23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

The adults are pollen eaters. Goldenrod is preferred, but will feed on other flower pollen in a pinch.

    Bookmark     September 19, 2014 at 10:45PM
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springtogarden(6)

I see. Thank you rhizo_1! I was curious why they were doing that.

    Bookmark     September 20, 2014 at 2:21AM
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farmerdill

Yep, cauliflower is a biennial. That is only important to you when you want to save seeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Saving seeds from cauliflower

    Bookmark     September 19, 2014 at 2:58PM
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glib(5.5)

It has been too cold this year for watermelons. They are easy to grow if it is hot.

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 10:53PM
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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

Watermelons like loose and rich soil, but I have raised my best perhaps in heavier virgin soil.
This year in central Indiana it has been cooler and ripening was delayed, but they were of large size.

    Bookmark     September 19, 2014 at 10:25AM
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shayneca25(8)

No they cant fly...but unless you took them a mile or so from your house they will come back.

I kill them on sight. I pick them and kill them or if there are a few
on the pants I will squirt them with a water/dawn solution. Works great and doesnt hurt the plants or the environment.
It also works on grasshoppers just takes a little longer to kill them.

This post was edited by shayneca25 on Thu, Sep 18, 14 at 21:41

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 9:38PM
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

C'mon, shayne....squashbug nymphs can't find their back to a plant once removed.

    Bookmark     September 19, 2014 at 9:05AM
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mrhayseed(6)

Thanks Tracydr! :)

    Bookmark     September 15, 2014 at 7:54AM
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tommyr_gw

I'm going to grow the "Lunchbox" variety next year. The Red type. Can't wait! They are supposed to be really good.

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 5:51PM
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galinas(5B)

I heard they are pretty testy) After I lost whole second crop of carrots due to the woodchuck eat all the foliage I am thinking about eating... a woodchuck) Just need to come up with a way to convince my hubby) He has special thing to furry guys and can't agree with me on the next dinner menu)

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 4:26PM
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tommyr_gw

They are rodents. Where I am you can't shoot them (Houses are too close) and it's illegal to trap and release them elsewhere. And costs $200 - $250 to have them removed by a company. So I will trap and drown next year. They decimated my Dino Kale this year.

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 5:45PM
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tcstoehr(8b Canby, OR)

The soil test is key. Without that you have no idea how much K or P is in your soil. It was an eye opener for me. Being in western oregon I knew I had at least an adequate K level, but I found I also had a very high P level as well. So I have stopped using bone meal. I also found out I needed to add 200 pounds of lime, yikes. Adding balanced fertilizers only makes sense if your soil is uniformly deficient, which is not likely.

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 1:17PM
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grubby_AZ Tucson Z9

Hairy carrots! it's not just me?

So many people telling you to get a soil test. That's often a good idea, but not such a do-or-die thing. It is good to know your approximate pH; everything else follows that.

One problem with relying on composted material to provide a specific thing like potassium is that the stuff's specific nutrient levels are extremely varied due to what was used to make it. Hardwood ash is also extremely variable and very alkaline.

Since gardening is long-term and you are only being cautious, you might add rock minerals such as greensand. It has very slow (eon-scale!) K release, especially if your pH is high, and you may need a lot but a lot won't generally cause any problems.

Gardening is also local, so take all that with a grain of salt (poor source of K).

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 3:30PM
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susancol(7 Atlanta)

As I understand it, root veggies get more woody in the high summer heat as well. That's why they're typically grown in the spring and fall. Spring Turnips should have been harvested by now and fall turnips aren't ready to plant yet...maybe in the coolest zones you could plant seeds now... Check your local Agricultural Extension or the one nearest you for exact planting dates.

Susan

    Bookmark     July 6, 2010 at 3:46PM
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carolync1(z8/9 CA inland)

I really like "Just Right Hybrid". It is more tolerant of cold weather than many other turnips, but it is not recommended for spring planting. I tried it once. Didn't work out at all. The catalog I got it from also says it is for fall planting only. It should mature in cool weather.

Timing could be tricky in Ontario. In my experience, this variety doesn't make cute little "baby turnips" if you get the timing wrong and nasty weather threatens. Roots stay skinny until the tops are really big. Tops are good though. Mild, hairless. Tough midrib.

I don't think it is 100% turnip. I think it has some other brassica in its background.

At 60 or 70 days, depending on the weather, you should have a big, thick-skinned turnip that is tender and sweet. Not the prettiest to look at, as there are roots hanging from the bulb. They hold in the ground much better than most turnips as the weather turns cold (for California) or rainy, but I don't think they're as cold hardy as, say, kale.

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 2:48PM
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lantanascape(z6 Idaho)

I've noticed mine going through different color changes too. It seems that the ones that go through more of a green phase also go through a light orange phase as they ripen. It might have to do with temperature, because my first few also went straight to yellow/ripe. Anyway, it seems like they end up yellow eventually, and it probably doesn't affect anything inside the squash.

    Bookmark     September 18, 2014 at 12:02AM
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Peter1142(Zone 6b)

I tried planting them in early July, and the seedlings just sat there, unhappy with the heat and not growing until the weather cooled, and I won't even be close to being on target to get sprouts this year unless we have a very mild December and I get lucky with Christmastime sprouts. I assume I will have similar troubles planting in June, it will probably be hot by the 4th of July. Was it perhaps the variety, can you recommend one for our zone for growing over summer?

    Bookmark     September 17, 2014 at 9:38AM
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qbush(6, NE MA)

TracyDR: That makes sense. My available horse manure does break down quickly, and in MA we have chopped leaves! I JUST happen to have bed very much like your description. I was planning onions, but perhaps I will put a few Brussels at one end, to test my soil!

Mark: I am rolling in cabbage immediately next to the Brussels, and they are just starting to head up nicely. Which is good, cause we just started eating second planting of Caraflex from another bed. I parked them there, on a lasagna compost system, sans carpet, from last year. I didn't expect much, soil was very young, but they are great.
Our summer was cooler than usual, nights in low 60's, and hi 50's. Most days 70-80, with a week or so higher in August. Basically perfect broccoli weather. A local vegetable gardening friend told me to look at calcium in the soil. Does low calcium affect Brussels, but not cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower? My memory says it is a trace nutrient... Off to check.
KateQ

    Bookmark     September 17, 2014 at 4:39PM
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keyki5

They are hot

    Bookmark     September 17, 2014 at 12:01PM
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conchitaFL(10 Hutchinson Island)

Then my guess would be cayenne, too. You might want to ask over in the hot pepper forum.

    Bookmark     September 17, 2014 at 1:19PM
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Persimmons(6b Southern MA)

Because pumpkins are heavy feeders like stated, why not try something that will partially replenish the soil? Legumes are a great option.

    Bookmark     September 16, 2014 at 12:52PM
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darcy.nikki

Thank you so much Peter and Persimmons. it's good to know next seasons crops won't be as fussy as I imagined. I hadn't thought of beans or legumes to boost the soil until you mentioned it, that is a great idea. Thank you guys so much! happy gardening!

    Bookmark     September 16, 2014 at 11:39PM
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loribee2(CA 9)

What they said. Plus, if you're trying to glue pennies to wood, it will not withstand the weather. Wood contracts/expands, pennies do not. One or two winters and they'll all fall off.

    Bookmark     September 16, 2014 at 9:50AM
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danzeb(7a long island)

A study was done on using copper. What worked best was two bare copper wires connected to a 9 volt battery. Connect one wire to the plus side and the other to the negative side. Create a barrier by runniing the wires 1/2 inch apart. Do not let the wires touch each other since that will short the battery. When the slugs cross the wires they complete the circuit and it will repel or kill them.

    Bookmark     September 16, 2014 at 10:23PM
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grandad_2003(9A/sunset 28)

Agree with Rodney the growing medium could be your problem. If you don't want to re-pot the plants, you might try adding a nitrogen containing fertilizer or supplement...just be careful, adding too much nitrogen could hurt your plants. You can also sprinkle soil on top and water it in to help balance out the organic matter.

This post was edited by grandad on Tue, Sep 16, 14 at 7:10

    Bookmark     September 16, 2014 at 7:00AM
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

BTW - the white blotches are natural markings. Only the dry yellowish patches betray a problem.

    Bookmark     September 16, 2014 at 12:02PM
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Slimy_Okra(2b)

Covering is always a tradeoff against light levels. You want them to get as much sunshine as possible (unfiltered through row cover etc) before the warmth provided by cover becomes more important.

    Bookmark     September 15, 2014 at 4:20PM
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defrost49

I plan to cover carrots with straw to keep the ground from freezing so I can continue harvesting. Kale doesn't get any cover. Beets can stand up to light frosts.

I would go ahead with hoops and row cover on broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower but throw a blanket over at night if it's going to get really cold. Take off in the morning. They can tolerate some cold. I have a high tunnel and it gets as cold inside as outside at night so I still have to use row covers inside when it gets colder.

I have not used plastic and hoops because I worry about ventilation. If' it's a sunny day, even with double door open and sides rolled up, my high tunnel can get very warm. Many days in summer it got over 100 but peppers loved the extra heat. I debating now when to roll down the sides. A frost is probably going to happen Friday night and I'm going to be away.

    Bookmark     September 16, 2014 at 9:08AM
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