How Does Your Garden Grow?

[stlcatfan]

Thanks Purple on White. I never thought about a cutworm. I did put some leaf mulch around that pepper when I planted it, which makes a nice little home for those critters.

Then again, I did see on the Old Farmer's Almanac website that oak leaf mulch (which mine in mostly made from) helps control cutworms, so who knows? I will definitely be on the lookout.

[Number8son]

First cherry tomatoes of the season are finally here. Tasty, too. Herbs are growing crazy. Peppers will be ready to pick soon.

[ToledoCat#2]

Nuthin' growing in my garden without plenty of hose water.

[stlcatfan]

Nuthin' growing in my garden without plenty of hose water.

We've been pretty lucky in St. Louis, precipitation-wise this summer. We went through a pretty bad drought in late 2017 and early 2018, but starting around late March, the rain has been more plentiful. We have also been getting some quick pop-up afternoon storms that have given my yard some moisture.

That being said, the past couple weeks we have been pretty hot and muggy, with very little rain. I think rain is in the forecast for both here and your neck of the woods next week (I hope).

[ChemicalKat]

Somewhat related:

Just moved into a new house. The lawn was poorly kept up, almost exclusively weeds, lots of trees/shade, and there's poor drainage in the back yard. The combination has caused a mosquito infestation like I've never seen. I want to be able to enjoy the back yard.

Any ideas on how to control the mosquitoes without killing the bumblebees and butterflies I see occasionally? Obviously going to start with cutting the weeds really really short. Not really sure what to do about the drainage.

[PurpleOnWhite]

It’s imperative that you remove all standing water. Mosquitos lay their eggs in standing water (including water in old tires, cans, etc). So, imo, your drainage is likely the major culprit.

[ToledoCat#2]

And your neighbor's drainage. If they're soggy, you'll still have mosquitoes. Plan on putting up several purple martin houses next year and if the barnswallows want to nest around your house, let them. It's amazing how many mosquitoes those birds eat. Even a bat house is a possibility.

[RichardZ]

Those blue light zappers placed away from where you sit kills thousands of bugs. Of course you have to put up with zap noise, but it is better than getting Zika or West Nile.

[pipe95]

Anyone have any luck with Tomatillo plants? My wife likes salsa verde and last year planted one tomatillo. The husks were all empty. She read that you need 2 plants to help cross pollinate, so this year she planted 2. Same thing, each plant is full of husks but they are empty.

Here in central Kansas we are currently in the severe drought range. We lost our cucumber plants. We watered daily but the wife pulled them up this morning she just could not keep up with the such dry conditions. Our tomatoes, cherry's, jalapenos , and peppers are all doing "ok".

[Number8son]

Never tried tomatillo, but they sound interesting to grow.