Sweet potatoes in the rainWe did get rain which is good, but they were predicting 1-2" and maybe more. I was so hopeful. But like other high predictions we have ended up with just over half an inch of rain. We needed so much more. I looked this morning and in the last month we have had 1.4" of rain. Our lowest month typically has 3.5". September is one of our wettest months at 4.5" on average. I can only hope that this rain was a shift from the pattern of summer thundershowers to the fall longer rains. We often get tropical storms coming up the coast and hitting us in the fall. We could use that. Right now the trees are starting to lose leaves from lack of rain. New England is known for its beautiful vibrant colors in the fall, but when the leaves curl up and turn brown, fall is not so pretty. The farmers have suffered too this summer. Though the apple and peach harvest was large, the lack of rain seriously hurt the corn crop.
When I went out after the rain, I saw this - holes in the Agribon. These are made by the squirrels thinking that the cloth will hold them up. It won't. The fabric is too fragile. So I took some time and repaired the damage. Then I went under the cover and sadly found that the root maggot fly had gotten in. I killed the ones I could find. They tend to like walking on the ground and are easy to squish. But only if I can find them. I'm sure there were plenty that I couldn't.
The good news is that the bok choy seedlings are up.
They came up well. I did a bit of thinning. Now I just have to cross my fingers that the root maggots won't be too bad. I did put out a couple of homemade traps for them. They are just some small white plastic containers with soapy water in them. Yellow would be better, but white does catch them.
Other good news is that my Brussels sprouts are really growing well. After two sprayings of soap the aphids seem to be gone. I've got some nice spiders in there helping out too. The tallest in there is about 4.5' tall. It is just huge. I only made the cover to go to about 4', so it is straining to get out.
If you look carefully you can see the stem is starting to curve. It wants to keep growing up, but there is no room. At some point it is going to lift up that row cover. I really want to take it off, but the butterflies are still around. I don't have swarms of them anymore, but on a sunny day I regularly see them in the garden.
We passed on doing Brussels sprouts this year (and other brassicas) specifically because I got tired of fighting moths and other bugs. Yours look healthy and happy.
ReplyDeleteYou're using just straight soapy water on the sprouts? What ratio?
I use 1/4 cup of Dr. Bronners in a gallon of water. For it to be effective you have to cover the aphids. So every surface has to be hit. If you miss any they come back quickly. I've done it in my broccoli and I can't seem to totally get rid of them. For some reason I was more successful in the sprouts.
DeleteThat's so fun to see your sprouts bursting out of there, well above the hoops. You're fortunate to be able to control the aphids with soap spray, the aphids around here just redouble their population (seemingly) when I use soap.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you will be enjoying some sprouts this Christmas - lucky you! - and your sweet potato plants are looking amazing! I wish mine would grow, but no such luck. I've been really bad about watering their container, which is off to the side of the main garden area. I'll have to do better next year. I'm wondering if I can overwinter a portion of the plant? (let's just assume for the moment that I do not have a natural tendency to kill indoor plants ;) )
ReplyDeleteI had to look up what root maggot flies looked like as I'm not sure if I have them in my garden or not. I would really not be happy if I had yet another pest to worry about.
I've thought about overwintering the a sweet potato plant, but knowing me I'd not water it and it would die, so the thought was never very serious.
DeleteGood that you had some good to report along with the bad! Nancy
ReplyDeleteThe sprouts are nearly twice as tall as ours
ReplyDeleteI hope those sprouts produce a crop in proportion to the size of the plants! I have the same problem with fleece / Agribon, except that it's foxes that tear it, rather than squirrels.
ReplyDeleteYour Brussels Sprouts look awesome! Our plants aren't much larger than your bok choy.
ReplyDeleteSorry you're still too dry there. Our experience here has been much the same.
Agree with everyone else, the sprouts look amazing! Hoping you have a terrific harvest this year.
ReplyDeletewe need rain too daphne; we've had a dryish winter, and they are forecasting a dry spring... not good for us gardeners.
ReplyDeletei'm astounded by your Brussels sprouts - i never knew they grey that tall! i had a laugh, i read your words too quickly and i thought your spiders were four feet tall... they really would keep away the aphids (and everything else!!!)
What a crazy weather year it's been! Droughts and floods all around. Your Brussels Sprouts look fantastic! I am hopeful all your hard work will pay off in magnificent harvests!
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