23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
We addressed that too - sounds like drainage trenches/pipe are in order, and raised beds would help. Up to the OP as to what he wants to put in the raised beds, sounds like the soil he is digging out of the trenches won't be good enough, he'll have to add something to it. IMHO, organic matter and maybe some bought topsoil, in yours, sand, but it's his decision. I hope we could help, he's got a lot of decisions to make and a lot of work to do to fix the situation.
Sorry if this has already been mentioned, I didn't completely read all the post.
My yard was always wet and there was nowhere to drain it to, new construction all around me has built up their yards running everything to mine. I planted a series of willow trees specifically placed in the lowest areas.
It completely solved the issue. Before I would have standing water for 2-3 weeks after a good rain, and the soil would remain wet for most of the summer. Now it's gone within a day or so.
Not to mention, the weeping willow was growing about 10 to 15 feet per year, and the corkscrew willows that line the south property line now tower over the box elders, so I can finally cut down those overgrown weeds.
The foot candles charts available are usually found in greenhouse publications since that is where fc measurements are applicable - indoors under artificial/supplemental lighting.
And unfortunately few of them I'm aware of address many vegetables since they aren't a really common GH crop, at least not to the degree of many other plants. Although some of the hydroponics websites and texts may offer more vegetable details.
Keep in mind with outdoor sunlight it isn't just the fc/lumens that is important but the color spectrum of exposure. That is why diffuse or shaded sunlight isn't as effective as its spectrum is quite different.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Clemson Univ - Indoor Light requirement
Thanks you all for your valuable comments.
Dave,
As for my cross posting, frankly I was not aware about cross posting prohibition guidelines. Can you please guide me to the link so that I could read it thoroughly. I tried finding the link by myself but couldn't happen to locate it.
Just one question, if a problem/question, like this current thread under discussion, is actually related to multiple forums, is it still not allowed to post it?
Thanks
Below is a link showing how to build your own EarthTrainer. It's a self-watering container made from plastic storage totes.
And here is the link to the main page: TomatoFest EarthTrainer
Edit: I should mention that I haven't built one of these nor have I grown in them so I'm not sure how well they work.
Rodney
Here is a link that might be useful: EarthTrainer Construction Guide
This post was edited by theforgottenone1013 on Thu, Oct 24, 13 at 15:41
OK. The only way to deal with this problem is to eradicate the rats.
@ OP: If you are against using bait/poison, How about a LIVE rat trap (aka have a heart). Like the one shown in the picture below. Years ago I got the instruction from internet and make one myself. But if money is not the object you can buy them at the nurseries.
RAT MOTEL; THEY CAN CHECK IN BUT CANNOT CHECK OUT.loll
I've been seeking to get some poultry, but have hesitated cause the mice are attracted to the seeds they can be dealt with it.
This post was edited by ZaraMorant on Wed, Oct 30, 13 at 9:20
I realize this thread is old now. But for the benefit of those who may find it later by searching, sudden severe wilt can also be caused by gophers. If it is a gopher eats all or most of the roots, the plant will wilt and die. If you pull gently on the plant, and it comes out of the ground with no roots, then it was probably a gopher. If you dig a hole where the plant used to be, you may be able to find the access tunnel the gopher was using and set a trap in it. If you act fast, there is a good chance of catching the gopher this way.
--McKenzie
mckenziek, I had this happen to an eggplant in my vegetable garden. There were 6-7 plants but overnight, one just wilted into the most pathetic thing you've ever seen. Sure enough, gopher. Husband set a trap and caught it 2 days later. Turns out we have quite an issue with them in our area, so all our fruit trees have been planted into gopher baskets. They're not 100% -- somehow they still got my Dorsett Golden apple tree -- but the most effective control there is, as far as I know.
Flora ... They said that parsley "CAN withstand HARD FROST", meaning that the very first frost is not going to kill it. I have seen my existing parsley survive hard freeze. In other words they were not killed. But if you harvest them, you are going to see any new growth. The same goes for peas in the spring. They will survive. I don't think parsley goes dormant but It stays live.
When I say it goes dormant that doesn't preclude it's being alive. My parsley, if not protected, reduces down to a few tiny unusable stems close to the ground. Our climate is very wet in winter and sometimes it just rots right out. It doesn't survive in good condition the way the brassicas do. We can harvest those in mid winter whereas the parsley has all but disappeared.
I have been using kaolin clay (brand name Surround WP)
for several years. It is nontoxic clay particles that you mix with water and spray on the plants. The water evaporates leaving a mechanical clay layer that irritates the beetles. Its not 100% effective, but it has saved my fruit trees. There is a Penn state study regarding its effectiveness on the web.
The best way to get rid of these Japanese beetles is to use any chemically remove grubs by applying insecticides, or you can remove manually from your plants and kill them.
This post was edited by ZaraMorant on Wed, Oct 30, 13 at 9:13
Have you checked out all the information about this and your other questions posted over on the Growing from Seed forum here?
That is the forum that was specifically created for the discussion of all growing from seed issues so that the gardening forums weren't inundated with seedling issues. And there is a good FAQ there all about the lights recommended to use and how to use them.
Plus GW has a Growing Under Lights forum too that discusses in great detail all the differences in the various types of lights available
Now I was thinking if I should maintain this distance or increase it so that the foot-candles reading is more closer to 750 fc? Is the 3000 fc reading too intense for the seedlings?
The 750 fc recommendation is a minimum. More is better. When "more" becomes "too much" all depends on the age/size of the seedling. Young just emerged seedlings can get burned but seedlings with true leaves thrive in more. So there is no "one for all" setting. It has to be adjusted frequently.
The ambient temps created by the lights also must be considered. Excess heat generates leggy seedlings too so it is a balancing act between enough light and too much heat.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed forum
That photo doesn't look like normal nitrogen deficiency to me. I think it may be a potassium or micro-nutrient deficiency. I'm just guessing without knowing more about what they're growing in.
The beans sound to me like aphids and spider mites. check the underside of the spotted leaves for small red arachnids. My bitter melons took a long time to do much of anything but the weather warmed up for the past couple of months and I have fruit bursting all over now.
There are many medicines that can make a person photo sensitive, it's quite common. Also many plant juices can do it, lime juice is terrible for sunburns. And me,I'm just sensitive. I keep a big hat and gloves at the door to the garden so I have the habit of grabbing them whenever I step outside
That is one thing. If you have been sunburned, just getting exposed to sunlight will give you a reaction, even if it is 7pm light, with no UV component (due to the shallow sun angle). Or it could be Omega 3 deficiency, my resistance to sunlight has become ten times better since I eliminated seed oils and started eating only meat that was grass fed.
To me, cool means 55-60*F (both air and soil temp). Most "cool crops" will germinate at these temps just fine as long as the soil isn't overly moist/wet. But they do germinate slower at these temps than if the temperature was around 70*F.
In the spring these temps aren't a problem because because the temperature is on an upswing and the plants have time to grow to maturity. In the fall, if you plant when it's 55-60*F, the plants might not have time to get to maturity because the temperature is going down. And it goes down quick, one week it will be in the 60's and the next it's in the 40's. Plants grow slower at lower temps.
Then there is also the daylength. In the spring daylength is increasing which causes plants to grow faster. In the fall daylength is decreasing and it causes plants to grow slower which means it takes longer for the plants to mature.
It's for these reasons that you usually have to plant your fall "cool crops" in the summer.
Rodney
Yes. You are getting good information here. I would just add that as a new gardener, one of the most important things you need to know is that you must learn to think a season or more ahead at all times. In the next few weeks you'll be receiving (or you can sign up for) seed catalogs. Winter is the time to order your seeds. In late winter it's time to start seeds (indoors) for summer crops (for instance, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) and, perhaps, in your climate to direct sow seeds for early spring crops in the garden like peas and lettuce.
In early summer, it's time to start seeds (indoors) for fall crops like kale, collards, cabbage, etc. In late summer to early fall, it's time to transplant and direct sow seeds for your cooler weather crops like onions, garlic, greens, root crops, etc.
You will do well to get a book on vegetable gardening that is written with your part of the country in mind. Read it carefully and start making yourself a calendar that will give you what to do each month at a glance. Winter is an excellent time for that! Plan. Dream. Order. Get ready.
In addition to the generic open pollinated poblano There is Ancho 211, Tiberon, Ancho 101, Ancho San Martin, Caballero, Ancho Magnifico, Ancho Gigantea (OP), Ancho Grande, Ancho L, Ancho Mulato, Ancho Ranchero, Ancho Rojo, Ancho San Luis, Don Emilio etc. Plenty of varieties to choose from. The hybrids tend to have shorter maturity times, some coming in at 65 day green, 90 day ripe.
Cubanelles for me are sweet peppers, but they are more prolific and easier to grow than bells. Gypsy is also a sweet pepper, but closer in flavor to an Italian frying pepper than a bell. If you wish to that route, You should also consider Carmen
I prefer fall gardening!!!
Two things will make it even better. Here in Los Angeles, it seems that any fall patch will become flea beetle haven and hurt summer eggplants. As I expand fall patch, I'm cutting down on next summer's grow area. That's sad!!! Fall seedling is SLOW to start from seeds, at least for me, so I usually have to buy them. Only if I could overcome ...
Yep. Add me to the list of those who prefer the Fall garden (for all of the above mentioned reasons...)