General information and discussion about cultivating melons, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and gourds.
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March 2, 2014 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Parma, OH
Posts: 147
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County Fair Cuke or cuke beetle control to stop bacterial wilt??
I've tried to grow pickle cukes for the last two years in this region and the cuke beetle is apparently king here. Bacterial wilt kills everything in early August at the latest. They are just everywhere. I've tried different sprays like neem oil and then sevin, which did nothing but kill some friendly pollinators that are becoming very rare around here. I didn't see one honey bee all year and relied on boring bees to get the job done.
So I'm giving up on other cucurbits this year and really want to focus on a decent harvest of pickle cukes. Is County Fair a legit variety against bacterial wilt or am I doing some terribly wrong to need such a variety and giving up on cucurbits because of these darn swarms of yellow beetles? Thanks for any replies! |
March 3, 2014 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 907
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Sevin is the only product that works for me. Sevin allows me to grow both cucumbers and cantaloupe successfully. I use the powder when the plants are small and then switch to the spray as the vines get longer. The key is to spray in the evening after the bees have left for the day. The other key is to start early in the season applying the product.
From your post, I can't tell if you used Sevin for an entire season or if you used neem oil first, then switched to Sevin. If you tried neem oil first, it is possible the plants were already infected before you even started using the Sevin. |
March 3, 2014 | #3 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Parma, Ohio (6a)
Posts: 299
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Quote:
I'm hoping the extreme cold thinned out their numbers as I do plan to grow cukes again this year. To add on, honey bees have indeed become VERY rare around here. The only place I see them in my yard is early in the season around a bush that I don't know the name of. The boring (carpenter) bees and some smaller pollinators are all we seem to have doing the work. Last edited by Riceloft; March 3, 2014 at 06:50 AM. |
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March 3, 2014 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut
Posts: 2,570
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yes county fair is THE cuke to grow.
like you my plants would die in the 2nd or 3rd week of august. i tried different varieties but when i found out what was causing the (BW) i grew county fair for several seasons and i now get TONS of cukes all summer. this past season my plants were producing into the final week of september which is very late. by the 2nd week in september the plants typically are dying. i suspect this is due to a weak sun and shorter shorter days. i'm stubbornly organic and would never use sevin and there's no reason to, grow county fair and you'll be in pickle heaven. i use them as a slicer and they are great tho the skins are a bit tough and slightly bitter so i peel them. i don't like to peel them but it beats not having any to peel! county fair is not easy to find, parks has them and i think a couple of other places but it is not found just anywhere unfortunately. there is another pickle i never tried that is supposed to be BW resistant that shumway sells. if you need more info let me know. tom
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March 3, 2014 | #5 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Parma, OH
Posts: 147
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Quote:
The carpenter bees which are annoying to say the least, constantly eating my deck and shed are my best friends in this ecosystem of my garden. |
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March 3, 2014 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 309
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Parks had free shipping today but I could not find County Fair there. Someone on another thread here said his seed source for County Fair did not have the correct seed. His source was not Parks. I ordered Diva instead at Parks, but maybe I should keep looking for County Fair if the bugs don't like it.
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March 4, 2014 | #7 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Parma, Ohio (6a)
Posts: 299
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Quote:
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March 7, 2014 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Parma, OH
Posts: 147
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Thanks for all of the replies! Does anyone know a good source for county fair? Actually does anyone know of a bad source! I heard some people were questioning if they had the right seeds in the past. Gourmetseed sells them pretty cheap but shipping is like $6 for a packet! And they don't have anything else I want.
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March 7, 2014 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut
Posts: 2,570
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park seeds
tom
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I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life |
March 7, 2014 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 4,064
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I grew County Fair cukes several years ago. Sent a bunch of my remaining seeds to a fellow TV member when I decided to grow only Diva and Sweet Success.
Reimers lists County Fair here: http://www.reimerseeds.com/county-fair-cucumbers.aspx Jung Seed also carries them: http://www.jungseed.com/dp.asp?pID=02015&c=95 Raybo Last edited by rnewste; March 7, 2014 at 11:19 PM. |
March 8, 2014 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Posts: 2,466
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Earlier this week I found County Fair seeds at the local Walmart for $.89. Seed are from Home Farmer New seed company founded in 2012.
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March 8, 2014 | #12 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut
Posts: 2,570
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Quote:
tom
__________________
I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life |
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March 14, 2014 | #13 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Parma, OH
Posts: 147
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Quote:
tjg911, if you are still checking this thread, does the picture from RayR's link look like the ones you grow? Thanks guys! |
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