Garden Pests

Deadly Nightshade

This plant is popping up in gardens and people are wondering if it is a ground cherry.  This weed is called deadly nightshade and has toxic berries. The berries are sweet; however, it does not take many to get sick. The scientific name is Atropa belladonna which was used by English nobles as eye drops to dilate the pupils of the eyes (a custom at that time) and to kill Roman emperors like Claudius and Augustus.

Deadly nightshade fruit borne singly on stems.
Deadly Nightshade

This plant is confused with the black nightshade related to the tomato family (which are also in the nightshade family) are eatable and can become a weed. They need to be cooked to remove the alkaloids. You can find the seed in some garden catalogs.

Black nightshade fruits growing in clusters.
Black Nightshade

The deadly nightshade fruit is produced singly on the stem. The black nightshade fruit is produced in clusters. It is best not to eat either one just to make sure unless you know you planted black nightshade in the area or row.

Ground cherry growing in their husks.
Ground Cherry

Ground cherries look like nightshades, however, have a husk around the fruit. They can be commonly found in seed catalogs and are eaten raw or cooked in many recipes. There are wild ground cherries you may find by creeks or cultivated areas, however, getting them before the opossums, skunks, turkeys, pheasants, or quail will be tricky. All three of these plants can spread like weeds.

House pests

Inside Bugs Are Coming This Fall

Inside bugs are coming this fall to your home. It will be getting time for the outside bugs like spiders, ants, boxelder bugs, and others in being inside bugs. Many will be on your lawn to start with. So, keep the grass mowed, remove any debris around the house and garage that they love to hide under, and trim up your shrubbery (lightly). Also, caulk around the foundation and windows to keep them out which will also keep the cold out when the time comes.

Flies have been bad this year. Keeping your garbage bins away from the house is the main thing. Fly baits and sticky tubes will get some of the flies indoors but be careful, so your pets do not get to them.

I use a residual insecticide called Permectrin II, sprayed around where the foundation meets the ground. Spray up to around 3 feet on the side of the home and out 3 feet on the ground. Also do not forget around the windows and doors. If you do not want to do this yourself, there are home pest control businesses in our area.

Garden Pests, Vegetables

Hot Weather is Slowing Down Fruit Production

The hot weather is slowing down fruit production in the garden dramatically. My summer squash (which I planted a dozen hills) usually produces more than I certainly can use. The plants now produce maybe one fruit every few days, which is good. It is bad concerning other vine crops like cucumbers and melons. Below-ground vegetables like carrots and beets are doing well. My winter squash is setting on a lot of fruit, mainly because they are growing between shady fruit trees. Peppers have not set and the ones that have are small.

You notice it with the tomatoes, fewer are setting and not ripening. Green tomatoes are full of chlorophyll and when maturing tomatoes produce lycopene and carotene from ethylene gas breaking the chlorophyll down. This turns the fruit red or yellowish depending on the variety. When the temps are above 85 the ripening slows down and when above 95 the ripening can stop. When they do ripen, they can have tough skins. If that is not enough, you may notice the tops (collars) of the fruit will stay green because the temps are hotter at the top of the tomato preventing the top from ripening.

Fruit cracking due to inconsistent watering

The best thing to do with this heat is to mulch your plants to keep the ground cooler. Also, do not be stingy on the water since the tomato is mainly water. Inconsistent watering will crack the fruit depending on the variety. Keep in mind that cooler weather is on the way.

Sunburn (sunscald) on tomatoes

Some say to remove the growth in between the main leaf and stem. This is good when you want to force ripening in the fall. In the summer, if you remove too much green growth, you may cause more delay in ripening and cause sunburning of the fruit.

Leaf diseases are more prevalent in hot weather especially if you overhead water. Remove any diseased leaves and try a garden fungicide.

Blossom end rot

Also, blossom end rot is a problem again depending on the variety. This is caused by inconsistent watering and hot weather tying up the calcium in the soil.