23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
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?
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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
Slimy - Link below is to NCHFP (Natl. Center for Home Food Preservation) and all their data on storage times for various forms of storage. It should cover all the items on your list. It also has tips on packing things to use (ie: wet sand, burlap, etc.) to extend the storage life.
Like cold_weather said, we old timers used a root cellar and it is good for months for most all root vegetables (not leafy greens) of storage but the average temp in a RC is 40-45 degrees so it's more like a fridge.
But if you can drop even a few degrees below 50 you'll increase the store time exponentially.
And don't forget dehydrating for even longer storage - root crops will dehydrate and reconstitute really well.
Check out the harvest forum for even more info on methods of food preservation and storage.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Food Storage Guides
As i posted on another thread of yours IF Bacterial Wilt is what you have - and there are ways to get a definitive diagnosis - then what you can grow in that area without first treating the soil will be severely limited.
BW has at least two or three different bacteria that cause the disease and that allows it to affect many different crops depending on which of the bacteria is in your soil.
It can infect all of the cucurbit family, many of the squash varieties, all of the solanaceous crops, and even many grasses.
So once the diagnosis is confirmed extensive treatment that includes intensive long-term solarization, beneficial nematodes, and acidification of the soil is recommended before planting anything there.
Lots of info with both making the diagnosis and treating the soil is available from your local county ag extension and online too.
Dave
I think proactive scheduled spraying for Powdery Mildew and tomato Blight are important to prevent it from happening I am talking about my own situation. Pest/insects control is a different issue. In most cases you have to identify it first and then fight it.
I have already sprayed my tomato plants with neem oil once. I will do it in another 2 weeks or so. With squash, cucumbers I will also do it bi weekly.
So it really depend on your situation and what you are growing.
Let's not forget to stay on top of resistant varieties, as the original poster mentioned. I won't grow a cuke that's not resistant to PM and bacterial wilt, and my tomatoes are evenly divided between OPs and the latest blight-resistant hybrids, which are amazing.
Thanks for the reassurances, but I did freak out a little. lol From a distance it looked like the corn plants were starting to explode with buttered popcorn. I don't recall ever seeing anything quiet like that.
"From a distance it looked like the corn plants were starting to explode with buttered popcorn"
LOL -- what a wonderful image!