23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
You are welcome ! Don't worry you will learn fast.
About fertilizers:
I also made raised bed this past spring and filled the wit top soil and compost.
To further enhance, I added this bagged STEER MANURE (compost) both from HD and Lowes. On top of all these I added some ALL PURPOSE granular fertilizer ( I think it was 16-16-16 OR 12-12-12). You can use the general direction on the bag. Now. after you mix and all these, really work them together and water the bed and let it sit a few days so the fertilizer is partially absorbed to the soil. I would AVOID over fertilizing. After your plants grow, you will be able to read them. And also then, different plants will have different requirement in terms of N, P and K.
Well it is getting late for fall planting in zone 6. Most fall crops would already be planted a month or so back. But if you have some short-season (low DTM) seeds for lettuces, cabbage, spinach, chard, kale and such you might still be able to get a harvest from some of them. And you can still get your garlic planted if you hurry.
If you can enclose them in a low tunnel or a clothe of some kind to add a couple of weeks to your season and keep the soil warm enough they will do ok.
Google 'fall gardening in New Jersey' pulls up several fall gardening discussions over on the New jersey Gardening forum here you might want to check out.
Dave
Like Dave said, It's kinda late but you may also be able to pick up some transplants if your area calls for things like broccoli and other longer DTM veggies can go in this late. A lot of brassicas et al can hold up to LIGHT frosts pretty well.
Kevin
In an effort to try to get this back on track, I would pass on the 2 back pack sprayers simply because of the weight and cumbersome issues. When something is difficult and uncomfortable to us we tend to skip using it when needed.
Of the remaining 3 I would choose the Chapin 21220XP Premire 2-Gallon Pro Poly Sprayer for the following reasons:
1) readily available replacement parts with reasonable prices
2) easy to clean anti-clog filter as that is the most common problem with any sprayer
3) the brass vs. poly components
4) big mouth opening makes the base easy to clean too
5) adjustable spray patterns on nozzle
6) clear color of tank makes tracking liquid levels easier than with the blue tank model
Dave
Dave - I have a 2 gal sprayer like the Chapin that I use for herbicides. In terms of weight and cumbersome issues, I find the backpack spray much easier to carry around and use, once it's on my back, despite being heavier.
Lugging around 16# by a handle is cumbersome indeed and hurts my hands. The strap that comes with it is worse than useless. I ended up this summer fastening the thing to a dolly and hauling it around that way.
Backpack sprayer also reaches a lot higher for spraying fruit trees.
This is a discussion forum, not a place where you can order seeds. If you are looking for people to trade seeds with then please go to the various Seed Exchange forums here.
And for Gourd seeds the Gourd Gardening forum also has a seed trading forum.
Thanks.
Here is a link that might be useful: Vegetable Seed Exchanges
after a lot of help her3e, thanks everyone, and looking at a lot of reviews and youtube videos i decided to for now go with the Earthwise TC70001 .. just 100 bucks which is less than half of what i planned on so worth a shot especially since it won't be to break new ground but to mix new stuff we'll be putting in, which i am beginning to stock pile now .. little every month till we have enough in a few months just in time for the new garden season
Hi. I live in Gilbert, SC - about 2 hours south of you. I sowed my carrot & rutabaga seeds about a month ago. I had absolutely no problem with germination. I kept the soil constantly moist -- I sometimes misted them 4 times per day. Root crops do not transplant - you need to direct sow. I have heard of covering with burlap or a shade cloth until germination - keeps our hot, hot sun from drying out the seed for those who cannot mist more than 2 times per day. Good luck with your second sowing!
Meg: Good deal! Just to let you know, you don't need an elaborate setup and lights to get going. Just a standard shoplight fixture and a couple tubes.--- around 30 bucks total. I use T8 6500K "daylight" tubes. No need to have actual expensive GROW lights. That, and a couple of shelves, and you're good to go.
Deborah's right about root crops needing to be direct sown. Onions, however, actually do better as starts IMO. Also, most root crops are pretty early DTM. So, holding off a month or so before sowing should still get you a crop. Plus, they hold up to light frosts pretty well.
Check with your local county extension for a planting calendar.
Good luck.
Kevin
I've never used them as a dye, but once the berries are dried, just putting several in room temperature water will create a dark purple 'tea'. I would guess hot water would work even better. No idea if this will work as dye - just saying I don't think the color is real hard to extract.
You have to wait the normal period to get watermelons that are any good. It also helps to have kept the plant to no more than 2 melons on late rounds....important to put that energy into one or two melons rather than a litter. You can also cover the vines on a frosty night to prolong the season.
I have used Hakuri Turnip, and Daikon to add humus. I plant them thickly, harvest small, and leave half or more to grow on, and die in the fall. My family of three can't eat all of them!
I just till normally in spring, roots have decomposed. This year I grew onions, Alisa Craig on that bed, and had a good crop, despite a late start. Next year it will be carrots.
In my previous garden I had numerous voles problems, and as soon as I would goon vacation snakes would move in. But they will not stay if you visit the garden even every second day and I did have to poison the voles eventually. I tried for a long time to establish owls, building a box nest out from a design on the Internet. No luck. The only sustained respite was when a female fox had a burrow at the end of my property, but at some point she moved on too.
We had the shoulders munched off most of our carrots a couple of years ago. Last year the carrots were untouched, but this year again, we have a couple of rows that are munched again. The teeth marks are obvious in places and they're larger than mice. Moles? Anyway... we have rows that we were more diligent about weeding than others. Those areas where you can see the ground between the rows are un-munched. Carrots are fine. The rows where the weeds got away from us, where there's a nice low canopy where whatever-rodent-it-is can maneuver unseen by predators, the carrots are munched. Obviously, we need to keep up with the weeding, but next year I'm also going to put an extra foot between my carrot rows as extra protection. I'm hoping that will do the trick. We don't have many snakes here, only very small garden snakes that we rarely see (maybe once every two or three years). We've got loads of owls and hawks and other birds of prey, though. I need to make sure the birds can see around the carrots so the moles (or whatever they are) don't feel safe in the rows.
I agree with Itilton. Your fertilizer is fine and is probably washed away by now.
The lower leaves will get that way as the plant matures. I pull them off. Make sure they are watered and you may want to put a shade cloth over them if you're in a hot area. Most lettuces have gone to seed (bolted ) by now and people are starting on their new crops for the fall.
Also, check under the lower leaves for insects or other critters that may be eating the roots and stems. That can cause wilting, too.
I'm just wondering if you might prefer to try gardening organically. Good composted cow manure, compost, etc, will add humus to your soil and provide nutrients that are gentle on your plants. This page could help:
Biodynamic French Intensive Method
Here is a link that might be useful: Alan Chadwick
Could you describe the flavour to me, in terms of other vegetables? How much do they taste like a regular eggplant? Any fruity flavor like a tomato?
I found out that if you let the fruit get completely orange they can get bitter &/or if changes the taste. I found that they are at their best if you pick them when they still have their green stripes. I found their flavor to be similar to black beauty they just aren't as soft. They have a mild flavor that will take on whatever flavor you toss it with.