Got taters!

Submitted photos go into a holding pattern and are reviewed by administrators. Takes a couple of days usually. This is to help prevent folks from submitting objectionable material, copywrited material etc. Your photos of Caribe and Adora should be up now.

Probably not if it takes a couple of days. That's OK; I just didn't know. Here's hoping I get an actual potato to post!

LOL i think you may want to plant your fall poatoes in the ground Paul

Instead of using a tire to grow my potatoes, I cut the bottom off a 5 gallon bucket with my table saw and planted them in there. Instead of using straw, I use dried lawn clippings. It works just as well.

I do have one in a bushel basket with the bottom cut out. It's all a big experiment for me as I've never grown potatoes before. But unless I somehow get a bigger garden, I don't have room for planting them in ground.

Been following this thread for quite awhile. Need help. Did lasagna garden and made a raised bed about 20"s high. Have had trouble with ants almost from the beginning. Now there is a mound around about 4 of the potato plants. I really don't know what to do.

Christi

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Mounds? of soil ? And ants, what type? You can try sprinkling black pepper or cinnamon across their trails. Also boiling water in the mounds helps. Those are organic methods, there are several threads here in soil and composting that address the problem with ants. Do you have pictures? I have a hard time with just a description. :)

Christi,


Are they fireants? They're the only ants I've seen make a big mound. If so, only thing that will work is fireant poison. Read the instructions on the package as they are not all applied the same. I prefer the fireant poisons that you just pour on top of the mound. The ones where you have to wet it down after pouring it on is just an extra nuisance, and for me at least they didn't work as well.

I tried several recommended organic solutions to fireants -- no go -- I think they were thrilled to get it. I hate to use inorganic pesticides, but I have had to make an exception for those nasty guys.

Karen

These are small black ants but they will sting like the dickens. They have made a mound around 4 of the potato plants. I don't want to poison my garden but I don't know how to get rid of these ants so I may harvest the potatoes. Also afraid they may spread to other plants.

Will look for other threads to deter ants.

Christi

Christi,

They sound like fireants, which are small, black ants. If you disturb the nest, do they come boiling out in droves to attack you? If so, fireants. Yes, they sting terribly. On me, the sting will hurt for a while, but in a day or two the bite then shows up as a small white infection-looking spot with pus in it and then it really hurts.

The fireant poison I've been using is not harmful to people or to pets so I don't think it would be a problem around your garden. I really don't see how you can harvest the potatoes with the nests right there, and the tunnels they've made will be extensive which is where all that dirt mound came from. Why don't you call your county extension agent and ask what is good for your area?

Good luck,

Karen

Thank you, Karen. I have had those kinds of bites before and have 2-3 now. I though fireants were extra big and red. That is a very good idea to call the county extension agent. I will do that today.

Christi,

Me, too, until I moved to AL and saw fireants. I do have some regular-type ants, but they don't make the big mound and they don't try to attack you if they are disturbed.

Karen

Glendalekid wrote;"They sound like fireants, which are small, black ants."

I guess they come in two colors. The ones here (and in S Florida) are red, but as you say, small. Nasty things much have ESP. They all climb on you carefully, and then bite all at once. At least it sure seems that way. They stick, too....Yuck.

Yup, looking them up, they range from red to black, and in between. There are (in addition to red imported fire ants), native tropical fire ants and desert fire ants. Sigh. Who knew.....

This is a very interesting site and outlines several ways of ID'ing ants. Lots of links and suggestions here, too. http://www.controlfireants.com/identifying-fire-ants.htm

Good luck. Seems this time of year just about everybody has one pest or another they'd like to get rid of. For me, it's flies. Just hate 'em and they're like a plague as soon as the weather begins to warm up.

From the bites I have and had last year, I would say these are fireants. Erroneously thought they were all those big red ones with such a big mound. Afraid my lasagna veggie garden is doomed for this year. Will harvest what little is ready and poison and turn it under. I have tried really hard to be organic but this is the time to be practical. Afraid I have built them a palace.

Has anyone used over and out for ants?

So sorry, looks like I have hijacked this thread. Need to start another and let this go back to potatoes.

Christi

Lou, the good news is that fireants don't seem to harm plants. Some beautiful speciments grow right the fire ant mounds. Quite often it is possible to make them move. Scattering fresh ground grits, even flour on the mound often will disturb them enough to move. It will not, contrary to a lot of information out there, kill them, but really you just want them to move somewhere else.

I have used Over and Out. Did not find it to be better than Amdro, but more expensive. Both take a while to work. But on a lawn it does do well long term.

Have been reading the other threads about ants. Unfortunately most of the suggestions have been bunked. Before I poison my garden which makes me sick to my stomach to even think about, going to sprinkle with cinnamon and dried molasses. Even Texas A&M doesn't have a good solution. Read on another thread that Houston and parts south have been invaded by another imported ant, Crazy Ant. Good news, it kills the fireant, bad news, it is worse than the fireant.
More of the trials of life on earth.

Christi

Christi, don't give up your garden and please don't resort to poison that will also poison the earth. Try the suggested methods first. Don't give up!

I won't poison, promise. I just can't do it. Been working toward total organic too long to mess it up now.

tomato freak, you might want to take this over to a new thread, it's getting long for those that have dial up. :)

Good idea; will do.

Mix the ant nests together. They will kill each other.

Who's gonna catch 'em?

Just take a shovel full from each nest and seposit them in other nests. Likely won't completely eradicate them but it will cut them down. You can also fill the nests with boiling water. Any that survive it will leave.

Boiling water will DEFINITELY do the trick. I've poured a coupla big gumbo pots of boiling water through some potting mix I had laying around that some ants built a nest in. I poured enough water through that steam was coming up outta the mix. NO MORE ANTS...and any that lived through that, DESERVED to live....