24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
You have such an operation going on. I think I can manage two weeks earlier next year. Onw week with larger slip plants and one more week with planting. Soil condition is another thing.
    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
farmerdill

jrslick, that is one nice looking tater patch.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Smug, I'll zay that MG would be 'safe', but I never recommend it for container use. I simply don't feel that it can offer the season long porosity that is so essential to happy, healthy plants.

Vegetable plants must have an excellent coarse textured medium in order to thrive.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Sherry_7bAL

Yes, Miracle Grow Potting Soil is safe. I use it all the time and love it. It is not organic. I also use the Miracle Grow bags that are used to amend your garden beds. This is intended to be tilled in with your soil to "loosen" it up. It is not to be used by itself. I do not like the Miracle Grow with the water retaining crystals. It holds too much water in my climate when it rains. I think it would only be useful in a desert climate for plants that had a need for a lot of water.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
PRO
Jim's(6 East end of Long Island)

There are so many things I am comfortable with in life, having patience doesn't appear on that list, lol. I will plan on eating them with out Easter dinner.

Appreciate all the input.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
A J(9A)

Can't always wait till the vine dies sometimes. As long as they have a very good start to their final ripe color, you can take them off the vine early with great results. For curing, just wait for the stem you cut to dry out completely. You can also finish riping the squash off the vine if you place it near a sunny window for a bit. I can't taste the difference that much between both types.

Great point about making sure you clean the squash before storage.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Neo Slash

Bump?

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
A J(9A)

Organic - BT, spinosad. Diatomaceous Earth could work but require reapplication. Netting/mesh around the vegetables.

If organic doesn't matter, go get a pesticide/insecticide and follow the directions exactly.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
shermthewerm(8 PNW)

Thanks for the link. That is amazing! Chickens are daylight sensitive too and the 10-hour day seems to be their requirement for laying eggs Good information (learn something new everyday!).

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
emmalehman

Wow the WV Calendar is amazing! Thank you, that is just what I needed.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
gumby_ct(CT it says Z5)

I'm gonna add water bug to the roach guess but I think water bugs will come out in the daylight were roaches scatter when the lights come on.

The first time I saw a roach was at Lackland Air Force Base, TX - it was rather large and extremely fast. They say everything is bigger in TX.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
zzackey(8b GA)

That's not it either. I just googled it. What a creepy looking bug that is!

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

My extension service says blossom drop in beans is from heat. But beans are exquisitely sensitive to conditions during fruit set. Heat, humidity, water stress, etc. All of those will cause blossom drop.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
drscottr(7)

Farmerdill,

I suspect that pH might be the issue then. The patch was until recently the location of a pine tree. The needles may have caused a low pH. I'll do a soil test. Thanks.

Scott

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
jctsai8b(8B)

You may use 10 to 1 diluted urine for fertilizer too, it works pretty good for me, no more chemical fertilizer.

This post was edited by JCTsai on Sat, Jan 10, 15 at 15:39

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
jctsai8b(8B)

use Kitchen scraps, urine, coffee ground, liquid grass clipping may be good enough for your vegetables

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
angelmat37

I skimmed most of the comments, but it is not all about wood chips. Most people in my area have tried it but have not incorporated all what Paul said or followed what he said. I live in a state with plenty of trees and wood chips and with no effort a tiny seed falls and by summer you have a four foot tree. It is interesting to do what he says first, "observe," He also has chickens that are fed from his garden waste and veggies they provide the rich compost in the area where they walk around. This compost is key for planting in soil not wood chips.

We have friends who have not seen the video and on their own have begun doing what Paul has done. Their garden is amazing. Growing grapes that can't be grown in our area. Fruit trees growing faster then expected and everything tastes so good. We just started but we are amazed. There is a four hour version of Back to Eden that a private group of people made where Paul gives more clear instruction. Three things people do. They till the soil, make raised beds and don't have enough composite soil or a way to continue producing composted soil. These things are very important. Providing compost through chickens, rabbits or horse manure. Paul explains in more detail in the four hour version. The couple who don't know the method are using rabbit manure and I have never seen such a garden and they are providing covering. The veggies I have tasted so far are full of water and tasted so good that I can't eat a regular cucumber from the store, garlic, potato or lettuce. I live on the opposite side of the country from Paul and a covering works. It does not ruin anything. Paul was asked," What about termites." His answer, "Great it helps decompose the wood." Don't till your soil or try raised beds and just follow what he did. Green houses are great, but they must have a few panels open for real sunlight. He goes into detail of how he grew crops next to crops to protect them. Very interesting. My friends through observation found the same thing works for them and they again as I said have not watched Back to Eden.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
William O'Dell

I started my 8,000 sq. ft. BTE garden 12 months ago and absolutely love it. The effort involved is just a fraction of a standard garden. I started my BTE for many reasons mostly to reduce the work load as I am now 67 and wanted to ease my burden for future years. I live in North Central Florida and like most of Florida it is all sand. I started with 5, 000 sq. ft. using paper and four to six inches of quality wood chips, the balance of the garden has 6 inches of oak leaves and 6 inches of wood chips. Both methods are doing great especially in the leave wood chip areas. I am 100% organic so this was right down my alley. Since starting a year ago I have added more wood chips 2 to 3 times as they are breaking down fast. Key is to keep them damp as possible and promote good fungal activity. Weeding is almost a thing of the past. Like Paul, I maintain my whole garden with a single garden rake. Each and every month it just keeps getting better. I use fish emulsion, Mushroom Fungi and compost tea on my garden every two to three weeks. Never had a over water problem to date even with 10 inches of rain in three days, however it can still go dry with the sand as time goes by this will change as well. It rained every day for over 30 days and the garden survived just fine. Plant root systems are abundant and far reaching both lateral and deep. I had huge Candy onions for the first time last spring. Some approached two pounds. I am starting my Fall garden now and am looking forward to the Fall and Winter growing season. I have an abundance of trees and the leaves make a great source to re-mineralize the garden and for adding more organic material. I grow Blue Berries and Black Berries side beside with all sorts of vegetables. My Ph has balanced close to 6.8 to 7.0. all across the garden. I started with 250 cubic yards of quality wood chips and have about 6 full loads left to use as needed. This whole process is about building a living soil that will support abundant growing each and every season. I am a firm believer in this method as the results speak to the validity and truth of the method. My second stage to this process is to build a Chicken operation that will support 30 chickens to give me a full self sustaining garden. Paul has the right idea about chickens, they do make great garden soil if you follow what he actually practices.

Best Regards

Bill

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
nature_gardener

Summer dance is the best and most productive cucumber I have ever grown. Have been growing it for several years. We have very hot and humid weather and it likes a little afternoon shade. I get many pounds of cucumbers from one plant and requires no pollinator. I could only get the seed from pine tree seed for several years, but now others are offering it. You can let the fruit get very large and it is still good. zone 8 La.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
daniel_nyc(7a)

My wife’s favorite cucumbers last year, were: Sweeter Yet and Straight Eight.

Mine was Sweet Slice.

I don’t know about Summer Dance.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
cybrczch(5)

I grow shallots from seed - usually Ambition hybrid. I start them in January/February (zone 5) indoors, then plant them outside the same time I'd plant onion sets (April). If I'm lazy, I'll leave the plants in bunches of 3-4, if I'm not I'll plant them singly. Harvest mid-summer, the bulbs are usually 2 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter. If I have any that survive the winter (as in they didn't end up in my stomach), I will plant them in the spring. These plants will usually send up a flower spike during the growing season, and give 1-2 large bulbs. Ambition doesn't make a lot of offsets, just bigger ones. I have tried planting bulbs in the fall, but they didn't survive the winter well.

EDIT to add: I've never grown the traditional french shallots or any other kind, so I don't know how they divide, if they give a lot of offsets or not.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
bcomplx(z6VA)

I get 2-3 rounded shallots from Ambition and other seed-sown varieties, but they are nicer with very little bolting compared to vegetatively propagated ones. They store 10 months or more.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Looks like Cercospora leaf spot. I just live with it. It comes and goes and mostly affects old leaves ime and in my garden seems to prefer the red chard. If it's too bad I just remove the worst leaves.

    Bookmark     Thanked by escolat
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
bcomplx(z6VA)

Flora is right, I think. Pull off the affected leaves and the plants will come back strong if it doesn't rain all the time.

1 Like    Bookmark     Thanked by escolat
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
valbell82

I wound up clipping off the leaves and then I noticed a garden with squash that had powder like mine on the leaves and there was plenty of zucchini so next time I will leave it alone!

1 Like    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
ZachS. z5 Littleton, CO

No matter what you do or don't do, PM is something that shows up each and every year on your squash and cucumber plants in late summer. Its pretty much just a fact of gardening. Treat or don't treat, depends on if you've had your fill of zukes yet or not (by September I most definitely have lol). I usually just let it go at this point in the year. Course here we can expect snow in 2 weeks anyways and that will kill off any squash plants regardless.

1 Like    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Yes, I read that. I take issue with 'all you can eat' - unless a couple of servings is all you can eat. And it depends very much on your climate. Peas don't start cropping until June in mine. They take up space for 4 months and have a low yield. They are followed by winter brassicas.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
glib(5.5)

Peas are productive only in zone 9 in winter, when you can get 6 months in the ground before planting summer crops. Even then, they do not hold a candle to numerous brassica, carrots or chard.

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

All I did was type "how long it takes watermelon to mature from pollination" in the search bar and then click on "Vegetable gardening forum" in the drop down menu.

But honestly the plant tendrils and seed leaf tells you when to harvest it regardless of when the post was made. Lots of discussions here about when to harvest them.

Dave

    Bookmark    
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
galinas(5B)

I wish I have tendrils and seed leaf) The groundhog decided, that if it can't get to the fruit that is too big for it to get through(but it left teeth marks on it) the next best thing is to chew on what is tender and soft - on all three of my watermelon fruit) Anyway, we picked one today - it was ready and sweet). Thanks again, everybody!

    Bookmark