23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada

I'm with Floral on this one, into the compost bins it goes. I use jute hung from the top of my bean poles, anchored in the ground with a wire staple. pull the staple at the end of the season, save for another year, gather up all the dead stuff and haul it all off to be composted, makes for a quick cleanup. I like using jute because it disappears amongst the foliage, doesn't stand out like a sore thumb.
Annette

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 1:36PM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
nancyjane_gardener(Zone 8ish North of San Francisco in the "real" wine country)

OK, I just went and smelled my jute! LOL! Actually, I think it was the plastic packaging that smelled. I'll unpackage it and give it a sniff tomorrow. Nancy

    Bookmark   March 25, 2015 at 5:51PM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
brookw_gw

I always buy lots of extra bulbs in the spring to use as green onions in the fall. I put them in a paper bag in the crisper of my fridge. I'll usually start fall onions late Aug/early Sept. A few will mold, but most are in good shape.

    Bookmark   March 25, 2015 at 12:51PM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)

Put them in the fridge, in the dark. They may get long and yucky looking, but they will store. I just keep picking out the ones that have sprouted and plant them each time. I plant sets for green onions too. That reminds me, I need to buy extra sets now and put them in the walk in cooler.

    Bookmark   March 25, 2015 at 1:21PM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
pnbrown

I use cardboard hugely in my FL gardens - it is ideal for killing patches of bahia, cardboard on the grass and then I put a thick layer of wood chips or cut grass on top of it. A year later the cardboard is vanished.

    Bookmark   March 25, 2015 at 5:03AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
zzackey(8b GA)

That's good to know pnbrown. You've changed my thinking somewhat on using cardboard.

    Bookmark   March 25, 2015 at 10:11AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
safersaturnx

To answer your other question: Yes, that bug (listed as a "springtail") looks very similar to the bugs in my garden, except that in addition to white, some that I've seen are grey or appear spotted (it's hard to tell when they're so tiny).

Are springtail bugs good, bad, or indifferent?

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 8:24PM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a

The grey ones I figured are just a different(molting) stage of the springtails.

Spotted? Check out pics of Carpet beetles -- I've seen some of those around also.

Here's what UC website says about springtails...

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74136.html

Kevin

    Bookmark   March 25, 2015 at 8:17AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
greekcanadian

I live in Texas and 3 years ago when having some remodeling done on my home termites were discovered and well 6.000.00 later to repair the terrible damage to the structure of the house. Then 1000.00 to have Terminix to come and surround the house with bait stations. After reading that this barrier might be just a waste does anyone out there know what I can drop into those traps myself or if it is even possible to do so? I haven't opened one up yet to see exactly what is down in those traps. I just wanted to find a way to do this myself or is spending another 300.00 this year to have them come and fill the traps again worth it. Or is that all a waist of money????

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 9:48AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
tcgardener

If you have sub-terrainian termites the bait stations work very well. Did you get a warranty from Terminix? If so you need to pay them the annual renewal. They only add baits to the stations that have termite activity, otherwise it is just pieces of soft wood. If the warranty is not a issue go to Doityourselfpestcontrol.com or doyourownpestcontrol.com You can purchase the baits from them at a good savings. This system will work for the garden beds also.

Good luck!

Craig

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 6:41PM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
nick0001

Thanks Digdirt! I've been looking at the after care and it seems to very a lot. Some people say to plant them on a mound to separate the roots and then gradually add soil other say it doesn't matter. Some say to mulch after, other say its not necessary. Seems like a large variation in what people found successful.

Hey Brook I just checked the DeBruyn website and they're selling 2 year old Jersey Knight roots 10 for $2.95. That is wicked cheap compared to everyone else! You said you had good luck with these? The prices is so low it kind of scares me.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 10:00AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
brookw_gw

I market farm and buy as much in bulk as I possibly can. I've never been disappointed w/DeBruyn--and I order seeds and stock from dozens of different suppliers each year. The roots I got from them last year were as good as any I've gotten elsewhere. Nourse probably has the finest roots, but there's always the dinks thrown in as well. The DeBruyn roots were very uniform--if not a little small. Not to get off topic, but I bought the best shallots from DeBruyn last year I've ever planted. I don't know the variety, but they outyielded anything I've ever planted before. To this day, they are still in perfect condition. I reserved ten lbs of them to plant this year.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 1:09PM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

I have to say that while I am skeptical that this particular spot can be used for any vegetable gardening, I was *stunned* to see a neighbor of mine growing huge, lush collards in about 80% shade. They're really pretty remarkable plants, and I intend to try growing some next year.

    Bookmark   March 23, 2015 at 6:26PM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
ritholtz47(7)

Thanks for all the feedback. I am in zone 8A (Dallas). This location is towards East side of my home. My home is facing South. It gets some light during summer. I think because of this light issue, there are lot more weeds in this area. I will check it out to put in a concrete stones to help weeds issue. I am not able to landscape this area.

Thanks

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 12:46PM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

If you can find your compost pile under the snow, I doubt it is frozen. Even a small pile generates enough heat to keep it from freezing in most climates. If compost piles froze, you'd never find any worms in them. If you care about the worms, I'd crack open the pile and throw them in.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 7:29AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
galinas(5B)

Thanks all! My pots only have to survive till end of May and there were no big worms - just small ones. So I think I am all set!

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 10:32AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
purslanegarden(Zone 8)

I have also let my chickens free-range in my garden. Once the garden is in full swing, they usually didn't do enough damage to the plants to kill them (though I know that is possible). Of course, it's also related to the number of chickens and size of garden. But what I do find is that with the chickens roaming around, I find less of the icky, squirmy bugs or insects around my plants, and just more of the bugs that I like having around. I have also found termites in some rotting wood and once I exposed them, the chickens made short work of that colony.

And I could swear that once having chickens around free-ranging, the mosquito population seemed to be much less also.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 7:12AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
zzackey(8b GA)

We had to stop free ranging ours because of loose dogs in the neighborhood. You can use a chicken tractor and wheel it around. After your garden is done for the year you can place it there and they will clean it up for you and fertilize too!

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 9:22AM
Sign Up to comment
What is wrong with my pepper?What can I do?
Posted by keyki5 March 19, 2015
4 Comments
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
purslanegarden(Zone 8)

Just looking at the picture from the distance of your lens, it does look like the soil is pretty wet and muddy even. Of course, it could be that you have just watered it, thinking that the curly, dry-looking leaves is because it needed more water.

    Bookmark   Thanked by keyki5    March 24, 2015 at 7:14AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
keyki5

The soil is pretty much sand, I changed it to potting soil and it looks much better now. They still look curly curly, but better.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 8:07AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

Hi vgkg. It's good to hear from an oldtimer.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 7:42AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
vgkg(Z-7)

Hi back at ya Wayne!

I'm getting ready to start my melon seeds indoors, many thanks for your past advice on your favorite varieties, they are now mine too!

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 7:46AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
defrost49

good clarification ballonflower.

    Bookmark   March 21, 2015 at 2:38AM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
purslanegarden(Zone 8)

You could do some trench composting prior to planting.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 7:17AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Sure you can. Whether you just set them on the soil or around the outside edges on the grass or bury them somewhat is entirely your choice. Just be sure to leave access for the tiller. And if you set them with the holes up you can even plant small plants in the holes. :)

Dave

    Bookmark   March 23, 2015 at 8:21PM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
purslanegarden(Zone 8)

The type of grass may still send runners that will show up in your garden. Typically after you have tilled, you can at least notice the new grass more quickly. You may just need to spend time weeding through that.

At the spots where the concrete blocks are lieing, you may also want to remove the grass there, and then lay down weed blocker.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 5:45AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Makes a difference as the soil-based mixes are much more prone to disease issues.

    Bookmark   March 23, 2015 at 8:40PM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)

Could the change from the heat in the basement to a cooler room cause this? I'm going to try to get a picture up later today.

    Bookmark   March 24, 2015 at 5:44AM
Sign Up to comment
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Due for a watering? How so? Because of a schedule or because the soil is dry 2 knuckles deep?

The swells and bumps you see in the leaves, especially in the first pic and on the left side in the second picture is called leaf edema and is a result of over-watering. The cells in the leaf tissue swell and deform giving the leaf a bumpy mumps-like appearance.

With peppers, since they prefer to dry out well between waterings, it is very important to determine if they actually need to be watered. Based on the photos they don't as the leaf and stem turgor is still quite stiff.

The soil surface is not a valid indication of the need for water. So stick your fingers deep into the soil first. Then, if any, doubt don't water. Peppers are far more tolerant of too little water than they are of over-watering.

In the second photo (lower left quarter) there also appears to be a bit of curl/roll of the leaf petoile (the leaf/stem junction). Any sign of aphids on the underside of the leaves? If not then I would credit and the similar rolls to the excess heat from the HID light - a small fan would help.

Sorry but I don't see any symptoms of calcium deficiency in the photos. Ca+ is normally asymptomatic in pepper leaves and only shows up in leaf tip burn and in the fruit.

Hope this helps.

Dave

    Bookmark   March 23, 2015 at 5:36PM
Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo
Ryan Shea
no bugs as far as i can tell. ive spent a lot of time checking them over.

edema is something the plants seem to be suffering from for sure. I have been letting the plants tell me when to water from drooping leaves and weight of the pot/soil.

I have been watering about once per week on average. as they have gotten larger they dry up faster though. I have been bottom watering, filling the tray an inch or so then dumping out excess after 15 min or so.

a fan might help edema and any burn problems from what i understand so that is a good idea.

i thought Ca deficiency because of pictures and posts on here and other forums ive googled up.
    Bookmark   March 23, 2015 at 5:54PM
Sign Up to comment
© 2015 Houzz Inc. Houzz® The new way to design your home™