23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Thanks for all the good information. I have a much better idea now what my veggies need. Since I already have blood meal I guess I will use that. Now my question is how much and how often should I use it? I don't want to overdo like everyone was saying. Thanks for the help!

Now my question is how much and how often should I use it?

That depends on how you will be using it? Tilled into the whole bed, as a side dressing around individual plants, dissolved in water and diluted to water with, etc.

There should be application instructions on the container and different crops need different amounts. You mention zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers. For those three I would use as a light side dressing per label application rates. if you don't know how to do side dressing then Google it for instructions as it isn't done right up next to the plant itself.

Blood meal can burn plants so use with care.

Dave

Those are the worst so I'll toss those and repot the others. Sometimes an accident of having to many started can be a good thing. I don't have a great setup and left a heater on all day when I'd gone to work on a sunny day and that got many and probably affected the others which just took a little longer. I wondered about being root bound and regarding being feed I had just started with a seed starter soil and when transplanted put them in a hyponex potting soil. Hadn't considered feeding them again. They were so big and beautiful :-( its a learning experience I guess. I'll work on those that don't look so bad. Thank you all so much for your quick response!

hyponex potting soil

You might want to type that in the search here and read about all the problems with it.

Dave

The longer you keep the two seedlings together, no matter the size of the pot, the more their roots will entangle. What would be your aim in keeping the extra? To plant it separately? If you're going to try this, moving to larger pots would be the time to separate them, not keep them.

My own thinking is that this would weaken both plants, particularly if they're not so healthy to begin with.

I was wondering about needing to pinch to one plant per cell. If I move to large solo cups is that still necessary?

If you can still separate them without damage fine. If not, you will have to sacrifice one of them so the other can survive. But 1 plant per container.

Dave

I bought a 50ft by 108" roll of tulle last year, and am still using it this year.
The main reason I bought it was for squash. The vine borers are nasty critter, and this is the easiest manner of keeping them away. Problem is that squash and pumpkin vines get too large pretty soon. Last year I kept my summer squash plants under cover and hand pollinated in the morning. But one problem I had was the the aphids got real bad. I had a huge infestation, and I had to remove the tulle to deal with them. But overall it was a success...we had lots of squash. I've also used the tulle to protect other seedlings and small plants (brocolli, corn, spinach) , especially when I find they are being muched on, and I suspect its birds or rats doing it. I've been able to protect them by covering them up. But again aphids are a problem. They are so small they find a way in, and once they are in, they are safe from the good bugs like lady bugs, lacewings,etc...

Re: keeping out flea beetles...
I would not use tulle if flea beetles are the prime problem. In spring they come up out of the soil under any type of cover, and they can get through the holes in tulle. A very fine mesh fabric like organza could work, but row cover is cheaper. At 90 inches wide it costs 50-55 cents/foot, or 1.50 per yard, which is much less than other fabrics. Tulle looks way better, though. Like bandages vs. bridal wear.

Here is a link that might be useful: 7 springs farm row cover

They look fine. They take a few weeks to get going after transplant. Keep them watered, NEVER let them dry out. Keep them mulched and fertilized. I use grass clippings.

Here is a little update on how my onions are doing. Last time I didn't have any mulch on the dirt but know I put down grass clippings. As you can see the onions are doing much better then the last pictures. When should I give them a side dressing of blood meal?

DO YOU KNOW YOUR HEAT ZONE NUMBER?
++++++++++++++

No I don't. I'm still trying to understand how we were Zone 4 one year and Zone 5 the next (and that was several years ago!)

So we have 2 rows of cabbage planted - greenhouse was already sold out of broccoli except for a couple of sorry-looking specimens. Hopefully I can find some this weekend, if the rain lets us get back into the garden anytime soon.

Thanks,
Edie

Good going Edie,.

Heat Zone is not the same as USDA zone. In that thread in tomato forum I have given a link (GA Interactive) you can enter your zip code and get your heat zone.

I've planted tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, jalepeno, strawberries, cucumbers and onion. The onion are actually doing very well and are taking off like crazy..I planted those as bulbs.

I went 3 days without watering them and ended up watering last night. The top inch or so was pretty dry. When I fertilized the other day, I sprinkled just a little around each plant and watered it in.

I think the wind could of caused this too but I will lay off watering and watch the soil more.

Thanks for the help!

e planted tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, jalepeno, strawberries, cucumbers and onion. The onion are actually doing very well and are taking off like crazy

Don't know where in KS you are located and KS basically has 2 different zones- 5b in the northern half and 6a in the south. Either way all of these crops have very different planting times. It is 10 -14 days too early for tomatoes, strawberries, and cukes unless they are under cover and it is 4-6 weeks too early for peppers and squash. Neither are spring crops,

Onions are thriving because it is well into their ideal planting time so too early planting of several of the items on your list is probably the primary problem.

The top inch or so was pretty dry.

It is the moisture level at 4-6" down that counts, not the top inch. The top inch or so can be totally dry and still have plenty of moisture for the plant - especially with clay soils as they retain water for a long time.

And, if you didn't harden off the transplants well first for at least a week before planting and then subject them to winds and full sun with no protection from either that will do them in too.

Spring planting can be difficult at best so before doing it you really need to know proper methods for hardening off, protecting the plants, proper watering techniques, and most importantly proper planting times.

I'd suggest buying some fresh tomato and pepper plants and keeping them inside or outside under shelter so you can replace the current ones. Your cucumbers can be direct seeded in 7-10 days and the squash can be direct seeded at the end of May.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Sun scorch. Plus it is in need of nitrogen

Seysonn, it is already bolting - nitrogen will not help it at this stage.

Following

Njitgrad, it's not since to brag lol. We still have snow in our forecasts!

I have never known spinach to transplant well, even when the roots are very carefully handled.

Spinach does very well direct seeded.

Kevin, I do have a Sharwil...along with 15 other varieties. The only variety specific info of interest is: this is a great variety that is a "smallish" tree. When planting a small tree there are a couple of "key" issues. They are: use shadecloth to filter hot/drying sun the first year (big heat headed our way Monday). Also, avos love water. Young avos need frequent watering aimed directly at their small "target zone". Long/heavy waterings are not for youngsters. PS Do not be overly concerned or over-compensate for a bit of alkaline ph. No bigee, really. goodluck

Fireduck: thanks. Yeah. last week when we had the heat, afew leaves got crinkly and dried up. I'll be sure to rig up some shade cloth this time around. It's actually not very young--- 15 gal from the nursery and about 5 feet tall. A few tiny fruit on it also.

Odd that you mention frequent waterings. The guy at the nursery(Atkins, in Fallbrook) told me to give it a nice deep watering and leave it alone for awhile.

Yeah. I wanted a bit smallish because of WHERE it' got planted and I didn't want it to shade TOO much of my main garden plot after 10 years. I also read that the Sharwil is superior quality fruit and was a bit more hardy the the Lamb Hass(also considered). Thinking of getting a Holiday also.

Not too sure I'm buying the ph thing. I was told you want it around 6 and the tree will eventually start rooting into some DG. Right now, the ph is around 7.5. This is what fears me the most. That, and the few freezes we get here every winter. I'm actually in inland San Diego.

Thanks

Kevin

Thanks digdirt. Will try row covers. Temps are so ideal for these plants that I want them to get as much as possible natural sun light.

OK. the second picture is different.
The leaf is most probably eaten by something.
It can be slug/snail, earwig or looper ? But I think it is probably too early for looper. Fisrt the butterfly has to lay eggs and then those eggs turn into worms/larva. I could be wrong.

But if the shown leaf is your only concern, I would not worry unless and Until you see damage to new growth.
But to be safe cover your cabbage with nylon tulle.