23,821 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening



I pulled them up and we had them at dinner last night. They were very good. But........It probably cost about $12 for the four of them. (as seedlings) haha I only planted them 4 weeks ago, but they were ready to eat. This was my first time planting them, so I guess I didn't realize they were almost eating sized when I bought them. Maybe that's why the nursery hadn't sold any yet, since people might have known they were already too big?
Oh well......live and learn, right? At least they were very good!
So.....now I know. Maybe next year I'll plant them from seed.

Please tell me what septic manure is?
I do not remember ever fighting bad bugs when I lived on the farm, and the nearest vege garden to me was at least a half mile away. I didn't own a sprayer or know what sevin was.
Now that I live in town and try to raise a little of my own healthy food, its nearly impossible to do without resorting to some kind of pesticide.
Last year the worst enemy was flea beetles. They were never ending. The grasshopper invasion was horrible.
No one around me gardens, or for that matter mows the grass or weeds until the city gives them a citation. I feel doomed living here where I can't raise anything good to eat without spraying.

I use a lot of manure but the stuff never comes with a certificate of purity. Because of some hefty paranoia on my part I try to set the stuff aside to age gracefully into dowager-hood. I have a bin for cold composting, but if there's room it sits in a bed.
So, the first year it gets to sit and grow flowers or such. Lots of field marigolds; crazy about those. Because of a suggestion I read here, I have one un-aged bed growing okra (and marigolds), and since nobody actually eats okra, it's really just a cover crop.
Next year the two flower beds that are sitting sort of fallow will get food in them. Marigolds too since they're unstoppable self seeders. I figure that any trace pathogens and perhaps herbicides will be minimized by then. Until that time, I think of the beds as septic, as in germy and dangerous to health.
I come from deep in the chemical culture. I dipped my dogs in sevin, sprayed the yards for ticks with malathion, fogged my house while still inside it, and hoarded some of the last bags of DDT in Virginia. I've driven perhaps 2 million miles in my life, most of which was inhaling Carbon Monoxide loaded with tetra-ethyl lead. I used to play with mercury in my hands and spit it through a pea shooter. I've inhaled herbicides that our government said were harmless. I believed in the slogan of better living through chemistry.
I don't believe those god damned bastards any more. I just had to draw a line and stick to it. Had to start being careful.
In the last year I've used two chemicals. Chalk that up to luck. One was mosquito dunks as a source of BT for house plants that got a bit loaded with gnats. The other was Epsom salts. Knock on wood. Knock on wood again. Everything else came from stable manure, plant waste, and household garbage. Again, luck, and a willingness to let stuff get eaten by critters.
Sorry. I'll shut up now. Goodbye.

I wouldn't hesitate to use them either. Latex paint, even if some of it washes off in the water eventually, isn't some super toxic chemical and it isn't as if you you will be drinking it.
The issue is a molehill at best, not a mountain. But you have to do what will make you the most comfortable.
Dave.

I was wondering about that "race" between the softening cardboard and the descending roots. It might depend on soil moisture, and how many layers of cardboard you've got down there.
Cucumber hills might have a good chance either way.
("expendable" bush beans are worth a shot too)
This post was edited by johns.coastal.patio on Tue, May 27, 14 at 23:05

Hi all. Thanks again.
Just one layer of cardboard. I did soak it thoroughly so perhaps that will help with the speedy decomposition.
How do you suggest doing cucumbers? How big of a hill do they need and how much space between them?
Artichokes sound amazing! Too late for them?

Sounds like they were probably root bound and stunted from not having enough room or nutrients to grow. They should have been potted up at some point. You were doing fine until the 3 months in a tiny tray...
When you're not ready to plant out, you can always put them in larger pots.
My April starts all got potted up at least once before I transplanted them.
How is your soil? Lots of compost? Fertilizer?

I would dig up one of them and examine the root ball. If it is still tightly bound up break it lose some as is usually done with transplants and replant it a bit deeper so new roots can develop along the buried stem. Remove any blooms on it and wait a week see if it doesn't kick into new growth. If it does repeat the process with the others.
nothing to lose and possibly something to gain.
Dave


I spent weeks planning vagetable companions
Ahh sounds like you bought into the companion planting fad. Don't worry about it. There are no problems with planting them next to each other other than they share some of the same pests. But the treatment is the same for both.
Dave


I've been happy with Espoma products. And Neptune for a foliar feed.
I agree you should not need much right away and be a bit patient for your soil to 'mature' over the next few years as Dave pointed out.
Concentrate on the individual plantings needs from now on, rather than big broad strokes like miracle grow.
Side dressing, foliar feeding.
If you have pets, dogs, ...side dress a bit under the soil and under mulch to keep them out of it...some just love it and very toxic to their system. Even organic, even if it says safe around pets. Watch them and use your 'leave it' command. Small amounts ingested will not be harmful per say, but don't leave a bag opened on the ground or garage.

Over the weekend I mixed a delicious grapefruit, lime and tequila cocktail and spent 4 happy hours in the garden...I didn't even realize how long I had been out there! My husband came looking for me when he got hungry, meanwhile I was having a garden party! Solo! Is that sad? Lol.

Green, you mean you made a grapefruit margarita? lol. Im more partial to Jim Beam and coke-a-cola myself, but I too have solo parties from time to time, I don't think it's sad, I have a great time!
If were still venting garden frustrations: Between Tuesday and Sunday we had several inches of quarter sized hail every day, drowning rain and even tornadoes (which for Denver is NOT common). My in-ground tomatoes are now suffering from waterlogged feet, a lot of the onions have been cut back to nubs, and the lettuce looks like it was sent through the paper shredder. Everything is looking like they are a bunch of prize fighters fresh out of the ring. This comes two weeks after we had almost a foot of snow on the ground. Now were pushing right through the 80's and into the 90's. I will be lucky if I get anything out of this garden besides the scallions (courtesy of the hail) and radishes I already picked. As a nice little bonus yesterday I found cutworm damage in the corn.
But wait! There's more!
If you call within the next 10 minutes, your National Guard Unit will schedule a 2 week Annual Training from June 7-21 and all you can do is HOPE that the people you leave in charge of taking care of the garden do a good job so you don't come home to death and destruction.
Did I mention I was fond of Jim Beam?

Usually, people pick for a particular length of time, like month or no more than 6 weeks, then let the rest go. Another key that it's time to stop harvesting is when the spears start to get spindly and thin. IF this is an old patch, once planted and since neglected, the crowns are probably mature enough to support a nice harvest.
I'm assuming that, with all that growth around them, you'd be missing some of the young spears and letting them go to fern, which is good for the patch. The more you let go, the more you're likely to have next year.

Hi there
I have grown broccoli for the first time this year.I have them in a raised. I know now that I should plant them in early Feb. What I'm wondering is the temps here in knox tn. Are getting in the high 80's. I'm still getting some some heads but should I go ahead and pull the plants.
Thank you.


I agree that the dust is not a problem, but the bees also put out a sticky something I wouldn't want on my lettuce. It sticks to the window like glue -- we have a carpenter bee hole in the top of one of our window frames, and when they work the hole the window gets splattered with their yellow goo that's hard to clean off.
To close up isolated holes, you can stuff them with steel wool and cover with duct tape.


no. first you transplant only in November, or whenever they are fully dormant, second you don't know what you are up against. There are easily 5-10 lbs of roots under each mature asparagus plant. It is one plant per five gallons bucket.