Somervell County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Four Bugs

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Here are few of the not-so-nice are bugs we are seeing in our garden….

Leaffooted Plant Bug

There are many varieties of this critter ranging in color from dark brown to black. They produce a foul smell when handled or squashed. Leaf footed bugs are predominately sap feeders. They will puncture developing tomatoes and inject a toxin causing the fruit to rot from the inside out.

Leaffooted Plant Bugs, once established, are very difficult to control organically. The most effective insecticides against leaffooted bugs are broad-spectrum, pyrethroid-based insecticides, such as permethrin. However, these products can be quite toxic to bees and beneficial insects.

Four Lined Plant Bug

These bugs feed primarily on plant leaves. Herbs – especially mint and basil – are some of their favorite snacks. Dark spots (often mistaken as fungus) appear on leaves where they have been feeding.

Four Lined Plant Bugs nymphs are bright red and can be seen in the spring feeding on the upper side of plant leaves. Nymphs develop into adults in about four weeks. Adults feed until the weather starts getting warm, and can often be confused with Cucumber Beetles.

Insecticidal soaps can be very effective against the nymphs. Adult infestation is much harder to control, and may require applications of contact pesticides such as permethrin and bifenthrin.

Spotted Cucumber Beetles

The Spotted Cucumber Beetles are part of a large group of beetles known as Leaf Beetles. The Spotted Cucumber Beetles can cause severe damage especially to vegetable gardens. Thay are particularly fond of cucurbits: watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash. Spotted Cucumber Beetles can be active throughout the gardening season.

Here is control advice from the Mississippi State University Ag Extension Web Site: “Control adult cucumber beetles in home vegetable gardens with sprays containing permethrin, bifenthrin, or carbaryl. Check young plants and emerging seedlings regularly and spray promptly if necessary. Older plants can tolerate higher numbers of beetles. Before spraying edible plants with any pesticide, always be sure to note the pre-harvest interval for the product you are using and the crop you are using it on.”

Aphids

Aphids are extremely prolific and are one of the most damaging garden threats. Aphid eggs laid in the Fall hatch in the spring. During warm weather, a new generation can appear every two weeks (Aphids are born pregnant).

Single aphids are tiny and can be difficult to see. They thrive on the underside of leaves, and feed on plant sap. A horde of aphids will eventually kill a plant by destroying healthy leaves. Some plants are particularly susceptible to aphid damage. We find aphids are a big problem for eggplants.

Once they are established, controlling aphids is a constant battle. Ladybugs are aphids’ natural predator, so using broad spectrum insecticides is not recommended. Regular applications of oil based plant sprays (e.g. Neem Oil Sprays) can limit Aphid damage. IMPORTANT – Be sure to spray the underside of the leaves.

Is Winter Squash in Your Garden Plan?

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Robin’s Koginut Winter Squash

Let’s talk about growing Winter (not Summer) Squash in our North Texas gardens. First things first. Winter Squash/Summer Squash – what’s the difference?

Common Summer Squash varieties like Yellow Crock Neck, Zucchini, and Patty Pan are well known, Texas veggie garden staples. Technically speaking, these varieties are harvested before the squash is fully mature – the skin is still soft and edible. Time-to-Maturity (from seeds) for summer squash varieties is usually 50-60 days. Storage time (refrigerated) is about a week

Winter squash is different. Varieties like Acorn, Butternut and Kabocha take much longer to mature than Summer Squash – usually 90-100 days. Winter Squash is harvested once the skin is hardened, and will keep for weeks or even months if stored properly.

Growing Winter Squash
Winter Squash can be started indoors or direct-seeded in the garden. The best harvest time is mid-October before the killing frosts hit in November. When the stems get woody and the skin is hardened, it’s time to pick.

One space-saving tip. Winter squash vines grow fast, and can create quite the garden “sprawl”. To save space in our raised bed garden, we like to plant Winter Squash under growing corn stalks. Plant the Winter Squash Seeds (or transfer starts) when the corn stalks are knee-high. Shade from the growing corn protects young squash plants from the brutal Texas sun. Once the corn is harvested the stalks can be pulled up or snipped off at ground level.

Winter Squash Growing Under Corn

Winter Squash – Good Eats
Winter Squash varieties are closely related to pumpkins. Their flesh tends to meaty and sweet. They make great soups, pies, side dishes, and healthy snacks , Here are our three favorites Winter Squash varieties.

Robin’s Koginut
This squash is like a small pumpkin. The flesh is rich and sweet. It makes a great pumpkin substitute in pies and custard. NOTE: These seeds can only be purchased from Row 7 Seeds and often are unavailable.

Delicata
Delicata squash is almost too pretty to eat, but don’t let that stop you. Delicata makes a great dish when sliced into crescents and roasted. The meat is rich and the edible skin gives a slight crunch.

Futsu
This is a small wart covered pumpkin. It may not be pretty, but it has a delicious nutty flavor when roasted. Like the Delicata, the Black Futsu skin is edible.

Delicata Winter Squash

Roasted Delicata

Futsu Winter Squash

There are dozens of Winter Squash varieties. They are easy to grow, pretty, keep well and the best part – they are a treat to eat on those cold winter days when you are planning next year’s garden.

Garden Art

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Ideas from Somervell County Master Gardeners’ Personal Gardens
(Click on an Image to Enlarge)


Veggie Gardens
Need Art Too
Use Art Glass Outside
to Add Vibrant Colors
Fill Big Spaces with
Metal Art

Get an Antique Look
with a Worn
Terracotta Statue
Think Exotic
Some Statues Can
Remind Us of Simpler Times

Add Serenity with a
Gurgling Water Feature		Repurpose Old Dishes
Garden Angel from a Shutter
and Fence Slats

Garden Sheds Don’t
Have to be Plain
Make Your Water
Collection Barrel Pop
Let Folks Know
What’s Growing
with a Garden Sign

Put a Flower Bed
in a Bed Frame
Use an Old Wire Headboard for
a Climbing Vine Trellis
Make a Dragonfly from Fan
Blades and a Bed Post

Garden Statues Don’t
Have to be Pretty
Put Out a Stone Water Basin
for Birds and Pollinators
Add Surprise with
a Bold
Sandstone Carving
 
Garden Trugs and Buckets can be Art Too

Statue Heads Make
Handy Hose Guards

Kids Can Make Great Garden Art
   

Five Gardening Books that aren’t about Gardening

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The Founding Gardeners
Andrea Wulf
In 1771 John Adams declared cow poop in England was good “…but is not equal to (his cow’s)”. Adams was talking garden compost.  Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison were all avid gardeners.  They constantly searched for new plant varieties, new growing techniques, and new gardening technologies.  This book tells the story of the founding fathers’ gardens, and how they planned to turn the young United States into an agricultural powerhouse.

A Philosophy of Gardens
David E. Cooper
Is a garden art? Is  a garden an essential component of the “Good Life”?  Should we think about a garden the same way we think about a painting or sculpture?  These are the questions Cooper dissect in his book.  Why bother (you may be thinking)?   Dr. Cooper, for one, contends philosophers have too long ignored the underlying aesthetics of gardens and gardening in favor of more traditional art forms.  He intends to set the record straight.  Read this book and you may never think of your garden the same way again.

Radical Gardening:  Politics, Idealism, and Rebellion in the Garden
George McKay
Isn’t a social statement something printed on a T-shirt? In this book, the author says “NO”.  McKay explores gardens as a response to social movement; symbols of community activism; and even vehicles for propaganda.  From gardens grown by allied prisoners in German POW camps to the gardens in London’s Tavistock Square, this book is chock-full of fascinating examples.

The Garden of Invention
Jane S. Smith
You’ve probably never heard of Luther Burbank.  At the beginning of the 20th century, Burbank was the nations most successful (and famous) breeder of new garden plant varieties.  Burbank’s work has been credited with saving millions from starvation.  He developed the thornless prickly pear as a cattle feed during drought.  The most widely used potato we have today is a Burbank development.  This book is Burbank’s story – from his humble beginnings in Lancaster, Massachusetts, to his world famous development gardens in Santa Rosa, California.  Read this book and you’ll see why Luther Burbank is truly one of our must important unsung heroes.

The Tomato in America
Andrew F. Smith
The year was 1820 in bustling Salem, New Jersey.  Robert Gibbon Johnson stood in the middle of town and ate a tomato – a fruit thought to be highly poisonous.  A large crowd had gathered intending to watch Johnson die a hideous death.  He did not die, and the tomato was on its way to become most popular crop in American gardens.  Smith’s book traces the tomato’s journey through American culture, medicine, and cuisine.

Padron: Spain’s Historic Pepper

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Pilgrims following the ancient Camino de Santiago de Compestella (The Way of St. James), will no doubt encounter Padrones, the signature tapas dish of Galicia in Northern Spain. Padrones are young Padron peppers blistered in olive oil then sprinkled with course sea salt. Seems simple enough. But the Padron has something other peppers don’t – heritage and a secret.

The St. James Connection
As legend has it, St. James the Apostle spread the gospel in what is now Northern Spain. At some point, he returned to Judaea (reason unclear), where Herod Agrippa had him beheaded. The reason for St. James’ killing is muddy, though historians believe the execution probably had something to do with James’ reputed bad temper and sassy mouth.

Followers sailed James’ remains – body and detached head – back to Northern Spain for burial. Upon docking, the boat was tied to a large stone mooring called a ‘pedron’, and a revered monument was born.

Eventually the stone ‘pedron’ was moved a few miles inland where it became the centerpiece of a church dating from tenth century. The village Padron flourished around the church. Visit Church of Santiago today in modern Padron, and see the ancient stone.

As for St. James’ body; it was taken further east and secretly buried. Many years later the corpse was rediscovered. Construction of a massive cathedral was begun in 1075 to hold the Saint’s remains. For over nine hundred years, the Santiago de Compestela Cathedral in Santiago, Spain has been the destination for pilgrims traveling The Camino de Santiago known as The Way of St. James.

St James
The Pedron
Modern Day Pilgrims

Now, back to the peppers.

Padron – The Peppers. The Tapas. The Secret.
Padron pepper seeds were first brought to Northern Spain by Franciscan friars returning from Mexico. The pepper thrived, and soon took the name of the village Padron. Today over 3000 pounds of these peppers (also called Pimentos de Hebron) are produced each year in areas around the Padron municipality.

The peppers are small, cone shaped, and usually look a little wrinkled. Padrons are harvested young for the Galicia region’s world famous tapas dish – Padrones.

Nothing fancy here. A order of Padrones is two dozen or so young Padron peppers blistered in a good olive oil, then sprinkled with course salt and served hot. If you decide to try Padrones (the tapas), be ready for celebrated secret of the Padron pepper.

Padrones – The Tapas

Most young Padron peppers are mild and easy to eat. But about one in ten (as the local estimate goes) are fiery hot. Hot or mild; there is no way to tell the difference by looking. As the Galatians waiters are fond of saying:

Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non (“Padrón peppers, some are hot, some are not”).


Growing Padrons
Until just a few years ago, Padron seeds were hard to find in the States. Not so much these days. Seeds sold by many online seed sellers.

Here in North Texas, I start my Padron seeds indoors around mid-February. They are very easy to grow and seem to have few problems with pests or disease. They need full sun, and will tolerate heat if they are watered regularly and mulched well. Padron plants continue to produce even through our triple digit dog days in July and August.

For Padrones – the Tapas, peppers should be picked when they are young and still green. These will be 1-2 inches long. Six healthy plants are enough to feed my personal serial cravings for Padrones.

All Padron peppers, if allowed to grow, will become fiery hot.  A very tasty, but very hot, Chipotle powder can be made by smoking then grinding Padron peppers that have become red.