vining | Better Hens and Gardens

Squash Bugs

The zucchini looks like it’s doing great this year – right?

It looks so nice and lush – but at a closer look, there are squash bugs hiding in there!

What are squash bugs? Well, they’re brownish black, about 3/4″ – 1″ long, and they feed on vining crops like squash, pumpkins, and melons. As you can see, they cause the plant to wilt and eventually die. They’re generally found wherever these vining crops are grown. Ugly, aren’t they?

Organic controls for squash bugs include planting other varieties that repel them (obviously I didn’t do enough of that) such as marigold, nasturtium, and radish. Garden sanitation and weed [...]

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Growing Sugar Snap Peas

This year, I’m happy to report that we’re getting a bumper crop of sugar snaps peas; and they’re absolutely delicious. As a result, I’m documenting exactly what I know about growing them, in hopes that there’ll be more bumper crops in future years.

What Exactly Are Sugar Snaps?

Sugar snaps (Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon), are a type of edible podded pea; similar to a snow pea except that their pods are round when mature rather than flat. They’re also similar to garden peas, except the pod is less fibrous, and can therefore be eaten when young. This eliminates the need for [...]

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