Well, the pumpkins and squash are being decimated by an infestation of some type insect, which appears to be carpenter ants. Meanwhile, the squash and pumpkins are recovering from downy mildew and some tomatoes, potatoes, some beans, and some peppers are suffering from either fusarium or verticillium wilt. I think the fungi are due to my not compensating for the mulch when I watered, thus keeping things a little too moist. Which is really ironic, since we're in a drought right now...
Ah well, it's just more learning under my belt I suppose...
Watering Habits
Do you water at night? Do you get the leaves wet when you water? It's best to water in the morning, so that any leaves you inadvertantly wet have time to dry, so there is less chance of mildew, etc. It is even better to use drip irrigation. I can't remember if you do.
Sorry to hear about your garden woes. Those aren't fire ants are they? I've heard horror stories about those ants.
As far as the wilt and mildew go, you may need a different mulch for your climate (due to your higher humidity) . . . gravel might be a better mulch, as it is more biologically inert.
These are all guesses, as I'm not standing and looking at your plot at the moment, and since I've been lost to the 4 winds for some time, so I haven't kept up on your garden progress.
Good luck!
Possible...
I tend to water in the evening after I come home -- it's usually pitch black when I head to work in the morning. But that's a good possible fix...I suppose I could water by flashlight.
There are fire ants that appear in my yard sometimes, but I don't think they're the ones getting my plants. They look darker, like carpenter ants.
Thanks for the good suggestions. I didn't think Florida gardening would be as hard as it's turning out...
Go drip!
Drip irrigation would be a good fit for you, because you could set a timer to water in the morning. Mind you, this is coming from someone who prefers to water by hand. I used to be skeptical about how thorough drip irrigation was, but I can attest that drip irrigation works way better than it appears to. Enough so that I'm really impressed with it. The only reason I don't personally use it is because I actually enjoy watering my garden by hand in the morning. I see things I wouldn't otherwise take the time to notice. But for convenience's sake, I think drip irrigation is the way to go. I also think drip irrigation can potentially yield healthier plants.
watering
Yah, I also like watering by hand, but I might consider the drip irrigation in future versions of the garden. At this point all of the squashes and melons are lost and it's too late to plant anything new except carrots and radishes. But, I do have plenty of success stories in the garden to focus on! I'm waiting for those peppers to ripen...mmm-hmm...