HelpfulGardener.com

Hello,

Hoping someone here can help answer a few questions that I have about planting a winter garden.

Firstly, we planted a huge summer garden. It did beautifully in the beginning but then we went away for 10 days (all the while having someone tend to the garden) and then I became much sicker with my chronic migraines, therefore problems that would arise would remain and even get worse as I was unable to be outdoors. This AND we were unprepared for so many pests and diseases. We're certainly learning as we go. All that to ask this, if we have diseases out there currently...is it even a good idea to plant in the same soil for our winter garden?

Also, out of what we do have, should we pull anything up and out OR trim all the way back?? Here's what we currently have:

Tomatoes
Eggplant (2 varieties)
Banana Peppers
Okra
Bell Peppers
Artichokes (diseased with powdery, almost black something on leaves. eek)
Had Red Onions that are all picked and gone now
Basil
Watermelon (did terrible, likely because neither knew how to care for it OR when to pick watermelons that we did get. We just planted too much and were/are overwhelmed)
Cantaloupe (same as watermelon)
Sage, Thyme, and Oregano
Zucchini, Patty Pan (Huge portion of crop was destroyed by aphids. We had a massive infestation. We tried a concoction of Neem Oil, etc. that seems to have helped. Not eradicated, but helped.
Potatoes

I think that's it. Whew!

Because I am ill much of the time, I am going to start juicing daily, therefore would like to grow what I'll be wanting/needing to juice, but am afraid of the soil.

What should we do?? (One thing I do know is that once we have our winter garden up and growing, we will use the Neem Oil mix as preventative instead of waiting until we are inundated). We've so much to learn. Thanks for bearing with my ignorance as I learn.

Oh yes, and by the way, we are 100% organic.

Welcome!

Not all diseases are soil bourn. Some are spread by air currents/breezes, and others can be spread by insects. A few can be spread by your hands. Never touch a healthy plant after you have worked with a sick one, unless you wash your hands first. If you smoke, make sure you wash your hands before you handle plants like tomatoes, because some tobacco diseases can infect tomatoes. It's a good idea to rotate your crops from year to year, to help prevent the spread of soil bourn diseases. Also, when you water, don't let the water splash up off the ground onto the plant.

It sounds like your artichokes have powdery mildew, which can be treated by spraying with a half milk-half water solution.

The black stuff may be sooty mold, which grows on honeydew, which is excreted by aphids and some other sucking pests. These pests are often "farmed" by ants, who feed on the sweet honeydew. There are many ways to kill soft- bodied pests like aphids, a simple homemade solution of soap and water being one of the most popular. Do not use a detergent, so beware of "dish soap" which is most often a detergent!! Spray the solution on the plants until it's dripping. Spray from all directions. Repeat the spraying every 5 to 7 days, for a total of 5 treatments. This does not work on adult scale insects, but it will kill the juveniles. The treatments must be repeated to kill new insects as they hatch, before they can become adults and lay more eggs.

Other members will offer additional advice for you, I'm sure.

According to the latest research a better way to treat powdery mildew is to mix 1 part milk with 9 parts water and add 1T baking soda to each gallon. Spray early in the day on a sunny day, getting the whole infected area well sprayed and let the sun do the rest. Note if you have only a few infected leaves take them off and when you do pull the plant don't compost it, if you have no other way to distroy it then bury it away from the garden at least a foot deep.
I would start with new sqush, melon etc plants, they are probably tired by now and you said they are infected anyways. These are generally one season plants anyway.
Trim the tomatoes back about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way on each vine depending on how long they are. If they are determinates cut them back less. You can also trim back peppers and eggplant if they are not ill. All of the above a perennials where they are native plants. If you don't have the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant mulched do it. As long as you haven't gotten late or early blight you should be ok. In the future, when you plant tomatoes take off the lowest leaves and plant quite deeply. They will form new roots along the stem. Then when the lowest leaves start to turn yellow remove all of the leaves that are touching the ground or will get splashed with very carefull watering to help prevent disease. Mulch well to hold moisture and help prevent splashing up from the ground. Next year unless you over winter the eggplant, tomatoes, and pepper move them to another part of the garden.
As for preemptive strikes with neem don't. It also kills benifical insects. You treat powdery mildew at the first sign and then every 2-3 weeks or after a hard rain, mostly to prevent spread. Again if only a couple of leaves are affected take them off and distroy them.
Aphids as the previous person suggested, either use insecticidal soap or to one gallon of water add 1-2 tablespoons of Ivory soap and 1 T canola oil. Put in a sprayer (can be hand type or larger sprayer) and spray well, in the morning is best, but with enough time for it to dry before dark. Check under leaves and make sure to spray under them well.
Plant nectar rich flowers perennial flower close to the vegetable garden to help attract beneficial insects, work with nature not against it.
If you have the money you might consider buying something like
Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver by Fern Marshall Bradley. That would help you trouble shoot your problems better. You might check and see if you local library has a copy that you could look at first.
I would replace the Okra as well. Cut the herbs back and if you keep using them right along they should hold up quite well. Unless you want to start onions from seed you will probably need to plant that again in the early spring.
Also in the future you might check out the idea of intercropping that might help reduce the pest problems. I am sorry to say it but all of us seem to have more pest problems than I remember my grandfather having.

More than anything else - get well soon !

Hi, and welcome, Charlie is right don't do anything to harm your beneficial insects, encourage them by planting attractants like borage, pot marigold,
nasturtium, blossoming plants etc, given time they will help to strike a balance in your garden and keep pest numbers under control. Predators need some pests to munch on, healthy organic plants can withstand a few it's when they get out of control that you have problems. Frogs hedgehogs and slow worms are good predators to help keep pests down too so a log pile and pond etc as habitat can help keep slugs and snails down

https://www.haywardm.supanet.com/predators.html

Hope your migraine settle soon. Stress and migraine often go hand in hand it might pay to check your stress levels and reduce them if possible,often the migraines come just when you don't want them eg after a stressful period at work when you need to relax at the weekend. You could also try some relaxation techniques.

https://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/workplacehealth/Pages/Reducestress.aspx

Someone had mentioned insects contaminating plants--if the insects don't decimate a plant, their "honeydew"-(waste left behind) will clog the stomata and cause mold/fungus problems for your plants. Get proactive by making checking all factors--are there bugs? Is the ground over watered? Have you properly disposed of infected plants?

Don't have to go far to read about beneficial insects.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/organic/2006/beneficial.html

Well, I'm not going to wish you getting "well" since chronic illnesses have that descriptor for a reason, but I do hope you have more better days than worse days.

I'd get started juicing right away - figuring out what tastes good and what you want to eat. No point in planting things you don't want.

If I were planning a low-maintenance juicer's garden I'd go with:

Loose Lettuces
Kales
Swiss Chards
Carrots
Zuchinnis
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Radish

Succession planting, of course, to ensure continuous crops.

I've had all those in juices and like them a lot (well, not the chard so much but when you get enough ginger in there).

I also like fresh fruits and melons and celery in juices but those are a bit beyond what I feel as a novice (to my zone, anyway - plus I'm really old compared to my younger gardening years) gardener with limited time/resources can do.

One resource I do have is small children that can be bribed for bad bug patrol (small rewards other than the satisfaction of squishing the baddies) and light weeding. got any neighborhood kids looking to earn a couple extra bucks?

Reading your post again I thought I would ask what it is about the soil that you fear, because actually contact with soil is beneficial and helps to boost your immunity.

I can't speak for the OP, but a number of chronically ill people I know take immuno suppressant drugs. A simple weekend cold for most people can hang on for weeks. FDA have increased the black box warnings for some infection risk on TNF inhibitors and the like.

Gloves and good handwashing help, but reading those warnings in the news **I** get antsy.

Hi,
I admire your determination to become successful with your garden! It reminds me that not everyone has had gardening mothers that taught them most of the things necessary to raise a good garden!

I took too much for granted - my mother was and is, an avid organic gardener, as well as a health fanatic. Much of who I am now is from what she taught me, growing up.

As for your health, I do not know the details of your lifestyle, eating practices, hereditary background, etc. All these will have an effect on your health.

I will not pretend I know any answers for your specific health issues, but I do know that a good healthy diet, and quality nutritional supplements make a big difference for most people, as well as regular exercise, drinking enough water, and getting enough rest & sleep.

Good luck on both your garden & your health!
Ruth