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A living organism that can be used to control pests and/or diseases is called a “biocontrol.”  The following web sites all sell (or have a list of sellers of) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, a parasitic nematode (microscopic worm), that enters and destroys the larvae of the cucumber beetle.  It is effective against some other larvae, as well.

1.  http://greenmethods.com/site/shop/buy-bugs/3/
2.  http://www.fertilizeronline.com/nematodes.php
3.  http://www.bugladyconsulting.com/Suppliers%20of%20beneficial%20insects.htm

And for more info on insect parasitic (i.e., “beneficial”) nematodes:  http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/nematodes/

Buying beneficial nematodes can be a bit pricey, especially for a smaller-sized garden, so you may want to try buying them and sharing the expense with other gardening neighbors, (which is always a good idea, anyway, since this helps to eliminate the pest from your entire neighborhood, not just your yard !), or you may want to try a different, less expensive solution first, e.g., the Burpee cucumber beetle trap.  However, these nematodes will eliminate some other pests besides the cucumber beetle, while the traps (I believe) are very target insect-specific.

Note:  Nematodes and other treatments that control the Striped Cucumber Beetle are equally effective against the Spotted Cucumber Beetle.

Spotted Cucumber Beetle (adult)

 [See journal entry, below, for more info regarding the Cucumber Beetle.]

FYI, last week, while examining our potato crops, I found a 1/4-inch long, yellow and black striped beetle — the Striped Cucumber Beetle — on one of the leaves!  This chewing insect can devastate a crop if allowed to munch and reproduce unchecked.  Besides the obvious leaf damage that they do, (which compromises a plant’s ability to photosynthesize, i.e., create food), these insects can oftentimes be vectors of plant diseases such as bacterial wilt and cucumber mosaic virus.  The adults feed on squash family plants, beans, corn, peas, and blossoms of many garden plants, often killing the plants.  Larvae feed on roots of squash family plants only, killing or stunting the plants.  Adults overwinter in dense grass or under leaves, emerging in early-spring to early-summer.  Eggs are layed at the base of target plants, and hatch in 10 days.  Larvae burrow into the soil to feed on roots for 2-6 weeks, pupate in mid- to late-summer into 1/2-inch, white grubs with brown heads, then, in 2 weeks, emerge as adults to feed on blossoms and maturing fruit.  One to two generations per year. 

NOTE:  Besides the adult beetle’s description, the above information regarding the Striped Cucumber Beetle also applies to the Spotted Cucumber Beetle.  See above journal entry for photo of the Spotted Cucumber Beetle.

Striped Cucumber Beetle (adult)

For more info on the Cucumber Beetle, and to see a diagram of the Life Cycles of both the Striped and the Spotted Cucumber Beetles, click here.

To control:  Remove and destroy crop residues where adults overwinter.  Use floating row covers to protect seedlings and plants, and hand-pollinate (using cotton swabs) the squash family plants.  Pile salt marsh hay or straw deeply around plants to discourage beetle movement amongst plants.  Apply kaolin clay to uncovered plants, using special care to coat the undersides of leaves, too.  Reapply after rain.  Hand-pick or vacuum adults, and/or apply parasitic nematodes, (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora), weekly to soil to control the larvae.  If all else fails, pyrethrin (a plant-based insecticide), may be applied to beetles seen feeding on pollen in flowers.

Most plant fertilizers usually include the three main plant nutrients:  N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus), and K (Potassium). This journal entry is about the first nutrient, Nitrogen. Nitrogen is available in different forms, and these different forms may lead to different results, where your plants are concerned. Since the different forms of Nitrogen may have different effects upon your soil’s chemistry, your plants’ abilities to take-up various nutrients (not just Nitrogen!) may be adversely effected.

For more info on the different forms of Nitrogen, and how these different forms may react in your soil, see: www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/crops/factsheets/nitrogen_form.pdf

Growing multiple varieties of vegetables is the tradition at Robbins Farm Garden. So it is with our Peas. This year, we grew three types: Snap (Sugar Snap), Snow (Mammoth Melting Sugar) and Shell (Alderman).

The Sugar Snap Peas performed well enough last year to justify a repeat performance, covering our 7-foot high bamboo trellis which also serves as the platform for the late season Pole Beans. Yet, the bush-type Snow and Shell Peas we grew last year were not the best use of vertical space.

The search for a tall Snow Pea was easy. Mammoth Melting Sugar is an heirloom variety, considered one of the largest and finest flat pod peas on the market. They grew, not unexpectedly, terrifically well in our garden. A tall variety of Shell Pea was more difficult to find. We decided upon Alderman, a variety marketed by Thompson & Morgan.

Alderman is a later pea (85 days to maturity vs. 70 for Sugar Snap & 68 for Mammoth Melting Sugar), but it did not disappoint. The plants grew as quickly — and as tall — as the other Peas, and the production was every bit as good. Fresh from the pod, they rival snap peas for flavor and sweetness. One warning: they require very little cooking, and they lose their flavor if over-cooked.

The Pea plants were pulled today and Pole Beans planted in their place. Overall, I would have to rate this year’s Pea crop as outstanding, with a solid month of harvest.

We’re implementing a new compost arrangement:  three bins instead of two.  In the past, we used two — a square wire frame, and a cylindrical black plastic.  However, with being able to keep the compost pile over-winter, as well as the huge amount of winter rye at the beginning of the year going into the compost this spring, we exceeded our capacity.

So I decided to have us use three cylindrical plastic ones, because they are deformable, and so can be squeezed into the space allocated for composting.  Three bins will facilitate turning.  With just two bins, we were forced to turn one into the other even while adding new matter, or else not turning to keep new matter separate from more decomposed matter.

With three bins, one bin will be emtpy, and we can alternate turning one of the other compost piles into the empty bin, or even turn both.  New matter will go into one of the piles, so that the older pile can more completely mature into good compost.  When the older pile is ready for compost extraction, the newer pile will then become the older pile, and we will start a newer pile.