23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Though I didn't watch the whole video, in my opinion, these types of things are at worst a marketing ploy and at best, a cute conversation piece for your back patio. Like calling a Chia Pet a house plant. They are green. They grow. But they are not in the same league as that ficus in the corner.
If you have the space and want a serious garden, you will get a significantly bigger yield per plant if you stick with traditional planting methods (your 5-gallon bucket, in this case). But if you don't have the space, or just like to tinker with things that are fun and unusual, this is a cute idea.
Potato plants are messy and unkempt. It's normal. As for changingitup's photo, those are potato fruits. They are similar to tomatoes but poisonous. You could let them ripen and they would produce true potato seeds. The seeds could produce small tubers if you plant them next year, and the tubers would produce potatoes the following year. But the potatoes they produce will probably be different and less desirable than the potatoes you started with this year.
Assuming that 1. You followed label directions and 2. Your soil was not previously amended with huge amounts of N-rich materials (manure, compost, seed meals, fish emulsion, blood meal), I don't see the problem.
Healthy plants produce good yields. Stressed plants may yield a little earlier because they go into panic mode but the total yield over the season is always better from large, healthy plants with sufficient vegetative growth. You don't want TOO much of course but your 12-4-8 should not cause this. Plants need 2x to 3x as much nitrogen as phosphorus.
I'm in zone 2 as well. It's far too early to expect any fruit from nightshade-family crops. Flower buds - yes. Do you see any?
This post was edited by Slimy_Okra on Fri, Jul 4, 14 at 14:21
Hi all, thanks for all your comments. I guess it is a bit early, but it's mostly my scarlet runner beans, morning glories ( just not flowering yet and I thought maybe they were over fertilized because the ones in the nursery where I bought them are root bound in their little containers but blooming.) and tomatoes that are growing tall and strong but few blossoms. I figured I Nitrogened them out and delayed fruit/ flower production. I guess I'll just be patient! :))
Do you think plants decay fast enough, such as spent tomato plants? Or how about grass?
Tomato plants, no. They need to go to the compost pile too. Grass yes (make sure it hasn't been treated with weed killers).
Rodney's suggestion of mixed well shredded leaves and grass tilled in can work but will still likely require some rake-off in spring in zone 6 of left over leaves.
But since soil improvement is the primary goal then a planted cover crop that can be tilled in in early spring is the best option. If you make it one of the N rich green manure cover crops so much the better.
Turnip seed, radishes, any of the legume cover crops, hairy vetch, crimson clover, etc. can be inexpensively seeded over the entire bed to grow all winter, tilled in in early spring 2-4 weeks prior to planting. Provides winter protection and does wonders for the soil.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Cover Crops
I can do that! Radish seeds are easy to come by. If I use leaves I will be sure to shred them or just leave then in a compost pile. I am glad I asked because I would have just put the leaves as is on top of the soil. Learning to improve soil this year and it is all new to me :). Thank you both!
I agree chemicals is the best option. Do your research on those offered and consider wicking the chemical instead of spraying. Requires far less chemical and alows repeat applications without loading soil with chemicals. Burning everything removed sounds perfect. Maybe even dance around the fire if noone is watching.
Honestly you can pickle just about any peppers. It will change the flavor of course as well as the texture (softer) but that is true with any peppers.
You'll find all the discussions and info about pickling peppers over on the Harvest Forum here. It is the garden food preservation forum.
Also check the Peppers forum for additional info.
Dave
Good for drying too...perhaps invest in a food dehydrator.
Use the 20% coupon offered by Bed, Bath and Beyond (Google it).
Here is a link that might be useful: Nesco Dehydrator
If you are in the 60's and 70's for the month, I'd say go ahead and plant. I figured Milwaukee would be hot and muggy in the summer time, but those temps would be good for all manner of cool season veggies including radishes. Plus, they are so quick that if it did get too hot for them in the 30ish days they take to grow, oh well, plant some more in September, nothing to lose really.
Not a problem.
Totally funny. I'm going to start some Sumters next week myself.
You may want to try to keep the soil cool when Sept/Oct(Santa Anas) roll around though. (Mulch, shade cloth) You'll get production but just not as much if you had started earlier. November and December cool nights will slow things down.
Kevin
Mosaic virus looks like the squash has blisters to me; I wouldn't say that.
If you got them from someone, the person probably grows yellow squash & zucchini, and didn't keep them far enough apart. To me, I'd bet that they just got cross pollinated.
Should be fine to eat if that's the case. If you got from the big company, like Burpee, mislabeling is a possibility, but frankly... I've never seen a summer squash they've sold that looks like THAT. And cross pollination is unlikely there, since they keep their plants so far apart to avoid just that. It would be a very rare possibility, but it MIGHT happen.
If you did get it from a big company like that, my next thought would be pesticides.
They will not correct themselves. You have blossom end rot, due to lack of calcium. Get a soil test first. Lime should be added a few months before planted and tilled in if reccomended. Uneven watering can cause it too. I just pull those fruits off and toss them on the compost pile. We get alot of rain during the summer here and it throws things off. Also I read to crush up several egg shells and put them around the tomato plants to add calcium.
All i can say is that this is defiantly a sign of disease.