23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
You are borderline concerning replanting. Perhaps you could leave some of it and replant the rest. I am planting my last planting tomorrow...number 7 planting. It will make it ok...75 day Ambrosia bi-color. Some years late plantings do well and other years not as well...less vigor and flavor.
Thank you very much! I have decided to leave the corn and where it's really sparse, I'll hand pollinate it. Those corn will probably all have 2 big cobs since they are spaced so much, so I guess I will still get 10 dozen out of that planting assuming animals dont get into the garden.
Temps did not dip below 50F, they were in the 40's at night for a many days in a row. (Then there was also the week it rained non-stop the entire week and was in the mid 60's for highs...) Spring here is volatile and hard to predict, we'll have beautiful weather for a week then it'll be back to late winter again.
The peppers I planted later are doing completely differently. There is little doubt to me they were damaged by the cold. I do not think it is disputed by many that peppers and okra can develop problems in temps in the 40's that, at best, take a while to recover from.
The eggplants have started growing thankfully. Even a couple of my okra plants which looked done for have come back to life, and a few of the eggplant I transplanted from indoors that looked totally shot have come back, if they all make it through production I will have way too many eggplant. If all my squash make it through production and get pollinated I will have way too many of those too. But that's ok!! I will freeze or give away.
My peppers still look like crap though. I tried giving them a little (just a little!) chemical fertilizer and have apparently burned them now. I already have a few small peppers, but the plants themselves are tiny with pale thin upward curled leaves that now have burns on them. I don't think they have done well with the heavy rains and cold start to the season. Don't know what else I can do but go buy another large fresh transplant and hope for another outcome, maybe leave it in a container. I really was hoping for a bountiful pepper harvest most of anything. I did put a couple tiny transplants from indoors in containers that look like they might get big enough to produce in time, they are the only ones I got that look nice and healthy.
My onions made tiny bulbs I would not waste my money on sets again unless I only wanted some quick scallions. The red onions I bought did make very nice pungent scallions though.
I would not try to separate them at this point. They look pretty large, no doubt the roots are very intermingled at this point. Plus, you've got a big enough pot, IMO. I would snip off the leaves from the dirt up to the level of the pot, then fill in with more dirt. That will give them extra growing room.
If you find slugs at night, leave cornmeal near their bodies. I read that they gravitate them, and it also kills them, because it's coarse. SO, if they die near your plants, expect to see (or hear) birds happily eating the slugs the next morning.
I read you're supposed to leave the meal in a cup, to dispose them yourself. I dropped a small scoop on the ground, one slug went straight for it, was dead in the morning, and eaten by birds. The only problem is ants will be attracted to the cornmeal. With wind, rain, and ants, however, it was gone in a few days.
Birds love baby strawberries on a hanging basket!
One bird made a small hole in the dirt on my basil/tomato basket.
I have SVB in my three squash plants...it was expected and why I only planted three.
My son injected the 'hole' with BT on each plant...that was a week ago...still viable and producing fruit/flowers. By now the plants would be wilted and dying.
So, at least there is something to fight back with. We will see how long it lasts.
Here is a link that might be useful: Safer Caterpillar Killer With B.T. 8 Ounce Concentrate
They will not correct themselves. You have blossom end rot, due to lack of calcium. Get a soil test first. Lime should be added a few months before planted and tilled in if reccomended. Uneven watering can cause it too. I just pull those fruits off and toss them on the compost pile. We get alot of rain during the summer here and it throws things off. Also I read to crush up several egg shells and put them around the tomato plants to add calcium.
Though I didn't watch the whole video, in my opinion, these types of things are at worst a marketing ploy and at best, a cute conversation piece for your back patio. Like calling a Chia Pet a house plant. They are green. They grow. But they are not in the same league as that ficus in the corner.
If you have the space and want a serious garden, you will get a significantly bigger yield per plant if you stick with traditional planting methods (your 5-gallon bucket, in this case). But if you don't have the space, or just like to tinker with things that are fun and unusual, this is a cute idea.
Potato plants are messy and unkempt. It's normal. As for changingitup's photo, those are potato fruits. They are similar to tomatoes but poisonous. You could let them ripen and they would produce true potato seeds. The seeds could produce small tubers if you plant them next year, and the tubers would produce potatoes the following year. But the potatoes they produce will probably be different and less desirable than the potatoes you started with this year.
Assuming that 1. You followed label directions and 2. Your soil was not previously amended with huge amounts of N-rich materials (manure, compost, seed meals, fish emulsion, blood meal), I don't see the problem.
Healthy plants produce good yields. Stressed plants may yield a little earlier because they go into panic mode but the total yield over the season is always better from large, healthy plants with sufficient vegetative growth. You don't want TOO much of course but your 12-4-8 should not cause this. Plants need 2x to 3x as much nitrogen as phosphorus.
I'm in zone 2 as well. It's far too early to expect any fruit from nightshade-family crops. Flower buds - yes. Do you see any?
This post was edited by Slimy_Okra on Fri, Jul 4, 14 at 14:21
Hi all, thanks for all your comments. I guess it is a bit early, but it's mostly my scarlet runner beans, morning glories ( just not flowering yet and I thought maybe they were over fertilized because the ones in the nursery where I bought them are root bound in their little containers but blooming.) and tomatoes that are growing tall and strong but few blossoms. I figured I Nitrogened them out and delayed fruit/ flower production. I guess I'll just be patient! :))
Do you think plants decay fast enough, such as spent tomato plants? Or how about grass?
Tomato plants, no. They need to go to the compost pile too. Grass yes (make sure it hasn't been treated with weed killers).
Rodney's suggestion of mixed well shredded leaves and grass tilled in can work but will still likely require some rake-off in spring in zone 6 of left over leaves.
But since soil improvement is the primary goal then a planted cover crop that can be tilled in in early spring is the best option. If you make it one of the N rich green manure cover crops so much the better.
Turnip seed, radishes, any of the legume cover crops, hairy vetch, crimson clover, etc. can be inexpensively seeded over the entire bed to grow all winter, tilled in in early spring 2-4 weeks prior to planting. Provides winter protection and does wonders for the soil.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Cover Crops
I can do that! Radish seeds are easy to come by. If I use leaves I will be sure to shred them or just leave then in a compost pile. I am glad I asked because I would have just put the leaves as is on top of the soil. Learning to improve soil this year and it is all new to me :). Thank you both!
I agree chemicals is the best option. Do your research on those offered and consider wicking the chemical instead of spraying. Requires far less chemical and alows repeat applications without loading soil with chemicals. Burning everything removed sounds perfect. Maybe even dance around the fire if noone is watching.
Rose Gold potatoes can handle a mucky area.
Celery as mentioned, cranberries, watercress, taro, water chestnuts, some melon varieties. But the ideal solution would be to fix the bed instead so it could have a more practical use.
Dave