23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

DO YOU KNOW YOUR HEAT ZONE NUMBER?
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No I don't. I'm still trying to understand how we were Zone 4 one year and Zone 5 the next (and that was several years ago!)

So we have 2 rows of cabbage planted - greenhouse was already sold out of broccoli except for a couple of sorry-looking specimens. Hopefully I can find some this weekend, if the rain lets us get back into the garden anytime soon.

Thanks,
Edie

Good going Edie,.

Heat Zone is not the same as USDA zone. In that thread in tomato forum I have given a link (GA Interactive) you can enter your zip code and get your heat zone.

I've planted tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, jalepeno, strawberries, cucumbers and onion. The onion are actually doing very well and are taking off like crazy..I planted those as bulbs.

I went 3 days without watering them and ended up watering last night. The top inch or so was pretty dry. When I fertilized the other day, I sprinkled just a little around each plant and watered it in.

I think the wind could of caused this too but I will lay off watering and watch the soil more.

Thanks for the help!

e planted tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, jalepeno, strawberries, cucumbers and onion. The onion are actually doing very well and are taking off like crazy

Don't know where in KS you are located and KS basically has 2 different zones- 5b in the northern half and 6a in the south. Either way all of these crops have very different planting times. It is 10 -14 days too early for tomatoes, strawberries, and cukes unless they are under cover and it is 4-6 weeks too early for peppers and squash. Neither are spring crops,

Onions are thriving because it is well into their ideal planting time so too early planting of several of the items on your list is probably the primary problem.

The top inch or so was pretty dry.

It is the moisture level at 4-6" down that counts, not the top inch. The top inch or so can be totally dry and still have plenty of moisture for the plant - especially with clay soils as they retain water for a long time.

And, if you didn't harden off the transplants well first for at least a week before planting and then subject them to winds and full sun with no protection from either that will do them in too.

Spring planting can be difficult at best so before doing it you really need to know proper methods for hardening off, protecting the plants, proper watering techniques, and most importantly proper planting times.

I'd suggest buying some fresh tomato and pepper plants and keeping them inside or outside under shelter so you can replace the current ones. Your cucumbers can be direct seeded in 7-10 days and the squash can be direct seeded at the end of May.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Sun scorch. Plus it is in need of nitrogen

Seysonn, it is already bolting - nitrogen will not help it at this stage.

So far no symptoms of any damage to either garden :)

Persnickety point: It takes a perfect storm of conditions, but it is possible for the 2,4-D in granular weed and feed products to vaporize into a "cloud" that moves to nearby areas and causes drift damage to broadleaf plants.

Corn gluten is a natural alternative to use in spring, when crabgrass is germinating. If you can find a local source, perhaps your landlord will consider a change?

Following

Njitgrad, it's not since to brag lol. We still have snow in our forecasts!

I have never known spinach to transplant well, even when the roots are very carefully handled.

Spinach does very well direct seeded.

Kevin, I do have a Sharwil...along with 15 other varieties. The only variety specific info of interest is: this is a great variety that is a "smallish" tree. When planting a small tree there are a couple of "key" issues. They are: use shadecloth to filter hot/drying sun the first year (big heat headed our way Monday). Also, avos love water. Young avos need frequent watering aimed directly at their small "target zone". Long/heavy waterings are not for youngsters. PS Do not be overly concerned or over-compensate for a bit of alkaline ph. No bigee, really. goodluck

Fireduck: thanks. Yeah. last week when we had the heat, afew leaves got crinkly and dried up. I'll be sure to rig up some shade cloth this time around. It's actually not very young--- 15 gal from the nursery and about 5 feet tall. A few tiny fruit on it also.

Odd that you mention frequent waterings. The guy at the nursery(Atkins, in Fallbrook) told me to give it a nice deep watering and leave it alone for awhile.

Yeah. I wanted a bit smallish because of WHERE it' got planted and I didn't want it to shade TOO much of my main garden plot after 10 years. I also read that the Sharwil is superior quality fruit and was a bit more hardy the the Lamb Hass(also considered). Thinking of getting a Holiday also.

Not too sure I'm buying the ph thing. I was told you want it around 6 and the tree will eventually start rooting into some DG. Right now, the ph is around 7.5. This is what fears me the most. That, and the few freezes we get here every winter. I'm actually in inland San Diego.

Thanks

Kevin

Thanks digdirt. Will try row covers. Temps are so ideal for these plants that I want them to get as much as possible natural sun light.

OK. the second picture is different.
The leaf is most probably eaten by something.
It can be slug/snail, earwig or looper ? But I think it is probably too early for looper. Fisrt the butterfly has to lay eggs and then those eggs turn into worms/larva. I could be wrong.

But if the shown leaf is your only concern, I would not worry unless and Until you see damage to new growth.
But to be safe cover your cabbage with nylon tulle.

I planted snake gourd more than 3 weeks ago and they have not germinated. I was starting to wonder too. So, couple of days ago I planted some new seeds. This time I took nail clippers, to the unsoaked dry seed and chipped off the sides of the seeds almost down to the inner seed and planted them. I will know in a few days.

The bitter gourd germinated only 5 days ago (almost 3 weeks too).

On the other hand, the smaller seeds of Waltham butternut and Cusha germinated in less than a week.

I'm bringing this thread back to the top because I wanted to give an update.

I think you guys are right. The trick is germinating them in peat moss. (Perhaps there is some sort of chemical reaction or microbial reaction that aids the process.) I took the seeds that had been in paper towels (not sprouting) and shoved them into cell packs with peat moss and put them back on the heat mat. Within a couple of weeks they were all sprouted.

Still have not tried the dog-do-do-method yet...but plan to.

Seysonn, I didn't spray or fertilize yet !! .. you still plant even if their 4 foot of snow out ?
Thanks for the advice Dave.

Seysonn, I didn't spray or fertilize yet !! .. you still plant even if their 4 foot of snow out ?
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course not. You cannot plant transplant either.
Cool crops like cool temperatures. When you start and grow them inside (LIKE in 70F) they get shocked. So with 4 ft snow on the ground I would not rush it. I start peppers and tomatoes 6 to 8 weeks ahead of time. Because it makes a difference. Cold crops not worth it to start inside, for me.
YMMV

In a 2 foot wide bed they are going to vine out into the yard around the bed no matter which place you plant them so put them in the bed next to where they can roam the most without creating problems for you.

Same holds for a 4' long bed - it makes no difference where you plant them - a bed that small won't contain them either way. Even a 4'x4' bed or a 4'x6' bed couldn't contain them. So plant them anyplace in the bed but prepared for all the roaming vines outside it.

Dave

Its fine if they grow outside the bed... I have wide aisles so thats not a problem.

I think at the end of the day I am going to have to start experimenting with vertical trellising these melons... my kids really have been asking for several season for them. Maybe I'll try trellising them in one corner and see if I can keep up. Thanks folks...