From the Gardens Registrar: Tomatoes and Tobacco; Colorado Potato
Beetles; Ticks; Garden Talk; A Radish Salad Recipe; No Workday This Weekend
Hello Gardeners,
TOMATOES AND TOBACCO – Please do not smoke cigarettes or
use tobacco in any form in our gardens. Tobacco spreads a serious disease
called Tobacco Mosaic Virus to tomatoes, and to their relatives, such as
peppers and eggplants. If you smoke and you grow any of these vegetables, don’t
smoke in their presence, and wash your hands, with soap and water, before
touching them. Smoking is not actually prohibited in the gardens, but we
strongly recommend that you not do it. Of course, tobacco isn’t good for you
either...
COLORADO POTATO BEETLES – We have potato beetles in the
garden now – they are serious pests of potatoes, of course, but also potato
relatives such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Both the adults and the
larvae eat leaves, and if there’s a large enough population, they can strip the
plants. Once again, the safest and most effective method for getting rid of
them is to hand-pick them off your plants, and toss them into a bucket of soapy
water. Some years, our garden workers spray Spinosad in areas with lots of
beetles. It’s a natural substance made by a soil bacterium. It is very toxic to
insects, but not to most other organisms, such as mammals, birds, or
earthworms. It can be dangerous to bees, but our workers are very careful about
when they spray, so that bees won’t be affected. We haven’t made a decision on
spraying yet for this year, but here is a fact sheet on Spinosad: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/spinosadgen.html
FUN WITH
TICKS - The tick population has been growing
steadily in Wisconsin in the last few years. Most ticks people encounter are
wood ticks, which are primarily just annoying, but the greater concern is for
deer ticks, which can spread Lyme Disease. I don’t think ticks
are a particular problem in our gardens, and at least they don’t eat our
tomatoes or beans, but you do need to be aware of them any time you’re outside.
Here’s some good information from UW Health: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/special/ticks-how-to-avoid-and-remove-ticks/tp23585spec.html
NEW TICK
APP LAUNCHED – The Midwest and the Northeast Centers of Excellence for Vector-Borne
Disease have just launched a smart-phone application through which you can
report ticks, track your own tick exposure, and learn all about ticks. This app
is part of a research study, so if you’re interested, you’ll need to start by
filling out a short entry survey. Once you’re signed up, you participate by
keeping a tick diary. You can download the app at Google Play or at iTunes, or
you can sign up (or learn more about the project) at this website: www.thetickapp.org/signup
GARDEN
TALK – Every Friday morning, Larry Meiller has a special feature called
“Garden Talk” on his talk show on Wisconsin Public Radio. Larry has a garden
expert as his guest, and they take calls from listeners with garden questions.
The show is on from 11am – 12:30pm, and the local WPR ideas station is 970AM.
RADISH
SALAD – This looks simple and good: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/222561/summer-radish-salad/
Happy Gardening,
Kathryn
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