Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

TIM'S TIPS

Cucurbits -- plant squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe, pumpkins and watermelon now. All of these crops prefer lots of room and sunlight. Watch out for cucumber beetle infestations early. If vine borer and seed corn maggots are a problem, use a soil insecticide to control them.

Summer squash will require 40-55 days to mature, and pick your squash when its small and tender -- usually only 2-4 days after flowering. Sow 2-3 seeds, 24-36 inches apart for single plant production, or 4-5 seed in hills 48 inches apart. Plant one inch deep and thin to 1-2 plants per hill.

Cucumbers will require 50-70 days to mature. Cucumbers can be picked when they are small for pickles or large for slicing. Plant seeds -1 inches deep in a row with one plant every 12 inches or in hills every 36 inches. In small gardens they can be grown on a fence.

Cantaloupe require 80-85 days to mature and should be planted one inch deep and 18-24 inches apart in rows or in hills 48" apart.

Pumpkins come in either vine or bush type. They will require 100-120 days to mature and should be planted one inch deep. Vine types require 50-100 square feet per hill planted 4 feet apart in rows that are 8 feet apart. Bush varieties should be planted with one seed per foot and thinned to 3 feet apart on rows 7 feet apart.

Watermelons require 75-100 days to mature and should be planted one inch deep in hills 6 feet apart with 7-10 feet between rows. If you grow seedless melons, you must also plant a row of a standard seeded variety because the seedless melon varieties do not have the fertile pollen necessary to pollinate and set the fruit. Okra -- Requires very warm soil for seeds to germinate. The plant grows 4-8 feet in height and has attractive hibiscus-like flowers. Seeds should be planted one inch deep with plants 10-18 inches apart. The seed can be soaked in water overnight to accelerate germination.

GRASS MANAGEMENT

One of the most innovative ways to maximize net profit for a small beef operation is the system of rotational grazing of various types of animals. Very small acreages will suffice to establish such a system. Even more importantly, large inputs of capital are not required to be successful. High quality grass is the key!

For years many agriculture experts considered pasture of very little benefit to feed value. The main benefit of pasture was for exercising the animals outside the confinement of the barn. That would be accomplished if you put three or four cows, sheep, goats, or hogs in even 1 acre of pasture with only a perimeter fence and no interior subdivisions of fencing to form paddocks.

Animals in conventional systems -- free pasture grazing -- will eat only the grasses and legumes that they prefer. Animals allowed to graze randomly tend to eat some plants and ignore others completely. The vegetation that they do not quickly eat will become more unpalatable and ultimately set seed. The vegetation providing the optimum nutritional value that the animals prefer will be constantly overgrazed and will die out. The condition of the pasture deteriorates and so does the quality/value of livestock. In essence, the unpalatable plants have total rest from grazing, and the palatable plants have no rest, which leads to their death.

Scientists throughout the country are conducting research studies on grazing techniques. These studies show that grazing management is an important component in the success of any animal agriculture operation. Rotational grazing is an approach many people use to not only improve the health of livestock, but also increase profits and improve the environment.

GALLS TREES AND SHRUBS

Galls are appearing on shade trees and shrubs throughout the state as a result of insects. Mites, aphids, midges, small wasps and psyllids, or jumping plant lice, cause galls by injecting secretions during their egg laying and larval activities. The size and shape of galls depends on the type of insect. The same species of insects attacking different plant species cause galls similar in appearance, while several species of insects working on the same plant cause galls greatly different in appearance. Very little is known about the life history of gall-forming pests. An insect or mite attack usually is not noticed until the galls have formed. By then, the pests are well protected from insecticides or have matured and emerged from their galls. Gall insects normally don't cause serious damage, so spraying to control them usually isn't necessary. Keeping a tree healthy by fertilizing and watering at the right time goes a long way to helping a tree overcome a gall infestation.