23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
glib - I think I just picked the right year.
I started these for transplant in early March, set them out in two batches, early and mid April.
It was a very cold spring here and the first batch grew slowly. Those plants are still smaller than those of the 2nd group, which had been the smaller seedlings I didn't want to put out early. The ones in the photo are from that mid April group, so they were out just about a month.
Interestingly, both groups started to raise up their stalks all at once, just in the last couple of days.
Next time, I'll start the seeds in successive batches, to see if I can extend their season.
I suppose I could start seeds March 1, then transplant (perhaps under cover until April 15) April 1, and hope for the best. Really, the last 7 weeks has been good growing conditions in Michigan, warm with plenty of rain. I have eaten only fava greens so far that were direct seeded under cover in March, plus the usual overwintering/perennial stuff. Thanks to both of you.
Yeah that one is primarily a frost protector, note how it says "traps heat and moisture" and "frost protection" on its label? It will need supports and either opened at the ends for cross ventilation or rolled up in the heat of the day once the seedlings germinate.
Linked insect barrier below, it weighs less than 1/2 as much and little to no heat trapping.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Insect barrier row cover
Ditto to what derek, the original poster, said. My plants shoot up rapidly after a good rain. It always amazes me. I don't, nor do I feel a need to, understand the science behind it. :)
...except for this week, when we had 3.5 inches of rain in one day! The plants did not appreciate being drowned.
I have an orchard. I put in posts and wire to suspend the main line around 2 feet off the ground. There is some buried main line as well, but I don't like having too many buried lines because if they should leak it might take quite some time before you notice, and quite a long time to find the leak location. Burying one relatively short line shouldn't' be a problem, though.
You could use garden hose as your main line and move it when you mow.
You can connect your system to use the rain barrel at all times. Use your garden hose to manually fill up the rain barrel when needed. Or you could even use a float valve to automatically top off the rain barrel from the hose. Then everything would be zero pressure.
I think a hose timer will work OK with zero pressure. So you could have branch A be main line, back-flow preventer, pressure reducer, hose bib A. Branch B would be water barrel, hose bib B. Connect the hose timer to hose bib A when you are home, and hose bib B when you are out. Don't forget to turn on the hose bib before you go on vacation!
If you can get your rain barrel 10 feet above your garden, everything will work much better. If you only have one or two feet of pressure, even drip irrigation might not work very well.
I believe most drip irrigation is designed to work at 5 psi (hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong). That is like 11 feet of water pressure, I believe.
--McKenzie
Thanks a lot, Dave, I have exactly the same problem.
And keep up the good job of posting again and again not to overwater tomatoes, half of mine are currently dying because I did not listen to you :-(
I watered them, a lot, with the hose, four days in a row after transplanting, and despite dry wind and hot sun, they are turning yellow :-(
Oh my fifty babies grown from tomato fest 's seeds I'm so sorry I didn't do like you said !
I had the same problem last year, but it was with winter squash. I pollinated them with zucchini pollen, and it worked. Just like Dave said. Your plants will get bigger eventually, and you will have more flowers, so you shouldn't have to do this for too long.
-Anne
Might try the California forum, turaloora. But, I'm sure it's possible, especially if all you want is green bells. Colored bells take forever to ripen even where I'm at. You'll probably have to manipulate the environment. Like black containers or if in ground, black plastic mulch.
Kevin
Well, I'm 40 miles north of San Francisco but still along the fog belt. I have good luck with peppers, with some caveats. I grow my own from seed (Johnny's Seeds Ace and Lipstick). I've had zero luck with starts I've bought from Lowes or Home Depot. I have good luck with my own starts. I also don't expect to get the giant bells you buy in the store. Mine end up smaller. And like Kevin said, I don't wait for them to turn red, though some will.
I've had amazing luck with chile peppers, like Anaheim chiles. My problem is, I don't eat the hot ones as much as I do the bells. Thus, I try varieties like Lipstick, smaller ones but still sweet.
I also plant them in the hottest spot in my garden, making sure they get as little shade as possible. Important when the sun doesn't clear the fog until noon, heh.
It appears to me that your plants needed more nitrogen. But probably it is too late at this stage.
According to your sample harvest, your potatoes are almost there. They are very much like their cousin, tomatoes. It take roughly from 90 days to 120 days from seeding to harvest, depending on the variety.
I also do think that those leave have some kind of fungal disease . I would just clip all the affected ones. On the other hand, since they have reached their maturity, there should not be a reason to be alarmed. I would just let them be there as long as possible. When the stems get woody and brownish then it will be the sign that there is no benefit getting to the roots from the foliage.
Hot, dry, & windy. Sounds as if you might be in SoCal.
As for the wind, rig a temporary windbreak or set the pot in a sheltered place, even if in the garage for several days.
If root rot, the roots (especially the tips) will be dark and unhealthy looking.
Jean,
who gardened for 30-some years in LB, CA
yes in socal indeed. hellish weather the last few days...feels like october!
i was afraid it had a disease but fingers crossed it is just the conditions which i can change.
i will keep it more consistently moist - and protect it from the wind. thanks jean!
It is a low dose fertilizer, which is fine but different plants need different amounts of feeding and at different times. So it isn't a set schedule for the whole garden. Broccoli and cucumbers need more N than tomatoes and peppers but tomatoes need a bit more than peppers do.
It also depends on how much you amended your garden soil before planting. If you added lots of good compost nutrients to the soil before planting then only the broccoli and cukes may need some after the first couple of weeks or so. Tomatoes and peppers after the first fruit set and then approx. every 6 weeks or so. But those are just very general guidelines.
You learn with time and experience to tell when the plant needs feeding rather than going by a day of the week.
Dave
I'd go with 12" minimum as the plants get at least that wide. Otherwise they will be laying/falling over out of your box. Plus that would make the box useful for other crops as well. Can't do much at all with only 4 inches width.
Dave
If the lilies look like they've been chomped from the top (esp. the flower buds just chopped off and disappeared) I'd suspect deer. I'm not sure about calla, but they love Asiatic lilies.
Strawbery leaves? Again, if they're totally gone not just holey, it might be deer. Though if you've got a lot of grass around I don't know. But deer did eat my strawberry leaves late last fall before I had mulched. I'd assume that they'd have plenty else to eat in the spring though since they haven't touched mine since I took the winter pine bough covering off.
If the aged cow manure wasn't really completely composted, that could be your problem. Manure and compost can cause scab. Potatoes are actually heavy feeders, and in a container they do better with a balanced chemical fertilizer, preferably soluble and watered in once every week or two. Your problem could be caused by too much water, in which case things will improve. Good luck.
There seem to be a lot of Organic gardeners on this forum, so I will say this, then duck.
Potatoes need fungicide, both before and after planting. Get a liquid fungicide or soluble powder, and water your plants with the recommended concentration for spraying. If they come back, continue to spray the plants every couple of weeks until the plants die off naturally.
Late Potato Blight caused the starvation of millions of people in the 19th century. They would have been eternally grateful for chemical fungicides. You may have what is known as early blight.