Ramsey County

Howdy!!!
What a great time of year.  All the fresh produce and even though the produce we eat during the off season is very good there is still nothing like the produce right out of the garden.  I have to get after my wife once in a while, this time of year, as she is great at picking those tomatoes that get a little color to them.  I keep reminding her that vine ripen tomatoes are the best, but she still doesn’t listen.  It is also very bothersome to see the garden on the tail end of things.  This is a good reminder that old Jack frost is not far off nor is old man winter.  However we look at the fall scene we need to remember to take each and enjoy the beauty as a different climate will soon be upon us.

Slugs!!!!!
Slugs seem to be a problem for most gardeners right now.  I am thinking because of the more rain we have had late would tend to make conducive environments for the slugs.  Slugs do not like a dry/warm environment thus trying to keep our area in our gardens drier would make a great impact on slug infestations.  Some things we can try to do would be to lay a 1 inch wide area of blood meal at about 1 inch high, this has shown fairly good results in keeping the slug away.  Another remedy worth trying would be to use a small tin and fill it about half full of beer.  Place the tin ground level so the slugs have to crawl down into the solution.  I have been told not use light beer???????  Another remedy that seems to have some merit would be to place copper around your plants.  It seems that copper and the slime from slugs creates an electrical shock that eliminates the problem.  There really are not any good chemicals that I am aware of that does a good job of controlling slugs, although I have seen products on store shelves throughout Devils Lake that label Slugs as an pest to get rid of.

Cucumber leaves being damaged????
There are cucumber leaves being destroyed as of late.  This could be from three sources. Are the vines on your cucumber plants wilting and dying, even though you've given the plants plenty of water? They may be infected by Bacterial Wilt. This disease is caused by bacteria that plugs up the water conducting tissues in the plants and is carried and spread by the cucumber beetle. The only method of prevention is to control the beetle before they feed on your plants. Once the plants have been infected with the bacteria, the plant will eventually wilt and die. Cucumbers are the common victim of Bacterial Wilt but melons, squash, pumpkins, and gourds can also be infected with the disease. Anthracnose is another common cucumber disease which occurs during wet warm weather or when the cucumbers are sprinkled in the evening. Symptoms include round water soaked spots on the leaves which turn brown and become somewhat sunken. The disease is spread by splashing rain or by moving through your cucumbers when the leaves are wet. Controlling Anthracnose is difficult once the disease is serious. Angular leaf spot is a bacterial disease which causes square to rectangular shaped water spots to develop on the leaves. Later the spots turn brown, dry up, and develop ragged tears in the center. The bacterial over winters on diseases cucumber refuse in the field or cucumber seed. Crop rotation, clean seed, and using copper fungicide during warm wet weather is recommended for control.

Ramsey County Gardeners@@@@@@@@
I am thinking of offering a Ramsey County Gardener class this late fall.  I am looking for your input.  This would be similar to the master gardener classes but would not include a master gardener certificate.  I thought we could offer 3-4 classes this fall focusing on detailed garden subjects and maybe dealing with one area at a complete class.  We would still offer our Horticulture classes this spring on a more general note.  The extreme makeover spring edition went over very well.  I enjoyed the classes very much and met many new folks.  If you are interested in attending a fall class please call the office and let me know your idea.  I am thinking there would be a minimal charge for the class to cover the classes.  My whole goal of this class is to not only make better gardeners out of you but also allow you the opportunity to maybe make a presentation in class on a specific subject matter of your choosing and expertise.  Please call 701-662-7027 or stop by and visit with me

 Bill

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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