Yesterday we talked about why August is the beginning of Second Spring for container gardeners. Today, let's get our containers ready for their next season. Here's some good news... 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥. Unless your plants suffered from serious diseases or your potting mix has completely broken down, you can often refresh it and have it ready for another round of growing. 🌱 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐥𝐝 Start by removing plants that have finished producing or are past their prime. As you pull them out: 🍅 Remove as much of the root ball as you can. 🍂 Pick out fallen leaves and plant debris. 🌿 Pull any weeds that have sneaked into the pot. Healthy plant material can go into your compost pile. If a plant struggled with disease, it's better to throw it away rather than composting it. 🌱 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 Over the summer, watering naturally compacts potting mix. Use a hand trowel or small hand cultivator to gently loosen the top 3–4 inches of soil. You're giving those future roots room to breathe! 🌱 Step 3: 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐱 Most containers have settled several inches by August. Top them off with fresh, high-quality potting mix. This adds fresh organic matter, improves drainage, and gives new seedlings a great place to establish their roots. A couple of inches is often all it takes to make a big difference. 🌱 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 Remember... You're not just feeding your plants. You're feeding the soil that feeds your plants. Mix in one of these before planting: 🌿 Slow-release fertilizer 🌿 Compost 🌿 Worm castings 🌿 Organic container fertilizer Your fall vegetables and flowers will thank you. 🌱 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟓: 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 Water your refreshed container thoroughly before planting. Moist soil helps seeds germinate more evenly and reduces transplant shock if you're planting seedlings. 🚫 𝐀 𝐅𝐞𝐰 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 ❌ Reusing soil from diseased plants. ❌ Filling containers with heavy garden soil.

One evening your tomato plant is lush, green, and loaded with fruit. The next morning? Large sections of leaves have disappeared, stems are bare, and you can't figure out what happened. The culprit may still be there... Blending in almost perfectly with the leaves is one of the largest—and hungriest—garden pests you'll ever encounter: the Tomato Hornworm. The good news? Once you know what to look for, they're surprisingly easy to find. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦? Tomato hornworms are the larval stage of a large moth called the sphinx or hawk moth. These bright green caterpillars can grow up to 4 inches long, making them one of the biggest caterpillars found in vegetable gardens. Despite their size, their green color provides incredible camouflage. The black "horn" on their tail may look intimidating, but it's harmless to people and pets. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐚𝐭? Hornworms are especially fond of plants in the nightshade family, including: 🍅 Tomatoes 🌶️ Peppers 🍆 Eggplants 🥔 Potatoes While tomatoes are their favorite meal, they'll happily munch on several related plants if given the chance. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 Look for: ✔ Large sections of missing leaves ✔ Bare stems with little foliage ✔ Dark green or black droppings (frass) on leaves or around the base of the plant ✔ Large green caterpillars blending into stems ✔ Chewed green tomatoes If you see piles of droppings but can't find the caterpillar, look directly above them—they're often hiding in plain sight. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 One hornworm can eat an astonishing amount of foliage in just a few days. Several hornworms feeding together can: • Strip large branches • Slow fruit production • Damage developing tomatoes • Stress otherwise healthy plants Young tomato plants are especially vulnerable. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 Fortunately, hornworms are one of the easier pests to control. ✔ Hand-pick caterpillars and remove them from your plants. ✔ Drop them into a bucket of soapy water. ✔ Inspect plants every evening or early morning when they're easier to spot.

Your zucchini was thriving just a few days ago. Now the leaves are wilting, turning brown around the edges, and looking like they need water—even though the soil is still moist. Before you reach for the watering can, flip over a few leaves. If you find clusters of bronze-colored eggs or flat, grayish-brown bugs hiding underneath, you've likely found the culprit: the squash bug. These pests are one of the biggest challenges for anyone growing squash, zucchini, pumpkins, gourds, or melons during the summer. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐁𝐮𝐠𝐬? Squash bugs are sap-sucking insects that feed on plants in the squash family. Both the adults and their young (called nymphs) damage plants by piercing the stems and leaves and feeding on the plant's juices. Unlike some pests that chew holes in leaves, squash bugs weaken the plant from the inside out. Once their numbers build, plants can decline surprisingly fast. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐚𝐭? Squash bugs mainly target members of the cucurbit family, including: 🥒 Zucchini 🎃 Pumpkins 🥒 Summer squash 🥒 Winter squash 🍈 Gourds 🍈 Melons (occasionally) While they can be found in both in-ground gardens and containers, they don't care where your plants are growing—they're after the plant itself! 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 Look for: ✔ Flat, grayish-brown adult bugs about ½ to ¾ inch long ✔ Gray or pale green nymphs clustered together ✔ Shiny bronze or copper-colored eggs on the undersides of leaves ✔ Yellow spots that later turn brown ✔ Leaves that wilt even when the soil is moist The eggs are often the first clue that a new generation is on the way. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 Squash bugs don't just make plants look bad. Heavy infestations can: • Cause leaves to wilt and die • Reduce fruit production • Stress young plants • Eventually kill vines if left untreated The longer they're allowed to stay, the harder they become to control. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 The best strategy is to catch them early. ✔ Check the undersides of leaves every few days. ✔ Remove and crush egg clusters before they hatch.

i have been trying to add some of my garden pictures but not having any luck... hopefully i will get it to work soon. i think things are looking great

i would love to hear everyones ideas for tackling squash bugs. every year they end up taking all my zucchini and this year they are also going for my pumpkins. i just cannot seem to stop them. i open to your suggestions