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Garden Problems
The last two years I have tried to grow pumpkins from seed. I planted the seeds, they sprouted and looked great, beautiful leaves, lots of flowers and then they died. I have bees, so the flowers were pollinated, but they didn't make it far enough to start forming fruit. The vines just shriveled from the base and died. Does anyone know what happened?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kurt on -
Have you ever tried the Natural Way Plantproducts when you put your seeds down? Its an all natural fertilizer comes in liquid as well as a dry formulation.It will give balance to your soil as well as a support to grow a nice and healthy plant.Your soil might be laking something.If you want to try the Natural Way led me know.
I had the same things happening to my tomatoes a few years ag.Since I'm using the Natural Way products, my tomatoes are exellent.You also can visit my website to get some information.
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Permalink Reply by d. savage on -
It sounds to me like squash vine borer, which is just as nasty as it sounds. I had to cut the vine where it meets the soil, just a small slit, and look for a white-ish worm with a brown tip. And, there it was. (I swear it was looking at me!) Then, i squished it. When that's done, you need to add fresh soil at the base where the slit is, and water good. It will delay the growth for a week or two, but mine came back healthy in no time. I have Rodales Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening and use it every year. It's easy to understand, and has helped tremendously.
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Permalink Reply by kim bennett on
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pumpkins need lots of poop, and water
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Permalink Reply by Carol on -
It sounds like squash vine borers. Several things you can do to outfox them. Wrap the stems with panty hose or masking tape to keep the borers from getting in to the stem. You can make a slit in the stem and remove them, then tape it closed again. Use BT injected into the stem. Plant resistant varieties like Cushaw. Maxima varieties seem to be most vulnerable, so plant moschatas, mixtas and pepo instead. You can also buy nematodes that attack the SVB in the soil early in the season and with the right conditions, they will stick around and multiply and keep working for you year after year.
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Staff Recipes: Roasted Heritage Breed Turkey
Even though my Thanksgiving will be a party of two, I like to prepare for the possibility of ten! When I heard Wendy was getting a Lilac turkey from Wells Tavern Farm in Shelburne, Massachusetts I jumped on board for a bird.Wells Tavern has raised about 30 of their turkeys for fresh Thanksgiving birds. They are selling heritage breed birds that have had access to pasture throughout the spring and summer, eating natural Vermont grain and scratch feeds – with no antibiotics or added hormones. The turkeys are kept in large fenced pastures, which allows them to naturally scratch and forage, and provides them with protection from predators.
Wendy has been talking about her delicious turkey for a while now, and I am excited to see if I can find success with my first attempt at making Thanksgiving dinner.
Here is her recipe from last year:
Whether fresh or frozen, bring the bird to room temperature before cooking.
Cover the breast with a piece of brown paper cut from a shopping bag, rub it with cooking oil, and tie it in place with cotton string. Alternatively, soak a piece of cotton cloth in unsalted oil, such as corn oil. Remove the covering about 30 minutes before the turkey is done so the breast will brown.Roast heritage turkeys in a hot oven pre-heated to 425F-450F and cook until an internal thigh temperature of 140F-150F is reached. Don't let the tip of the thermometer touch the bone. (Note: The USDA recommends turkeys be cooked to 160F-180F, but these temperature will dry out a heritage turkey. Heritage birds are much more free of disease and bacteria, unlike commercially-raised birds, and do not need extreme temperatures to make them safe for consumption).
Truly the thought of cooking at such a high heat terrified me but it worked out great. We had a 17lb turkey that cooked in 1 1/2 hours.
Cook any stuffing first and put inside the heritage turkey before roasting. Due to the reduced cooking time, stuffing won't become fully cooked. Alternatively, try adding a quartered orange, apple and/or pear inside the cavity instead of stuffing.
Let the roasted bird rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
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