23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Looks like a nice sunny spot! When does that shade hit the tomato area?
I'd go with plan A because its your first year in this location, and you will learn about the characteristics of each area as you grow this season. Plus, it's more exciting to get planting right away then to get involved in construction/terraforming projects that take too long and end up delaying your planting - believe me I've done this several years.
I'd just get a whole bunch of compost and get going :)
~emmers
The oil might kill the mites, but yes. You should rinse off the plants a few hours after applying soap, before letting them back in sunlight. Neem oil should take care of them. Best way to apply insecticidal soap is at dusk, rinse in morning.
Kevin
Great ideas thanks Dave. I was planning on using drip tape which I beleive has standard spacing but emitters may be a better way to go. And, yeah I do think grouping plants into like watering needs and having valves for individual lines may be a significant part of the answer.
Story on Kellogg using sewage
Here is a link that might be useful: Sewage in Kellogg soil
The Mother Jones info is dated. Perhaps it is why Kellogg changed the product. Amend is now OMRI listed and OMRI listed products do not contain biosolids/sludge composted or otherwise.. I have some of the old product and the new. The label is different and so is the smell.
Thanks for the link. I will definitely look into neem oil. Sorry I took so long to reply. After I did that strenuous project I went onto another one...TAXES! lol totally drained me in more ways than one.
I've grown Golden Bantam before. It's very small. Funny there's a 3 Stooges episode where Curly was biting on the cuckoo clock's weights and after Moe confronts him he say he thought it was Golden Bantam which is about the same size.
Yeah Andy, corn is really sensitive. I figure I only have last year's seed to lose. I could replant later. Oak leaves aren't out yet but are starting here. Traditionally you plant when they're the size of squirrel's ears. However you still can get some cold so it;'s always a good idea to have something like straw or row covers to protect them over night.
I've been adding sand to heavy clay soil for over 40 years, and it always improves plant growth. I grow some of the rarest and most difficult plants on Earth in clay soil amended with sand. It is best if the sand makes up at least 25% of the soil by volume. Don't listen to the hysteria; just try it yourself. The main problem is that you need to wait until the clay is workable: not too wet, not too dry.
But remember that there are many other variables that you need to worry about, such as adjusting soil acidity and providing fertilizer and water at the right times. Hopefully, there is plenty of sun in that area, or you aren't going to have much luck with veggies.
If you want to understand how sand interacts with clay and silt to make soil, Google "soil triangle". Loam and sandy loam soils are the best garden soils for general-purpose gardening. If you have clay loam, you can make loam or sandy loam by adding sand. If you have pure clay, you probably need to replace it with purchased soil. My rule of thumb: any soil which produces a good crop of weeds or grass can be amended to make good garden soil.
One of the best things about using sand is that the improvement in your soil is permanent, because sand does not decompose like compost. So you won't have to spend the rest of your life lugging compost and digging it in. On the other hand, it's always a good idea to add a little compost every year. Mulching with compost is the easiest way to do this, and helps to keep the soil cool and moist.
In the past I've planted well over 9 seeds per square for beans and have gotten excellent results. It really turned the area into a jungle of beans. I wouldn't recommend doing more than 9 seeds per square, but I've really been poor at thinning in the past (still not my strongest area). But, we did get a number of large harvests. One of the things about intensive gardening you do likely get less per plant than what you likely would get if you didn't plant intensively, but because you have more plants in a given area you often get more from the area. That said, intensive gardening does require the soil to be in really good shape and to give proper care to the plants. Also, don't expect to be taking many photos of your harvest and having large sized items. Intensive gardening and giant pumpkins don't go together.
"Sorry, but I've got a bad case of cabin fever......"
Nah, that's just gardener's frost bite. ;-) Got a pretty bad case of it myself. I'm wondering if all of the transplants I've got indoors will get planted on time, or whether they will die waiting for good weather (as most of them did last year).
OWW Zeedman, that hurts when you baby them, then lose them!
I just raised the lights again on my tomatoes and peppers, I started from seed 4 weeks ago.
I was planning to plant them this week, under a hoop, but the weather is too bad. They are getting too big for the solo cups and no end of bad weather in sight.
I'm going to run out of head-space for the lights and I'm probably going to have to re-pot them again. If I do I'll have to rig up lights somewhere else unless it warms enough to harden them off outside for the second time........
Just this past Thursday alone we got about 2" of rain. It rains almost constantly up here. And the thing is that we get NO run off, because the rain is very gentle. It never pours down like down in GA. That is why I have raised bed with well drained soil. I have also covered the beds with black plastic , leaving just a 8" circle hole for the tomatoes. So most of the water runs off.
If you get standing water in the moat, can you drain it? Use a hose for a syphon? Bail with a bucket?
Here is how we grow tomatoes when it's overly wet.
Here is a link that might be useful: Floating garden
This post was edited by terry_neoh on Sat, Apr 19, 14 at 14:06
I never really thought about it and don't recall it ever coming up. I would mostly just eyeball them for healthiness and decide based on that. Are the roots pliable, not brittle and dry? Are they free of mold and not slimy? Then they are probably good to plant.
Potatoes are just like tomatoes (first cousins) . They can grow in a wide pH range ( 5.5 to 6.8 ?) . But usually they(potato farmers) make potato soil more acidic( low pH about 6) that is just to prevent scabs not because of productivty or plant's health. Since you are not going to sell your crop, a few scabs is not going to matter much. Just grow them in the same pH range as you do tomatoes, peppers,..
What may affect potato productivity is POTASH for better tubing. So fertilize with a high "K" fertilizer.
Add some crushed dolomotic limestone (agricultural lime) with your potting mix. This will help neutrilize the soil if it is too acid, and it will add magnesium.
Many plants, especially solanaceae (tomatoe, peppers, potatoes, eggplant) need magnesium to form chlorophyll (the green stuff in plants). It, quite literally, can't hurt.
Slimy Okra I think you're spot on when you say:
"Overwatering compounded by too-cool nights can easily do them in, usually by triggering a fungal infection. That would also explain why your okra, cantaloupe and cucumber seedlings are doing the worst of all."
I *think* this is what has happened. Everything else seems to be doing splendidly! Well darn, I was quite fond of those heirloom tomatoes. Guess I'll just start more seeds this weekend. You live, you learn.
Thanks so much Tracydr and everyone else.
I planted the seeds about a week ago in egg cartons and have been watering them once in the morning and once in the afternoon, none have sprouted yet but I'm sure they'll take some time.
Cross your fingers for me! :) x
Crossing my fingers! If any of your seeds are for peppers you may want to put them in a warm spot so that the soil is about 75-80 degrees. Tomatoes, too. Move them off the warm place when you see them pop up.
Celery ,parsley and cilantro (coriander) also do well in fall. Arugula is very easy, just sprinkle seed on the ground and keep it damp for several days.
I thought these look more like tomatillos. In which case, another possibility is a lack of pollinators, especially if she lives in a concrete jungle.
Are you sure the husks are fruitless? It takes a few days for them to fill out.
Appreciate your help Dave. Thanks.