24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

Not sure how big your pots are, but pots don't necessarily offer a lot of root volume to plants, so small fruit and leaves may be just what you should expect. I think it depends a lot on how big your pots are, and what amendments you're supplying. 60s, 70s, 80s? Geez, that's zucchini heaven.

As to squash that rot right on the plant, are we perhaps talking about unfertilized female flowers? As to overwatering, it's easy to avoid with squash. Just DON'T WATER until you see some leaves just begin to droop. Then water. They're telling you they need it.

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NewTXGardener (8a Dallas)

I have a zucchini in a pot as well, this is my first time planting zucchini. I also have a few in a raised bed. The soil I used was leftover soil from a tomato plant last year, I didn't add any fertilizer. The difference between my potted zucchini which has BIG leaves and have 2 fruits now (just started) and my raised bed zucchini with tiny leaves no fruits is 1) the pot doesn't get constant rain like the raised bed, I only water it when the leaves droop, like the PP said 2) the pot gets less wind since it's on the patio compared to my raised bed; 3) less sun at where the pot is compared to full sun in the raised bed. But I think they like full sun. I think it may be the rain and the wind or maybe the soil too.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

All depends on how badly you need the space. And the size/amount of the second growth all depends on how much you have fed/feed it. I have plenty of room so mine is always left for a second and even a third harvest if the weather allows. In other words I leave it up to the weather to do it in, not me. :)

Don't know where you are located (you really need to add that to your profile so it comes up automatically) so I can't comment on the odds of your weather giving you a second harvest or not.

Dave

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Sorry but it isn't just semantics and it is often very confusing to gardeners if the terms are used interchangeably. Many discussions here to support that claim of confusion.

So the vital differences between hay and straw in the world of mulching, soil improvement, and composting need to be understood and the labels used correctly whenever possible to avoid contributing to that confusion.

Straw is a waste/byproduct. It is the dry, hollow stemmed,residue of grain crops (wheat, oats, barley, etc.) that is mowed and baled after the grain is harvested and so contains only minimal seed. It does not regrow after mowing and has no forage value. It has a high insulating factor even when used in shallow layers, is very slow to decompose, and is moderately water repellent. It is an almost pure carbon and has little to no nitrogen content.

Hay is not a byproduct. It is an almost pure green, high nitrogen/low carbon, flat stemmed, mowed and baled grass (rye, orchard, alfalfa, buffalo, etc.) that is grown expressly for animal forage. It always regrows after mowing and its seed content can be quite high depending on when in the life cycle it is mowed. It has little insulating value even when used in thick layers, decomposes rapidly, and can harm plants if in direct contact as it decomposes, and has little to no water repelling characteristics (it mats).

While both may work, when used properly, to suppress weeds in the garden their moisture retention, decomposition, insulation from heat, and soil improvement characteristics are very different.

Hope this clarifies for future readers.

Dave

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redtartan(5a)

Dave I wasn't trying to use the terms interchangeably. I was referring to straw, no hay. Can you clarify what you mean by straw not having "forage value". Straw still has protein and fiber and it's actually recommended to also feed to animals that deal with cold winters. The animals fair much better than those fed hay alone. So I'm not sure what you mean by forage value. Do you mean less nutrients?

I've never, ever had a bale of straw that didn't have grain in it by the way. Perhaps it's because I'm not buying specifically for garden? Even before I farmed, I remember getting straw bales for fall décor and in the spring time I'd have wheat growing. Completely different area that I lived in as well so I don't think it's just where I am now that does this.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

I'd definitely add more potting mix to them so that the plants at least have the full 5" of depth to work with. Most roots, even shallow rooted plant, need at least that much. I'm assuming these have the drain holes in the bottom? Some models do and some don't. If not you'll have to make them.

Dave

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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

Oh, I thought you were going to use them for sprouting transplants, which would involve carrying them around. But if these are just to be used as planter pots for growing, I guess the rigidity is less of an issue because they can stay in one place. But they are kind of small. Not sure where you are, but thin black plastic in small pots can be asking for trouble in high sun and heat.

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ltilton

It can be done.

Tip: pick the right year when there's no heat wave.

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shane11

Summertime is a great head lettuce variety. I grow it treated just like you would cabbage or broccoli if you have grown those. Pinetree Seeds in Maine carry this variety. I grow it as a spring and fall crop in my zone 7 (NC).

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Surround, the kaolin clay applied as a spray has solved the problem for me. I spray the bottom portion of the vines every week or so until the borer season is over.

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planterjeff(7b Grant Park Atlanta)

I hate those buggers. I am trying some butternut this year uncovered, but all my summer squash stays covered from here on out.

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New GardenNew garden is jumping
Posted by xxnonamexx(7a)
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booberry85(5)

Nice job!

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barrie2m_(6a, central PA)

I use a large shears- looks like a scissors on streriods. They are available at Walmart and various garden centers. The shears gives more accuracy in making a cut among the long leaves. I've used a knife, a corn chopper, and even a machete. The shears are my weapon of choice for just about every crop I need to cut, from bunched herbs, lettuce, onion (tops & roots), flowers and all those Cole crops.

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Else(5)

Thanks for the input, everyone!

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

<light tan wart like things growing around the joints of leaves and stalks>

Could you post a pic please? The joints are normally tan and slightly swollen in appearance so it may be normal. "Exploding stems" is NOT normal but can't say what could be causing it without seeing them. Any sign of pests? Do these "warts" rub off?

Dave

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galinas(5B)

Peter, I use regular meat thermometer to check the soil temp - works just fine

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Peter (6b SE NY)

I won't do this again; my garden soil is 10x better than the bagged junk, and it didn't seem to help.

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tcstoehr(8b Canby, OR)

I don't know how, but I stumbled onto this thread:

Root Aphids

It claims that ants were coming in after the aphids that were infesting the roots of her pepper plants, and I believe it. It makes me wonder if I had the same issue. I did not see any aphids but I could have missed them. If what I read was true, then the ants not only protect the aphids but actively move them from one host plant to another, spreading the problem. On the plus side though, the ants would also be a visible signal to the problem.

Going forward, I will keep this on my radar. Now, where did I put that magnifying glass?

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

<It seems that ants have such a halo of innocence that scarcely anyone could believe that they could do any harm. >

I can understand your frustration and heaven knows they aren't saints. But they aren't the evil denizens that the many "help! ants are destroying my plants so how do I kill them?" posts we often get here.

And in this case it's just that the odds so heavily favor the far more common causes and that the ants are just a side-effect of one of those other causes.

Sure ants can get out of control in some situations and in those instances you have to intervene. You do what you have to do. But the majority of the time ants are beneficial to the garden in so many other ways that in general they should be tolerated, even accommodated, whenever it's possible.

Dave

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greglong5309

Thanks Dan. Should I put down those dried leaves (after the mower) now, or wait until there is germination? Should I wet those leaves after I put them down to keep them in place and protect from wind or is there no need for that?

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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

You can put them down anytime, but if you're waiting for seedlings, keep the layer thin. You don't want those seedlings to pop up under inches of mulch. Yes, wetting the mulch lightly would indeed protect it from wind, if you have a lot of wind, though the flakes will settle down into a more or less resilient but soft mat.

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nancyjane_gardener(Zone 8ish North of San Francisco in the "real" wine country)

Is that arugula? It tends to bolt early around here. Nancy

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glib(5.5)

that is arugula and that has already started to bolt in cold Michigan too. So yes, it is normal. The leaves of that plant are perfectly edible, however. Want arugula for a longer time? Seed it in late august and eat it in the Fall. I plant it now because it gives me 2-3 salads, and it will reseed during summer, saving me the job of reseeding it myself.

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ilodato(6b)

My husband said at dinner that they were really good and he doesn't at all miss the large heads and would like them to be there next year. I'd love to give it a better shot this fall though!

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

What do I recommend? Well as I said above, I use compost, manured compost tea, and fish emulsion supplements. I grow organically as much as possible.

I never recommend Miracle Grow fertilizers for many reasons but many folks use them - lots of discussions here about the pros and cons of various fertilizers - so the choice of fertilizer is always yours. What are you using to feed all the other vegetables? The same thing would probably work for rabe.

But "high" in nitrogen is seldom necessary. Any well balanced fertilizer works fine whether it is organic or synthetic as long at it is used properly.

Dave

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