alisande, This is my first year growing cucumbers, and they are a hoot. Must be my imagination, but they seem to go from a tiny "pickle" to 8 inches long in a week. Surely, this can't be true, and I've got to pay more attention, but in the photo above, I was really stunned to find four of the Burpless that had developed so quickly. Guess I am used to the long cycles for tomatoes and Peppers. Ben, I will concur that Goose Creek is more "sensitized" to disease versus a variety like Big Beef (above), so that is why I grow a range of varieties. Next Season, I am going to try to isolate the Goose Creek Tainer far back in the yard to see if separation from the other tomato plants will help it resist fungal disease a bit better. Raybo

The gnats don't do any damage. A heavy infestation of the larvae, however, will damage plants as they are down there gnawing the roots. The problem is - and you saw that with your last go-round - no matter how many of the adults you trap or kill, they've already laid eggs and the larvae just keep coming. I don't much care for MG or most pre-bagged potting mixes, but these days I can't seem to get decent peat moss at all. It all seems too fine textured and dusty. You can add pumice, if you can get it, to your soil mix to improve drainage. It is water-retentive, but helps to maintain aeration as well. You can get it fairly inexpensively as Stall Dry from a feed store. It needs to be rinsed, it is crushed and very dusty. Otherwise use the coarsest perlite you can find. But back to treating your plants, if you want to save them. One option is Bt-israeliensis available as Gnatrol. Follow the directions. It will take about 3 weeks. It needs to be Bt-i - not the "regular" Bt, that's a different strain. Gnatrol is the right one, though there may be others. Follow the directions - I'm pretty sure you have to apply it every 5 days for at least 3 weeks. And you still need to sterilize all your surfaces and pots and tools to be sure you're going to start out gnat-free after whatever treatment you choose is done. There are several Bonide products that contain Imidacloprid - an insecticide that I am pretty sure is NOT organic, but it is effective. Just follow the directions on the label. I have not been able to locate a specific pyrethrum product to kill fungus gnats, but according to the U of CO, what you want is: The most effective treatments are those that are persistent; killing adults for up to three days. A number of pyrethroid-based insecticides, with extended persistence, are available for use on houseplants including those containing the following active ingredients: bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, permethrin, and lambdacyhalothrin. There used to be something called Ecotrol? I think? That would have fit that bill - but I don't think it is made any more. It probably IS in your unopened bag of potting mix at this point - those bags always have holes and tiny tears in them SOMEWHERE. So I would remove that from the area - like into a shed or the garage, on a porch, or even just set in the yard somewhere, but away from the area. You can solar sterilize it later. You really COULD do it in your kitchen oven, but its a royal pain, and it smells to high heaven. That much potting soil is likely to stink up your kitchen for a week or more. After you've completed whatever course of treatment you have chosen - and it must be said, complete disposal of all plants and the soil they are in ought to be considered - you still need to sterilize everything. Clean all your pots and tools and surfaces to get rid of all loose debris and dispose of it. Then sterilize...

Definitely best to do regular maintenance. Of course, keep in mind the above advice is for all, including those that garden outside. Indoors has advantages and disadvantages. It's easy to accidentally bring in bugs from the outside. The problem with indoor gardening and bugs is that there are not as many natural predators (spiders always seem to find a way, though) killing off the bugs you accidentally and unknowingly bring in. Hence the need for that regular maintenance. Without natural checks in place, bugs can breed pretty darn fast. Fortunately, they are usually pretty easy to spot - or at least the clues are. With proper care, you certainly reduce the risk of infestation, but it is very easy to miss something and most people don't shower and change their clothes before entering a grow area unless their business depends on it. Spider mites are one of the major problems indoors. You can use neem on those, too. Mike, are you for real or is this a spam log on? Just curious since the name is so new and the link is not to anything pertaining to the thread. Hate to accuse someone of spamming if they are just linking to a site they find helpful, but man this forum gets a lot spam.

johnny, Thanks. fortunately, as the headline in my post says (hey, wasn't that line stolen from me by Charles Dickens?) while some of the varieties are dying, others like Big Beef are doing great (so far). I now have 20 seedlings growing and they are about 6 inches tall today. May scour some of the local Nurseries as last year at this time, they were selling Stupice and others for those wanting to do a Fall crop. I thought I could spend the rest of the Summer swimming with my Yellow Ducks in the Hot Tub - - but no joy!! Raybo