Bugs in my potted veggies

Yeh, I like Safer's products too.

On the other hand, I bought lady bugs and they disappeared within a day.

Osso - thanks. It was powdery mildew I was thinking of. And it's not easy to get rid of, but the plant needs to be isolated because it spreads like wildfire.

Good luck with your planting, She.

Hmm..

I may have over done the soil... but..but..but...

I poured out my soil into a 25 gallon bucket, sprinkled about 3 tablespoons of organic feed, and about 2 handfuls of the poop and mixed it all together.

For the broccoli and cauliflower I added about 1/2 cup of sand per pot of soil needed..

it isnt TOO heavy , but .. it might be.

And it isnt crowded surprisingly

Natural Gardner.. that is the place GW speaks of.

ahhhhhhhhhh I do need an excuse to go back.
i will go tomorrow.

question..

If I plant marigolds into the sides of my pots to help detour other bugs will that bother my plants? Or are they just as effective in their own pot, just close to my plants?

That whole thing about companion planting is unproven hearsay. Be my guest to try it, but I do not find it effective.

No more raw poop for you young lady.

ahhh.. no more poop.
Thats ok.

Was rather unpleasant getting it any how..
I really did not use much though with the thinking that it was 'powerful' enough..
Probably saved my plants.

Photos.
This thread needs photos

Im not a fan of the marigold anyway, and adding small potted plants between my large ones would definately make for crowded spaces.

I bought , when on sale, 20 gallon plastic totes from walmart ( puts up quick defense shield)

yes. Walmart.

They were 3.50$ !
I took my power drill and made many large holes in the bottoms and some small ones in the sides, put a thin layer of rock on the bottom and TADA! pots big enough to allow a tomato plant a good root system. Sure beats pots made for plants. Those things are pricey.
I have some garbage cans for my snow pea plants once they get about 5 feet high. One is already 3-4 feet and has 4 peas on it now. Once that gets to the garbage can, it will take off and produce like crazy.

Again, I agree with green witch. This could get boring..

Powdery mildew (I don't think I ever knew the latin name, but maybe I did. I forget stuff I don't deal with any more) used to occur in our southern california fog belts, ahem, like Venice. I only tried once to grow melons there .. yikes.
and some varieties of Crape myrtle trees used to be susceptable.

poop is cool, but it must be composted first...

(my fave is horsey)

Are you saying you are going to transplant the pea plant? Transplanted pea plants usually die. The seed needs to be sown where it will live out it's entire cycle.

You can use the marigolds for decorative color. They don't hurt anything. I just think they also don't help. Although most Walmart flora is so doped up on Miracle Crap that they crash when they don't get a regular fix.

really?
I did not know this.

Well , it will be a stringy plant then. It is in a big black plastic pot. The type of pot you get when you buy a small tree..
Oh well . Lesson learned on that . It is still producing.. but.. eh. Lets see how long it will live.

Never ever ever ever buy anything living from walmart.
I found a rather unusual ( to me at least) purple leaf plant from a grocery store once that did not survive long enough with out its concoction for me to even find out what it was and I refused to buy miracle grow.
The only thing I got from walmart was the tubs.
They make great planters. And at 3.50 i wasnt going to pass that .

thats what I got, but I did not know you had to do something with it.


bllaaahhh.. nasty.

this is what I think will happen if I buy bugs. But I am going to go against my first thought and get some anyway. That coupled with the spray if the bugs get worse, should take care of the issue.

I dont have an infestation yet.. but if even 2 or 3 lady bugs stay around from an entire bag.. then.. there must be enough to sustain them..

It will be fine in that pot, just give it a little tall trellis to grow on. A tall stick will work. They don't have a big root system. Are you saying you just have one pea vine? You could actually grow a family size supply of peas on a patio trellis if you plant enough seed.

I only started one vine this time.
A learning experience.

AND- we will be moving in about 12 weeks so I didnt want to have to add any more stuff to my patio

I gave it a super tall tomato rack to grow on and it is already over it in height. So I propped it in the corner of the patio so that it can lean against the railing.
It has given 5 peas so far and 3 more are on it.

Don't bother with the bug thing. The American lady beetle is long gone and the only thing they sell is the Asian variety. The Asian eats aphids but they also have a tendency to get into the cracks homes and breed like crazy . They are harmless, but have a nasty smell if you crush them.

damn.
I knew bugs were going to be too easy.

Spray it is.

what about ants in the soil? I dont see any plant damage from them. They look like sugar ants.

?

spray em?

One vine borders on cute. It will continue to produce as long as you harvest and it doesn't get too hot. You can do a second crop in the fall. Is there such a thing as winter in Texas? You could probably grow peas all "winter" long in your climate.

The ants are moving the aphids onto the plants. Google "ant and aphid relationship" for the whole story.

I might have to leave suddenly - my bread money is calling.

winter in texas is pretty short and mostly cold rain. 30 degrees at night, and for the most part 40s day time.
It can freeze lightly, and usually does at least once or twice, sometimes enough to close the roads ( which is a laugh)

but the summer might be too hot.
100+ with humidity in the 90% area.