Introduction and a question

Hello all! I'm from the White Mountains of NH and this year is my first year of square foot gardening. I've just within the last few weeks started planting my 10 new beds with mixed results. I have been having trouble with the plants from seeds or maybe I should say the lack there of. I planted according to package directions and used the vermiculite in the seed holes but a lot of my seeds were either rotted or worse yet not there at all. Can carpenter ants eat or carry off my seed? Because we have had a problem with them in the garden this year. In years past I haven't had seed problems with direct seeding into hills so I'm baffled and sort of saddened that I have to replant all my seeds and at the growth time I've lost. Any ideas?

welcome! 10 beds is a lot to start out with! i was not that brave, i started with two.

carpenter ants--oh lord--they have been eating our home from the inside out. this is a post i wrote almost exactly a year ago today:
http://www.romesticity.com/2011/07/june-busted-out-all-over.html

if they really are carpenter ants, get rid of them. do whatever it takes.

if they are just regular garden ants, sprinkle some cornmeal and sugar someplace where they can find it. they'll eat it but they can't digest it and it will kill them off.

Hi and welcome to the forum!! Hope you find a solution for the ants! Keep us posted.

Rowena, I read your link, that would be terrible!

Welcome, and I hope you solve your ant problem! I, too, did not listen to Mel's advice and start small. I started with building 8 boxes and converting an existing bed. Added 2 more this year, but late so will be flowers only. Post pics when you can! I had one issue with seeds, one of my 3 kinds of squash did not sprout. I dug out the area I thought I planted them and found 2 of the 3 seeds. Moved them so they were not quite so deep and will give them another week. Otherwise, I will replant. Unfortunately, I do not know which kind of squash I planted there. May have to just make that square something else and live with only 2 kinds of summer squash. I always think I will remember what I plant where. Live and learn!

GG

The article about the ants was awful! Thank goodness we have never had them in our house! The garden is a whole other thing.
I don't want to use chemicals to get rid of them if I don't have to. I've been using DE but lately it has rained every day so I think it hasn't been able to help. Does anyone know any organic way to get rid of them? they are now eating my root crops!!!! Today I noticed the leaves on my radishes looked wilted so I pulled one and half of it was gone. I will replant for the 3rd time but not until the carpenter ants are gone.

There is an ant product called Terro. It's supposed to be really good. you don't have to put it in with your plants. You put it around your garden/in your house and they take it back to the colony to eat/die. I also heard you can "make" it yourself, and I did, but it hasn't worked! I have more ants now than ever! I think it attracted every ant in the county! lol

Sorry I didn't see your reply about the sugar and cornmeal. I'm going to try it as soon as the rain stops. Thank you so much for the idea!

I think Terro is only for those little black ants. Altho maybe they make a carpenter ant bait now, I don't know.

A long time ago I tried mixing cat food with DE and leaving it out for the carpenter ants. I also sprinkle DE around their area. Something worked coz I don't see as many any more.

Just be sure to rig the cat food mix so cats, dogs and whoever else wonders onto your property don't eat it.

For regular black ants I just lightly sprinkle corn meal (fine) around where they are.

Wow Rowena as if the flooding wasn't enough, then you had to do some heavy duty insecticide spray! That is totally traumatic because you are trying to be organic and keep your family and environment healthy! I don't like using insecticides either if at all possible.

I am going to try your cornmeal and sugar idea for my ants in my beds. Thank you for the idea!

After all the hub bub of the ant situation I had a gardener friend of mine come over and tell me although I did have an ant problem it was the Earwigs that were killing my garden. So I'm still not sure which it was but I have treated with a Neem spray and after a week or so I put in a bunch of ladybugs (the Neem isn't supposed to hurt them but I waited anyway) and as soon as I have time I'm going to release some Beneficial Nematodes also. I'm also still using the DE. Thank goodness things have greatly improved!
I've replanted everything and all is doing well except for the Kohlrabi, oh well.
Thank you all so much for the help, without it I might have given up.

kohlrabi is a cool-weather plant. once the days get long and the heat rises, it's done.

southern gardener wrote:There is an ant product called Terro. It's supposed to be really good. you don't have to put it in with your plants. You put it around your garden/in your house and they take it back to the colony to eat/die. I also heard you can "make" it yourself, and I did, but it hasn't worked! I have more ants now than ever! I think it attracted every ant in the county! lol

Yes! Terro is an excellent ant killer and we've been using it for years as needed.
Renee

imtethered wrote:After all the hub bub of the ant situation I had a gardener friend of mine come over and tell me although I did have an ant problem it was the Earwigs that were killing my garden. So I'm still not sure which it was but I have treated with a Neem spray and after a week or so I put in a bunch of ladybugs (the Neem isn't supposed to hurt them but I waited anyway) and as soon as I have time I'm going to release some Beneficial Nematodes also. I'm also still using the DE. Thank goodness things have greatly improved!
I've replanted everything and all is doing well except for the Kohlrabi, oh well.
Thank you all so much for the help, without it I might have given up.

So glad you did not give up. We all here do our best to help newbies get over those first setbacks that can kill your urge to garden. It's our mission in life.

Well the last 4 weeks or so have been an up and down ride. I'm still learning about different organic pest products because once I got the earwigs under control everything grew like wildfire. I continue the learning curve, I started with the earwigs and the next week it was aphids and just when I was feeling confidence again and aphids were gone the Japanese Beetles found my garden. Now I'm keeping the earwigs and Japanese beetles at bay and the cabbage worms decided to come in and join the party. I didn't want to give up on the garden more so I wanted to get the chemical pesticides out and nuke all the bugs! But good judgement prevailed.
Today I was thinking about how many obstacles I've overcome and the battles I'm still fighting and I looked at my garden. Despite everything my garden looks beautiful and is growing organically. So I guess with all my bumbling around the learning curve I still grew something not only beautiful but bountiful as well. I should be thankful.

imtethered wrote:Well the last 4 weeks or so have been an up and down ride. I'm still learning about different organic pest products because once I got the earwigs under control everything grew like wildfire. I continue the learning curve, I started with the earwigs and the next week it was aphids and just when I was feeling confidence again and aphids were gone the Japanese Beetles found my garden. Now I'm keeping the earwigs and Japanese beetles at bay and the cabbage worms decided to come in and join the party. I didn't want to give up on the garden more so I wanted to get the chemical pesticides out and nuke all the bugs! But good judgement prevailed.
Today I was thinking about how many obstacles I've overcome and the battles I'm still fighting and I looked at my garden. Despite everything my garden looks beautiful and is growing organically. So I guess with all my bumbling around the learning curve I still grew something not only beautiful but bountiful as well. I should be thankful.

LOL, you are not alone, I too feel that pain...'To everything there is a season..."