23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

I'd say for certain it's from the "pepper garlic soap concoction". With homemade sprays you are supposed to test it on a leaf first to see if it has any negative effects, you don't just spray the whole plant without checking. Also, you aren't supposed to spray when the sun is beating down on the leaves (not sure if you did).
What was the "recipe" you used for the spray?
Rodney

No, i have tested the spray on a single leaf earlier and the plant did fine, meaning it stayed looking like this. And i just used garlic cloves, cayenne peppers, water, and a bit of unscented dish soap. And i did make sure to only spray the plant in the evening to avoid that issue :) I was just curious to know if this is a case of mosaic virus... i am new to gardening and am in deep fear of encountering the issue... The plant does seem to be doing better, however. Thanks anyway :)

Never tried it myself, but I don't think it's good practice to grow in clear cups. Can't tell from your pic if light can get in? I have always used the red/blue grocery store cups as they block light. I drill at least 6-10 holes on the bottom. If the soil drains well, there is no need for pebbles. Not familiar with your mix, but if you are using the one in the link below, it is not for containers. Clear cups with one hole filled with topsoil is a combo for failure. If so, time to go back to the drawing board.
Here is a link that might be useful: Black Earth

Please avoid the "drainage material" in the bottom. Contrary to popular opinion, it helps to retain moisture in the container.
As for sideways images, that's an issue with images taken w/ Apple products -- iPods, iPads and more.
When the rest of us click such an image, it will come up in a new screen and be both larger and upright.

I grew a few different colored orachs this spring, green, yellow and red. The flavor is somewhat similar to spinach, but I didn't think it tasted as good as other greens that I was growing, chard, etc. It's marketed as a warm weather alternative to spinach because it won't bolt in the heat, but the flavor is best in cool weather. It got too strong in summer.
I sell at a farmers' market and a few people bought orach once or twice, but I never heard any rave reviews. I started putting it in salad mix, a few of the varieties I grew had very vibrant coloring that looked very nice in a salad, but that's about it. I'm not sure that I'll grow it again.

Yes, it is in the Chenopodiaceae, not the Brassicaceae. It self sows all over my allotment. I use a few baby leaves in early salads when there's not much about but otherwise don't bother to pick it. Chard also self sows and is far more flavoursome imo. and easier to harvest (bigger leaves). I've also added the fresh seed pods to salads but they were uninspiring and tough. It's so easy to grow you've nothing to lose trying it - it requires no care at all.

Recently discussed in this forum.
Here is a link that might be useful: Will butternut squash continue to ripen after picking?

Looks beefsteak to me!
Being in zone 2-3, I would pick those puppies soon and let them ripen on the counter or wrapped in paper in a box in the garage! You don't want to loose them to frost! Nancy

Agree with the above posters... Almost impossible to ID a tomato by look. Best option would be to go back to the dollar store and see if there are any seed packs that look like what you purchased. A second suggestion would be to save the seeds from your tomato harvest, under the assumption that it is not a hybrid.... Dollar stores seldom carry hybrids. (Surf the web on seed saving if you need more info.)


It has been zapped by extra terrestrials.
The same ones that make the crop circles.
Sorry, I'm in Halloween mode, it being October 1st and all. My actual best guess is a vole ate its roots.
But doesn't it *look* like it's been zapped by extra terrestrials?

Doesn't look like root damage to me. Looks like the leaves were eaten. You can see the other plants' leaves getting eaten as well. I'd guess that it was cabbage worms or loopers but I'm not sure if you have those in Australia.
Rodney

As the msds states it is practically non-toxic (that's an actual quote), and that health injuries are not known or expected under normal use, and that it is inherently biodegradable and does not accumulate, I'd say it has a higher safety profile than many organic products. Of course, it can never replace adding rich organic matter to the soil.


These look like small versions of "neck" pumpkins, which have an even smaller bulb at the bottom. They are butternuts (C. moschata) which gives them natural resistance to squash vine borers. Most neck pumpkins like Dickinson Field Neck are very large, though. A straight neck is a desirable characteristic, too, for easier processing.
I have had moschatas like this keep for over a year in the basement.



Here in the Boston area, our soil is naturally acidic - due to bedrock, rainfall, etc - so I know I can put dolomite lime on the garden and lawn every year and do good things. I just put it down on my cleaned beds for next year, as it needs time to bread down and become bioactive. It's also a good source of calcium, so I kill two birds with one stone.
I always leave the lime out of the bed I'll be using for potatoes next year. If not for the certainty I have about my soil, I would definitely get my soil tested.

Yes, it pays to know what kind of bedrock is under you. In areas with limestone bedrock, alkaline soils are pretty much the rule. There are several natural ways to acidify soil, but pyrites, which are common in many different kinds of metamorphic bedrocks, degrade into sulfates, which acidify soil.
Our soil (over limestone) is mildly alkaline, and it is largely a losing battle to try to acidify it. That's because the groundwater is similarly alkaline, so irrigation (which we have to do a LOT of) just kills the acidification you're trying to achieve. Yeah, collecting rainwater would be best, but we just don't get enough.




Next time you have a soil test done, tell them it's for a home garden. That way, the math will be much simpler as it's based on 1000 sq foot areas.
I had the commercial test done because they don't give organic matter for the home test.