotten but I'm ascared, VERY ascared of what he might do if he gets into the actual SFG.  (The plants he's been getting are along the foundation planting in front of the house but only a few feet from the SFG area.)

Can't wait to hear your trail cam results!

@mollyhespra wrote:The little bugger(s) got 14 out of my 18 sunflowers I'd started.  The remaining 4 are being watched over by a trail cam so I can be sure who the culprit is but I have a pretty good idea based on the evidence of this toothmark...



...on this poor little thing that was almost 5" tall already and I thought had passed the danger zone:



Other casualties:



Know that this is the second planting of sunflowers.  NO, the third.  There are still 3 survivors from the second planting.  The first planting never had a chance.  They got uprooted and chawed almost as soon as they poked out of the ground.

So far, that's all the 'munk has gotten but I'm ascared, VERY ascared of what he might do if he gets into the actual SFG.  (The plants he's been getting are along the foundation planting in front of the house but only a few feet from the SFG area.)

Are you planning any steps against the chipmunks?

I saw some chipmunks and two rabbits in my yard today.  I know what I'm going to do about the chipmunks but not sure about the rabbits.

cpl, my preference is to exclude the critters rather than lay out traps or try to poison them. 

I already have a tall critter fence against the deer & woodchucks & bunnies & bears that has worked very well.  I *could* lay down some electric wire low enough to give the 'munks a good zap, but first I'm going to try luring them away from the garden by strategically leaving some sunflower seeds on the other side of the yard, waaaay away from the garden proper.  I'm also thinking of getting some clumps of used kitty litter and placing them along where I think it's path of travel is...of course, that might invite the neighborhood strays (mine are all indoor cats) to mark my house, but that could be a small price to pay if they also go a'huntin' for chipmunks while they're here.

We've always had a lot of chipmunks around the house but they've never bothered the garden until this year.  I think the combination of a new bird feeder just outside the critter fence this past winter and my panting sunflowers all along the path from their burrow in the rock wall to said bird feeder has created the perfect chipmunk trail of destruction.

Wish me luck!

FYI the New England Cottontail is being considered for status as a threatened species. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=g3aWU-WZKo-KyATLzICYBw&url=http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/necotton.fs.pdf&cd=2&ved=0CCQQFjAB&usg=AFQjCNHAA8ozDiC42vkDnFNlD8KK9a6EEw&sig2=mwnN2wcuFqfeWykKYf6lhg

Rabbit fencing is available.

Got the cabbage worms under control but now I have found these little guys. Online research says aphids? But these look pinkish in color. They are on the under sides of leaves only. Affecting the broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage. 

A couple cabbage plants had the centers eaten away but are now growing leaves. Will they form heads or should I just pull them out? 

Yick! I don't think we've seen cabbage worms up this way yet, have we? I haven't, but I haven't looked really closely either (at the broccoli).

I don't know about cabbage lyndeeloo because I don't grow it. I think I tried one year but it got torn to shreds and then we don't really eat cabbage anyway so I gave up.

Yep, that looks like a juicy pink aphid to me!  They can come in lots of colors, I don't know what variables are involved.

But regardless of their color, if you shoot them with a sharp spray/jet of water it kills them.  Be careful not to damage your plants while you're at it, though.

As to the head on the cabbage thing, you've got me there.  I don't grow cabbage either, so I don't know.  My guess is that if the crown has been damaged, mother nature will maybe try to grow smaller heads around the damaged area, so you may wind up with a few minis instead of one maxi cabbage head, but that's just conjecture on my part.

Good luck!

Is it Boffer or Plantoid that quarters the stem of his brassicas after the first harvest to force new side growth.  Might be worth a try.

Kay


found this

http://squarefoot.creatingforum.com/t15402-cabbage-re-heading?highlight=regrowing+cabbage

Thanks all! Mixed a little dish soap and water and sprayed the little devils. Now I'll break out the garden hose and have at it. I checked out the rest of the gardens and they are on the artichokes too. Yuk. 

Thanks Kay and Mollyhespra! I won't pull the cabbage yet and see what happens.

You're welcome!  BTW, did you use dish detergent or dish soap?  There is a difference.  I use Castille soap in my garden.

I used the inexpensive dish soap with a lemon scent. I read somewhere citrus scent deters some insects, so I figured it might help. When it's gone I'll invest in the Castille soap.

My chocolate lab keeps my chipmunks away!

Lyndeeloo: I didn't mean to imply that Castile soap is the only thing good for the garden.  I was trying to ask if your soap is actually soap or detergent.  If it is soap then you're probably OK.  I learned this lesson the hard way when I used dish detergent and burned my plants because I didn't know the difference.     That's why I posted that link above, so you/others don't do what I did and kill their plants with kindness, literally.

2Soo Crew: does your Lab do house-calls?   

No worries Mollyhespra, I agree, I heard Castille was the best. Unfortunately I'd already bought the other stuff. Hate to throw it out and it really isn't very good for the dishes. I'm spoiled I only like Dawn for dishes. 

Yes, +1 on the chocolate lab making house calls. I found out it is a chipmunk that's after the strawberries. No slugs, no bugs, just the chipmunk. Saw him trying to find a hole in the netting today. My dogs don't seem to have a clue when it comes to chipmunks. Today's harvest.

What happened to our rain today? Grrr.

My squash plant has a blossom! Hasn't opened yet but it's there. Hmm. Time to tent yet? But hmm, don't want to tent when they're blossoming. Maybe I'll just tent all the others.

Lyndeeloo, those strawberries look delicious! 

All, how hard is it to post a video of the garden? Thinking of that instead of photos.

I can't get my pictures to upload

Is anyone else using an IPad?


No berries in Northern Michigsn yet- just blossoms


No house calls for my lab!  - LOL

CapeC....Those are lovely pics.

I can't help anyone on pics or videos any more since I got Win 8.1.  I just can't do much with it.  It was the worst decision I ever made, buying it.  My DDIL doesn't seem to have the time to help me as she promised when I bought it and its too late to take it back so I have to live with it.

In the meantime, I live vicariously thru all my friends here that post their garden pix.  Thank you everyone.

Update on the peppers situation here.  Something ate another of my sweet pepper plants.  I'm glad I transplanted more than I initially planned.

QB, sorry about your frustration with 8.1. No one likes it. But if you buy a new computer, that's what they offer I guess.

@NHGardener wrote:QB, sorry about your frustration with 8.1. No one likes it. But if you buy a new computer, that's what they offer I guess.

Yes, it is.  I have it on my laptop and can't stand it!  Maybe it's a generational thing because my son has it on his laptop and says it's not bad.

I think it is bad.  From what I understand, there is no one who really likes it and the 'next generation' of Windows is being created.

My (new) pepper  plants are getting eaten too. Slugs. I may have to get more if they still have them at the hardware store. They were such green, beautiful, strong looking little plants, but it didn't take much time for leaves to get stripped on some of them. This evening I was out there pulling slugs off those and the green bean plants, and throwing the slugs into the maxwell house soapy water container I have out there. It starts to stink after a while.

Last year (or maybe it was the year before) the slugs did a number on the potato plants, but the potato bed this year is untouched.

I frequently see the garter snake in the garden, I hope he's doing a number on the slugs. He must be eating something.

Other than that, it's probably a good approach for me to go out there at dusk every night and pull the slugs. They're leaving the peas alone this year, which is interesting.

Rain tomorrow!

Edit: Reading up on slug control, one suggestion is placing pine needles on top of your soil. I might try that.

use a board trap