DIY Network

Seedling Care Seedling Care From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-201

The seedlings are up and growing, and now they need to be thinned in order to grow strong and healthy. Be vigilant about keeping pests away, and you should soon begin to reap rich rewards.

Water often -- and keep pests away from your garden!

For natural pest control, try a bag of ladybugs!

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1. Young squash and gourd plants grow very quickly. After two weeks the seedlings are up and needed to be thinned. If you planted extra seeds, you should have enough new seedlings, maybe even too many. It's always better to have too many plants and then thin out the weakest ones, rather than to have too few plants. When you thin seedlings, always cut them off at the ground, leaving the strongest and thickest-stemmed plants to continue growing. If they all look equally strong, then thin them so they're evenly spaced. The extra room will help them continue growing quickly.

Figure A

2. In a few weeks blooms will appear on the plants (figure A): this is a sign that the plant is ready to start putting on fruit. It's amazing how fast the plants have started out, but don't be fooled: these plants still need a lot of time to grow, as the fruit takes a long time to mature.

3. Look at each plant for signs of pests. Give the plants a dose of all-purpose liquid fertilizer. Plants need a lot of energy to produce vegetables and fruit, and the fertilizer will be absorbed right into the leaves to give the plants an instant burst of food.

4. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is very similar to organic gardening. In a garden that uses IPM, the gardener uses soil amendments, plant rotation, intercropping and other natural means to grow healthy vegetables. What makes it different from organic gardening is that IPM uses synthetic fertilizers and pesticides where necessary to improve or save a crop. Synthetic fertilizers are easily absorbed by vegetable plants.

5. A clean garden is good for preventing diseases. Hand-pick off any pests you see. The exception is a tomato hornworm that has white packets on his back: these are beneficial insect eggs. Trim off any yellowing leaves and stems and destroy any sick plants. Sick plants are more susceptible to insect infestation than healthy ones.

Figure B

6. Spaghetti squash plants can be harvested starting at about three months of age (figure B). Like other members of the winter squash family, spaghetti squash are ready when the stems turn dry and tan. This shows that the stems aren't pumping any more moisture to the fruit, and that means they won't get any larger. Another way to tell when spaghetti squash are ready to harvest is by using your fingernail against the skin. When winter squash is ripe, the skin dries out and toughens so that your fingernail won't cut through it.

7. The best way to harvest squash is to use a sharp knife and cut the fruit from the vine. Leave 1"-2" of the dry stem attached to the top (this helps the squash stay fresh and store longer). Always lift the squash from the bottom, not by the stem, so you don't break it off. If you let the squash dry outside in the sun for about a week, they will then keep in a dark cool place for months.

8. When the gourds start turning pale, they may be ready to harvest. Just like the squash, the gourds need a few inches of stem left on them. Handle the gourds carefully so you don't bruise them: bruised gourds will rot instead of drying. Hang the gourds in a warm dry place using a string wrapped around the stem. In three to four weeks, the gourds will be dry and the seed will rattle when you shake them. Be sure you pick your entire crop before it freezes. A hard freeze can damage the fruit so that it won't dry or cure properly. Keep an eye on fall weather temperatures to make sure you bring your crop in on time.