23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
So many options....so I'm wondering about where I live; S.E, AK.
Usually the potatoes sprout, right where they are ( in a bin, waiting to be cooked ), but way too early...like now. Some have very long sprouts, so is it too late to store them? I have potatoes growing now, so I'm also wondering if I can just leave some in the ground, if after digging up what I want to harvest, maybe covering the leavers with straw? They are not all that deep in the ground. We get freezes but not like the rest of AK. As a kid, I seem to remember my mom wrapping potatoes separately with news paper. and placing on the shelves down in the earthen cellar. .... I have no cellar but how about newspaper? As you can see, I"m undecided.
I, too, bought a Paradise melon at Walmart, in Florida. Only saw them there once.
I found pictures of the melon, with the PLU code sticker on them. I looked it up and this is what I found:
http://www.plucodes.com/iknowproduce.aspx?plu=3289
Perhaps this will help with your search for seeds. I might try to find them too. The melon was pretty good and easy to remove the rind.
Here is a link that might be useful: PLU codes
If it is indeed Sprite, it is available fron Clifton Seeds. Sprite is an Oriental crisp melon. Folks tend to either love or hate it. However many growers market several types of melons under thier trademark.
Here is a link that might be useful: Sprite melon
Thanks for the information! All I need is two weeks so it looks like I might make it home in time to harvest them.
Dig dirt- according to Southern Exposure, Moon Cake is unusually tall and 5-6 feet is normal. They seem really healthy.
I can't wait for steamed edamame and a beer!
Assuming fire ants can be baited like many ants (and I believe y'all who live with them), I'd think a boric acid bait would be safe around the garden (underground, etc). It does a great job of killing ants, but you would want them to take it in a baited form to carry it where it's most needed. That won't be immediate kill, but with my ant problems it's usually within a week that they are all dead.
I got stung by a couple of Asian Needle Ants just this week, so I'm totally checking out y'all's suggestions here for what to put on ant stings. Ow!! Those suckers look completely harmless, but they are really painful! (They eat termites, though, so I'm not killing that little nest).
rhizo_1. I take issue with your dismissive attitude to my post since you seem to essentially agree with me. It appears that you are not listening to your own opinions. My best guess to your concern with my post being silly is its remark about needing medical care but then you go on about gardening with extreme care etc. It doesn't sound like you would suggest standing on a fire ant nest and digging a bunch of holes now would you?
I will admit that I was attempting to go strong on the pain etc. because (as no one seems to have noted) I was suggesting that the OP probably had other than fire ants. However, it appears that I was probably more correct than I expected. I am appending a partial link from Alergist on Normal Reaction to fire ants. Preceding this is a description of the more dangerous allergic responses.
What is a normal reaction to a fire ant sting, and how is it treated?
The severity of a fire ant sting reaction varies from person to person. One of the main differences between fire ants and other insects is that a usual sting event consists of multiple fire ants stinging. This is because when a fire ant mound is disturbed hundreds to thousands of fire ants respond. In addition, each ant can sting repeatedly. Each ant will bite and hold on with its mandibles (jaw) and sting several times. If not removed, this results in a little semi-circular pattern of stings. Since fire ants hold on with their mandibles, they often have to be pulled off individually and are not easily brushed off when they are stinging.
Almost all people stung by fire ants develop an itchy, localized hive or lump at the sting site, which usually subsides within 30 to 60 minutes. This is followed by a small blister within four hours. This usually appears to become filled with pus-like material by eight to 24 hours. However, what is seen is really dead tissue, and the blister has little chance of being infected unless it is opened. When healed, these lesions may leave scars.
A large local reaction can occur. This will result in swelling that extends beyond the sting site. For example, a sting on the forearm could result in the entire arm swelling. Although alarming in appearance, this condition is often treated the same as a normal reaction. An unusually painful or very large local reaction may need medical attention. Because this condition may persist for two to three days, antihistamines and corticosteroids are sometimes prescribed to lessen the discomfort.
Don't forget that your donation is tax deductible! My food bank weighs my produce and gives me a receipt. Of course, determining the amount of the deduction is the real challenge. Here is some information from TurboTax on the subject, for those who are curious.
Here is a link that might be useful: Turbo Tax on Food Donations
Monmouth Master Gardeners sponsored by Rutgers Extension has something very similar to what hothabaneroLady posted. We have a Plant a Row for the Hungry (called the PAR garden). All the Master Gardener interns participate in planting and maintaining the garden. All the produce is donated to the local food banks.
Last year, the interns grew 3400 lbs for this cause - way to go Master Gardeners. This year, the produce hasn't been that bountiful, still we have probably crossed a 1000 lbs. so far.
And like mentioned above, it does not have to be the large quantities, you can donate your extra tomatoes or beans. They appreciate every bit.
Great cause, and thanks for the shout out.
I consider basil to be a pretty short-term crop and start seeds three times during the growing season. I'm just ready to set out the last ones now.
I think the small-leaf varieties hold better in the garden. In your situation, I'd look at the globe basils, which are a great fit in raised beds.
This year my top performer has been Opal purple basil. The spring plants are still looking good, no so for the green Genovese.
Sounds like powdery mildew.
Here is a link that might be useful: Controlling or Eliminating Powdery Mildew
Soon after my pumpkin was pollinated and was just a bit bigger than the size of a golf ball, my finger nail went into it. It continued to grow just fine. I didn't cut into the center of it and it wasn't as deep as I thought it was. It just scabbed over.
Rodney, my hubby is a professional pumpkin (and wood) carver and has been asked to do this early in the season. It's pretty cool with names and such, but the portraits get very weird looking! LOL Nancy
I've had them produce from July until frost. As long as I pick the cukes before they become pale and seedy, the plants remain productive indefinitely. Check them frequently, though  one or two that become overripe are enough to make the plant think it's succeeded in reproducing, and die.
cucumber plants in general start to flower after about 4o days from sowing seeds and continue to produce for another two months. There are many factors affecting the life expectancy of plants to produce such as weather conditions, temperature, lights, feeding, watering and plants diseases and insects infestation.
Could you post a photo please. Otherwise we can only make guesses as to what it might be. Flea beetles are the most common pest and their damage has a classic appearance. You can find photos of it on the web to compare with yours.
Dave
Thanks for the follow-ups. I'm still not certain, but some are what you mentioned, a gynoecious cucumber... I have a couple of vines that are completely female, some completely male, and a few that are mixed... its very confusing. I checked the leftover seeds, but they all look completely identical to me... but it was interesting to learn of all these different types of cucumber plants.
I grew some Persian Cucumbers, Baby from Botanical Interests. They are parthenocarpic, and are genoecious but do not require a pollinator or pollination to set fruit. All female flowers, no male flowers. Every leaf node contained a female flower that produced a good cucumber.