Way behind

johnp 7/25/2015, 9:57 am

Last year I recorded that we ate our first Red Alert tomatoes on the 21 st of June. Last night we had our first Red Alerts in a salad. I plant these tom's every year because they come out so early. We also had our first cuc. last night. So we are almost one month behind with everything except lettuce. Even the beets are not ready yet. The only difference (other than more rain) I can tell by looking at my daily garden guide is that the overnight lows were much lower this year than last. Middle 50's most mornings until this past week. I have gardening friends that live 12 miles west of me in the next town and she has been eating cuc's and tom's for the last three weeks. It sure doesn't make sense to me.
On another note has anyone seen one of these before? We have never had a moth this big. No comments on the nail color please, I have already given my opinion and was told where I could go. Embarassed

boffer 7/25/2015, 10:38 am

C'mon John, the nail color is the first thing in the pic my eyes were drawn to. Does the color match her lipstick, or her purse and shoes?! hiding

Is there room for two in your doghouse?! Razz

Cool nights through most of July is my norm, and they definitely slow down my veggies. This year is a rare exception, and I can't believe how my plants' growth is exploding.

I haven't seen a moth like that before.

**camprn** 7/25/2015, 10:42 am

My tomatoes are also behind by several weeks.

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2010/07/18/black-witch-24/

**Turan** 7/25/2015, 12:00 pm

My garden is not being quite so easy to classify. Peas were a week earlier despite the sheep pruning they received. Broccoli is the same over the last 2 years. Cherry tomatoes were almost 2 weeks later and same with the Cherokee Purple, but in the more distant past I never got tomatoes before August so it is all a win. My beans are blooming so I am hopeful, last year the first picking was 9/1 promptly followed by a frost that killed them.

On a larger scale hay and grain in the fields around me is easily 2 weeks ahead of itself.
So I took a look at that GDD calculator in the Silver Queen thread. http://adstest.climate.weather.com/outlook/agriculture/growing-degree-days/59718

Setting the base temperature at 50 and spanning May 1 until today July 25th my GDD is 975 versus 817.5 last year and a 30 year average of 713.5.

Marc Iverson 7/25/2015, 3:38 pm

Cool nights definitely hold back my tomatoes every year. It's standard for tomato flowers not to develop into fruits when the temperature gets below 55 degrees at night. I've come to expect it.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/25/2015, 11:26 pm

Re: moth, Black Witch?

johnp 7/26/2015, 9:33 am

I read all about degree days when I started my sweet potatoes, so I put them in the greenhouse trying to reduce the growing time. Will see if it works. Sure could be reason why though. The moth you mentioned is not on my Colorado butterflies and moth's book, but there is nothing like it either. Really stumped, haven't seen another one since.

Marc Iverson 7/26/2015, 8:51 pm

I see those around here occasionally.

FRED58 7/26/2015, 9:59 pm

http://bugguide.net/node/view/40032/bgimage

Have a look. Might be your moth. (At first I thought maybe a Gypsy moth, but no)

**sanderson** 7/27/2015, 1:57 am

camprn wrote:http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2010/07/18/black-witch-24/

What a beauty.

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