Briefly . . .

What, No Squash?

Fresh-Picked Garden Taste Can Continue Into Fall

Judgment Can Affect Pesticides’ Punch  

Weather Wonders: ‘Signs’ Not Typically Accurate Weather Forecasters

What, No Squash?

WICHITA, Kan. – Home gardeners who choose easy-to-grow squash and cucumbers often call a Kansas State University Research and Extension office early in the summer to ask why squash plants have “tons of flowers, but no squash.” 

“Vine crops produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant, but only the female flower will produce a squash or cucumber,” said Rebecca McMahon, Extension horticulture agent in Sedgwick County, Kan.

As the plants start blooming in the spring or early summer, they usually put on male flowers that have a straight stem and no fruit first, McMahon said.

“Be patient. Soon, you’ll have female flowers with a swollen, miniature fruit (a tiny squash or cucumber) behind the flower – and more cucumbers and squash than you’ll know what to do with,” McMahon said.

More information is available on the K-State Research and Extension Web site at “Cucumbers and Melons” (http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf668.pdf) and for squash at http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=1817.

More information also is available at county or district Extension offices and on Extension Web sites: www.ksre.ksu.edu (click on publications), www.ksre.ksu.edu/horticulture and www.ksre.ksu.edu/news.

Fresh-Picked Garden Taste Can Continue Into Fall

SALINA, Kan. – Home vegetable gardening rose from its long-time slump this year in a resounding resurgence of popularity that now can continue into fall. 

“Some vegetables are simply better suited for harvesting in fall, rather than summer. Besides, fall gardening extends the growing season for those who love fresh-picked flavor. It’s also a second chance for gardeners who missed some or all of spring’s planting deadlines,” said Chip Miller horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Among Miller’s favorites for fall are cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.

“These cole crops are short-lived in spring. They quit producing as soon as summertime temperatures arrive. They bolt -- go to seed,” he explained. “In contrast, planting cole crops in summer gets them off to a quick start. Then fall’s cool weather promotes a long harvest of high-quality produce.”

Other good planting options for fall gardens are snap beans, beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, collards, bush-type cucumbers, endive, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, bibb lettuce, mustard, snow peas, Irish potatoes, radishes, spinach, summer squash and turnips.

“Lettuce, snow pea and spinach seeds won’t germinate well if soil temperature are 85 degrees or above,” Miller cautioned. “So, you may want to plant more of them, slightly deeper than you would in spring. After planting, you also can shade the seed row with a light layer of mulch. That should help, too.”

He listed the following as other tricks that can foster fall gardening success:

• Prepare by removing weeds and garden residues and then tilling or spading at least 6 to 8 inches deep. Consider incorporating 1 to 2 pounds of general analysis fertilizer (e.g., 12-12-12) per 100 square feet.

• If you won’t have time to maintain a consistent water supply, start with transplants, rather than seeds.

• Seeded areas can form a hard crust that interferes with sprouting. Prevent crust’s forming by applying a light layer of a vermiculite, compost or peat moss mulch over the seed row.

• Seed potatoes showing the greatest tendency to sprout are best for fall. If you don’t have some on hand, buy them from an organic grower. (Supermarket potatoes won’t do. They’re treated to inhibit sprouting.)

Judgment Can Affect Pesticides’ Punch

MANHATTAN, Kan. – When pesticides don’t do the job, gardeners often want to blame the product.

Unless that product is old or out-of-date, the real reason can be different, said Ward Upham, Master Gardener program coordinator for Kansas State University Research and Extension. The more usual reasons include:

• Lack of good foliage penetration – often a problem when spraying for bagworms on junipers. High-pressure commercial sprayers can easily penetrate most dense foliage. But, pump-up sprayers require pushing the wand through to reach the insects toward the inside of the plant.

• Not spraying where the insects or mites are – a common mistake when pests are feeding on the underside of leaves. This tends to be why cabbage worm controls are less than effective on cole crops. It can explain why ridding broadleaf plants of spider mites can seem so difficult.

• Not acting when pests are young and easier to stop. For example, carbaryl (Sevin) does a good job of controlling young, early instar grasshoppers. But, it’s much less effective on adults.

• Allowing disease pressure to build up – especially given that most fungicides are better used as preventatives than as curatives. For example, when used as preventive on tomato plants at the first sign of symptoms, chlorothalonil is an effective control for two serious diseases: early blight and Septoria leaf spot. On badly infested tomatoes, however, chlorothalonil can’t stop or cure either disease.

• Using the wrong product – which often translates as homeowners’ applying whatever they already have on hand. The right product’s label will mention the problem pest, but even labeled products can vary in effectiveness. So, the best will also be on the nearest state land-grant university’s “recommended” list. Homeowners can gain easy access to what’s current at any of the university’s system of county and/or district Extension offices.

• Mixing the product in water with the wrong pH. Captan’s half-life, for example, can vary from three hours (pH 7) to 10 minutes (pH 8). Given the same range in pH, the half-life for carbaryl (Seven) can range from 24 days to just one. Malathion, on the other hand, rapidly hydrolyzes outside a pH range of 5 to 7, no matter whether the water is more acidic or more alkaline. (In general: “Neutral” is best.)

Weather Wonders:
      ‘Signs’ Not Typically Accurate Weather Forecasters

MANHATTAN, Kan. – It may be human nature to look for signs of what the weather will be like in the upcoming season. But looking to folklore is not usually an accurate way to predict the weather, according to State of Kansas Climatologist Mary Knapp.

“Somehow winter has ended up with the most related folklore such as ‘When the wooly bears’ coats are black, we’re going to have a hard winter’ or ‘if the squirrels are burying lots of nuts, we’ll have a hard winter,’” said Knapp, who oversees the Kansas Weather Data Library based in Kansas State University Research and Extension. “Then there’s ‘You can judge how soon winter will arrive by when cows get their winter coat,’ or, my personal favorite, ‘When the surprise lilies start to fade, the first frost is in 60 days.’”

Such predictions are sometimes right, Knapp said, but science has found that they’re just as likely to be wrong, because all they reflect is what’s happening right now.  

“If the squirrels are burying a lot of nuts this year, that’s because we’ve having a really good nut crop,” she said.

Information about Kansas weather is available on the Weather Data Library Web site: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/wdl/. “Weather Wonders” audio reports are available on the K-State Research and Extension/Kansas Radio Network site at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/radio/. 

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