In article ,
"Marie Dodge" wrote:

"Isabella Woodhouse" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Marie Dodge" wrote:

[...] The squash are too far gone with millions of white fly and
borers. The squash crop will be removed and burned tomorrow. It's
impossible to get the sprays under all the many thousands of
leaves. Suggestions anyone... other than to torch the three
entire gardens.

[...] This year, for the first time, we put row covers over the
zucchini (four different cultivars) and they are all producing and
doing well. I go out early every morning and hand-pollinate the
female flowers with a little brush. This is not at all difficult
with squash flowers. We've never, ever had summer squash this nice
before. We use the lightest weight 8 foot wide Agribond (like
cloth not plastic) over a make-do lashed wood frame. We started
with tensile steel hoops but the plants were much to large and
vigorous for them. Our beds are 4 feet wide and we're smack dab in
the middle of the country.

We're going to use row covers on some fall crops as well, both to keep
out pests and extend the season. Best thing since sliced bread.

The cost of trying to grow some of our own food is more costly than we'd pay
at the store we're finding. What did these row covers cost you if I may be
so bold?

We only had a 50' long piece that my husband said he bought two years
ago and just now got around to trying. He said it was reasonable but
does not recall the price. The product is reusable unless it gets torn
up by hail or deer I guess. He asked me to order more for the fall so
I've just started looking at prices. Johnny's has Agribon in different
weights (sorry I misspelled it in my other post). The lightweight
insect barrier is 118" x 250' for $51. It looks like lightweight
non-woven interfacing for sewing. It lets in the light and the rain,
though the heavier stuff for cold weather does block more light. No
doubt others have it too and there are other brands.

I don't think anything can guarantee that you'll never see a bad pest
like the SVB again but, for us, we finally have a really nice crop
without extraordinary effort. The pests may eventually find them, who
knows? But I've already had a better crop by the end of July than I had
in any previous entire season. And best of all, no spraying whatsoever.
I did have to let out a bumblebee today that must have gone in there
when I was pollinating them earlier. I told him there were plenty of
other flowers for him to visit other than the squash. We use ground
staples, rocks and old broken pots to hold down the fabric. And in
places where I needed to join fabric pieces (his test size was not quite
wide enough), I used my quilting gun that shoots tiny little plastic
ties (I use those instead of safety pins for my quilts).

Isabella
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot