Three wedding in one weekend? I would lose my mind. But, nevermind because I think I already have. We've been working in that 90 degree temperature. Then yesterday when we went to market, it was 58 degrees, overcast and windy. At 11:30 it decides to rain. We're not complaining about the rain. But, man was it cold especially after 90 degree temps. And, we still don't quite have enough flowers to cover two Saturday markets. They all have to go to our market that started in May. People are a little ticked because we aren't at the touristy market on Saturdays yet. The don't understand why we don't have flowers because the "reseller" down the way has them. She had some rather odd looking roses yesterday. I have never seen anything quite like them. They looked like red velvet. Actually, they looked fake. I am pretty sure they aren't grown anywhere around here. I am almost certain they are not grown in this country. They were awful. The pathetic part was that some customers actually bought them. I ranted about those things all evening. I am pretty much over it now. This would be the same vendor who last year would send her friends down to buy straight bunches of celosia, Green Mist and/or whatever. She would take the flowers home and blend them in with some of her flowers, and bring them back to the next market. I hope she has other plans for this year because we intend to control some of those purchases. Some people stoop to nothing. And, I lost my faith in mankind for a little bit over it. Back to weather. It has been so windy here all season. I am certain they have move Michigan to the Rockies. Anyway, that is how we got rain -- We picked more than we could possible sell, drove an hour and a half to market, set up in the wind. The good news is we really didn't have a bad selling day. And, a father-of-the-bride talked to us about coming out to the farm the end of August to pick flowers for his daughter's wedding. Hmmmm. I am the person always screaming, We don't do weddings. We are rethinking this one..........

Sarah, Could you have squash vine borers? Are there any holes in the vine, especially near the base. You might spot some debris from the worm which would be eating the interior of the vine. Borers will hollow out the interior of the vine, causing it to die, much as in your picture. This is probably the most common cause of death of pumpkin and summer squash. Also, it is better not to water so often. If the soil is moist when you dig down with a finger, then don't water. Wait until it is dry. Then, when the plant looks like it needs water water deeply. By that, I mean water for more than an hour. I will sometimes water for two or three hours. Then, even in our Oklahoma heat, I will wait a week or even two before I water again. Powdery mildew is a real problem, especially when we have humid summers. But excessive watering will bring it on even worse. There is a snail and slug product called Sluggo. The active ingredient is iron phosphate. It's safe around pets. But, if I recall correctly, it will not only kill slugs and snails, but also rolly pollies. To protect your remaining pumpkin plant, I would recommend that you place some soil over part of the vine, maybe even in several places. The vine will grow roots where the soil covers it. This way, if a borer hits, the vine can continue growing. Also, keep an eye on the vine, especially near the base. Remove and destroy any little red insect eggs which appear there. One other thing to try is to lay a sheet of aluminum foil, flat on the ground, under the vine, nearest the roots. There is some evidence that the reflective quality of the foil repels the moth which lays borer eggs. George Tahlequah, OK Here is a link that might be useful: Sluggo

I've attemted to grow GRS, here in S.Calif, 2 different seasons in the past. I had no problems starting from seed and planting them out at around 8-9 weeks in the mid to end of April. Both seasons were warm from the start (high 70's to low 80's)and I slowly watched them waste away over a 4-5 week period with temps in the 90's. It never set fruit and I pulled them. Silvery Fir Tree and Sylvan Guame, grown at the same time, both sorta melted away, but I did get a few tom's off them. I have 2 Sylvan Guame this year (planted out on 3/28)and both plants droop when the sun is out and are bit behind the other 28 plants I have in the ground. They both have shown similar purple coloring under the leaves with the overcast weather this week. I'll see if that clears up today, as the sun has decided to come out an hour or so ago. Bottom line is, I haven't much luck with plants with "wispy" type foliage and the heat.

For optimum growth, blueberry bushes in containers should be planted in soilless potting mix with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5 or so. Here are some tips from Fall Creek Nursery... Blueberry Potting Mix Instructions