It must be green.....
Assasin Bugs on Tomatoes
And you serve chili con queso with it....
Green Queso......
I don't even want to know why the queso is green......
tomato hookworms
LOL But I think you mean hornworms. That makes it ROTFLBO
ooops, yuk......typo!
ooops, yuk......typo! what's ROTFLBO?
Uh....rolling on the floor laughing my, uh, behind off.
glad you got a laugh. i'm learning this lingo!
Sure that's "behind"?
Nope.
Bubba--they are still doing well here. Still wet from yesterday's late afternoon deluge. (the 2 big ones in your bag April)
This message was edited Jun 3, 2006 10:44 AM
I just wish I could get around the tomato plants to weave my rangoon creeper in and out of the lattice before it gets too big.
Thse guys are also really happy--but a few will be history this weekend--I need to at least be able to weave the rangoon creeper on one side of the lattice.
Bubba-
And the most productive, compact hybrid variety I have ever grown were these Hard Rocks (the little ones in your bag April).
A definite repeatter for the fall garden.
This message was edited Jun 3, 2006 10:46 AM
Debbie, we are envious of your lattice!
The tomatoes aren't too shabby either.
LOL No, not shabby at all....
I found the red w/ black legs nymphs on a volunteer sunflower plant last month, just this morning I found a huge number of the adults. Searched the web, and found the pests at this web site:
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/aimg65.html
Tex. A&M extension site...good photos--including the nymph stage photo.. Adults common name: Leaf-footed bug. No mention if it bites, anyone have any experience with them? I know they chased me when I accidently hit the vine they were on.
Yep , that's him. They're not going to attack you, if that's what you mean. But if you handle them, they'll check you out, or "bite" as a defense response. And that will hurt..... BTW, this nymph stage is when they are easiest to get rid of because they can't fly.
CJ
No kidding on the "hurt" part. I have scars on knuckles for proof! Now, I'm so scared of these little devils I run when I see them flying.
Thanks y'all,
Too busy this weekend to keep up with DG. Worked in mine.
CIrcle-S jalapeno wine has some heat, but is a white wine - I use for marinating meat and also for a mushroom side dish I created. Started to be some sauted mushrooms for our steaks, but went WAY beyond that.
The Leaf-footed attack continues - but all adults now, so I know they are flying in. The one I chased out flew as high as 30' and left the back yard, so horizontal flight was well over 150'. Killed a couple this morning. Still have not found any on the other tomatoes - just the grapes.
Some if the indoor ripening yellows are unbelievably sweet - wish some would turn on the vine. Some were hidden and exploded with all the excess water, but thats all. need to do some pruning then I replant next time.
None of the big uglys are turning, even the ones inside - maybe they are all destined to become fried green tomatoes.
SweetArlene, that is a magnificent picture if the nymph.
I lost a lot with last weeks rain. And now, my cucs are looking horrible. The only things growing well are my okra and peppers....and basil (it's going nuts!). Think I'm going to pick the last 40 or so and just dig everything else up.
I've decided that I'll only grow tomatoes, cucs and basil in the future. The rest of the beds are going to be for flowers.
And I want to experiment with some different kinds of tomatoes. Any suggestions are most welcome!
PS....I've started takin my flyswatter out there before I pick. I'm sure my neighbors think I've lost it.
Ceejay,
You mentioned earlier about blossom end rot. I have quite a bit of that on one of my plants. That's why I think I'll pull it up. Any suggestions for future prevention?
"It's not getting the water it needs at a critical time for the calcium intake".....I was watering every morning with a wand but I apparently wasn't doing a good job. Should I switch to a different method of watering? I haven't had this problem in years past (nor the stinkbug infestation) and my tomatoes have always been my FAVORITE! Maybe I'm just smothering them with too much love. Also, I read somewhere that you shouldn't plant the same veggies in the same place year after year. Is this true?
Sorry for so many questions but....I'm learning!
Kristi
Kristi,
Most of us don't have the luxury of rotating the crops. Great, if you can do it. That's a disease control mechanism.
Usually hand watering doesn't get enough water to the plant where the roots are. It is more surface. The recommendation is 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week, given in one, possibly two applications per week. (I prefer two applications, so that means about 3/4 inch twice a week. Especially when it gets hot.) That is based upon a nice loamy soil. If your soil is more sandy, you will have to do it more frequently, because it drains away quickly. If it is more clay, it will hold more water, and you can probably get away with the minimum. In theory that amount will moisten 6" down - getting to where the roots grow, and making the roots go deeper in search of the water. They are protected and cooler there. Surface watering may moisten the soil for only a couple of inches, and the roots stay near the moisture, at the surface, and are subject to all the drying effects of sun and wind. The plant dries out quicker and is less healthy as a result. One method to determine if you're watering enough is to place straight sided cans around randomly (one end cut out - tuna cans or those little pet food cans are great) and see how long it takes to water that 1 or 1 1/2 inches. You'd be surprised. You can use a hose end sprinkler that lays on the ground for better coverage.
Another practice that is recommended is planting the tomato plant on its side with just the top few inches (and leaves) sticking up out of the soil. It will grow roots all along the stem, and more roots makes for a stronger plant.
I think this year's very mild winter may have been a problem, too. There were just that many more insects to contend with, because there were no freezes to control them.
You also said something about being near an uncultivated area, I believe. Many of the pests overwinter on weeds and are all ready in the spring to spill over into your yard when your plants are looking a lot better than those old raggedy weeds they've been decimating. Something you really can't control, unless the weeds are in your yard.
This is a really great tomato growing site: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/yardandgarden/article/0,16417,191671-1,00.html
And now, back to work. You know what I should be doing!!!
CJ
Go to your Hummers! But thank you so much.
I was told about planting the plants with just the top few inches above ground and I did that. But I didn't do it sideways! I'll try that next time. And I love the can idea. Obviously, wand watering just isn't cutting it. My soil is clay but we tilled it and mixed approximately 3 yards of a good garden dirt/soil/sand mixture to about a depth of 2 1/2" feet and mixed it in. So soaking sounds like the method I need to go and maybe 3x per week (since I have both clay and sand)? Also, I am not a good mulching momma. Guess I need to take better care there.
That would bring me to my next question......and please....take care of your program before you respond....this is not urgent at all.
Is a mulcher worth purchasing? If so, what are "good things" to use in the mulcher? Pine needles and pruned trees? Maybe I should start a thread? I just really like your info!!!!! ;>}
Oh, and yes, I have the pasture beside me with lot's of overgrowth. I never thought about the mild winter and bug infestation but it certainly makes good sense. Just never would have put the two together.
Ooooohhh..."This Old house"......my husband is a loyal follower.
Ha! You know me....
Do you mean a chipper/shredder? We have one and we love it. DH grinds up all our stuff - the woodier stuff and bigger stuff, but then we compost it. Composts quicker that way. We don't add grass because we let it fall to help the lawn. So the only green that goes in is clippings from pruning and pinching back - that sort of thing. I use pine straw (pine needles) for mulch. They don't wash away, they break down in a moderate amount of time and enrich my soil, and they really do cut down on weeds. We mulch in the fall, for winter, and in the spring when the soil warms up, after we put down the compost we've made. The pine needles break down in about 6 months so the timing is good.
You are too funny! Yes, chipper/shredder is what I meant. Thanks! I'll google 'em in a little while. I have lots of pine needles to contend with.
My DW bought one for me a few years ago - Sears 5hp. Takes up to 2.5" limbs, and the main chute can be placed horizontal so I can sweep / rake leaves into it, or be locked upright for normal brush. I shred all the limbs from prunings - lugustrum, live oak, sycamore, etc. Whenever the brush pile is about 6' high, I spend a few hours. Usually 3 times a year. Makes fast work of the sycamore leaves in the fall - would fill several 7 bushel bags if I did not shred and use as mulch.
Just looked at them on line.....think I need to beg my husband for an anniversary present.
Just let him hear the sound of one - RROOAARR!!!! and he won't be able to resist. Kind of a guy thing. (Did you ever watch Tim Allen on Home Improvement?)
Mwah, ha, ha, ha......
that's my hubby ;>}
Better yet, bring him over for a first hand demonstration - I could use a hand for a hew hours - then all my brush would be gone. I need a little encouragement to fire it up in this heat - not much, but a little.
It appeals to us men for several reasons:
1 It is destructive - never met another man that did not enjoy tearing something up.
2. It is loud - Tim the Toolman - "More Power - UH UH", How big a limb will that thing eat?
3. It is satisfying to watch a big pile turn into a small pile - and for those of us who have gardens (or holes in the yard (thanks dog)) -what a great mulch.
Let's see if I can get him interested......I'm sure I will have to bribe him with some tools.
BTW...how big of a limb do those things eat? We recently had to SEVERELY prune my Lady Banks Rose. It had gotten so wild that it was growing halfway up an old pecan tree. This thing was GINORMOUS! But there was so much that all those scraps could have been turned into super mulch. The Old Lady is coming back with a vengeance though.....can't wait to see her smile next spring ;>}
....and.....each year's Christmas Tree.....can you fit those trunks in? We always get a Leland Cypress from a farm up near Huntsville. I hate throwing it out every year. I decided that next year, I'll keep the trunk and several branches, put it in the ground and put colored glass bottles on the limbs for some yard art. I saw it somewhere but can't remember....it was really pretty.
I've been working since this afternoon on my project, so now I'm just checking out DG before I go to bed. Honest!
If you put that tree trunk in, you'll get to pay major repair bills. LOL My DH always tries to stretch it just a wee bit bigger, and the thing ends up in the shop for 4 weeks. So don't do it. He also has ruined every pruner I've bought and they are expensive - Felcos - trying to prune that branch that really needs the bigger guys - too tired, can't remember what they're called. So now I hide mine.
I have no problem with limbs that are less than 2.5". There is a narrow chute designed for the limbs.
Regular brush, etc. goes in the main wide chute. And it will handle thumb size and smaller.
Has anyone read the tomato article in the Flavor section of today's Houston Chronicle?
Pretty funny.
I'll look for it.
BTW, do you know how many flowering plants attract hummingbirds? Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots, and even more. Whew!!
How long is your list so far? Almost finished with that program?
You need some rest!!!!!