I'm sick today, so not doing much gardening. Was sick yesterday and pushed myself to get some things done. Moved part of the clay pile, cleaned up some of the back yard. Worst part, where the dog likes to chew things up. Tilled part of the back yard. Pulled out the weed eater for areas where I can't till. So front and back look better. All that had to be done in spurts, lying on the couch in between. Have to work tonight, so not doing that today.

Now up to ten pumpkins growing! None of great size yet and most are minis but still something for Halloween. Giants are about to flower. Should see first flowers in the next three days.

Weather is gradually cooling. Warm now but forecast is for 70's day and upper 40's night next week. Not sure about tomatoes in those temps. Wait and see. Soil won't have a chance to cool too much at night if I water in the morning. So they be okay.

Lots more green bean vines now climbing and flowering.

Still no lettuce or spinach seen. But am seeing the rare carrot, planted months ago. Maybe more will pop up soon. Maybe.

Think I'm going back to sleep.I'm sick today, so not doing much gardening. Was sick yesterday and pushed myself to get some things done. Moved part of the clay pile, cleaned up some of the back yard. Worst part, where the dog likes to chew things up. Tilled part of the back yard. Pulled out the weed eater for areas where I can't till. So front and back look better. All that had to be done in spurts, lying on the couch in between. Have to work tonight, so not doing that today.

Now up to ten pumpkins growing! None of great size yet and most are minis but still something for Halloween. Giants are about to flower. Should see first flowers in the next three days.

Weather is gradually cooling. Warm now but forecast is for 70's day and upper 40's night next week. Not sure about tomatoes in those temps. Wait and see. Soil won't have a chance to cool too much at night if I water in the morning. So they be okay.

Lots more green bean vines now climbing and flowering.

Still no lettuce or spinach seen. But am seeing the rare carrot, planted months ago. Maybe more will pop up soon. Maybe.

Think I'm going back to sleep.

So here is a good repoort!

Some of the green bean vines are getting so large that the trellises are sagging under their weight! Tightened them up a bit but guess the trellises need to be a bit stronger next year. Plus there are new vines coming up, climbing and producing already. Still haven't managed to harvest enough beans in one day for a meal yet. Sure not enough for canning.

Couple of watermelons and one honeydew are still growing, though slowly.

Have even more tomatoes than I thought. Lots and lots of tiny ones now developing. Eventually found three hornworms and killed them off. Keep watching for more but none spotted. Daughter helped me look today and she has really sharp eyes. Some of the medium size fruit are beginning to ripen now. Some very pretty larger ones still growing. So now that some of the decent size fruit are beginning to ripen, I'm hoping to have a decent steady supply for a while.
Daughter and I planted flower bulbs today. Daffodil, tulips, allium and hyacinth.

Some of the best news is that once I watered very heavily to reach the deeply planted bulbs, the aroma was one of truly healthy soil! Some people may not understand this or think it a big deal. Thing to understand is that most of the native New Mexico soil has a stale odor to it. It's doubtful that many people who have grown up here even know what healthy soil smells like. To finally be achieving this with my own soil is a tremendous step forward.

Really happy with this progress. Can only go further and expand. And all without importing soil from outside like so many have suggested. So here is a good repoort!

Some of the green bean vines are getting so large that the trellises are sagging under their weight! Tightened them up a bit but guess the trellises need to be a bit stronger next year. Plus there are new vines coming up, climbing and producing already. Still haven't managed to harvest enough beans in one day for a meal yet. Sure not enough for canning.

Couple of watermelons and one honeydew are still growing, though slowly.

Have even more tomatoes than I thought. Lots and lots of tiny ones now developing. Eventually found three hornworms and killed them off. Keep watching for more but none spotted. Daughter helped me look today and she has really sharp eyes. Some of the medium size fruit are beginning to ripen now. Some very pretty larger ones still growing. So now that some of the decent size fruit are beginning to ripen, I'm hoping to have a decent steady supply for a while.
Daughter and I planted flower bulbs today. Daffodil, tulips, allium and hyacinth.

Some of the best news is that once I watered very heavily to reach the deeply planted bulbs, the aroma was one of truly healthy soil! Some people may not understand this or think it a big deal. Thing to understand is that most of the native New Mexico soil has a stale odor to it. It's doubtful that many people who have grown up here even know what healthy soil smells like. To finally be achieving this with my own soil is a tremendous step forward.

Really happy with this progress. Can only go further and expand. And all without importing soil from outside like so many have suggested.

I'm not sold on the alleged benefits of mulch.

While the weather and my poor soil have much to do with the weak performance of my garden this year, it also seems mulching has done more harm than good. Last year, I had some fairly minor insect problems. Mostly aphids and whiteflies. This year, insect damage has been much worse. Turns out heavy mulch just gives damaging insects a place to hide, breed and feed on roots and stems unseen. For any weeds or grass which are already in place before mulching, it just makes them harder to control without removing the mulch. Since mulch helps the soil remain moist, it also increases chances of fungal issues.

Maybe I'm naive. Still learning. However, I have wondered why, if mulch is so great, don't commercial farmers use more of it?

Mulch does have value, no doubt. However, in my case, it seems the best value is with it composted and/or mixed into the soil, not on the surface.

There is no doubt that successive years of planting draws more harmful insects. They colonize an area, so once they find a place to feed, you see more of them the following year. Maybe the same year.

Mulch may reduce need for watering but it will do that mixed into the soil as well as on top.

Next year I'll at least start off with no mulch. If I plant densely and co-plant things of various heights, it should result in a natural mulch effect with fewer hiding/breeding spots.

At least some of the lacewings hatched! Seen some of them around and recalled they were beneficial but had absolutely forgotten I put them there! They're so small you don't think a lot about them at first. (Aside from whether they're harmful or beneficial.)

Combination of lacewings, ladybugs and cooler weather seem to be effective. Beneficials were largely hidden for a while but venturing out more now. Means they have to go farther to feed. Improving garden condition is another good sign. All will start hibernating soon.

Have quite a few mini pumpkins growing now. Daughter should be happy! I'm waiting for the giants to flower. Man, those grow fast! Definitely plant more of those next year!I'm not sold on the alleged benefits of mulch.

While the weather and my poor soil have much to do with the weak performance of my garden this year, it also seems mulching has done more harm than good. Last year, I had some fairly minor insect problems. Mostly aphids and whiteflies. This year, insect damage has been much worse. Turns out heavy mulch just gives damaging insects a place to hide, breed and feed on roots and stems unseen. For any weeds or grass which are already in place before mulching, it just makes them harder to control without removing the mulch. Since mulch helps the soil remain moist, it also increases chances of fungal issues.

Maybe I'm naive. Still learning. However, I have wondered why, if mulch is so great, don't commercial farmers use more of it?

Mulch does have value, no doubt. However, in my case, it seems the best value is with it composted and/or mixed into the soil, not on the surface.

There is no doubt that successive years of planting draws more harmful insects. They colonize an area, so once they find a place to feed, you see more of them the following year. Maybe the same year.

Mulch may reduce need for watering but it will do that mixed into the soil as well as on top.

Next year I'll at least start off with no mulch. If I plant densely and co-plant things of various heights, it should result in a natural mulch effect with fewer hiding/breeding spots.

At least some of the lacewings hatched! Seen some of them around and recalled they were beneficial but had absolutely forgotten I put them there! They're so small you don't think a lot about them at first. (Aside from whether they're harmful or beneficial.)

Combination of lacewings, ladybugs and cooler weather seem to be effective. Beneficials were largely hidden for a while but venturing out more now. Means they have to go farther to feed. Improving garden condition is another good sign. All will start hibernating soon.

Have quite a few mini pumpkins growing now. Daughter should be happy! I'm waiting for the giants to flower. Man, those grow fast! Definitely plant more of those next year!

Finished tilling the front yard this morning except for edging. Had to run some errands which took a few hours. Then got to work on the back yard.

Tilled an area at least as large as the front yard, probably larger. This whole area was all weeds, rocks, clay and mulch. So it was pretty hard to work but the tiller did great, long as I took things slow.

While tilling, kept running into debris which has been there since before I moved in. Remnants of what I once dubbed "The Pile". Today I ran into cans, pieces of plastic, electrical wire, clothesline wire, a flat plastic toolbox..and a meat cleaver. Handle broken off and a dent in the blade. Nice addition to the mismatched shoes, ashes and animal bones I found before, among other things.

While running errands, ran across some remaining $.20 lettuce and carrot seeds at WalMart. Picked up several packets of each. Spread the lettuce seeds randomly across the area by the fence. Also picked up some tulip and hyacinth bulbs and more seed green beans. Didn't get anything planted yet but the lettuce.

Going to take a break from tilling for a few days. Tired, sore, have blisters on both hands and have to work next two nights. Still, I'm happy with how far I've gotten so far.Finished tilling the front yard this morning except for edging. Had to run some errands which took a few hours. Then got to work on the back yard.

Tilled an area at least as large as the front yard, probably larger. This whole area was all weeds, rocks, clay and mulch. So it was pretty hard to work but the tiller did great, long as I took things slow.

While tilling, kept running into debris which has been there since before I moved in. Remnants of what I once dubbed "The Pile". Today I ran into cans, pieces of plastic, electrical wire, clothesline wire, a flat plastic toolbox..and a meat cleaver. Handle broken off and a dent in the blade. Nice addition to the mismatched shoes, ashes and animal bones I found before, among other things.

While running errands, ran across some remaining $.20 lettuce and carrot seeds at WalMart. Picked up several packets of each. Spread the lettuce seeds randomly across the area by the fence. Also picked up some tulip and hyacinth bulbs and more seed green beans. Didn't get anything planted yet but the lettuce.

Going to take a break from tilling for a few days. Tired, sore, have blisters on both hands and have to work next two nights. Still, I'm happy with how far I've gotten so far.

Almost completed tilling the front yard today. It was much harder than expected because the soil is so hard plus dry.

Was close to finishing this afternoon, with maybe 30 minutes of work left when the tiller lost power. Could be that the engine got too hot. Then again, maybe the air filter needs cleaning. Do that in the morning. Doubt the spark plug needs adjusting yet but iit wouldn't hurt to widen the gap and adjust the carb for this elevation. Right now just try the simplest solutions.

Amazing thing is that the yard looks much better as bare dirt than it did with the grass which was there. Though the grass was green in rare spots, dead in some spots and bare in other spots. The ground wasn't level and showed signs of digging prior to my moving in. For what, I don't know because the digging was not around any pipes or such. Now that the soil is loosened up, I can level it out easily.

Still, because of the space between blades, it will be most effective if I till again across the directions I tilled today. That should get to any grass or weed roots which I missed and mix the soil more thoroughly.

Some hard areas to get to were along the walls and driveway. However, the tiller came with an edger attachment which can be used last for that purpose.

Still sticking with the original plan of letting the soil compost in place over the winter. Likely till again a time or two before spring to kill off existing grass and weeds. Going to order and plant grass seed with "micro-clover" I've seen advertised. Had thought about it but wanted to actually see this clover before doing so. I was cautious it could be hard and abrasive. Then I saw a commercial lawn with the same mixture planted. I'm convinced. It was soft, green and looked really good. Plus where I saw it was in a fairly high traffic area. I don't think it grows very tall, so reduces mowing. Allegedly takes only five days to sprout from seed and requires very little watering. Not sure about fertilizing. It's called "Wonderlawn with MicroClover" and can be found on Amazon. Price seems reasonable compared to what I've seen in stores, including discount stores.

Need a bath really bad.

I'm loving this weather! Warm but not hot during the day, cool but not cold at night. Decent humidity and occasional rain (though not enough most of the time).

I was afraid the tomatoes would start going dormant but that's not happening. Soil temp is still warm enough and ambient temp is still 80's during the day. Actually, they look really good! Still new flowers blooming and fruit forming. Dozens of tomatoes on the vine right now.

Green beans are looking good. Need to look more closely for mature beans. Lots of flowers!

Corn is still small. Doubting even the small, cold tolerant variety will produce before frost now.

Lettuce and carrots I planted a couple weeks ago haven't sprouted. Still hoping.

Took the next step this evening and tilled the flower bed under. It's only about 100 sq ft and took less than 20 minutes. The more practice I have with this tiller and the more it gets broken in, the easier it is to use. In the case today, the whole flower bed was covered with wood chips which I tilled into the soil.

A lot of the areas which I'm going to till either have wood chips or I'll be adding wood chips to till in. Since I'm scheduled off for the next couple of days, going to till the front yard and much of the back yard. Have a good jump which should allow materials tilled in now to compost over fall and winter with chances to cultivate several times. Should give me a chance for a nice lawn next year in addition to the garden.

Got the Mantis tiller this week. Couldn't use it until today because of a heavy work schedule.

Finally got to use it and it worked great! On the heaviest soil it did bounce around but since the tiller only weighs about 30 lbs, was easy to control. It's quieter than my lawnmower and even my neighbor's electric table saw. The tines bound up three times, twice from long fibrous mulch wrapping the tines up and once from a large rock. No damage, just had to turn it off, untangle and restart. Restarted with one pull. In heaviest clay, it took several passes to reach full depth but that didn't take much time.

Any way, got the area by the fence tilled all the way up to the first garden rows. Good size area, at least 400 sq ft. Then planted broccoli, cilantro, dill, red cabbage and lots of spinach. Soil was so loose raking wasn't necessary. All shallow seeds, so just watered heavily.

It will take quite a bit of time and work to till the whole front and back yards but doing it in stages. Some areas will have to be tilled multiple times to kill off weeds. That's where a function of the Mantis comes in handy. Blades can be reversed and used to cultivate. Basically tilling only 1-2" of soil. That would leave the deeper soil untouched after initial tilling. Can also be used for weeding between rows next year.

Maybe rationalizing but think this was a good investment.

Only found two squash bugs in the past few days but some of the plants had already suffered enough damage that they still died off. However, still have a number which are looking really good. New flowers every day and have 4-5 pumpkins now growing.

Got cool in the last few days. Afraid of the tomatoes going dormant now. May have to dig up the ones in the garden and bring them in sooner than anticipated. But still lots of fruit on the vines right now. Got the Mantis tiller this week. Couldn't use it until today because of a heavy work schedule.

Finally got to use it and it worked great! On the heaviest soil it did bounce around but since the tiller only weighs about 30 lbs, was easy to control. It's quieter than my lawnmower and even my neighbor's electric table saw. The tines bound up three times, twice from long fibrous mulch wrapping the tines up and once from a large rock. No damage, just had to turn it off, untangle and restart. Restarted with one pull. In heaviest clay, it took several passes to reach full depth but that didn't take much time.

Any way, got the area by the fence tilled all the way up to the first garden rows. Good size area, at least 400 sq ft. Then planted broccoli, cilantro, dill, red cabbage and lots of spinach. Soil was so loose raking wasn't necessary. All shallow seeds, so just watered heavily.

It will take quite a bit of time and work to till the whole front and back yards but doing it in stages. Some areas will have to be tilled multiple times to kill off weeds. That's where a function of the Mantis comes in handy. Blades can be reversed and used to cultivate. Basically tilling only 1-2" of soil. That would leave the deeper soil untouched after initial tilling. Can also be used for weeding between rows next year.

Maybe rationalizing but think this was a good investment.

Only found two squash bugs in the past few days but some of the plants had already suffered enough damage that they still died off. However, still have a number which are looking really good. New flowers every day and have 4-5 pumpkins now growing.

Got cool in the last few days. Afraid of the tomatoes going dormant now. May have to dig up the ones in the garden and bring them in sooner than anticipated. But still lots of fruit on the vines right now.

On checking the garden this morning, did not find a single squash bug!

Last round of nicotine spray was a strong one plus manually crushed any I saw while applying it. Destroyed any eggs I found over last couple of days but going to check further to limit any second generation as much as I can.

Damaged surviving plants are forming new leaves now. Need to pull up the dead ones and toss them in the trash. Compost may not be a good idea. Could be eggs on them.

Biggest danger now is that some have survived on other plants. Their obvious preference is for certain types of pumpkin and squash. However, they will feed on any member of the cucumber family. Cucumber, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe and pumpkin. All of which I have growing in the garden. (No fruit on any except the pumpkin plants.)

Waiting for coffee, then get some cleaning done. On checking the garden this morning, did not find a single squash bug!

Last round of nicotine spray was a strong one plus manually crushed any I saw while applying it. Destroyed any eggs I found over last couple of days but going to check further to limit any second generation as much as I can.

Damaged surviving plants are forming new leaves now. Need to pull up the dead ones and toss them in the trash. Compost may not be a good idea. Could be eggs on them.

Biggest danger now is that some have survived on other plants. Their obvious preference is for certain types of pumpkin and squash. However, they will feed on any member of the cucumber family. Cucumber, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe and pumpkin. All of which I have growing in the garden. (No fruit on any except the pumpkin plants.)

Waiting for coffee, then get some cleaning done.

The one large squash bug was still alive today. Still had it in a jar with a pumpkin leaf. The leaf wasn't showing much sign of further feeding. So I decided to give it one more try. Sprayed the insect directly with the nicotine solution. Shortly after, it fell to the bottom of the jar. It was thrashing its' legs but was too weak to move or climb, even when I put the leaf directly in reach. It did take a while but eventually died.

Sorry, no. I do not have a lot of sympathy for dying squash bugs, especially when I'm experimenting with ways to kill them off completely.

So, this tells me several things. I know that nicotine spray is toxic for only a short while outside of solution, then becomes oxidized and no longer toxic. So subsequent treatments are necessary to kill off adult squash bugs. The smaller ones are more prone to the effects and die off faster. It does take some time and does not work instantly. However, it does at least slow the adult feeding with only one application.

There are two downside to nicotine spray. One is that it is definitely a contact spray. The insect must come in direct contact with the liquid in a short time frame for it to be effective. the second downside is that it is completely non-selective. It will kill beneficials as well as harmful insects. So if you have beneficials in your garden, you must seek out and spray the harmful insects and the immediate area. Wide area spraying will kill anything it contacts.

Seems to me that this would be toxic to ground beetles and earthworms if you water immediately after application. However, because it oxidizes so quickly, this is only true for a short time. So wait at least one hour after treating before watering.

It may well be that planting tobacco plants or companion planting them would be a good deterrent to squash bugs. I'll have to check on effects to beneficials on that one. However, tobacco plants are very ornamental and also deter many other pests.

If you don't smoke, make friends with a smoker, ask them to save butts for you and make your own spray. And don't complain about the smell. The one large squash bug was still alive today. Still had it in a jar with a pumpkin leaf. The leaf wasn't showing much sign of further feeding. So I decided to give it one more try. Sprayed the insect directly with the nicotine solution. Shortly after, it fell to the bottom of the jar. It was thrashing its' legs but was too weak to move or climb, even when I put the leaf directly in reach. It did take a while but eventually died.

Sorry, no. I do not have a lot of sympathy for dying squash bugs, especially when I'm experimenting with ways to kill them off completely.

So, this tells me several things. I know that nicotine spray is toxic for only a short while outside of solution, then becomes oxidized and no longer toxic. So subsequent treatments are necessary to kill off adult squash bugs. The smaller ones are more prone to the effects and die off faster. It does take some time and does not work instantly. However, it does at least slow the adult feeding with only one application.

There are two downside to nicotine spray. One is that it is definitely a contact spray. The insect must come in direct contact with the liquid in a short time frame for it to be effective. the second downside is that it is completely non-selective. It will kill beneficials as well as harmful insects. So if you have beneficials in your garden, you must seek out and spray the harmful insects and the immediate area. Wide area spraying will kill anything it contacts.

Seems to me that this would be toxic to ground beetles and earthworms if you water immediately after application. However, because it oxidizes so quickly, this is only true for a short time. So wait at least one hour after treating before watering.

It may well be that planting tobacco plants or companion planting them would be a good deterrent to squash bugs. I'll have to check on effects to beneficials on that one. However, tobacco plants are very ornamental and also deter many other pests.

If you don't smoke, make friends with a smoker, ask them to save butts for you and make your own spray. And don't complain about the smell.

Found a lot fewer squash bugs this morning. Doesn't mean they're not there, just means I didn't see them. However, evidence says population is down. Some damaged plants are forming new leaves.

Flowering on most plants has been delayed or aborted by the damage. Two pumpkins still growing. Think the third was too close on the same vine as another pumpkin growing. Some plants are undamaged and forming flowers which haven't bloomed yet.

Today is fertilizing day. May go ahead and plant a few more seeds just for giggles, since a couple more plants did die off. Still no sign of any more carrots but maybe since the temp is dropping.. If they do start sprouting, I may have thousands of them. In any case, can plant spinach on existing rows. Carrots and spinach play well with each other and almost anything else.

Once I get the tiller, I can take the lazy way with planting near the fence. Till, spread some deeper seeds (spinach and broccoli), rake to 1/2", spread lettuce seeds and just very lightly surface rake. May toss some red cabbage in the mixture, too. Not going to place any formal dividers but plant each item right up to the next one. I like the somewhat natural look in some spots.

Guess I should get something productive done. Slept really late. Figured out I have some kind of virus which has dogged me all week. Slowly getting over it now.Found a lot fewer squash bugs this morning. Doesn't mean they're not there, just means I didn't see them. However, evidence says population is down. Some damaged plants are forming new leaves.

Flowering on most plants has been delayed or aborted by the damage. Two pumpkins still growing. Think the third was too close on the same vine as another pumpkin growing. Some plants are undamaged and forming flowers which haven't bloomed yet.

Today is fertilizing day. May go ahead and plant a few more seeds just for giggles, since a couple more plants did die off. Still no sign of any more carrots but maybe since the temp is dropping.. If they do start sprouting, I may have thousands of them. In any case, can plant spinach on existing rows. Carrots and spinach play well with each other and almost anything else.

Once I get the tiller, I can take the lazy way with planting near the fence. Till, spread some deeper seeds (spinach and broccoli), rake to 1/2", spread lettuce seeds and just very lightly surface rake. May toss some red cabbage in the mixture, too. Not going to place any formal dividers but plant each item right up to the next one. I like the somewhat natural look in some spots.

Guess I should get something productive done. Slept really late. Figured out I have some kind of virus which has dogged me all week. Slowly getting over it now.

So, this afternoon I tried soaking some cigarette butts in water in a jar. Went out and captured three squash bugs in another jar. After a while, ran the cigarette water through a coffee filter and placed it in a spray bottle. Sprayed the squash bugs with it.

It worked to some degree! The two smallest bugs died. The largest remained alive but seemed weaker and stopped feeding.

So I took the spray bottle out and selectively sprayed the pumpkin plants. I'll try doing that every day for a few days and see how it works.

Here's a surprise. Haven't been watering the front yard but we have had some occasional rain lately. Few months ago, I had planted some pumpkin and corn in the front yard which never grew. Suddenly, several pumpkin plants have appeared after all this time! Unless it rains on a fairly regular basis, not counting on them surviving or producing but they could surprise me. Get out there tomorrow and pull the weeds near them.

Some small patches of grass in the back yard have actually grown tall enough to cut. However, I'm not going to cut it. Current plan is to till it under, along with weeds in other places. Until now, none of the grass ever did grow enough to mow this year. And the only spot which has grown enough to mow is underneath where one tarp shaded that area.

Never got any cleaning done today. Been feeling like garbage all week. Not sure why. All I really got done was taking the tarps down, taking the second electrician test and doing dishes. Still have tomorrow and daytime Monday this weekend to get lots of cleaning done. Tomorrow I'll force myself to do it no matter how I feel. Maybe allergies or maybe I just needed to take a break from always being active. But I figure one day of intense cleaning will make a huge difference.So, this afternoon I tried soaking some cigarette butts in water in a jar. Went out and captured three squash bugs in another jar. After a while, ran the cigarette water through a coffee filter and placed it in a spray bottle. Sprayed the squash bugs with it.

It worked to some degree! The two smallest bugs died. The largest remained alive but seemed weaker and stopped feeding.

So I took the spray bottle out and selectively sprayed the pumpkin plants. I'll try doing that every day for a few days and see how it works.

Here's a surprise. Haven't been watering the front yard but we have had some occasional rain lately. Few months ago, I had planted some pumpkin and corn in the front yard which never grew. Suddenly, several pumpkin plants have appeared after all this time! Unless it rains on a fairly regular basis, not counting on them surviving or producing but they could surprise me. Get out there tomorrow and pull the weeds near them.

Some small patches of grass in the back yard have actually grown tall enough to cut. However, I'm not going to cut it. Current plan is to till it under, along with weeds in other places. Until now, none of the grass ever did grow enough to mow this year. And the only spot which has grown enough to mow is underneath where one tarp shaded that area.

Never got any cleaning done today. Been feeling like garbage all week. Not sure why. All I really got done was taking the tarps down, taking the second electrician test and doing dishes. Still have tomorrow and daytime Monday this weekend to get lots of cleaning done. Tomorrow I'll force myself to do it no matter how I feel. Maybe allergies or maybe I just needed to take a break from always being active. But I figure one day of intense cleaning will make a huge difference.

Well, the spray I concocted did not work on the squash bugs at all. No surprise or someone would have come up with something similar before.

The most widely used organic method of control of squash bugs is simply..squashing them! They seem to congregate and feed on one plant in numbers. That does make it simple to crush a lot of them in short order. Though there are times you cannot avoid doing damage to leaves in the process, at least the plant may recover from that damage as opposed to that of the insects themselves.

Something else I may try is some nicotine spray. Just in a spray bottle and aimed at any squash bugs or eggs I find. Or try collecting the insects and testing it on them first. That would not involve crushing leaves and it only remains toxic in the immediate area until it dries. So low risk to ladybugs or other beneficials. I'll write what results I have after trying it.

Took down the tarps on the house today. Weather is cooling, they look bad and I've learned what I need to from them before going with something more permanent. They definitely helped in some ways but my design had flaws in others. Couldn't be helped much. Can adjust for those flaws in something larger and more solid.

So the problem with the pumpkin plants is squash bugs. I had seen them but wasn't sure they were harmful. They don't actually eat the plants but suck them dry. Not that seeing them would do all that much good. From what I've read there are no effective organic controls for them and chemical controls would kill beneficials as well.

One control is to plant late in the season. Up north they have one generation per year. Lucky us in the south have two generations a year. Too late to have anything planted now produce by Halloween, if at all. May be some hope for pie pumpkins for Thanksgiving and I am still hoping for vines for tilling and compost. So I planted more seeds tonight. Figure it won't hurt anything.

They have favorite strains of pumpkin they feed on most. Looks like one of their favorites are Big Max pumpkins. For space and variety, I had alternated Big Max with pie and mini's. So the bugs largely attacked one plant, skipped several and attacked another. So far, they also haven't gone for the Dill's giant plants, which are growing fast.

For next year, a good thing is that one major control is tilling. It's highly likely I had them last year but in much smaller numbers. So tilling the whole yard will be a good way to help prevent big problems with them next year. Hoping no great immigration from neighbors but only one neighbor has a garden and he uses chemical controls.

Since they killed off the only two plants growing in the area by the fence, guess I can till that space without having to avoid those plants. Give me more room for lettuce, spinach and broccoli.

Since I was planting, I got some small red potatoes on sale at the produce market across the street and planted those. Weather is cooling down enough for potatoes. Hope they're not treated with hormones to make them sterile. May have time for a small late crop. Otherwise, at least they'll add to the soil.

Not much going on this weekend with no work and daughter out of town. Just do a lot of house cleaning and studying.

Got the first part of the electrician course. Whole course is 27 sections long. If I can do one section a week I can finish it in about six months. Won't be a licensed electrician but will be far ahead of where I am now. Already did the reading required for the first test and the writing is more clearly written than anything I've read on the subject before. Good sign.

From current count, it's looking like I have lost as much as 1/3 of my pumpkin plants in the past two weeks to insect attacks. Damage seems to have slowed down in the last couple of days, since the latest ladybug inroduction. However, I'm off work tonight and think I'll help things along with some tomato leaf spray. Not likely to hurt matters.

Still not a single cucumber this year. Lots of foliage, lots of flowers, no fruit. Same with all the melons.

At least corn plants are coming up.

Keeping this short. Need some sleep.