24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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.

First, in case you didn't know there is a Balcony Gardening forum here http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/balcony
that could be really helpful to you as it is a very different form of gardening. Then, since you will be using containers, also be sure to check out the Container Gardening forum here http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/contain
as that too is a very different form of gardening with different requirements.
While I agree that gardening is trial and error activity in part you can save you self a lot of time and effort by first learning from others and so avoiding all the common errors new gardeners make. With balconies two biggies come to mind -(1) not nearly enough sun exposure due to the roof or floor above. South facing is often not enough. And (2) sometimes severe water draining problems for those who live below you every time you water. Since containers have to drain well that water has to go somewhere. So be sure to thoroughly explore those issues upfront.
Then with containers the common mistakes are (1) using containers that are too small and/or too shallow. (2) filling those containers with dirt rather than a quality soil-less potting mix and that creates all sorts of problems. The potting mix is expensive so starting out with just a couple of containers instead of umpteen of them not only let's you learn as you go but also saves you a lot of wasted money. And (3) not understanding the very different feeding and watering regimens required for successful container gardening.
So with your proposal I see a couple of issues. First, snowpeas as a container crop - take lots of room for minimal production and the trellis will shade the other plants so I'd suggest sipping them. Plus they have very different nutrient needs than broccoli and spinach. Put the broccoli and spinach in the same container as they are high nitrogen users and peas won't tolerate high nitrogen. Second, both basil and dill will need a much bigger container than 1 gallon. They are very tall plants with big root balls. Third, as already mentioned I think there are much less expensive and better functional containers available than the ones you have linked. Not that i am recommending them but for the price of 1 of your linked boxes you could buy 5 of these and have almost 3x the planting space.
Just some thoughts to consider. Enjoy your planning.
Dave

That's great to see that you don't have to water in-ground plants everyday! I just emailed a local community garden to get more info. :) I probably won't have the money or commitment to rent a plot now, but maybe come spring time...
Thank you all for the suggestions; I made some changes based on your feedback:
Water drainage issues: Luckily I live above the rental office, so if I water outside of business hours, it shouldn't rain on anyone... Since I often work 6A-7P, I should be ok!
Railing planters: Yeah, I know they're weird, but I already have them.
Snow peas: I know they're not great for containers, but I really really want them... Taking into account Dave's advice about nutrient needs, I'll get separate containers for them. I'm thinking two 30" long x 6-12" wide x 10-12" deep containers. Put them to one side of the balcony so that they don't shade the broccoli.
Broccoli: I'll do 3 in one 15gal tupperware by themselves. But I will keep an eye out for deeper containers.
Spinach/Lettuce: 6 plants each in two 7.5" deep railing planters - various websites said depths of 4-6" were ok for these. Or maybe put the spinach in the other 15gal tupperware.
Herbs: I'll look for some 3 gal buckets for the basil and dill, or give in and buy some.
I attached a picture of my currently naked balcony. :) The railing is 12.5 feet wide. I'm planning to hang the smaller pots with herbs off the outside of the railing.

You are on the Vegetable Gardening forum, Smungung. Perhaps this forum would be more appropriate for your question Carnivorous plants forum



Go with the fungus gnat diagnosis. I have had them in the house and tried the mosquito dunk remedy, but they stopped being a problem when I did essentially what rhizo said: thorough excessive saturation watering and then surface drying. I don't agree with peat being a problem, but we have very arid air here, inside and out, and surfaces can dry fast, which you need.

I can't fimd a North Americn vendor either. This lady seems to find the dark green round zucchini a suitable alternative. http://www.cooksister.com/2010/10/gem-squash-central-finding-them-growing-them-and-eating-them.html Varieties like Tondo Scuro Di Piacenza, Eight ball. Black Ball



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!
Thanks Elisa - I'll try the baking soda first.