23,821 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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glib(5.5)

not really. ferns like shade, and most ferns like acid soil. asparagus likes full sun and is very tolerant of alkaline conditions. ferns grow in soggy soil, asparagus is quite drought resistant.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 10:55PM
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planatus(6)

A better comparison would be daylilies. Asparagus is not hard to please and will generally grow anywhere daylilies would do okay.

In most climates the purpose of the winter mulch is to prevent winter weeds and contribute to soil fertility, so just about anything will do. It does not have to be 6 inches deep unless you're in a cold climate with scant snow cover.

    Bookmark     July 21, 2014 at 8:11AM
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tchelen

Yep, normal leaf mottling. However I just read that the blossom end rot on the fruit was caused by a calcium deficiency. Here is the article:
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/squash/squash-blossom-end-rot-causes-and-treatment.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Squash rotting on end

    Bookmark     July 21, 2014 at 4:29AM
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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

Old topic but subject always new.

Silvery mottling are common and normal. But it wont hurt to systematically spray cucurbita to prevent mildew, especially Powdery Mildew. There are both home made and brands sold at the stores. From home made I like 50/50 milk/water. From store brands I prefer Neem Oil spray. I, do a first round on my squash and cukes just tomorrow. I'd be sorry all the way to the bank if I did not do it and got PM.

    Bookmark     July 21, 2014 at 5:51AM
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theforgottenone1013(MI zone 5b/6a)

It's powdery mildew. Cut off the leaves that are the worst affected and then do a search here for funcides to use. At this point there is no getting rid of it, you can only hope to control it.

Rodney

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 10:39PM
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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

PM, 100%.
At this stage all you can do is fight and keep it from getting worse. I would spray with fungicides like Daconile and Neem Oil sprays. They are available both on HD and Lowes.
Just follow the instructions.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 11:42PM
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Steve349

Yolos, thank you for sharing how you made your trellis. Great Idea. So do you use netting of some sort?
That system will last for years. Do you pull up the rebar for winter? Love it.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 6:34AM
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yolos - z 7b/8a Ga.

Yolos, thank you for sharing how you made your trellis. Great Idea. So do you use netting of some sort?
That system will last for years. Do you pull up the rebar for winter? Love it.
*****************************************************************
Steve349 - This was my first year using this trellis. I used nylon netting for the trellis. It will only last a year or two so when it starts to disintegrate I will try to get some cattle panels. I do not take down my trellis but leave them up all year. The 3/4 EMT should last a long time. The rebar is driven into the ground 1-1/2 to 2 feet into red clay. It is almost impossible to get the rebar out of that clay so I just leave the whole thing assembled. Next year I will plant something else there that needs a trellis - maybe watermelon and/or cantaloupe or cucumbers.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 9:19PM
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aloha10

Hard necks produce scapes

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 8:49PM
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theforgottenone1013(MI zone 5b/6a)

Hardnecks almost always scape (there are some weak bolting hardnecks types). Softnecks usually don't although it's not uncommon for them to grow scapes/bulbils under stressful conditions.

Rodney

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 9:15PM
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newgardener79

Thank you for your response, Its outdoor on my deck...how can I treat it ?

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 7:15PM
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ju1234((8 Dallas TX))

soap + oil spray, if that does not work, Neem oil + pyrethrin spray.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 8:35PM
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glib(5.5)

In my experience, asparagus seeds left to their own devices will germinate in July. Yes, you will not progress as fast, but the plants will be just as healthy. Treat as you would any seedling (water frequently).

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 5:45PM
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steiconi(12a-Big Island, HI)

sadly, I have no neighbors with cucumbers; what a pity some of you don't live nearby.

Thanks for the help!

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 4:26PM
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ltilton

I've got parthenocarpic cukes, and glad of it,they're fruiting nicely. Wish I had parthenocarpic melons. Males and females both abundant and plentiful, but the bees are over in the echinacea and won't visit. Little fuzzies all turn yellow and die off from lack of sex.

As for zukes, I've got the all-female problem. Although mine tend to turn yellow and die before flowering.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 5:01PM
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theforgottenone1013(MI zone 5b/6a)

Pound some stakes in the ground with twine going between them to keep the asparagus from falling over. Don't cut the ferns off.

Rodney

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 10:46AM
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ltilton

Yes, prop them up. The crown needs the fern now to produce spears next year.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 1:56PM
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sunnibel7 Md 7(7)

I knew he said plastic, I only have paper plates on hand and was thinking "out loud" why those would not be a good substitution. ;) Is it hard to balance a big squash on a brick? I may be able to salvage some from next door. I rediscovered the lids to my buckets in the tunnel, so that will take care of 10 fruit.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 12:44PM
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glib(5.5)

I use 2/3 bricks per squash.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 1:54PM
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gardener_sandy

Blossom end rot (BER). Most often seen on tomatoes early in the season, just as the first ones are ripening. The Virginia Tech publication linked below gives details. Google to find pictures of BER on peppers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blossom end rot of tomato

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 1:55AM
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woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a

I'm not convinced it's BER.

Thanks for the better pic. That was the reason why I asked for a closeup.

It COULD be BER, but the beige portion leads me more towards what everybody else thinks.. sunscald. Happens more to large fruited annuums, like bells. Best way to deal with it is acceptance.. You're almost always going to get a fruit or 3 that get it. Another way is shade cloth -- Peppers love sun, but some shade cloth during midday will help.

If it's BER, you'll see see rotting at the tips on many, if not all, the fruit. Hard to deal with BER once it's there since most forms of Calcium take so long to break down and be usable. Bone meal(or lime, but lime raises ph) added months in advance of planting is recommended to gardeners with Ca deficiency.

Kevin

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 1:53PM
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woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a

Do you plan to grow these outside?

If so, wrap those pots up with duct tape and get them outside and start hardening off, then transplant to a muck bigger container. The yellow spots could be from overwatering, but could also be a Magnesium deficiency. Are there MICROnutrients in that fertilizer?

Plants look great otherwise. They just need to get outside. Google hardening off if you don't know how.

Stop watering everyday from here on out. Peppers like to dry out between waterings. A good way to tell if they need water is to stick a wooden skewer a few inches deep into the soil. If soil comes out on the skewer, don't water. If no soil, water thoroughly. Let dry out completely before watering again.

Kevin

    Bookmark     July 7, 2014 at 2:21PM
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msmorningsong(SW FL 10A)

I suspect the Azomite supplied micronutrients. And do hope you pot that up in much larger container. Peppers in general are self-pollinating.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 11:55AM
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farmerdill

Depends on your definition of "heirloom" It is an open pollinated commercial variety released in 1956. To save seeds, just remove seeds from a ripe melon, wash them, and let them dry. store under cool dry conditions. Devloped in California, it is not well suited to the southeast.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 8:05AM
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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

Thanks. That's what I needed to know. Yes, I was using the word "heirloom" to describe something open-pollinatable. If it's not well suited to Texas, I guess my plants never got told that.

The seed-saving potential of many vegetable species is not something advertised by the seed companies. No big surprise, I guess.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 10:18AM
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Steve349

Melons are doing great and the second set is growing. Thanks. When is it time to harvest. I know its about time, the tendril on one side of the vine is brown, the other is still green. Any help on when to harvest?

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 6:48AM
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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

When you have just a few melons, you watch each one...I know I do. The first clue to ripeness is that the given melon has stopped growing. Also the CLOSEST tendril to the melon has turned yellow and then brown...about a 4 day process. Then check the melon [carefully turning it] on the bottom. It should be creamy/ yellow where it lay when ripe...better to wait a couple days extra than to pick early...if in doubt.

With baby type melons the bottoms may or may not turn colors so conclusively.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 7:53AM
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milehighgirl(CO USDA 5B/Sunset 2B)

If you remove your female plant then you will prevent your asparagus from getting over crowded.

    Bookmark     July 19, 2014 at 7:47PM
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Steve349

The green ferns are making energy for next years crop.

    Bookmark     July 20, 2014 at 6:42AM
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