Whether you are in Hawaii or Arizona, when the topic centers on
gardening, one of the tests that gardening lovers commonly face is
that of pest control. Even though organic approaches have been always
present and have been applied for gardening, controlling bugs in the
developed world right from... Click the link below to read the entire
article

http://www.articlesofinformation.com...Healthy-/26146

In article
,
fryedaddy wrote:

Whether you are in Hawaii or Arizona, when the topic centers on
gardening, one of the tests that gardening lovers commonly face is
that of pest control. Even though organic approaches have been always
present and have been applied for gardening, controlling bugs in the
developed world right from... Click the link below to read the entire
article

http://www.articlesofinformation.com...To-Get-Rid-Of-
Garden-Pests-And-Keep-Your-Garden-Healthy-/26146

Basically, the article boils down to:

Collecting information regarding the look, behavior, adversaries, and
the life sequence of pests gives gardeners the chance to eliminate
destructive insects from the garden.

Uh-huh. Why didn't I think of that?
---------

Use plants that resist disease and insects.

You mean instead of the seeds I now use that are "intended only as food
for insects and inoculating mildew cultures"?
---------

Use crop rotation.

What, just when I've finally found a place in my yard where something
will grow, I have to move it?
---------

Get rid of damaged plants.

The insects and the slugs do a good job of that but they're what I'm
trying to get rid of.
---------

Develop the soil, snipping(?), and place strong posts to support plants
off the ground.

Uh, Isn't that called gardening?
---------

Pick-off or stomp offending pests.

I think this is where I came in:-(
---------

Why am I unsatisfied with these answers?
--

Billy

Bush & Cheney, Behind Bars
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Sto...917874,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

On Jan 31, 12:46 pm, Billy wrote:
In article
,

fryedaddy wrote:
Whether you are in Hawaii or Arizona, when the topic centers on
gardening, one of the tests that gardening lovers commonly face is
that of pest control. Even though organic approaches have been always
present and have been applied for gardening, controlling bugs in the
developed world right from... Click the link below to read the entire
article

http://www.articlesofinformation.com...ts---How-To-Ge...
Garden-Pests-And-Keep-Your-Garden-Healthy-/26146

Basically, the article boils down to:

Collecting information regarding the look, behavior, adversaries, and
the life sequence of pests gives gardeners the chance to eliminate
destructive insects from the garden.

Uh-huh. Why didn't I think of that?

I have a question which may seem frivolous at first glance, but is
quite serious:

My place is plagued by raccoons, possums, and armadillos. They don't
seem to bother any of my veggies other than the melons, which they
utterly destroy.
This year I am considering getting some cast-off wire cages of the
kind that transport dogs and, after the blossom turns to a developing
melon, leading it through the mesh into the cage. I may be able to
get the fruits from a number of vines into each cage.

pause, while readers laughter dies down

Does this sound like a reasonable tactic?

cheers

oz, watching the infrequent snow

In article
,
MajorOz wrote:

On Jan 31, 12:46 pm, Billy wrote:
In article
,

fryedaddy wrote:
Whether you are in Hawaii or Arizona, when the topic centers on
gardening, one of the tests that gardening lovers commonly face is
that of pest control. Even though organic approaches have been always
present and have been applied for gardening, controlling bugs in the
developed world right from... Click the link below to read the entire
article

http://www.articlesofinformation.com...ts---How-To-Ge...
Garden-Pests-And-Keep-Your-Garden-Healthy-/26146

Basically, the article boils down to:

Collecting information regarding the look, behavior, adversaries, and
the life sequence of pests gives gardeners the chance to eliminate
destructive insects from the garden.

Uh-huh. Why didn't I think of that?

I have a question which may seem frivolous at first glance, but is
quite serious:

My place is plagued by raccoons, possums, and armadillos. They don't
seem to bother any of my veggies other than the melons, which they
utterly destroy.
This year I am considering getting some cast-off wire cages of the
kind that transport dogs and, after the blossom turns to a developing
melon, leading it through the mesh into the cage. I may be able to
get the fruits from a number of vines into each cage.

pause, while readers laughter dies down

Does this sound like a reasonable tactic?

cheers

oz, watching the infrequent snow

The old Italians around here wait for apple or pear trees to just set
their fruit and then they slip a a bottle (750 ml) over a few of the
embryonic fruit and then seal the bottle against insects. Once the fruit
is ripe, they cut the stem, remove the remaining stem with long tweezers
or hemostats, rise the fruit in the bottle with water a couple of times,
fill the bottle with Calvados or Pear William (or their Italian counter
parts), and then cork the bottle to complete the process.

Melons in a cage sounds like falling off a log.

Only problem I see is that melons don't ripen on the terminal end of the
vine. It's usually 1/3 to 2/3 along the vine, the vine would need to
enter and exit the cage. The logistics to use one cage for one plant
sounds complicated at best. The logistics to use one cage for a number
of vines sounds intimidating. A good challenge for ze lee-tel grey
cells, eh? Bonne chance, et courage.
--

Billy

Bush & Cheney, Behind Bars
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Sto...917874,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush

Read to them, they will probably go away. I'd recommend something
from the treedictionary.