[khill]

Hi, I am a new member from Zone 5. I grow Georgia collards, Kentucky Wonder string beans, tomatoes and green peppers. I grew cabbage this year - the first time they didn't rot. My yard has underground drainage tilted my inside basement drain which makes one side of the plot a lot more wet than the other side. The first year they got too wet and rotted in the ground. I have a terrible issue with powdery mildew. I cannot grow squash or watermelons (I've tried squash almost every year for 6 years) - the fungus takes over as soon as they bear fruit. I have tried baking soda with water and some chemical spray from the garden store - none of which worked. I tried growing them in a raised bed but that didn't help. I am the only gardener I know that cannot grow zucchini! I'm hoping someone has a cure. I also grew Chinese long beans this year but the two plants only produced a few beans. I planted them like my Kentucky Wonders with 2 hills of 3 beans each. Has anyone grown them before? What should I do to get more beans on the vines? Also, for the first time, I found tons of water bugs under the surface of the soil when I picked my lettuce. Are they harmful?