23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
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 ?
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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...
Knowing where you are located would help as it could be weather related. The size of the container is also needed information as it could easily be rootbound in the pot given those symptoms. But the most common cause of the symptoms you describe is over-watering. Pepper plants prefer to dry out between watering and far too many over-water them causing root rot.
You could have also overdosed it with the Neem or applied it in the direct hot sun. But these are all just guesses without much more info from you.
Dave.
Ok, All of you predicted right...Yes I was OVERTHINKING :(
I couldn't update in between as I was extensively trying hard to save my Tomatoes. These tomatoes are damn sensitive, aren't they?? Anyways none survived.
About Spinach, only two seedlings survived & growing well. I dosed an Organic Liquid NPK(8-8-8) & seems to be response is too Good. I saw boost in Leaves' size. Meanwhile also sow some seeds two days ago & yipeee...Germinated today & I'm blessed with another pairs of Babies...Love them :)
As ltilton rightly said they are quick to germinate & grow.
Mary & laceyvail, thanks for your advise. Now I'm exposing seedlings to sunlight from day one & also keeping soil moist enough.
@Slimy_Okra- Seed instructions packet mentioned its best to sow in Summer. Unfortunately Like many other regions here the climate is also victim of Global Warming & temperature raised badly, its never been that hot till this year.
Initially I made mistake of not keeping less height of soil bed; I could have top it up bit more so that seedlings got enough sunlight without stretching.
Update-
This post was edited by naturehobbyist on Thu, May 8, 14 at 10:53
Properly built soil horizons can do amazing things with filtration. Those weird looking spots of "ditches" with plants and weedy looking stuff in parking lot areas or in front of shopping complexes are natural filtering buffers. They are built to exact specifications to get the most effective filtration out of the smallest possible area (land is assumed expensive). Parking lots and buildings shed water. This water can be pretty nasty, as one would expect.
A septic system is following the same process only it's using just the soil horizon creations without adding plants as filtering buffers.
It's generally not a good idea...especially in areas where the soil stays shaded/wet-from-rain...to tamper with how these filtration horizons work.
Here's a picture, for reference, of a natural soil horizon. The slow filtration down to the hard pans which channel water to larger bodies (be it a stream/river or underground source) help filter a lot of stuff. Just imagine this underground and going for a much longer distance. They get less varied and more compacted as the horizons go down very deep, but that very slow movement is part of what helps the filtration and death of some pathogens.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3422/3384244078_7eae6bed1c_o.jpg
This is in Panama, btw.
I am having to change my plans for this very reason... but I plan on growing some crops vertically and on raised bed tables⦠about 3ft above the ground⦠I have a nice size sun porch that will become a garden of sorts alsoâ¦I may not be able to grow the deeply rooted stock⦠but I'll grow what i can⦠my uncle had a garden in this very yard for decades⦠those were the sweetest blackberries, cantaloupe, and watermelon when a was a kid...
I'd buy transplants for the peppers and tomatoes for best results. Direct seeding either of them is low- success at best.
It is still too early for okra for sure in your zone and probably a little too early for melons and beans too although can't be sure without knowing your soil temp.
Dave
Glad I visited this thread today. I planted red onion sets for fun, just to see if they would develop in a container. They were only $.25/lb, and eighteen only cost me five cents. But, they are sending up flower stalks on several plants. May let some flower, in order to acquire seed stock for future planting. Oh well, nothing ventured...
The simplest solution is to lay out drip line or drip tape (emitters every 6 or 12 inches) along rows. The problem with that simple approach is that every row gets watered together, and say, the tomato must get water if the lettuce needs it. Dividing the garden into zones, and watering plants with equal needs at the same time can help. A valve for each zone can adjust the flow to the zone. Or you can use more than one timer.
The ultimate adjustable setup would be an adjustable emitter for every square, but that would be crazy complex in the wiring, with 56 emitters.
A hybrid approach would be tape for small crops and adjustable emitters for big plants.
That is one of the common problems with Sq Foot Gardening - watering.
Everything with totally different water needs is so close together that Mel designed it for hand watering plants individually, not auto or whole bed systems. Of course with such small beds hand watering is easy to do and really works best for the plants. Same with nutrient supplements - different plants have different needs.
Why not post this over on the Sq Foot Gardening forum for suggestions from the folks who practice it. They may have figured out alternatives to watering by hand.
Otherwise, as John said above, the only alternative is very careful zone planting, lots of different shut off valves along the system, and a whole range of various GPH drippers.
Dave
We originally grew the fall-bearing type to get by the Japanese beetles. But I also noticed, because of the cool dry air, we got by the mold, could let them ripen on the plants, and birds were starting to make other plans. We never even tried for a summer crop, and ended up digging up our summer raspberries.
If the soil is dry enough to work, you can plant everything on your list now. Frost is not a concern for spinach, chard, beets, any brassica, any allium (onions, garlic, chives), or most veggies in the carrot family (including dill, parsley and cilantro).
I guess you had an even worse winter & spring than we did this year! Let's hope summer & fall make up for it.
I'm sorry to hear that your broccoli didn't work out. My Packman broccoli is doing very well, with 2-inch heads already forming. The two Decicco broccoli plants in the same pot have not shown much growth, but they are healthy.
I am baffled by your results and sorry we couldn't help. But I don't see any reason to think your mix won't work for other vegetables.
OK, as I commented in your other post (in Container Gardening) I think your 5-1-1 is to coarse. Plus you have a lot of chunkky perlite. I would've added some some DE (flor dri) to help maintain more moisture, or jus more peat moss. As a result the texture of your mix, it has (IMO) very low moisture retention property. I could see in that video demonstration too. . Just take a look at Ohiofem's 511 texture and yours. I see a marked difference there.
Keep in mind that broccoli , as a member of brassica, is water loving plant and won't mind wet feet. You can give them as much water you want, they won't mind is.
So probably, IMO, 5-1-1 is not an ideal mix for broccoli.
BTW: I am using it for my peppers. I add about 15% DE (Ultra sorb).
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.