23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Was there any snow on the ground? We had -14 to -16 for three nights in a row, but with significant snow I know the soil never goes below 26F or so. And that is a temperature at which turnips may stay unfrozen. They certainly sweeten a lot after a first ground freeze.
For future reference... we too experienced the cold. On 2 consecutive days, temperatures reached 19 deg F lows and we were below freezing for 18 hours each day. Broccoli, cauliflower Brussels Sprouts all survived. However, the cauliflower leaves do look a bit droopy and the plants may take a bit longer to recover.
This post was edited by grandad on Fri, Jan 10, 14 at 13:39
Single digits Tue. and Wed. here. 4F. My turnips and mustard greens are yellow but still alive after we finally UN-thawed. My collards are droopy but still green.
I didn't/couldn't cover them because the cold snap kept me at work all day preparing for it and repairing the damage later there.
It's out of stock currently, but you could try again next year: http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/a-ca/bean-heirloom-seeds/misc.-beans/crimson-flowered-fava-bean-seed.html. Or you could take a field trip to Canada: http://www.heritageharvestseed.com/beansbroad.html
Good luck!
-Anne
Banana peppers start out yellow and turn red when ripe. Whatever you grew grew was not a banana type. The generic "Banana" is availalable as either a sweet or hot variety. There are several hybrid versions Sweet Spot, Banana Bounty, Pageant, Bananarama. Sounds like a seed source problem.
Bob,
Your empathy with living creatures is an admirable trait. What would you do with the live gopher though, if you caught it? Would you release it in a wild meadow somewhere?
I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the only practical way to deal with them is to catch them in lethal traps.
With lethal traps, there is no need to use bait. You just put the trap in one of their tunnels that is in active use, and they trip the trap.
I don't know what kind of trap you have, so I don't know how to advise you about it. Maybe you could post a picture.
--McKenzie
Unfortunately it isn't that simple. I'm only familiar with its use in hydroponics and detailed tables are available for it use in that situation - see the Hydroponics forum here if you want those. The amount used is done by weight, not volume, and it is measured in grams. (ie: 1 gram to 100 ml. of 40 C water) or if converted, approx. 0.03 oz. to 3.5 oz water at 104 degrees F.
Plus the mixture will be much weaker if used as a foliar spray or as a fungicide to avoid burning the plant leaves. And the solubility all depends on the temperature of the water you are using to dissolve it in - it is a very wide range of solubility.
You also have to factor in the effect it has on pH and when using soil rather than water your native soil pH has to be established first and then adjusted to compensate.
Then there is the issue of its use being banned in many states - especially if you live near a body of water of any kind - because of the run-off contamination. You don't give any location so I can't help with that aspect.
So all that said and acknowledging that there are much better giant vegetable fertilizers available (see the Giant Vegetables forum here) I'd recommend either finding one of the alternatives or at least posting this question on one of the many growing giant pumpkins forums out there in the hopes of finding someone who has actually used it for that purpose.
Contacting the maker of the particular brand for tips on dilution of their particular product would also be an excellent option assuming you'd need more details than just what is on the product label.
Hope this is of some help.
Dave
Here is what I have found, MonoPotassium Phosphate is the same ingredient used in some bloom and fruit fertilizers also known as MKP
MKP is a fully water-soluble mono-potassium phosphate fertilizer, a highly efficient source of phosphorus and potassium for plants. As a nitrogen-free fertilizer, MKP is the preferred source of phosphorus and potassium when nitrogen fertilization should be limited.
A common case is at early growing season, when phosphorus and potassium are needed at high rates for the establishment of root system.
Application of MKP at the productive stages of sugar-rich fruit crops helps to increase sugar content and to improve the quality of these.
MKP can be applied in combination with other fertilizers to meet crop nutritional needs throughout the growth cycle. Its high purity and water-solubility make MKP an ideal fertilizer for fertigation and for foliar application.
Additionally, MKP is suitable for preparation of fertilizer blends and production of liquid fertilizers.
When applied as foliar spray, MKP acts as a suppressor of powdery mildew.
Use approximately 1 (one) teaspoon of fertilizer per gallon of water for every 100 square feet of application area
For larger batches use 1 (one) pound of fertilizer per 100 gallons of water.
We have this product in bulk and repackage it into smaller sizes.
You can it it is available. It won't hurt anything as it will just lie there until the weather warms. But if your zone 7 is like mine we get periods of warmer weather off an on until spring and during those periods the compost can activate and have beneficial effects.
If you decide to lay on several inches now then plan to add more approx. 2 weeks prior to planting time.
Dave
You might want to read "The humanure handbook." It is not for everybody, but if you are interested in composting and are not put off by the basic idea of the book, then you might well enjoy it and learn something (even if you don't plan to add humanure to the compost pile). You can read it for free online (it is not piracy... it is published online by the author).
I also enjoyed reading "seed to seed." (Suzanne Ashworth)
--McKenzie
For anyone who liked "Gardening at the Dragon's Gate,"
"Plant Seed, Pull Weed" by Geri Larkin is also gardening and Zen. I liked them both okay -- but I prefer more story telling.
"We Took to the Woods" by Louise Rich Dickinson is a fun read.(a memoir from the 30's in backwoods Maine)
Going online book shopping right now :)
I prefer to use natural mulch that I can mix with the soil later. It serves three purposes of keeping down the weeds, keeping in the moisture, and improving the soil. Plastic only serves the first two purposes so you have to add compost later. I use two types of mulch on my veggies: 1) I lay out mowed grass clipping in the sun until they are dry and then place them around my plants; 2) I get free composted leaves from the Fairfax, VA county transfer center which I put around my plants. After the growing season I mix it into the soil. Around my fruit trees I use shredded limbs.
I think it really depends on what areal coverage you're after. The Burpee Ultimate Grow Light illuminates a 12x12 inch square with about 1000 lumens -- that's maybe about 9 small pots. A CFL in a desk lamp will do exactly that for $15-20. Now, a shop light will cover a lot more area, maybe 4x1 foot, with about 4000 lumens. No question that in $/unit area covered, a shop light is the way to go if you need the coverage and have the room for it.
Yes Nature, that was it.
I have two 48" shop lights set up on a table with shelves that I am using. I bought the table from Lowes it is ideal. The shop lights were free, I have been replacing some lights at work and they were headed for the dumpster.
I was just looking for something to be able to use on the top shelf that would be an easy set up. I bought 4 of the "goose neck" table lamps from BL's.