| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Jul 21 2012 : 12:44:49 PM
So, we've had a ton of rain over the past few days... Went out to check on things today and pull up whatever squash is out there (we've got squash vine borers, so everything is going to be taken out), and I found fuzzy gray mold under most of the squash plants. It even completely consumed one of my baby patty pan squashes. I'm just sick over this. I'm going out right now to pull up what I can, and then I suppose I should use Neem Oil, right? Should I just do something to the soil, too?
I feel like I'm in gardening bootcamp! The enemy is stealthily closing upon me in the trenches... I pray I'm not losing this battle! I'm starting to weary. I need farmgirl reinforcements - and fast!
Any suggestions???
What a nasty thing!
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Aug 07 2012 : 07:50:56 AM
Thank you, Nicole! I will definitely give that a try! The fungicide actually seemed to work on some of the squash, thankfully. I left small plants of pattypan, acorn, yellow squash and spaghetti squash... I've lost the spaghetti, the yellow squash is losing ground, but thankfully I've got new growth on the pattypan and acorn squash plants - both with fruit! I'm thrilled!!!
I won't give up - don't worry! Even though I'm heartsick over what I've lost, I'm extremely thankful for what I do have and what I was able to salvage. And now I've got plenty of room for the fall plantings! All is good! Just a big ol' learning experience, right!? :) Plus in another way, I think it's a good sign that the bugs love my garden best. I must be doing something right! I would never have done so well had it not been for my farmgirl sisters sharing wisdom and advice. In the past, no matter how I tried, my garden gave very little but lettuce and zucchini. Although this year wasn't what I had hoped, I can still open my fridge, freezer and cupboards and find a wonderful assortment of wholesome, organically grown foods straight out of my garden! My farmgirl heart is happy, happy, happy!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| texdane |
Posted - Aug 06 2012 : 3:36:49 PM
Nini,
My garden was doing great, then came the mold. I also had some funny bugs on my tomato plants last month. For the tomatoes, I used a spray with water, garlic, and dish soap. Did the trick, and the tomatoes are great now. The squash was best I ever had until the rain came through, and then I got the same fuzzy mold. Used water, milk, and baking soda spray for two days and the mold is gone and back on track. Try it...don't give up. There might still be hope. I also let the plants "dry" a day before I watered again.
Sorry to hear about your troubles. It is frustrating when our hard work and efforts are squashed by mother nature!
Hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
| wooliespinner |
Posted - Aug 05 2012 : 12:54:42 PM
I had cooked my garden with black plastic but its growing in my lawn and in the woods. It ended back up in my garden. I would have to bake all 65 acres........lol. Its been a crazy summer for growing stuff thats for sure.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Aug 04 2012 : 10:16:43 AM
Thanks, girls - I'm so sorry for those of you who have it, too... I did use an organic fungicide, which seemed to do the trick, but I'll definitely cook the soil this fall... Thank you!!!! Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Jul 29 2012 : 7:32:34 PM
cook the soil for the rest of the summer, and into the fall by laying heavy black plastic down, pinning it, or use rocks/bricks, that will kill all fungus/mold and any eggs/larva in the soil...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| wooliespinner |
Posted - Jul 29 2012 : 2:54:36 PM
Nini,
we finally got rain after a long drought and we have mold too. Its even in my grass. I feel like such a gardening failure. Everytime I turn around something is killing my garden. I have blight on the tomatoes now and its really bad.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| LuckyMommyof5 |
Posted - Jul 21 2012 : 6:34:47 PM
Oh, Nini - my heart breaks for you on all the garden challenges you've had this year. I've been there and AM there right now in a lot of ways - my absolute favorite RARE (around here) tomato plant this year that I located at a Farmer's Market (it was the last one) back in May has blossom end rot from all the extreme dry heat. I've been doing all I can, but so many of the tomatoes that aren't even near big enough or even remotely ripe are rotting away and there is nothing I can do about it except water, organic fertilizer mulch and prayer. And it is really painful watching the struggle.
Last year I had a mold/fungus problem is my garden because we alternated between rain every other day and 90 degree heat for about a month solid. That same company I told you about in a previous post that makes the organic insecticide I use also makes a terrific fungicide. They also carry it at Home Depot. If it is as bad as you say, I would dig out all the effected squash, take out some of the dirt and spray this stuff HEAVILY in the area. You might want to also spray nearby plants to prevent spread (do it early morning or late evening when there is no direct sunlight - I always chose evening because I have this weird myth in my head that mold/fungus grows faster overnight - something an elderly relative who gardened once told me!)
Don't compost with the effected vegetation and when I had this problem last year I even scrubbed down the sides of my raised bed and my tomato cages and plant stakes at the end of the season.
I'm so sorry about all your patty pan squashes. It's a heartbreaker. Like you said in your post about the squash bugs - we gardeners can still be proud of our efforts - we are always in there swinging, no matter how bad the game is going. We'll learn from this year and next Spring we will still draw up our plans and poor over our seed and plant catalogs and cross our fingers.
Some things are beyond our control, but everything good in this world is always worth the effort, right?
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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