re: 2023 Spring Garden Thread

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So if you are planning on a number of plants, how many seeded plugs do you plant? And if they all sprout, what do you do with the extras?

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I do 4 seeds per pot for just about everything and then thin it to the strongest plant by just snipping the extras down at the base. I usually pot a couple extra plants more than what I intend on planting out. Any extra seedlings I ask family and friends if they'd like them. If I can't give them away they end up compost.

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im assuming you are planting in smaller pots and not a seed starter tray right?

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Correct. I start everything out in 4" pots in hopes that I can just keep them in there and not have to continually transplant them into bigger pots before plant out. That may not be the best practice for everyone. But it's been working for me.

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so are those 4 seeds in the same hole or quartered in the pot.

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Quartered, but all pretty close to the center.

I'll see if I can find a past picture as an example.

ETA: from last spring. Pepper seedlings just coming up. And then some tomato plants after they had been thinned to one plant.

I need to start over on strawberries. Am I too late for this season? Will I see plants at the home stores?

That is a question for Pillage. I don't mess with strawberries.

You should be able to get some bare root strawberries online.

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By the way, I've never had any problems with squash borers or found any need to use insecticides growing them.

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You are very lucky. Maybe it's your area. The squash borers are really bad in the Houston area. I know a lot of folks that have just given up planting them. It's a shame because they grow so well.

If anyone has squash borer tips, please share!

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If anyone has squash borer tips, please share!

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I had some decent success against them on my pumpkins this past year. But it was a lot of work. Before the plants started flowering I had them covered with a fine mesh netting. Once the netting was removed I’d spray Bt twice a week, thoroughly inspect vines and the underside of the leaves often and squish any eggs that I’d find, inspect vines for entry points, and on a couple of occasions I had to surgically remove the bastards.

I bought a pheromone trap to hang nearby. Those are only good for trapping the male moths. But it’s a good indicator of when they are around and let’s you know when to be vigilant. And the fewer males out there to mate with the females, the better. Although I’m sure the impact on the population is negligible.

One thing I’m going to try this year is plant a trap crop of blue hubbard squash. It supposedly has one of the highest levels of cucurbitacin in cucurbit plants, which is what the moths are attracted to. I’m going to grow it in a big pot and use a systemic insecticide to kill any borers. I bought some bioadvanced tree and shrub insect control from Lowes. Primary active ingredient is Imidacloprid. I read all of this on a pumpkin growing forum and I doubt I’d be able to find it now. But basically you plant the blue hubbard squash well ahead of your primary crop. Water in the systemic insecticide. And prune off any flower buds before they open to protect pollinators. Some also suggested putting yellow sticky traps by the base of the plant to help trap female vine borer moths. I’ll try that, but if I start catching any bees I’ll get rid of them.

Disclaimer: This is all an experiment for me and will probably involve some trial and error. So I have no prior experience or success with this.

As an extra precaution on my zucchini and straightneck squash this spring I’ll try injecting Bt. That’s something that is entirely too tedious to try to do on miles of pumpkin vines.

ETA: There were some posters last year that had success growing squash in hay bales. The claim was the vine borers don’t mess with squash grown in hay, but I’m not sure how that works.

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If anyone has squash borer tips, please share!

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We have serious borer issues here (SELA).

I dust the vines (not the flowers) with Sevin. I use a turkey baster to make sure it only gets on the vines. I know it’s not everyone’s thing, but it works very well until I get lazy with it. I’ve tried a lot because we love squash and nothing else has worked. The alternative is I get maybe 2 fruits off the plant and I figure it’s still better than what I’d buy at the store

I’ve been growing all sorts of cucurbits for years with the exception of squash and pumpkin. Never seen a SVB in my life. The second I plant pumpkins, they show up. It’s amazing.