23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Yes, not all grass seed is the same size. That's an annual grass of some sort. Anyway, you want to get those sooner rather than later. Small weeds are way easier to remove than big ones.

A hoe job...well said Dave.

I have a beautiful volunteer Red Clover seeding, but it comes out.

Sunnibel, that's a great video....hadn't seen that one. The part I liked best was when it grabbed that little twig and pulled it in! Darn it, I can't see the comments.

Gardenper...your story doesn't sound like the work of earthworms. :-)

I'll recommend a book, too, Donna. The Earth Moved (On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms) by Amy Stewart. It's a great read and not nearly as um....boring......as it sounds.

P.S. Worms don't do this for fun. They drag seeds, leaves, twigs, etc. Into their tunnels to eat once the items begin to decompose a little.

This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Mon, May 12, 14 at 11:11

Haha, I love hearing all the different thoughts and theories. What I do think everyone agrees on is that it is possible that seeds can somehow relocate themselves after planting, be it from water, worms, or earthly spirits.

I suspected it might be the SVB, but I didn't realize they were a problem for Zucchini as well as other squashes. I haven't grown much squash. Thanks Dave, for that explanation.

I have a sinking feeling I'm going to be hand-pollinating this year since it seems that most everyone's hives in and around Central Ohio got wiped out this past fall/winter from Colony Colapse :^( so that's good to know about doing it early in the mornings. I imagine the same thing would apply to cucumbers? What about bush green beans, or are they self-pollinating?
Edie

Well 2 x 4 x 4 plus the long narrow one should not be hard to keep on top of. Just pull them when you see them. The number appearing will gradually reduce as the seed bank is depleted.

I must be missing something. Why is this a problem? Especially in such small beds?

All you have to do is pull them as you see them or take a hoe to them. Takes even less effort than trying to smother them or lay down plastic. If that doesn't appeal then just smoosh them back into the beds with your fingers and let them decompose there. It isn't as if they are going to hurt anything.

Dave

I just wanted to second Dave. Peas are usually planted so much more densely than that. I plant with a rough seed spacing of two inches or so in the row (even more densely if the seed is older or germination rate is unknown). This year we're planting about 210' of row to have enough for the winter for a family of four, just to give you an idea. That's 1,260 plants, if they all germinate at 2" spacing.

Hi Dave,

Thank you (and everyone else) for the responses and great information. I had no idea peas could be planted so densely.

I won't use the clear tubs next year. This is the first year I decided to use the clear tubs and that was a mistake. Though I have found that root veggies are doing well in them.

It is warm here, in Central Valley CA, so I think I can sow seeds much earlier in the season. Maybe as early as November. I'm going to do multiple sets this next season to see what works best; sow in November and January.

This is certainly fun for me and I am learning quite a bit. Thank you, again, everyone for your knowledge and help!

Bob

I think you are overanalyzing things here. As has already been mentioned, if it ain't broke (sic), don't fix it.

It's not that you shouldn't transplant squash. It's just that most warm-climate growers don't *need* to, given that summer squash has a short DTM, and can use presumably limited indoor space for things that absolutely need to be started indoors, such as peppers, tomatoes and eggplant.

Questions 1,2,and 3 are discussed in great detail in posts over on the Growing Tomatoes forum. The search will pull them up if they aren't on the front page. For experienced gardeners, vertical growth is not the primary question nor the focus nor the yardstick. Root development is primary. New top growth automatically follows new root development.

Question 4 is considered optional by many but I'll just say that for over 50 years (that I know of) the recommendation in horticulture has always been to remove all blooms on any transplant before transplanting. It not only reduces stress to the plant but it acts as a hormonal trigger to the plant for new root development. It is based on an understanding of the cycles in which various plants grow and the hormonal and amino acid triggers they respond to. Blooms that develop after transplanting can be left to develop naturally.

Does everyone practice this? Obviously not. But then what we do and what we should do aren't always the same thing.

Same goes for transplanting vs. direct seeding of squash and other cucurbits - the recommended way for the best long term health of the plant and the many other ways folks get by with.

Does it automatically follow that if you don't follow the recommended way that the plants will fail or develop some disease? Of course not. Luck and many other factors play a big role. Nor is the recommended ways a guarantee. But anything that stresses plants increases the odds of disease and pest susceptibility and later failure so what odds you choose to play is up to you.

One doesn't need to have a degree in horticulture or botany to understand how a particular plant grows and what its cycles are. That info is easily available online.

Dave

Have grown asparagus for personal use and for market sales for over 50 years now, most all varieties and using all methods. With what is available now I can truthfully say I would never go back to growing them from seed and I would never plant Washington varieties.

There is simply no comparison at all between the quality and the production, not to mention the work involved, between the Washingtons and the Jersey varieties or between planting crowns and growing from seed or even between the female and the male plants.

Since gus is intended to be an established, perennial bed, start with the best available. But if you insist on doing it from seed then as bmoser said above at least start with the Jersey seeds.

Dave

Here's another vote for crowns. I am still struggling to get good spacing in the area I planted with seedlings, but transplanted crowns are well behaved and predictable. If you start with roots, in three years you will be harvesting lots of asparagus instead of niggling with seedlings.

We bought a refurbished mantis about four years ago and we love it. It does everything, including our 20' x 30' vegetable plot. Go for the four cycle honda engine if you can, and don't be afraid of refurbished if the dealer looks reputable. We got ours from somebody going by two guys and a dog (I think on ebay) and it's been extremely reliable. It also uses regular gas, not the oil-gas mixture some need.

Come on guys - talk about taking a sledge hammer to crack a nut. A spade and fork is plenty for a plot that size.

The yellow spots are early Downy Mildew. The white you say was likely Powdery Mildew. Both are fungus problems.

Begin regular fungicide applications and remove affected leaves. Increase sun exposure to the max possible and avoid over-watering until the soil dries out quite a bit. Wet soil encourages both..

You don't indicate your location or zone but in most of the country it is too early for the plants to be mulched like that. So unless you are in the deep south or So CA it keeps the spring soil and surrounding area too cool and wet. I'd suggest pulling it back from the plants so the area can dry out some. The replace it once the soil temps reach summer levels.

Dave

Thanks for responding! I went ahead and removed the affected leaves and applied fungicide. I also moved the mulch out of the way. Today I noticed the cotyledons are nearly all yellow- this is normal, right? I keep reading that they eventually wither and fall away, but should they yellow? Thanks again.

I have my herb garden right next to the vege/flower garden and have NO shortage of bees! (Even though there's supposed to be a shortage, or a bee die off, or something!) They LOVE LOVE LOVE the herbs! Nancy

Good deal nancy! Yep. Love growing things that fight the pests and can EAT too.

Kevin

Now, why will your avacado be dead? My DH grew up in Pasadena and there were enough avacados that they would have wars with them as kids!
You're even south of Pasadena! Nancy

Mandolls: Thanks. I love it that you people from the upper midwest enjoy pics of us people in warm climates. Instead of being jealous, you get inspiration. Love it!

Aili: Wow! Sorry to hear that. You must be in a different part of Utah from where these Santa Anas originate. Supposed to get in the 100's this week from another Santa Ana. Hope you warm up soon.

Slimy: A must grow for me. Very prolific but exclusively a dried chile. Exceptional flavor--- One of the best of ANY chile! You like Mexican food? It's a true workhorse! Semi high on the scoville scale, but it's not a scorcher at all.

nancyjane: Me.. I'LL be dead. Not the tree...LOL I will have to worry about it a tad in the winter, though. It's semi hardy but it's threshold on right on edge of our lowest winter lows. There are ways to deal with it though, so I'm sure I'll be employing some of those tactics.

Kevin