Good Afternoon (it is afternoon in Gainesville, Florida), but wherever you my be, hello:
I have been gardening here in the southeast U.S. for give-or-take 35 years, particularly in North an North-Central Florida, and while you can't grow everything you would like due to the occasional winter freeze, we have had great success with spring, summer, and fall gardens. I would say from my personal experiences over the past 5 to 10 years, we've had a problem with pests, be it nematodes, white flies, aphids, etc., that we didn't have in the earlier years. It used to be I could pot a couple of pepper plants in a garden box, and they would explode and we were very grateful for the harvest, but in the past five years, it has taken drastic measures to quarantine if not eradicate plants and soils potentially impacted with nematodes, etc. Peppers have always been my favorites, and I come from a family who canned vegetables and made sauces, so I dearly want to continue that tradition.
The use of chemicals, not naturally derived or at least organic in nature, leads us to all kinds of possibilities, especially with the web, and forums such as this. I am open to all possibilities and am grateful to have found a forum with advice and insight. The less harmful, the better. As for the troubles we face currently with persistent heavy rains, pests, etc. here in Florida, I will look to guidance on specific forums for help in our region.
Thank You all and have a great weekend.
J
I have been gardening here in the southeast U.S. for give-or-take 35 years, particularly in North an North-Central Florida, and while you can't grow everything you would like due to the occasional winter freeze, we have had great success with spring, summer, and fall gardens. I would say from my personal experiences over the past 5 to 10 years, we've had a problem with pests, be it nematodes, white flies, aphids, etc., that we didn't have in the earlier years. It used to be I could pot a couple of pepper plants in a garden box, and they would explode and we were very grateful for the harvest, but in the past five years, it has taken drastic measures to quarantine if not eradicate plants and soils potentially impacted with nematodes, etc. Peppers have always been my favorites, and I come from a family who canned vegetables and made sauces, so I dearly want to continue that tradition.
The use of chemicals, not naturally derived or at least organic in nature, leads us to all kinds of possibilities, especially with the web, and forums such as this. I am open to all possibilities and am grateful to have found a forum with advice and insight. The less harmful, the better. As for the troubles we face currently with persistent heavy rains, pests, etc. here in Florida, I will look to guidance on specific forums for help in our region.
Thank You all and have a great weekend.
J