23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Thanks for writing back to me. I live in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, It's autumn now but the weather is still hovering at 20 degrees so it's still quite warm. All my plants were started from seed. The plants that have sprouted are Bok Choy, Endive, watermelon radish, beetroot, onions (red, brown & white) spring onions and broccoli (barely). My leek just won't sprout and something is eating my carrot every time it pops up. Our three way is soil is actually a 5 way mix - it consists of two soil types and 3 kinds of manure, it is the best garden mix you can buy for your veggie patch. Seasol is a garden fertiliser made from seaweed, instructions are to add to your patch every two weeks
I grew a very successful garden last year which was very inspiring being a new gardener. Everything grew beautifully and we had fresh veggies well into the start of autumn... I haven't done anything different this season, I have prepared the garden the same as I had done at the start of spring. I checked the PH levels about a month ago and it's was ok but I will pop out now and double check
I hope I have answered your questions and clarified everything! THANK YOU
Agree that unlike normal garden plants, container plants all require regular nutrient supplements to compensate for all the nutrients that wash out whenever you water. Unfortunately it isn't as easy to time those applications to the growth cycle of the plants as it is when planted in ground.
Normally with tomatoes I only feed after each cycle of fruit set but when it is in a container it isn't possible to wait that long between feedings or the plant suffers.
Frequency of application also depends on which type fertilizer you are using.
You might check with the folks over on the Container gardening forum for tips on how they do it.
Dave
Weather or not you pinch the buds is up to you. Most times the first few will fall off on their own anyway. If it were mine I would leave it be for pinching off the buds. When the temps hit over 95 most will not pollinate anyhow. If you do decide to remove the buds wait till the flower opens, then snip it at the base of the flower.
Overall the plant looks healthy. Give half strength liquid ferts as per the label for schedule. When you water keep the water off of the leaves, and stem if you can. As well as avoid over watering, and also avoid letting it dry too much, then over watering to compensate.
I've tried Fortex, but Kentucky Wonder remains my favorite.
I just bought another cattle panel to make a second bean arch. I've been growing pole beans this way (on an 8-ft. arch) for several years, and can't say enough good things about it.
Here's how it looked in its first year . . .
Here is a link that might be useful: My Bean Arch
Ohhhh alisande, that bean arch is gorgeous! I haven't been able to figure out how to get cattle panels home from Tractor Supply. I've had to settle for rabbit panel (smaller) on a 8' trellis which my beans ALWAYS outgrow. But your arch is so inspiring, I may just have to pull the trigger and borrow my neighbor's truck, LOL
I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind the idea that it needs moving. You say it is large and healthy. You ask how much sun it needs - well, clearly the amount it is getting now. It will not damage the building and the building will not harm it, so if it's happy and healthy moving it would seem to be just making work. And you have no guarantee it will survive and thrive. It sounds as if your cousin has enough on her plate without tinkering with a plant which is doing fine. Rhubarb is essentially a zero maintenance plant once it's settled. Digdirt is right about pulling stems now and freezing. They become fibrous and tough as the season goes on. And I'm not sure about the strawberry bed idea either. Isn't that just making more work for her, not less?
The idea of moving the plants was that maybe the others would get bigger if more sun. And if they get as big as the 1 at the end is now, then it will be hard to work around them.
I know she wanted strawberries, in the ground would be a bit hard for her though, growing in an elevated planter would be easier for her to take care of, even if as an annual.
RE: Can I add pulled weeds to the bottom of a pot?
%%%%%%%%%%%
You can, but I don't think that it is a good option.
I would dump that stuff in compost pile/barrel and use it once fully composted .
Depending, how much green weeds and what king of garden soil there it, it can compromise the drainage of pots.
It is Your Pot !
I second the vote for penstemon. Echinacea (coneflowers), agastache (hyssops), and salvia (sages) are also good.
One of my favorite plants is bronze fennel. It's a perennial herb with dark ferny foliage and when in flower it draws in pollinators from miles around (or at least it seems like it).
Rodney
The plant which will best attract pollinators is the crop itself. There is no value in attracting honey bees, for example, if you are trying to pollinate tomatoes. Honey bees don't pollinate tomatoes. Tomatoes will attract the right pollinators for tomatoes.
Jim
They grow at their own rate. Maturity is primarily determined by variety altho there is some climatic effect. There are early varieties ( 2 months) and late varieties which can take 4 months. Variety is important. If the plant is robust it will head when ready.
There is no law of gardening that says you must add fertilizer before planting. :) Many gardeners never do it first.
Besides different crops need different nutrients and some need them at different times so even if you had added it you'll still need to add more later too.
No need to be concerned. The seeds will do fine until after they come up anyway and then you can feed them with liquids or whatever you want.
Google 'side dressing plants with fertilizer'.
Dave
You can top dress granular (regular and slow release) and also feed with water soluble ANY TIME during the season. Actually, IMO, this way you get a bigger bang for the buck, by delivering it where and when it is needed.
This post was edited by seysonn on Sat, May 24, 14 at 7:17
Bonnie Plants sells started Sweet Potato 'Beauregard' plants, they have them at Lowe's in Ohio, for example. Maybe not the best source, but an easy and cheap source.
Oriental stores