Earlier in the year Dawn helped me with the two plants I planted, saving one of them. Later in the summer I planted more seeds. The blister beetles got all but two of them. I noticed that the plants had a lot of insects, some small, plus a lot cucumber beetles.

I took a picture on the 16th, then another today. I would like for you to see how fast they are declining. I have been trying to grow plants without sprays or fertilizer, I am about fed up with that idea.

Larry

I am sorry you are having so much trouble with melons. Because I know what your rainfall has been like recently as well as your temperatures, I suspect it is bacterial wilt. I have a lot of trouble with bacterial wilt some years, and almost no trouble with it other years. It is most commonly spread by cucumber beetles and if I have seen a single cucumber beetle this year, I've forgotten I saw it. Usually I have cucumber beetles from early March through the first killing freeze. In their absence, I'm having a great melon year. The only way to avoid bacterial wilt is to have the melons under floating row covers from the day they're planting. Also, while I don't generally worry much about crop rotation, I'll plant melons in a different place every year so I can avoid getting a build-up of bacterial wilt in one part of the garden.

Dawn

bon