24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

I have noticed something that is a bit strange...and then maybe not so strange. I usually have a few corn plants that are not as healthy as the rest. These make a smaller ear, yet I find these to be smaller grained and more tender than all the rest when picked at just the right time!!!

My corn put out just one nice ear too--this year. I've had two or even three ears per stalk in previous years, IIRC.
I've had better years for corn. (I grow Vision, from Johnny's Seeds--super sweet, my husband says it's the best he's ever eaten.) The stalks were very small this year. Although I still got one nice ear per stalk, the stalks themselves seemed significantly smaller than the ones last year. Just one of those garden mysteries, perhaps?

I wouldn't risk next year harvest with planting old bulbs. I wouldn't even plant old bulbs mixed with new bulbs - old can care fungus, that usually affects old bulbs. But if i have a spot I do not need next year, I would try to plant them to see what happened) You can even try them now - plant few and see if the green comes up(make sure soil is moist). if they come up - they will produce something, but may be not the best bulbs. Again, it is all question of space and time for trial.

Don't know if this helps --- I was roasting cut up strawberries with a cut up habanero pepper early summer. Once, the pepper had no heat. Next time I went shopping, I bit off the end of a pepper to test it - no heat --- stopped at about 5 (Yes, I did buy all of them). About a week later, I figured I'd just add them to my smoothie. I added all. OMG, I had to dilute that smoothie a lot. Sitting there on my counter, shriveling up, the heat sure did pick up.

I am intrigued by the dill! I will have to try that. Thank you for the suggestion. Finding earwigs in things is always upsetting; they show up in our cabbages a lot too. The ants are "farming" the aphids and moving them around, which is why I'm attacking both of them. It's just all so gross. :P

I have one choke which I am waiting on to flower. It was doing well for a while then we had a hot spell and it seemed to shrink.
re earwigs I had a problem with them for a while but squirted some diatomaceous earth around the foliage on the base of the plant and haven't seen one since.


Well, the aquifer the water is stored in is surrounded by limestone which happens to be the foundation for my soil. The majority of the water for my garden comes from the hose. So all of those things in the water that makes it hard is being added to the already alkaline soil. Most of the plants in my vegetable garden handle this okay, some of my roses, not as much and my Japanese maples get rain water, only. Of the 2 outdoor spigots on my house, one gets water through the softener and one does not. I hook the hose up to the one that does not, just due to the high price of the potassium. I give dirty looks to the person in the house who will sometimes use the other spigot out of convenience. If I have to water a more sensitive plant with the hard water, I sometimes add some vinegar to react with the limestone. I also make a point to make sure to leave some beds open (i.e., do not cover all with row cover fabric) so that any little of natural precipitation I get can help leach out some of the build up from the water.

I think that's the right strategy. Treat the pH for sensitive plants, and not the minerals per se. They're already in your soil. It's the same for me. My water is not distateful-type hard, but it is alkaline from percolation through limestone. So anything I do to acidify my soil is pretty much defeated by irrigation with groundwater. I've pretty much given up trying to acidify my beds.

Every year there are more and more. I have a 6" baby tree that I've had to dig down almost two feet to clear out. They make great stilts and telephone poles but miserable backyard trees. I couldn't say they are the 'black' variety or not. I know I have killer thorns on them though.

Cull lumber is poor quality - something wrong with it- maybe cracked, chipped, warped, or otherwise not first quality wood. My thoughts were it's just going in the garden so didn't have to be perfect.
HD used to have a section for cull lumber that was marked down. Only problem was they always cut to 4ft lengths. Problem? It was almost perfect for 4x4 beds. I say almost cuz you were about 2in short on one side - but who cares? Not me.
Your produce dept. may also use the word "cull" for fruits & veggies that are no longer salable.
fwiw - I believe the HD's near me stopped this practice for some reason. Could be all their wood was warped?
I was not aware of locust trees (wood) but I imagine it is prob expensive too. I say take the least expensive way out until you figure just how much this works for you. Most Gardeners I know change something every year.
Tip - IF you don't have one start a garden notebook to list things you've done and want to do/grow. Make note of what worked well and what needs improvement when/as you think of it cuz when the time comes (if you are like me) you will forget the thought until it is too late. A list of seeds to order or what to plant - planting dates, etc is something else to make note of.

My lab/boxer mix loves fresh cabbage. It lays down with a middle of the cabbage head, holds it in her paws and eats it, like a bone, to the end). It also brings home fallen peaches, even not fully ripen yet and eats them at home, leaving the pit aside. If it manage to get into the garden(Restricted!) it will eat strawberries and raspberries form the bushes.


I have several orange cucumbers this year and I don't believe they are over ripe. They are firm and have been orange since they were small. Also, the link mentioned above about GMO cucumbers that contain beta carotene talks of cucmbers that are orange on the inside, which is not the case with mine. Mine are orange on the outside and white on the inside, and quite large. Mine were purchased as small plants from Home Depot and according to the picture are supposed to be a green heirloom cucumber good for pickling. Just by comparing photos I'd say mine resemble the Poona Kheera ones.

You could try anything meant for allergic reactions. On the spectrum from most natural to "see your doctor", you could try "Sting Stop" (homeopathic) or baking soda, or move on to topical benadryl (in Caladryl) or cortisone, or if you're still suffering and willing to take meds, there are oral meds with antihistamines or steroids. I wish you the best in finding relief!

Sty, you may be able to have success with some of the stuff that is bolting if you're willing to move it around everyday. I take some of the sunscalding candidates like arugula/spinach/etc... And move them into a shaded area after 11 AM. They are not ready to eat, but seems like it helps anyway. I've noticed dramatic improvement in my super hots after putting them in an area that is shaded from noon on. I even have strawberries still, although they do not really get direct sun at any time of the day. I have a walk around porch and place the sensitive leafy greens on the deck and close to the house. There are also varieties of 'heatwave' greens that can handle a decent amount of sun and temp, sounds like you got a couple of them going nicely for yourself!
I do much of my lettuce/greens in 5 gallon (landscape gallon) containers so I can deal with the heat. I can't say they would be dead or bolted otherwise, but seems to be working for the most part. I also use the Alaska fish emulsion fertilizer every week. I'm only a cpl of weeks into this experiment but seems to be OK, so far.

I planted about 60 peas less than a week ago and almost all of them are up. The mustard greens, okra, swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts have all germinated, too. They are all in styrofoam cups or full containers. I plan on transplanting around Labor Day.


It didn't look like an example of MESS, when I looked at the picture yesterday. My only experience with it, however, is with fully 'clothed' but separate ears sharing space on the same shank.
OP's example is of naked ears sharing the same jammies. Seems more like a genetic anomaly to me.....which, of course, sweet corn is all about. Sweet corn IS a mutation.


Also could be gummy stem blight. I had similar issues and was terrified it was bacterial wilt. I tested over and over for slimy stuff from the stems but never was there. And most of the plants did ok. The lower leaves would yellow and die, but the upper leaves seemed pretty healthy. I am a total self taught gardener, but ultimately I think it was gummy stem causing my issues. The fact that you have brown spots on your stems as well makes me think this may be more likely than bacterial wilt.






One of the benefits of keeping good gardening notes or a garden journal.
Dave
carolb -- good idea. I love experiments. I could plant the seeds in the compost heap again :)