Hi Everybody,

I appreciate the recent advice regarding my problem
with caterpillars targeting my broccoli and
cauliflower. I am tentatively taking the
recommendation/ID of "cabbage looper," and planning on
some BT.

Although, at the moment, they seem to have finished
their activity. The cauliflowers are actually
recovering, and I haven't caught any caterpillars
lurking around in a couple of weeks or so. (OTOH, my
area has been getting the worst storms in 100/yrs, so I
dunno if they just got blown/washed away or something.)

So, anyway, I am looking to find some kind of schedule
for pests. When to expect their arrival, and when to
expect them to finish.

These cabbage-loopers are the only pests that have been
a problem for me personally so far. We are approaching
the end of summer right now here in the Southern
Hemisphere. My small garden has as many different
items as I can fit - tomatoes, beans, lettuce,
zucchini, onions, capsicum (bell-peppers), etc, along
with the aforementioned broccoli and cauliflower
victims.

A Google search isn't helping. I know that this kind
of schedule is different around the world. But can
anyone give advice?

When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some
kind of standard "Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I
could transfer the time of year to match the southern
season?

Thanks in advance for your help!

-V.


--
Guide To DIY Living
http://www.self-reliance.co.nz
(Work in progress)

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:22:41 -0800, Antipodean Bucket Farmer wrote: ...

So, anyway, I am looking to find some kind of schedule for pests. When
to expect their arrival, and when to expect them to finish.
...
A Google search isn't helping. I know that this kind of schedule is
different around the world. But can anyone give advice?

When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some kind of standard
"Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I could transfer the time of year to
match the southern season?

I'd look up (in Google) something like: home vegetable garden insets
diseases In most cases, the insects/diseases, are already there - in
the soil, hosted on other plants, etc - "waiting" for your vegetables to
get to the stage they prefer. Look up individual vegetables to find at
what stage of their growth they're vulnerable ... and to what. I don't
know how useful the sites are, but I get hits when I look up: "new
zealand" home vegetable gardens in www.google.co.uk

You might find the website www.phenology.org.uk interesting.
"Phenology is the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena
especially in relation to climate change. It is recording when you heard
the first cuckoo or saw the blackthorn blossom. This can then be compared
with other records."

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:22:41 -0800, Antipodean Bucket Farmer wrote: ...

So, anyway, I am looking to find some kind of schedule for pests. When
to expect their arrival, and when to expect them to finish.
...
A Google search isn't helping. I know that this kind of schedule is
different around the world. But can anyone give advice?

When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some kind of standard
"Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I could transfer the time of year to
match the southern season?

I'd look up (in Google) something like: home vegetable garden insets
diseases In most cases, the insects/diseases, are already there - in
the soil, hosted on other plants, etc - "waiting" for your vegetables to
get to the stage they prefer. Look up individual vegetables to find at
what stage of their growth they're vulnerable ... and to what. I don't
know how useful the sites are, but I get hits when I look up: "new
zealand" home vegetable gardens in www.google.co.uk

You might find the website www.phenology.org.uk interesting.
"Phenology is the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena
especially in relation to climate change. It is recording when you heard
the first cuckoo or saw the blackthorn blossom. This can then be compared
with other records."

"Antipodean Bucket Farmer" wrote in message
...
When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some
kind of standard "Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I
could transfer the time of year to match the southern
season?

In the US we can go to our local County Extension agent to get spray
schedules for just about anything in our local area. Maybe you have a
similar government agency there? You may not want to follow the schedule,
depending on what chemicals are being used, but at least you could infer the
pests you need to be aware of from the schedule.

--
Bob Provencher
ICQ 881862
AIM bproven

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:22:41 -0800, Antipodean Bucket Farmer
wrote:

When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some
kind of standard "Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I
could transfer the time of year to match the southern
season?

Don't trouble trouble 'til trouble troubles you. Except for plagues of
locusts and the like that can practically be ID'd on satellite photos,
most bugs are somewhat localized and temporary phenomena. No reason to
prepare for a pest that doesn't show up. As with the cabbage loopers,
once you experience them, you can make your own schedule for being
particularly alert. Some *do* have a regular cycle and if you're
afflicted, identify the bug and prepare for the same possibility next
year. I discovered that the fellow who got his corn in early in a
community garden (allotment) had terrific corn. The less timely
corn-growers got the bugs and birds.

In my experience, pests show up when you do not have the time, the
weather, or the health to do anything about them. They will arrive,
en masse, just as you are about to leave town or have masses of
company, when it is expected to rain every day for a week, or when you
have thrown your back out and are not supposed to garden.

Monique in TX

Antipodean Bucket Farmer wrote:

Hi Everybody,
snip
So, anyway, I am looking to find some kind of schedule
for pests. When to expect their arrival, and when to
expect them to finish.
SNIP


When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some
kind of standard "Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I
could transfer the time of year to match the southern
season?

Thanks in advance for your help!

-V.

In my experience, pests show up when you do not have the time, the
weather, or the health to do anything about them. They will arrive,
en masse, just as you are about to leave town or have masses of
company, when it is expected to rain every day for a week, or when you
have thrown your back out and are not supposed to garden.

Monique in TX

Antipodean Bucket Farmer wrote:

Hi Everybody,
snip
So, anyway, I am looking to find some kind of schedule
for pests. When to expect their arrival, and when to
expect them to finish.
SNIP


When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some
kind of standard "Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I
could transfer the time of year to match the southern
season?

Thanks in advance for your help!

-V.

"Monique Reed" wrote in message
...
In my experience, pests show up when you do not have the time, the
weather, or the health to do anything about them. They will arrive,
en masse, just as you are about to leave town or have masses of
company, when it is expected to rain every day for a week, or when you
have thrown your back out and are not supposed to garden.

My experience has been if you start to worry about them when they show up
it's too late.

--
Bob Provencher
ICQ 881862
AIM bproven

"Monique Reed" wrote in message
...
In my experience, pests show up when you do not have the time, the
weather, or the health to do anything about them. They will arrive,
en masse, just as you are about to leave town or have masses of
company, when it is expected to rain every day for a week, or when you
have thrown your back out and are not supposed to garden.

My experience has been if you start to worry about them when they show up
it's too late.

--
Bob Provencher
ICQ 881862
AIM bproven

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:22:41 -0800, Antipodean Bucket Farmer wrote:


So, anyway, I am looking to find some kind of schedule for pests. When to
expect their arrival, and when to expect them to finish.


When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some kind of standard
"Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I could transfer the time of year to
match the southern season?

Like many other gardening catalogs, especially the organo-centric ones,
the printed version of the Gardens Alive catalog (
http://www.gardensalive.com )has a lot of useful information on this very
topic. The tips and such are about 1/2 the reason I request various
catalogs. I make a point of making purchases from them, too, but that's
mostly just to help pay for the cost of mailing the catalog.

Pest control is not so simplistic as consulting a calendar ... the
'calendar' you are looking for is the plant growth status and weather
conditions that apply in your own garden

If you are new to gardening in your area, pay close attention to the
weather and the weather forecasts. The Old Farmers Almanac is one source
of long range forecasts based on weather averages and trends. For
instance, powdery mildew will tend to be associated with warm dry days and
cool moist nights. When you see that weather pattern developing, take
pro-active measures (usually a barrier coating of some sort) to keep it
from getting a foothold. Or, if the season for something is just about
over anyways, just pull them out of the garden a few days early and send
them to the compost pile. Today they are healthy and easy to handle in the
compost, tomorrow (especially with the mildews and some blights) they may
not be healthy and composting them not so straightforward.

In my area, ladybugs hatch just about the time their prey hatch. Lots of
times I will see the ladybugs before I see their prey ... but that is
enough to alert me to the presence of the prey.

Also, watch the shelves of the local nursery supply house for which
merchandise they are stocking, talk with the nurseryman in charge, talk
with other local gardeners.

The best of all possible gauges on your gardens health is to simply be in
it often ... at least 5-6 times a week even if only just long enough to
sip some coffee (or mate' or cerveza ) while examining its condition. That
will tell you more and earlier and with greater certainty than anything
you will find published. Books and other publications are good ... I read
a lot of them ... but the only way to know the conditions in your
garden for certain is to actually be IN your garden on a daily basis.
Touch your plants. Look under their leaves. Poke your fingers into the
soil. Don't guess. Know.


--
http://cannaday.us (genealogy)
http://organic-earth.com (organic gardening)
Uptimes below for the machines that created / host these sites.
17:23:00 up 1 day, 18:19, 2 users, load average: 0.17, 0.24, 0.19
17:18:00 up 83 days, 21:30, 3 users, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:22:41 -0800, Antipodean Bucket Farmer wrote:


So, anyway, I am looking to find some kind of schedule for pests. When to
expect their arrival, and when to expect them to finish.


When are they coming? When are leaving? Is there some kind of standard
"Farmer's Almanac" of pests, where I could transfer the time of year to
match the southern season?

Like many other gardening catalogs, especially the organo-centric ones,
the printed version of the Gardens Alive catalog (
http://www.gardensalive.com )has a lot of useful information on this very
topic. The tips and such are about 1/2 the reason I request various
catalogs. I make a point of making purchases from them, too, but that's
mostly just to help pay for the cost of mailing the catalog.

Pest control is not so simplistic as consulting a calendar ... the
'calendar' you are looking for is the plant growth status and weather
conditions that apply in your own garden

If you are new to gardening in your area, pay close attention to the
weather and the weather forecasts. The Old Farmers Almanac is one source
of long range forecasts based on weather averages and trends. For
instance, powdery mildew will tend to be associated with warm dry days and
cool moist nights. When you see that weather pattern developing, take
pro-active measures (usually a barrier coating of some sort) to keep it
from getting a foothold. Or, if the season for something is just about
over anyways, just pull them out of the garden a few days early and send
them to the compost pile. Today they are healthy and easy to handle in the
compost, tomorrow (especially with the mildews and some blights) they may
not be healthy and composting them not so straightforward.

In my area, ladybugs hatch just about the time their prey hatch. Lots of
times I will see the ladybugs before I see their prey ... but that is
enough to alert me to the presence of the prey.

Also, watch the shelves of the local nursery supply house for which
merchandise they are stocking, talk with the nurseryman in charge, talk
with other local gardeners.

The best of all possible gauges on your gardens health is to simply be in
it often ... at least 5-6 times a week even if only just long enough to
sip some coffee (or mate' or cerveza ) while examining its condition. That
will tell you more and earlier and with greater certainty than anything
you will find published. Books and other publications are good ... I read
a lot of them ... but the only way to know the conditions in your
garden for certain is to actually be IN your garden on a daily basis.
Touch your plants. Look under their leaves. Poke your fingers into the
soil. Don't guess. Know.


--
http://cannaday.us (genealogy)
http://organic-earth.com (organic gardening)
Uptimes below for the machines that created / host these sites.
17:23:00 up 1 day, 18:19, 2 users, load average: 0.17, 0.24, 0.19
17:18:00 up 83 days, 21:30, 3 users, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00