23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

I understand my problem now. They're definitely stressed, I will start new peppers from seed right on the ground (hopefully my cat won't damage the seeds by waalking on them). And yes I have mulched quite a bit of organic compost as a fertilizer at the beginning of the season.

Try chicken poop. It works for me.

OK, so counting days on the calendar, that puts it August 11 for 78 days. So that helps me to plan a little better. I don't have to put in for the exact dates off right now but I do have to let my boss know about when - so it will be sometime the 2nd week of August. I know what we have planted is probably not a big deal for most people - 4 30' rows, but for us old folks who move slower these days and working 12 hours a day by the time I add in my drive time, there is not enough time between when I get home and have to go to bed to do anything. Thus I will need a day or so to get it all picked and processed. Then I might need a vacation from my vacation to get rested up!!! :^)
Thanks all for your help.
Edie

Sweet corn can take either longer or shorter time than listed DTM. April plantings may take a week longer and June plantings can take a week less with really warm weather.

I think if you haven't seen any new growth in two weeks, you probably arent going to get any. I wouldn't replant though. It looks to me like you've got an awful lot growing in a very small space. I don't know where you are, but here in California, this is how big a few cucumber plants can get.

Have you had success with this much planting in that small and shallow a space in the past?

I agree with Lori that it looks way over-planted to me but I can't tell what all the plants are either.

I agree that you might as well pull those 2 plants and pitch them. They are a lost cause. Whether you replant or not depends on the variety you choose and what you past success with this area has been.

And unless you saw them do it, I wouldn't assume that bugs did all that damage either.

Dave

My plants have been growing slowly as well, although I seem to see growth spurts after we have a couple days of warm, sunny weather. I'm in Brooklyn, NY and we've had a lot of cold, overcast days here the last couple of weeks. Looks like we'll be having some consistent warm weather soon though.

I always remember a hippie guy I ran into at the nursery the very first year I wanted to plant a garden. Among all kinds of sound and helpful advice he'd given me, I'd asked him if it was a good time to plant the plants I had in my cart. He shrugged and said, "Sure, you can plant them now. They'll just sit there and do nothing until the weather turns, but when it does, you'll be ready."

Your question has been answered above in Slimy's first post. But yes, leggy plants can be buried deeper.

Dave

without being detrimental...lol

Kevin

Dave

I removed all of the pot piece be piece (it was kind of moist) and the bottom plus cellophane when I planted it. Really don't like those jiffy pots. I'm going to cut the seedlings and leave 3 of them for now.

By "ton of room", I mean I spaced them 12 inches (the one to left and all the other watermelons are yellow doll and sugar baby) There is about 20in rows between the melons and the tomatoes. The "raised" beds are about 14 in.

Another question, They have about 30 feet to grow in all directions, except for tomatoes. There is a a chain link fence surrounding the yard about 15 foot from some of the melons, some are only 3 feet from the fence, Can I "guide" the melon vines towards the fence and the melons farther from the fence also?

Thanks again

Dave

Good job on the pot!

Not quite the "ton of room" I pictured but yeah I'd still try for 2 good vines. I tend to chicken out when it comes to just 1 plant of anything - too many things can happen with it and you end up with nothing.

It may get difficult to access in there once they all get running - kind of a creeping green jungle all over but you can always cut one of them back if need be.

Vines will go where vines want to go no matter what you do it seems but you can always try to guide them where you want them to go. Once years ago I tried driving small wood stakes in the ground to tie the vines to in the hopes of keeping them going in that direction. They just did 90 degree turns on me instead. :)

Dave

Black stuff is caterpillar poop.

As has been said, look for the caterpillars. Then deal with them.

Bt is your best bet. It is organic, it works well and best of all, only targets the caterpillars not the good guys. I use the Garden Safe Bt Worm & Caterpillar Killer, but I have to order it online, since nobody around us seems to carry it.

Just leave them in the containers. peas and beans generally don't appreciate being moved, and the lettuce ought to be ready for picking soon anyways.

By the time all is said and done it will be too late in my opinion to be planting out your warm season plants, but just about the right time to begin planning and planting the fall crop.

I agree with keeping things in container for the rest of the year and putting fall veggies into the ground. You'll have plenty to do. I have managed a late crop of bush beans by using a low tunnel of Agribon fabric to protect them from a light frost we usually get mid-September. I think Swiss chard tastes the best when weather gets colder. Love it when the cold sweetens it up.

10% IS too strong. Just because you haven't burned anything with this solution yet doesn't mean that it is innocuous. 10% ammonia has a pH of 10.5, which is indeed caustic to plant tissue. Furthermore, it can cause ammonium toxicity if applied on a regular basis, as well as nitrogen excess. In other words, there are three distinct issues you could end up facing.

I would strongly suggest you don't use ammonia for anything except perhaps the slugs, and even then avoid getting it on the plants. Aphids can be hosed off with water.

Slimy_Okra, I have often wondered about residual effects of the nitrogen, but could never find anything that seemed pertinent. Thanks for your input.

So Dave - then it seems like it would be a good idea this round to use the liquid form yeah based on your last comment? It doesn't say whether this would replace the dry side dressing treatment but I'm guessing it would? So then I would side dress again in August? Sure seems like a long time away....

Sounds like it should be ok as a tea then based on that info. But since you are working on getting your micro herd developed too I'd feed again in mid-July 'cause I find I get better results with a 6 week cycle rather than 8 weeks during the high heat of summer.

Or as an alternative, side dress them with more fresh compost. The herd has to eat. :)

Dave

excellent then i will mix up a batch and use it right away, planning to side dress again in mid-july. thanks dave!

Does anyone know from experience if the clove oil/sevin glass bottle traps actually work? Clove oil is expensive and I'd hate to waste it if it won't work. Thanks

In my opinion, beetle traps with lure is not for a small garden. I used them once and had all neighborhood beetles in my yard whole summer long. Without lure yellow sticky pads catch some of the beetles, but much more they catch flies and whole pad is covered in one day. I ended up with planting my cucumbers in permanent tulle cover on trellis(planting only parthenocarpic types ) and other plants (zucchinis , melons ) are all covered while small, until they start flowering. I noticed, the beetles do not harm older squash that much as cucumbers, just because squashes are less prone to the wilt then cucumbers. I don't know about pumpkins(don't grow them). If plants are still very small I think you still should cover them. The beetles are not that fast moving in very early morning hours(right after dawn) , so you can pick them all and make a cover right after that. Shaking them off in the soapy water or using portable hand held vacuum works the best, Smashing disturbs the plants as well. Continue to check under cover if you miss any. Tulle is a good cover for it - you can see through very well. Good luck!