SQUASH BUGS!!!

Squash Bugs Have Arrived!

 © University of Maryland, College of Agriculture  & Natural Resources

I can't write a post any better than the one I am linking to below on these critters. There is even a link to download the PDF:

SQUASH BUGS IN HOME GARDENS 

Although I do disagree greatly with this statement:

Squash bugs are less important to control later in the growing season. Late season or fall feeding is not considered serious.

My experience last year was to the contrary. I waged a full on, dedicated battle against them and lost in the end. They killed all of my butternut, spaghetti squash, pumpkin, zucchini and cantaloupe plants.

Partly due to the number of gardens that had been left go and were no longer being maintained. The squash bugs were running rampant. It's important in a community garden that you be aware of pests that may be inhabiting your plot and work to control them.

Getting to know your garden neighbors and working together is a great way to learn new homemade remedies and method, as well as reduce population numbers.

Some Quick important notes about Squash Bugs:

• They primarily attack squash, pumpkins, and also cucurbits, such as cucumbers.
• Check leaves regularly and crush any eggs. Usually found on undersides of stems and leaves (photos available at link provided above). I found some among flower clusters.
• It is important to identify nymphs early, adult squash bugs are difficult to kill.
• Remove plant debris around the garden to reduce potential hiding spots.
• Clean up cucurbits vines and any other plant matter or debris in your garden in the fall to reduce the number of overwintering sites.

Natural Garden Remedies

Well, it's that time of year when the heat of summer really starts to set in, and along with that the insects.  Here are few natural, homemade remedies that are easy to make and contain no toxic chemicals.

Insecticidal Soap

Inside a spray bottle, Add
1 Quart of water
1-2 Tbsp Liquid Castile Soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Peppermint, which is an easy to find brand)

Start with 1 Tbsp to first see how tolerant your plants are. If the infestation is heavy and it seems your plants are tolerating the applications well, then increase gradually.

Very useful in combating soft bodied pests such as Aphids and Spider Mites.

Here's a how to video from Lisa Bronner making and using insecticidal soap:





Powdery Mildew
Another home remedy I've tried in the past and seems to help a bit for Powdery Mildew is to mix:

1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Quart water
a few drops of pure liquid soap (again, Dr. Bronner's is a good one)

Spray on leaf surfaces and undersides of affected plants once per week. Be sure to trim off dying or severely affected leaves and to disinfect your gardening shears with bleach afterwards so you do not contaminate other plants with the spores.

Recipe Wednesday: Green Beans

This weeks Recipe Wednesday features some ideas for all the green beans that are currently being harvested.  If the leaves of your plants are looking lacy and skeletonized, the reason is pesky little Mexican Bean Beetles. Click Here to learn more about them.

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Green Beans with Lemon & Garlic Sauce

Makes 6 Servings

1 lb fresh green beans
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Steam green beans over boiling water until slightly tender and bright green. Remove beans and place in serving bowl.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in small saucepan over low heat.

Add garlic, and let sweat until aromatic, approximately 5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and squeeze the lemon through a small strainer into pan. Add salt and whisk sauce together.

Pour sauce over beans and toss to coat.

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Dilled Green Beans

1 pound green beans
Fresh Dill
Feta Cheese
Red Onion
Fat Free Italian Dressing

Cut the beans into bite sized peices and blanch for about 7 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Add dill, feta and onion to taste and toss with dressing. Serve chilled.

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Minted Green Beans (Rachel Ray)
 

1 to 1-1/2 lbs fresh green beans (cleaned and stem ends clipped off)
Olive Oil
1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
10 mint leaves chopped
small handful of fresh parsley chopped

Heat skillet on medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp olive oil. When hot, add green beans and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, and simmer for 5-10 minutes until desired tenderness. Remove from heat and add mint and parsley, stir well.

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Pickled Green Beans
 

2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
8 sprigs fresh dill weed
4 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 1/2 cups water

Cut green beans to fit inside pint canning jars.

Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, for 3 minutes. Plunge beans into ice water. Drain well.

Pack the beans into four hot, sterilized pint jars. Place 1 clove garlic and 2 sprigs dill weed in each jar, against the glass. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to each jar.

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring vinegar and water to a boil. Pour over beans.

Fit the jars with lids and rings and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Recipe Wednesday: ZUCCHINI

This weeks recipes... Ways with Zucchini!! These simple, quick to prepare recipes, are great ways to quickly use up the massive amounts of zucchini that even one plant can produce. Enjoy!

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Zucchini Appetizer Pizza

1 zucchini
1 small can or jar of pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese (shredded or fresh)
Basil- chopped

Cut zucchini into coin size thin pieces and place flat on a cookie sheet.  Place 1 teaspoon of sauce onto top of zucchini slice, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and then top off with chopped basil.  Put in oven and bake at 350 until zucchini is tender and cheese is melted.

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Grilled Zucchini Coins

1 zucchini
Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella, Italian Blend, Provolone, your favorite)
Olive Oil
Fresh Chopped Herbs or McCormick's Herb Blend (or any favorite herb blend)

Slice Zucchini into 3/8" thick coins. Rub both sides with olive oil and fresh or dried herbs of your choice. I usually clip a sampling of whatever i have growing. Grill on low-medium flame for a few minutes, flip over and sprinkle with cheese. Let cook few more minutes until just tender as they will continue to soften after you take them off the grill. 

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Zucchini Frittata

4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C buttermilk
4 oz can diced gr. chiles (or fresh!!)
1/4 C parsley, chopped
2 C grated Jarlsberg or Monterey Jack
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp tarragon
8 med zucchini, chopped & steamed
1 C seasoned croutons, crushed
1/4 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 9 ingredients. Mix well. Fold in zucchini. Transfer to 8" square baking pan, greased and dusted w/ half the crushed croutons. Sprinkle w/ remaining croutons and dot w/ butter. Bake 45 min. or until set. Serves 8.

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One Good Bug... Lady Beetles

While there are a lot of bad bugs in the garden, there are also some good one's, and the Lady Beetle is no exception!

Everyone is familiar with one's that look like this:

But...did you know that there are over 450 species found in North America?  Some are good, some are bad (like the Mexican Bean Beetle), some are native and some were introduced from foreign countries.

Around here, there are several varieties you might find in your garden.  Which is great news because many species of Lady Beetles feed on aphids and other soft-bodied pests.

You can attract Lady Beetles by planting pollen and nectar flowers and leaving weeds such as dandelions, wild carrot and yarrow in and around your garden.

And while these may look scary...

...resist the temptation to squash them, they are all different stages of the Lady Beetle life cycle, from newly hatched (1st photo) to a pupal stage (last photo). And they are voracious eaters of pests like aphids!!

Here are some other types of Lady Beetles you might see in your garden...

2-Spotted Lady Beetle

7-Spotted Lady Beetle

10-Spotted Lady Beetle

Spotted Lady Beetle

Community Gardens Rules & Regulations

As a general reference, the following are the Community Gardens Rules & Regulations:

In order to properly manage the gardens in the interest of safety, maintenance and appearance, the following rules and regulations are to be observed:

1.   Plots will be available for planting by April 15, (weather permitting). 

2.   Gardeners are responsible to weed and properly manage their gardens.  Tall crops should be planted only where they will not shade neighboring plots, and vining plants should be contained within the plot borders.

3.   Herbicides are not permitted; fertilizers manufactured from municipal sludge are also prohibited.  If insecticides or fungicides are used, a 2-foot unplanted border must be maintained within the plot.  Environmentally safe insecticides and fungicides are preferred.

4.   Shanties and lean-to shelters or shade stands of any kind are not permitted.  Lockers that are no larger than 2 feet high, 2 feet wide and 6 feet long are permitted.

5.   Water will be available at rain barrels and a spigot at the Horn Farmhouse.  Only hand watering, using cans or buckets, will be permitted.  Watering containers must be covered or turned upside down after use; no standing water is permitted in the garden plot areas.  In the event of drought conditions, the Center reserves the right to turn off the water.

6.   Temporary fencing of plots is encouraged.  Wood (not metal) should be used to support border fencing, and to stake plants.

7.   Trash and litter are to be cleaned from plots, adjacent pathways and fences.  Take trash and litter with you and dispose of them appropriately.

8.   Dogs and loud music are prohibited from the garden plot area.

9.   On or before October 31, gardeners must remove all non-biodegradable material (i.e., stakes, fence, wire, lumber) and any perennials from the garden.  The five stakes placed by the Center should remain.  Failure to comply may result in loss of future garden plot rental opportunity.

10.   If for any reason a plot must be abandoned the gardener should notify the Horn Farm Center.  If a plot becomes unkempt, the gardener will be given one week’s notice to clean it up before it is reassigned or tilled in.

Mexican Bean Beetles

Mexican Bean Beetle

If you are growing beans, you have most likely already spotted these 1/4" long, yellowish brown beetles.

Not sure if you have them, but you've noticed that the leaves of your beans look skeletonized and lacy. You may not have noticed these beetles because they prefer to feed from the underside of leaves.

Flip over the leaves and you will most likely find any of the following:

The above photo shows the many stages in the lifespan of a Mexican Bean Beetle, from eggs to larvae to adult beetle.

These beetles overwinter and females begin laying eggs in the spring. Eggs will hatch in about 5-14 days and the larvae feed, grow and pupate for about 2-4 weeks.  They can produce 1-3 generations per year.

Last year I experienced both a a strong early summer and late summer generation on my green beans.

Inspect your beans daily, beetles easily pick off or will drop to the ground if disturbed. Reducing populations by smashing all stages from eggs to beetles are your best defense.

A few minutes each day inspecting your plants are all it takes to manage these beetles.

Currently, I have found many, many clutches of eggs on the undersides of my bean leaves and several larvae.   I was happy to find a few Spined Soldier Beetles also on my beans which are natural predators of the the Mexican Bean Beetle.

Spined Soldier Bug

Spined Soldier Bugs also prey on caterpillars, grubs, tent caterpillars, fall armyworms, and sawfly larvae. So don't be scared of this little guy, he is a welcome addition to the garden.

Since these beetles overwinter, our best line of defense as a community garden is to reduce their numbers by destroying them in their early stages as eggs and larvae and also destroying any adult beetles as they come along.

Recipe Wednesday: Beet Rosti with Rosemary

This year I decided to grow Choggia beets, even though I don't like beets much. Friends were kind to share a lot of ideas for cooking them... Here is one recipe from a friend we tried out last night... and I loved it!!

Beet Rosti With Rosemary
(a Mark Bittman Recipe)
Yield 4 servings

Time 30 minutes

Beet Rosti

Some Notes:
Keep the heat moderate — cooking too quickly will burn the sugary outside of the pancake while leaving the inside raw. And don’t forget to wear an apron when you're grating the beets. (note: I shredded them using my food processor, less mess for sure)

Ingredients
2 pounds beets (3 very large or 4 to 6 medium)
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour (just a binder - I'm sure you can use gluten-free flour or rice flour, etc.)
2 tablespoons butter
Minced parsley or a few rosemary leaves for garnish

shredded Choggia beets

Preparation:

1. Trim beets, and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in food processor or by hand. Begin preheating 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.

2. Toss grated beets in bowl with rosemary, salt and pepper. Add about half the flour; toss well, add rest of flour, and toss again.

3. Put butter in skillet; heat until it begins to turn nut-brown. Scrape beet mixture into skillet, and press with spatula to form a round. With medium to medium-high heat -- the pancake should gently sizzle -- cook, shaking pan occasionally, until bottom of cake is nicely crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.

Slide cake onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates, and return cake to pan. Keep cooking, adjusting heat if necessary, until other side is browned, another 10 minutes or so.

Garnish, cut into wedges, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Colorado Potato Beetle

Colorado Potato Beetle

If you are growing potatoes this season, you will most definitely see this beetle. They average about 1/3" long and are a yellowish color with black stripes.

The adults (beetles) and larvae (photo below) eat the leaves of potato plants as well as tomatoes, eggplants and other related plants, including petunias.

Their voracious feeding can kill small plants and will reduce the yield of mature plants.

Colorado Potato Beetle larvae

Over several months time a female can lay 1,000 eggs, which hatch in 4-9 days.  For 2-3 weeks the larvae will feed and then drop to the ground where they will pupate in the soil, where it emerges as an adult beetle in about 5-10 days.

On a tour of the gardens last week, the Community Gardens Committee, found the larvae in many gardens.

If you have seen these on your plants your best line of defense for your garden as well as the rest of the community is to smash them.

Inspect the undersides of your leaves for the eggs and smash them as well, they look like this:

Colorado Potato Beetle Eggs

If you get a bit squeamish squashing them, lay a dropcloth beneath your plants and shake or knock the larvae or beetles onto it, then you can dump them into some soapy water.

With about 10 minutes of attention, these beetles can easily be managed without the use of chemicals, which will only push them over to another garden.

Since these beetles overwinter, our best line of defense as a community garden is to reduce their numbers by destroying them in their early stages as eggs and larvae and also destroying any adult beetles as they come along.

Recipe Wednesday: Pea & Mint Soup

Welcome to our first Recipe Wednesday!  Each week we will feature new recipes for garden veggies currently being harvested! Happy Gardening & Harvesting!

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PEA & MINT SOUP

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small leek, chopped
• 1 T fennel seeds, roasted and ground (opt)
• 4 C water
• 1 C milk (or cream, or soymilk/ricemilk in our family)
• About 1 lb fresh peas, boiled
• A handful of fresh mint, chopped (about 1 cup)
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• For garnish: cream, yogurt, parsley, mint sprigs, croutons

Heat olive oil in stock pot; add leek and saute until transparent. Add fennel powder and continue to saute until fragrant and leek is golden. Stir in water, mint and peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Stir in milk and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season w/ salt & pepper. Allow to cool slightly. Puree soup in blender or food processor (carefully!!!) until very smooth. Return to pot if reheating is needed. Serve hot w/ garnish of choice. Tasty!

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Cucumber Beetles!!!

It seems early, but apparently these voracious little beetles are already making an appearance in the garden.

You need to be aware of these little beetles if you are going to plant any member of the curcurbit family (more info below).  Last year they came out in droves. They prove troublesome to even the most experienced gardeners. A serious pest, not to be ignored.  I have found them on my emerging green beans already, whereas last year they didn't bother them.

We've compiled some helpful information and tips to help you protect your plants.

Per the Horn Farm Community Garden Rules:

• Herbicides are NOT permitted.
• If insecticides or fungicides are used, a 2 foot unplanted border must be maintained within the plot.
• Environmentally safe insecticides and fungicides are preferred.

Organic gardening is encouraged. Many of our community gardeners prefer to garden organically, please consider this as you determine the best plan of action for your fruits and vegetables.

CUCUMBER BEETLES

© The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef311.asp

Striped Cucumber Beetles (right):  yellow and are 1/4" long with black heads and three wide black stripes on wing covers. Larvae: slender white grubs.

Spotted Cucumber Beetle (left):  greenish yellow and are 1/4" long with 11 black spots on wing covers. Larvae: white, 1/2" long grubs with brown heads and brown patches on first and last segments.

Last year, the Striped Cucumber Beetle was the most prevalent although I did see a few spotted beetles.

What they Eat

squashes , pumpkins, cucumbers, gourds, watermelons, and cantaloupes

BUT.. they will also eat beans, corn, peas, and blossoms of many garden plants.

They swarm on seedlings, feeding on leaves and young shoots, often killing plants; they also attack stems and flowers of older plants and eat holes in fruit.

They lay their eggs in the soil at the base of plants in clusters over several weeks. Larvae feed on roots of plants.

Diseases they Transmit

Bacterial Wilt

© The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/images/bacwilt.jpg

Feeding beetles can transmit Bacterial Wilt and Squash Mosaic Virus.

Life Cycle:

One to Two generations per year.  One in spring, one in August. But depending on weather and temperature, peak activity can spike every 30-60 days as new generations emerge. Adults can live 60 days or more.

What to Do

1. If you see one, smash it. (Oldest gardening tip in the world.) 

2. Cover seedlings or plants with floating row covers (or frost blankets) until the initial emergence has passed or hand pollinate if desired.

These mesh covers allow sunlight and water in but keep bugs out. Unfortunately weeds will still grow under them too. Some beetles will still appear throughout summer but the populations are much lower. Cover again in early August before they reappear, or as populations start to rise, BE SURE to watch for trapped beetles under your mesh, inspect regularly!

3. Hold off planting your curcurbits until populations die down. Or start them at home in larger pots, replanting later in the spring.

4. Use Cucumber Beetle Traps (this is just one place to buy them, search around)

5. Attract beneficial insects by planting flowers and herbs that attract them.

6. Include plants that repel them in your garden.

Attract Beneficial Insects

Insects that prey on cucumber beetles and their larvae:

Tachnid flies, soldier beetles, parasitic nematodes and braconid wasps. Lacewings and ladybugs eat the eggs

Plant flowers and plants that help attract beneficial insects and also have repellent qualities.  Be aware that most sprays and chemicals used to thwart the bad insects also kill the good one's.

Here's a few:

Dill, Catmint, Gazania, Nasturtium, Yarrow, Sweet Alyssum, Dandelions, and any nectar producing plants with small flowers.

Plants that have repellent qualities:

Broccoli, calendula, catnip, goldenrod, nasturtiums, radish, rue and tansy. If you want to try marigolds to repel them use the more pungent varieties like African, French or Mexican marigolds. The more common marigolds may actually attract them.

May 15th Open House

May 15th, 2010 Horn Farm Community Gardens Open House

8:00 - 10:00 am

8:00-9:00 am  Farm House will be open

9:00 am Growing Tips Workshop - Heirloom Vegetable Patch

Official Opening of our Heirloom Garden Patches

On Saturday, May 15th, Horn Farm will host an Open House in conjunction with the opening of our Heirloom Garden Patches.

This would be a great time to come down, get some work done on your plot and meet and greet some of the other gardeners.

We'll have coffee and beverages and there will be an array of garden books from our library available for browsing.

June will be available to answer questions and we're hoping some of our more experienced gardeners will be there who are a great source of information and gardening know-how.

At 9:00 am there will be a Workshop for the Heirloom Garden patches on growing tips and a discussion on what heirloom plants are and why they are important. Community gardeners are welcome to attend.  Workshop will be held on the back porch.

Immediately following the Workshop, our Heirloom Gardeners will receive their seeds and plants and go to work on their patches.  We would love to have some of our community gardeners there as mentors and helping hands.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Planting Time - Cold Weather Crops

If you're new to gardening you're surely excited to start planting. But it's good to know what and when to start sowing seeds and starts.

Many gardeners have already been working hard at their plots and there are little sprouts of green everywhere.

When it comes to vegetables there are some that grow best in the cooler weather of spring, commonly referred to as cold weather crops, and some that prefer the warmth of summer.

Here's a handy list of some plants and seeds you'll want to get in as soon as possible and some you should hold off on for a little bit yet.

Seeds and starts you can be planting now if you haven't already because they love, love, love the coolness of spring:

• lettuces, spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards, leeks, kohlrabi
• peas
• beets
• carrots
• radish
• turnips
• broccoli
• brussel sprouts
• cabbage
• cauliflower
• onions
• garlic
• shallots
• celery

The majority of the above can easily handle a light frost, although you might want to cover delicate seedlings on a night with a frost warning.

Newspaper, frost blankets (a white mesh material made specifically to protect plants from frost), plastic containers, etc. can be used. 

Although we've had some incredibly warm weather already, be patient with plants that require warm weather, such as:

• tomatoes
• peppers
• squashes
• melons
• cucumbers
• corn
• eggplants
• pumpkins
• green beans (see note below)

While they may grow and seem fine... cold nights could cause your plants to delay production or have decreased productions.

Most likely you've purchased some these plants already (and if you haven't you might want to seek them out as they will quickly sell out as warmer weather approaches), be sure to put them outside on nice days to start to harden them off (acclimate them to outside temperatures) prior to planting.  Warmer nights they can be left out, but if temperatures drop at night into the 40's and 50's you'll want to bring them inside (a garage is fine) to protect them.

Now, as for green beans.... technically, they are a warm weather crop. But you'll find most gardeners have already started sowing seeds to get a jump start (me included). Warm soil temperatures (60 or above) are needed to germinate most seeds... and with the warm weather bursts we've been having, these seeds are probably off and growing. Just be aware of the night time temperatures, if it's going to dip down into those 40-50's or they are calling for frost, be sure to cover the seedlings that have emerged.

Still not sure when to plant?  Read your seed packets or the handy tag that comes with the little pots of started plants for the best time to plant.

If instructions state to plant after danger of frost, you'll want to wait until at least mid to late May to put them in the ground.  Or take measures to keep them warm, such as planting under a frost blanket or plastic jugs (cut off the bottom, be sure to remove them or remove the cap on warm days to let heat escape).

Still not sure?  Visit other gardeners and don't be afraid to introduce yourself and ask for guidance. Remember we are a community garden and fostering relationships with other gardeners will ensure success for all as well as make the gardening experience even more gratifying.

Now get out there and plant, plant, plant!

Welcome to Our New Blog!

Welcome to the Horn Farm Centers new Community Gardens Blog!

With the growing season underway, we wanted an easy and archivable way to keep all our gardeners up to date on happenings at the farm as well as provide you with gardening tips and information.

We're excited for the 2010 gardening season and already have seen a lot of our new and returning community gardeners busy at work on their plots.

Take some time to get to know your neighbors, share some of your gardening know how, or walk around and visit plots situated around the farm.

Successful community gardening comes from a strong community of gardeners!!

Happy Growing!