The latest technique for fending off cucumber beetles: Insect Pop-Up nets. After years of little success with cucumbers, I’m hoping these will do the trick. Planting Day May 29 3′ x 6′ Low Insect Pop-Up in position. Little cucumber seedlings nestled safely inside, with the Wire Cucumber Trellis in place. About 10 years ago, cucumber beetles took up residence in my vegetable garden and since that time I haven’t b…
Here in our Intervale display gardens the Insect Pop Up Nets have been a big success. The cucumber beetles have been shut out. Two cucumber trellises in a raised bed, covered with a tall Insect Pop Up Net. Between the two rows of cucumber plants is a row of fernleaf dill (the kind of dill that’s grown for its foliage rather than its seedheads). The net will come off as soon as the plants begin to flower. By then, I hope, most of the b…
Can you train a cucumber to climb like a pea? Cucumber plants with pea fence in place. Inside the enclosure. Ready for chilly spring nights. I’ve been using galvanized wire tomato cages for about 15 years now, and most of the originals are still in service. I prefer them over stakes or ladders (most readers of this blog agree) because they are easy to use (no pruning or tying) and I like b…
…nd what went into producing it. So how come I can’t have the right to know what’s in the food I buy in the store? That’s the goal of the Just Label It campaign, which last month submitted a record-breaking 1.1 million signatures to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in favor of labeling genetically engineered (GE) foods. And in polls by ABC, MSNBC, NPR, the Washington Post, Consumer Reports and others, consistently…
…use the milder red or white onions rather than yellow onions. I also like to add a few red pepper slices to each jar for color (see photo, above). Bread-and-Butter Pickles from Putting Food By 6 lbs medium cucumbers 1 1/2 cups sliced onions 1 large garlic cloves, left whole 1/3 cup salt 2 trays of ice cubes 4 1/2 cups white sugar 1 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 1/2 tsp celery seed 2 tbsp mustard seed 3 cups white vinegar Wash the cucumbe…
…ate each class or one side gets broken and we don’t want to throw out the entire bed. The students also like making diamond shaped beds. I love the Grow Beds! I have no trouble keeping them watered because … I have more than 100 little gardening angels who feel quite important running through the gardens with their watering cans. I’m not sure how many Grow Beds I have used. We have a tabbouli Grow Bed (mint, parsley, tomato, chives, onions), a…
…awn with blue garden beds in the next year. So please, don’t stop selling them! When did you start? The garden was built in January. Thank God for our beautiful southern California weather. I live in Sunset garden zone 18, in the San Fernando Valley. Piper What about the white fencing? Decorative or functional? The fencing was for one reason, and her name is Piper, my 3-pound (at the time) black poodle mix puppy. As soon as I put the fenci…
We love to hear and see how you use our products. You tell us when you call, you send e-mail, letters and pictures. We see your photos on our wall on Facebook. Check out some of the shots we’ve received in the last few months: We love to hear and see how you use our products. You tell us, you send e-mail, letters and pictures. More and more, we see your postings on Facebook. Check out some of the shots we’ve received in the last…
Though cold winds chill the air and snow blankets much of the U.S., pesticide use remains a hot topic — and not only among gardeners. The most recent comments come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Environmental Health, whose December 2012 policy statement makes a clear link between pesticide exposure and children’s health problems. Published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the 60,000-member AAP, “Pesticide Ex…
…en the earth-friendly ones. At first, I tried neem, a relatively harmless spray that does wonders on aphids and controls blackspot on roses. It worked to control the larvae the first year, but I had to spray frequently (every 10 to 15 days). The second year, I couldn’t keep the larvae under control. My lily crop was hit hard, and I got few blooms. Last year, I decided to resort to a systemic called imidacloprid. The results were instantaneo…