24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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.


If you want that area to become less dry, you will have to trench between the area and the woods. The deeper the trench the better the soil will be. In fact just probing with a spade to two spade depths, and cutting through the soil with a hand saw when you find a root, will eliminate all roots to 20 inches.


I live in Las Vegas NV I plant bell pepper, sweet chard, parsley. and basil and because here is 110 degrees i place the race boxes under the tree is sun but aliviated the direct sun wich will kill everything water in the morning and the around 7.30 evening and my plants don't grow still very small what do i do wrong?


So Dave, I have been sent to the soil forum and you are in the penalty box!
Anyway, I have been around gardens and farms for all my life...80 years. i am a slow learner, but dogged. I have learned a lot about soil health, body health, and soul health...very slowly. ...as the Bible says, "Here a little and there a little, line upon line and precept upon precept..."

No problem Wayne. There is always one. But others will read it and maybe they will get something they consider worthwhile from the discussion or from all the previous discussions on the topic that I linked above. Or like my grandkids who are convinced they already know everything, maybe not. :)
You got 5 years on me Wayne. Way to go!
Dave

I use a LOT of horse manure that gets replenished yearly. After a lifetime of being told that things of all sorts (DDT, Rotenone, Carbaryl, 2,4-D, Fluoride, Malathion, manure) were benign but having them turn out otherwise, I decided long ago to let manure sit in a pile or sometimes a flower bed for as long as I could before using it on food. In practice that's a full season at the least (when it calls to you, you have to tune it out). It's easy to be safe but hard to un-use something "bad". It's also real easy to spread diseases just by touch, so take the advice of the "washing" people to heart.

Not to be overly cautious, but I'd wash even my trellised cucumbers. You'll get dust from the bed deposited on your trellised vegetables, and although E. coli has a very short lifetime once outside of it's growing medium, that lifetime is hours-days (depending on lots of things). So you could end up ingesting live bacteria you'd rather not ingest if you're not careful. Certainly trellised vegetables will be less of a risk than those sitting on the ground.
Of course, you could be downwind of someone elses uncomposted manure and get the same effect. That's why, in general, you wash vegetables before you eat them.




FWIW, I planted Black Turtle beans from the store some years ago & they were half-runner beans: longish vines, but not tall @ all & not too willing to climb - & delicious as snap beans.
Nice to know thanks!