23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
stuffradio .... I don,t think the spay garlics with anything. Maybe they do it with some potatoes. Garlics have many wraps. I also I know that the garlics imported from China have shaved old roots. But that is no problem. And I have heard that it is better to keep garlic at around 55-65F. Or just at room temperature. Keeping them in refrigerator can encourage sprouting.
We grew a new-to-us variety of squash this year called "Dinosaur Eggs". They don't get very big but boy, are they prolific, even in the awful weather we had this year. Most everything else went belly-up but these guys are STILL producing! So they are on the must-grow list for next year.
The rest of my grow-again list is:
Magda squash - not quite as prolific as DE but still outperformed zucchini and straightneck yellow (those 2 are out)
Peas - Now or Later. We were super impressed with both production and taste
Swiss Chard - Bright Lights. Love the flavor and the colors.
Basil - Nufar and Lettuce Leaf. One for cooking and the other for just what it sounds like. It is SUPER on sandwiches.
Parsley, both curly and Italian
Lettuce - any of the mixed packages. I love the different colors and textures.
Tomatoes - Estler's Mortgage Lifter, SunSugar and Black Cherry, not sure about what other varieties. Had a horrible tomato year this year so I didn't get to save any seeds for anything except the SS. All the ones in the garden died, but this volunteer came up IN THE DRIVEWAY (which is mixed gravel and sand, not concrete). It was very small but very healthy and determined to produce so I figure if it was strong enough to survive where it did, hopefully it will do well next year in a better location. I have about 2 dozen seeds I saved from it.
Beans - bush - either Top Crop or Contender; runner - Scarlet. We grew the Scarlet Runners more or less just for fun because we'd never grown pole beans before. I only planted 12 seeds along the fence but we got beans for several meals just from those 12 plants. In fact, it is still blooming! I think I will also try some Kentucky Wonders for taste comparison.
Corn - but probably a different variety than what we tried this year. Probably Peaches & Cream.
Peppers - Banana, and bell, just not sure what varieties yet.
On my no-more list are cabbage, broccoli, melons, beets and carrots. None of those have done well in the last few years and I am not going to waste real estate on them any more.
As far as new things, I'm not sure yet. I am sure, however, that when the catalogs start rolling in in the next few weeks I will find more things than I have room for that I'd like to try!
Edie
I'm not in Virginia, but I am in Utah zone 6a and planted and grew Imperial Star Artichokes for the first time this year and am attempting to overwinter them. We already had our first light frost about a week ago and this did not phase my chokes, but in anticipation of a hard frost sure to come soon I prepared my chokes today for overwintering.
This is what I did:
Cut the foliage down to about 6 inches. Covered them with about six inches of compost, then put about one foot of straw over each plant.
I have four. Fingers crossed that at least a few survive!
Good Luck!!!
My research on wireworms (in my potatoes) led me to hope that they would decline on their own, as I found several mentions that they were most prevalent in areas that had recently been sod.
So I made sure to plant my potatoes in the older parts of my garden that hadn't been sod for at least 3 years, and I did experience much less wireworm damage. Just a correlation.
How long has your carrot planting area been garden?
~emmers
"Beneficial nematodes" are the answer. I tried then a couple of years ago for lawn bugs, but also watered them into the vegetables, just to be safe.
Since then I've had no problems but notice some signs in my carrots again. So I'll use them again in the spring.
They come loaded on a sponge which is transferred into a watering can and sprayed onto the wet ground. The todes seek out the insect larvae, enter and lay eggs, killing the larvae off.
They seem to kill all sorts of problems, in fact any insect which spends part of it's time in the soil is killed off.
The seed came from what was meant to be waltham butternut, but i guess it could well have been an F1 or have been cross pollinated itself. In this case i did not grow the originating squash myself and maybe this is a good lesson for me. Previously i always kept my own seed, but last year i didn't get any as my squash didn't grow to maturity as we had a miserable summer.
I think technically we can. Do we have a choice with rain ? It is overhead irrigation. It happens all the time.
If you do that, make sure it is done early in the morning so everything is dried during the day, to minimize bacterial diseases.
Color of leaves indicate the state of Nitrogen, in most case. I dark green like the one seen, tells me that the soil is rich in nitrogen and thus the plant get more thirsty. Just like us when we eat too salty food.
Drooping and getting leggy , and not being unable to stand up, is because of the lack of light. They need light as long as they are indoor. And the light source should be so close that they don't grow two high to reach it. But generally, it is very difficult to keep cucurbitacea indoors for two long. I rarely start them indoors and even do not like buying seedling from nurseries unless it is something special. Direct sowing is the simplest way to go.
Highly appreciate your responses.
Unfortunately that one just died. The stem was able to hold on, but the leaves just fell off just hanging on to the stem.
One of the other stem is also falling down and I dont know what to do. Outside the temps are too high for me to do planting.
The leaves are not crisp to suggest they are thirsty, infact they were very soft to the touch - very very soft. Was it a problem of under watering?
It seems I will try out outside. At the moment the daily highs reach 95F between 11 am to 3 pm. Is it ok to sow them outside now and shade them during the above time with a 50% cloth? Is it advisable to try or a waste of time? I thought the forecast temp graph on the link below will provide you with a much better picture of the present and forecaster weather situation over here.
I have some other tomatoes and pepper seedling also inside. I am waiting for their true leaves to come before I plant them in their final containers for outdoor world. How long does it take for the true leaves to emerge. It has been some time now (around a week but still no sign of true leaves).
Any suggestions?
Here is a link that might be useful: Dharan Saudi Arabia - 30 day Weather Forecast
My good friend Thomas Jefferson grew artichokes in Northern VA (Zone 7) as perenials by overwintering them. I am attempting the same with globe artichokes (6 plants in a raised bed). I have already added more topsoil around the plants and a 1 - 2 inch layer of leaf mulch. Next, I intend to cut the plants down to about 12 inches and cover them with leaf mulch. I will then cover the mulch with flower pots that have a rock anchor on top to protect them from being blown over by the wind. I will keep the soil most during the winter.
Ah crap. I bought that one as a pack of 4 seedlings from the supermarket and it was the only one that had survived (the rest i'm pretty sure were eaten by snails). It was already in the ground. Luckily I've been drying out some seeds that are just about ready.
Yeah, I'm in Australia. So it's just entered spring.
Texas has higher absolute temps in summer, that is true, bit it also tends to have soil that hold much more moisture than florida sand, so on moisture content it may be about even.
Also I am talking about different crop families entirely; for example pigeon pea may be productive in circumstances too harsh even for cowpea.
I was thinking you had to be taking about a different crop family. Point noted. I'm not sure I want to devote my home garden to millet, sorghum, maize and cowpeas but, if I did, I might well be able to put away my hose!
It might make something usable. Let it grow as long as possible before harvesting them.
Leave them on the vine, if the vine is live and going. Chances are they might change color. But after the vine dies pick them and keep the in a place like a garage and see what happens.
Nothing else, you can cook them and see how they taste. Butternut squash is the sweetest squash/pumpkin that I know.