I think its sunburn, I have other cucurbit plants do this also. Its wicked hot right now. As for your cucs not growing past an inch I would assume its a pollination issue. I get baby cukes and squashes all the time that the pollination doesnt seem to take. Cucumber blossoms are so small that hand pollination is hard too. You need bees, wasps or other pollinators to do that work for you. Also all my cucumber plants were trellised vertically and the plants died starting with the lowest leaves and working upward. Neem oil is good for preventing this. I believe its a combination of squash bugs, white powdery mildew and inconsistent watering!

Hi Sheri, I'm glad youÂre doing so well, were winding down the tomatoes other than some cherries. I've never done anything with my blueberries; don't know what I was thinking since I just don't have the room. They are still in one gallon containers, sitting under an oak tree where every berry goes to the squirrels :-( I've been thinking of making them into bonsai.... Bush Champion has been my favorite of the bush cukes because the cukes are full-sized (12") on runners that only go 4-5 feet, ideal for trellising. PROBLEM, Burpee prices and shipping costs have gotten so ridiculous I won't buy from them unless I can get what a want from their display at HD, fortunately Bush Champion is available that way...my second favorite for a bush cuke is the Spacemaster. You will have to be vigilant with the spraying now that we're moving into the buggy season, and I'd be concerned about worms, the eggs are laid in the buds of the new growth, then the worms migrate down to the larger leaves to start munching. I'd be spraying with BT at least weekly and after rain, and make sure you have a wand with a bent tip at the wand neck because it's vital you spray the undersides of the leaves too. This may sound crazy but you're a little late for okra in Zone 10 now but sounds like you'll be good with the spraying. I usually start seed March 1st so that I'm cutting okra May to July. Starting now, our summer bugs love okra but can be controlled with spraying. For us in Zone 10 okra can be perennial but it is higher maintenance in the summer so I prefer a fall and spring crop. Somebody else will have to chime in about the potatoes; I have such a small garden I choose to grow other things.... Tom

Not hornworms I think, I know those on my tomato plants. The little bright green caterpillars that seem to love all plants in the family with cucumbers but especially cucumber plants. I find the really tiny caterpillars in and under new leaves. They eat leaves and then they will eat into the cucumber fruits as well. You might try bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), brand name products with it I think are Thuricide or Dipel dust. Pretty safe for people/pets/good bugs etc. Just bad for any caterpillar that eats some of it. They get a bad belly ach, quit eating and eventually die. Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx

Just to chime in. Back to Raleigh where one of the posters had insulated under the slab. This seems unusual. While it may help slightly in the winter, it probably hurts an equal amount in the summer. Either way - not much of an issue but why would you go through the expense. Raleigh is roughly an equal cost heating and a/c (depending on design of house and how you heat) climate. The foam under the slab reduces the natural cooling of the basement by the earth. My walkout basement with 150 sq ft of windows was never above 84 or below 50 before I finished it - and that was before air sealing. I think with air sealing (prior to HVAC), it would have been between 55 and 80 year round. As far as moisture, I just know that I have been in many moldy smelling basements in the area. My builder's never smell and he doesn't use foam under the slab. I think the key here is ground sloping and siting rather than under floor moisture migration but this issue has to be incredibly local. I have to imagine in Ontario, some underslab insulation is in order. But, if the space is part time heated, it may not be a big deal. If you have NG and just use the space 10 hrs a week, then we are talking pennies in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it might help a tiny bit with duct losses but again pennies.