23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

I transplated a couple tomatillo seedlings I bought about 4 weeks ago, planted into a large container (25L). They're growing like crazy! Every day they've grown another inch or so. Lots of blossoms, and I think a couple might have already pollinated.
I'm afraid they're already too leggy. One has shot up to over 2" in the past week, but the stalk is pretty think (unlike my tomatoes/ground cerries that are puttering away) Should I try burrying/trenching them a bit deeper now? There's about 2 feet of thin stalk I'm worried about. Or in a couple weeks I might be able to plant them straight in the ground (new garden). I don't want to distrub fruit growth if it's already started though.
Didn't know about trenching. Very good idea!

Yours should already be in the ground. Trench them. I did with mine about a month ago. They now have thick stalls and have tomatillos growing on them.

This is how we start carrots in July and August in Kansas. It may be a little overkill, but we have always been successful.

For the most part, root vegetables and plastic mulch don't work. I have seen it done successfully with transplanting beets into plastic mulch, but that is a lot of work.

Here is a link that might be useful: Starting carrots in summer

There is a valuable tutorial on growing carrots here:

The Biodynamic French Intensive Method of Alan Chadwick

Weeds are not really the horrible culprits some people make them out to be. Just remove them as they begin to compete with your carrots, and they will help create fertility in the process. Be sure to put them immediately (while they are still green) on the compost pile, and you will soon have the best fertilizer you can get.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alan Chadwick

Can i mix something in it to correct my mistake. My plants are small, i can correct the soil and put the plants back in it again?

You'll do more damage than good by trying to remove and replant them. You are boxed in to using liquid nutrient sources but that is fine.

You can always buy some garden lime and mix a very small amount in water, let it sit for a few hours and them water the soil with the water. But it really isn't necessary as long as you feed them. They are small because the container lacks nutrients.

If you want strictly organics then there are any number of liquid organic fertilizers available on the market to use - fish emulsions and/or fish and kep blends mixed into water - sold at any of the big box stores or nurseries and discussed here in infinite detail.

Or you can use Miracle Grow diluted to 1/2 strength and feed every 7-10 days.

Dave

Thanks Dave

It continues to grow, incredible.

BTW as a scientist I was looking through a NASA handbook and found male human urine is safe and sterile unless there is a urinary infection. NASA needed to know how safe it would be on a space mission.

There is a Finish study which showed that urine mixed with wood ash used on tomatoes outgrew untreated and treated with commercial fertilizer and, the price is right.

I use all my urine at home for my plants. I just pee in the water can and dilute it (10-20 parts water, 1 part urine) and water over plants. It's a weak fertilizer, so you can do it more often than typical fertilizing.

Oh what a happy looking garden! Love those metal drums for your container garden. They've got such charm, IMO.

Thanks!

Stuffradio, the Pac Choi is actually Fordhook Giant Chard. :)

I love the galvanized tubs as well loribee! IMO they cant be beat for the price. They should last a long, long, time.

Hopefully my lettuce doesn't bolt in the heat we are expecting this week! I have misters set up to try to keep them cool!

Oh man!! I'm so sorry!! You must live near me, I was in the Milwaukie fred meyers when it was coming down today, and the sound of the hail hitting the ceiling there was crazy. I was sure Id have garden damage, but came home and it didn't hit me here in SE Portland.

I live about 2 miles from that Fred Meyers. The storm was ridiculous, and I was just sitting inside watching as my plants got pummeled. I think Milwaukie was the only place that got it (according to the news). Lucky for you, Grace.

I've never heard of that variety. The growth looks ok, but something doesn't look quite right. Maybe the foliage on that variety is supposed to be a bit lightweight. I'm growing some basic russets and the foliage is very robust in comparison. Just my observation.

Hmmm...maybe our local weather? It's been the longest in 13 years without a 90F degree day, (tho today we're supposed to get there). Maybe temps are a reason? Just recently it's started to increase in size a bit more than it had been.

Not sure how to hill...am I burying foliage?

let it dry & burn it?

It's recommended that you just trash it.

I've never heard of soil "going bad". I think it might have more to do with the weather. Did you let your tomato plants get below 60 degrees at night? Did you put a shade cloth on some of them that put a lot of weight on the plants? Did you spray some of the plants too hard with the hose? Did some get more/less water than others?

I know that personally, I had some tomato plants that I rested a shade cloth on because I was too lazy to put up stakes to hold up the shade cloth. Those tomatoes never recovered from that stress, while the ones right next to them (not touching the shade cloth) are now 1.5 feet taller than the over-stressed plants.

Veggie plants are like people - if you over-stress them early in life, they'll never recover.

Thanks, prairiemoon! Incidentally, I've been using those same cups for years, I just rinse them in a mild bleach solution and they're ready for the next season. So you really would only have to eat as much store-bought yogurt as you want cups, LOL

Love Johnny's for seeds. I've got some seeds dated 2010 that are still germinating like they're brand new!

Yes, the cabbage white butterfly had been laying eggs on my kale like crazy. Every time i look, there are fresh eggs. The caterpillar is green and camouflages well. Here is a big guy that I didn't notice until this plant has been almost completely eaten. Do you notice any of those small white butterflies around? If so, I bet that's what it is.

Among vertebrate pests, rabbits are the most likely culprits where strong-tasting brassicas are involved. Deer, coons and rodents don't particularly like them unless there's nothing else to eat.

Emorems, my guess is that your seed potatoes were unhealthy to begin with. I've had issues when i've planted potatoes from the previous years' harvest. Compared to certified seed potato that i've purchased, my saved potatoes have produced very small plants and low yields. Sometimes the plants fail to emerge at all. Some of these plants that failed to emerge may have produced small tubers like yours, but i never dug them up specifically to check.

If i had a bit of room at the end of my potato row, i used to plant a few potatoes from the previous year, but i don't bother anymore. They never do well. Not sure if that's your issue or not, but next year you might want to purchase seed potatoes instead.

It's pretty late in the season, but Maine Potato Lady still has some varieties of potatoes available. It's not ideal to plant this late, but if you tried an early season variety you might get some sort of crop.

Depends when you planted them, They might still be growing an you just dug them too early,Too much water may have made them mushy, I always use my potaotoes that are left over from the year before with no problem, But I do cut my potatoes so there is only 1 or 2 eyes and also fertilize with 10-10-10, Potatoes usually or done growing after the plants have flowered and die off.