More Pests, Wind Damage, and an Update!

Well I couldn't pick just one topic for my post today, so I decided to use up all my pictures and talk about 3!

First off is another pest problem...squash bugs!  This isn't the best picture, but in the center, just to the right of the closed flower, is a big squash bug.  Luckily I haven't had too many of them, but I keep squishing them all the same.  Also, on the underside of the lead at the bottom, are some eggs, either from the squash bugs or cucumber beetles.  Either way, I squish those too!  The squash bugs haven't gotten very numerous yet, but the cucumber beetles are getting out of hand once again!  I think I'm going to pick up some neem oil at TSC tomorrow and see if it will work.

Next up, wind damage!  We got several good storms last week, totaling about 3" of rain for the week!  It was nuts!  After the first storm (which was actually quite short, but apparently very windy), I went out to find all my broccoli plants knocked over!  Luckily they weren't uprooted, so I stood them back up, braced the stems with rocks, and placed some foldable tomato cages around them for added support.  And I'm happy to announce that the cages withstood the other 2 storms!

The reason I was so concerned is that I had just started to get decent heads on my broccoli!  This is the biggest one, about 3" across.  Hopefully it will be ready to pick tomorrow or Monday.

And what blog update would be complete without a picture of baby tomatoes?  This is one of the heirloom varieties that I planted.

Last but not least, my HUGE squash plants!  They seem to be doing great, despite the cucumber beetle and squash bug attacks.  Hopefully they won't succumb to the virus that the bugs carry!  Once they get a bit taller I hope I can start getting them to climb the trellis.  They seem a bit overgrown now (as I did plant them too close together technically), but once they start to climb they should be okay.