24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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toller1

Forecast yesterday was for a low of 34 and extensive local frosts. I put on a tarp and a heat tape intended to be wrapped around a pipe. It only got down to 43.
I guess that is good, but how incompetent can weathermen be! A wild guess would have been just as good.

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

In my experience, weather forecasting is done with possible extremes in mind, especially when it comes to frost. About five years ago we had a popular local forecaster who once predicted temps down to 38F. We had a hard freeze. The reaction from the local gardening (not just vegetable, but EVERYTHING) community was shock, hostility, and even abuse. The guy got his career handed to him on a cart. He left soon after. I think he's up in Denver now, where his unpredicted freezes can be more easily tolerated.

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forever_a_newbie(z7/8 VA)

It is better to use support. The shoots are tender and fragile. We put the trellis a bit late this year and the pea bed is already sort of messy. Makes it hard to harvest, too

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barrie2m_(6a, central PA)

That's why I plant the dwarf varieties. No mess, no material cleanup, for a crop that has a two- three week harvest window. But then I can sympathize with those who have a variety that they believe has better flavor. I plant with tractor drawn planter and always plant twice what I can harvest. I also cultivate with tractor drawn cultivator, but picking is by hand. I prefer not to pick around trellis although I'll admit lifting and moving plants in the picking process often leaves the brittle plants injured. Usually by the second picking I'm pulling plants from the ground. A cumbersome trellis just doesn't fit in my growing routine.

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sepulvd(zn8,WA)

Just sow them in the ground and you can always thin them later

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greenbean08_gw(PNW)

Since they're wet and sprouted, maybe fluid seeding would be easier: http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/VegFruit/fliud.htm

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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

I don't know what the problem is but it appears minimal from what I can make out in these pictures. Possibly it's even just some physical damage from the weather. But by snipping off leaves with a small amount of damage you deprive the plant of important photosynthesis capability. It isn't worth sacrificing that for cosmetic reasons. BTW your plants don't seem to have much room.

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

That's what those spots looked like to me. Webbing/cocoons. But the OP said it looked like mold. Brownish edges around older cuke leaves is normal for me. Nothing really wrong there. Some minor stress.

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jean001a(Portland OR 7b)

the narrow white edges are likely due to water shortage a while ago.

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catherinet(5 IN)

Thanks again!

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elisa_z5

I grow butter crunch in that "blanket" seed pattern, because I like to do that with all my lettuces and I like the taste of butter crunch. So I use the method Lone Jack suggested at first, of thinning with scissors when it's big enough to eat.

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

Well, I'll be in Oregon in late July, and we traditionally pick lots of (non-wild) blueberries, and make jam, pies, etc. So I think I'll be up to my neck in them by then. I really really really wish I could have blueberries down here, but the alkaline soil (not badly alkaline, just not enough acid) won't let me. I am delighted to learn, however, that blackberries grow just fine here, and I have put in a stand of Natchez that are going great guns. Probably should have put them in tires!

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Tim Givemeenergy

Yumm, lucky you! We get just get muscadine grapes (sour).... We do have alot of edible mushrooms spring and fall though (do not attempt unless you have mycology club experience)..

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Desirai(7B)

Could you please tell me what is good food for carrots and is it too late should I start more? They germinate relatively quickly.

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

Any of the many common vegetable fertilizers will work. Whether it is too late or not depends on what sort of and how much soil prep you did in advance of planting and even more on if you thinned them out properly.

Unfortunately, as with successfully growing most any vegetables, some preparation in advance is needed. The type needed depends on if you are growing in the ground or in a container. There are lots of good guides on "how-to grow carrots" available and many discussions on this forum the search will pull up for more details.

How to Grow Carrots

Dave

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bluehaven_gweb(8)

Thanks all. I dug up a little and see a sweet potatoe. Not sure how it got there though.

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otcay

sometimes serendipity is beautiful

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Looks like leaf miner damage, to me.

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greenbean08_gw(PNW)

I second the leaf miner possibility. I've had my first experience with those just last week. That was my suspicion, and I picked some and soaked it for a couple hours (mostly because I was busy doing something else and I left it there). When I took the leaves out of the bowl, I had some drowned larvae in the bottom of the bowl.

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Tracy West

Sluggo plus works well and is organic.

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greenbean08_gw(PNW)

In my garden in Colorado, they used to eat the bean seedlings right after they sprouted. I saw them on the sprouts and never saw any evidence of a slug there at all. Now that I'm in WA though, slugs are my problem and I don't think the pillbugs misbehave too much. Then again, I have had to use Sluggo while stuff is little otherwise nothing would survive.

Once my Colorado beans made it long enough to have a couple of leaves, they were fine. I never did treat them with anything, I just replanted.

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hawkeyext(6b)

I didn't think the seeds were that small. Oregano seeds on the other hand....

For curiosity's sake I'm going to wait and see, but I'll start another round with less fertilizer as suggested earlier.

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GardenDan 6a

Sounds like a plan, let us know which which makes the best carrots

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mjalso(6)

I like New Red Fire -- crisp ruffled leaves tinged with red. It's very slow to bolt and tastes sweet even when you get a little white milk in the stem.

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Tracy West

Any lettuce harvested as micro greens can be sweet. You can do that in a little Rubbermaid tub or pot.

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lorabell NC(8)

That's exactly what I do with my garlic to squash planting. I pull a few to early eat in the center of my garlic patches creating a space big enough to plant a hill of squash. By the time the squash is getting any size, the garlic is ready to pull.

I'm a bit warmer then you but I succession garden almost year round with the help of some creative hot beds, row covers, frost covers, etc. Last week I was harvesting lettices, mustards, kale fennel, cilantro and such from my Fall planting. This week the weather isn't being nice so am pretty sure it's the end!

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illiveggies

I am developing a tool that helps plan succession planting - its a little theoretical at this point (the very cold May in Chicago has disrupted my succession plans for the radish), but should provide a starting point. It is at http://www.edenpatch.com.

I am researching using Growing Degree Days to estimate maturity instead of the usual ranges, would be interested in hearing if others have tried that.

Would appreciate any other comments or feedback also!

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lolear(5b - Chicago)

I've never had any trouble with beets before, even in cold wet years. My soil is slightly more alkaline, I did not use any mulch but did have a row cover on for the first few weeks. At this point I have minimal/ sporadic germination. There are 3 different varieties of seeds, some new some not, so I doubt it is bad seed. As I alsways do, I laid down some sluggo when i planted, so I don't think that slugs got to them...

So my question at this point is: Do I have time to start over with beets? I thought they were kind of long season...I can always use the space for something else...

Thanks!

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theforgottenone1013(MI zone 5b/6a)

You've got plenty of time to replant. At around 50-60 days to mature they are certainly not long season and you should be able to get at least two different beet crops per year (one planted in spring for summer harvest and one planted in mid to late summer for fall harvest).

Rodney

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