24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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glib(5.5)

boil baking potatoes and an onion in good stock. Add spices and salt to taste (I like a little chili and salt). When cooked, blend the soup with one or two handfuls of sorrel leaves, stems removed. serve immediately. the secret is to blend instantly when leaves and soup are in the blender. then the soup will stay a bright green. if you wait, it will turn grey. Baking potatoes are much easier on your blender than waxy. Sorrel soup with waxy destroyed our previous blender.

I also add tallow or olive oil to the soup when serving. This is served in April and for Thanksgiving here.

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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Sorrel leaves effectively 'melt' when heated so you can make a quick sauce for grilled or fried fish by just cooking some gently in a little butter. It has the acidity you need and fulfils the same function as a slice of lemon.

Or you can make it slightly fancier by adding the fish juices and some crème fraiche.

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Slimy_Okra(2b)

Typical emergence in zone 2B is mid to late May, about the same time as the average last frost date, which is 5 to 6 weeks after snow cover disappears. That's in a typical year though. We still have snowbanks lying around!

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hudson___wy(3)

We don't mulch in Zone 3 - maybe we should but the asparagus seems to emerge when it is ready - We would actually rather it come up a little later as others commented - the early warm break in the weather kicks everything in gear and then Mother Nature reminds us that winter is not over yet - the Asparagus has to shiver in it's boots for a day or two.

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defrost49

gallinis, thanks for the tip. Every year I wonder if it's ok to use the new leaves that grow late in the season.

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pnbrown

"Same thing with kale and chard. Once bolted, they're done. "

Not so, for sure, IME. I have had chard plants go 3-4 years in well-protected locations. Kale plants are well known to produce for longer than that in greenhouses or very mild climates, though I have not had one go for more than about 3 years.

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farmerdill

Only problems I can think of. squash have large competive plants which can overshadow melons. They share common diseases like Mildews. They also share some insects like the cucumber beetle.

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tobemeghan(5/6)

Jean,
The green house is about 75 of cloudy days and 80-85 with sun (then I open the vents). At night it gets to about 55-60.

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Slimy_Okra(2b)

What kind of potting mix are you using? Are you fertilizing them? Are you over or under-watering? A picture would be helpful.

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jensubzero

Thanks terry_neoh for all those possible problems, it's really good to know all these. I will definitely look them up for more info and see if I can dig around to see what's down there.

And, the pollination, yes, I've been going out each morning with a tiny paintbrush to pollinate if I have to. It's kind of fun! I've also tried to plant more flowers around to attract the bees.

Thanks art_1! I had high hopes for Mel's Mix, but it was disappointing. The mix was just too light and needed more "substance" as my neighbor told me.

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MrClint

Looks like you may not have selected a suitable compost element for your Mel's mix. I've been using homemade compost in Mel's mix for years and it works well, as advertised and expected. Also, the bed doesn't look raised to me. The idea is to use Mel's mix on top of the native soil, not incorporated into it.

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jean001a(Portland OR 7b)

As was said, leafminers. Do as the other poster suggested.

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pnbrown

BTW, did you know that the red russian kale is a superb self-sower? Let them go to seed and you won't have to buy seed again, most likely.

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johns.coastal.patio(USDA 10b, Sunset 24)

I am sorry you are having trouble, but it is tough starting out, when you haven't seen good (and bad) growth cycles before.

Did you remove the cover after seeds popped up? One problem can be too much humidity and too little light.

Since I don't have grow lights I try to get them by a window as soon as possible. And with the top of I prefer watering with a mister.

This may not help, sorry. Maybe watching some (more) seed starting videos will help.

In terms of how much time you have, have you found a garden calendar (online) for your area. I found one for my zone with nice "do this now" and "you are late" instructions.

Good luck.

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tracydr(9b)

Pea sprouts are delicious. If you do need to thin make a salad or stir fry with the peas and micro-kale.

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moraleagle(6a)

Still, the idea of eating seedlings is not attractive to me... So I'll transplant this Sunday before the rain.

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wertach zone 7-B SC

You might want to re-post this in the Allium forum for better answers, I don't have a clue myself!

Here is a link that might be useful: Allium

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PranaVida(11)

Thanks, I just did that.

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Newbie-gardener

Here's an update. They look a bit better now now that they have more air circulation and less watering. The peat pots actually got a chance to dry lately. Here's a closer look at the possible mold. Probably mold, yes?

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Newbie-gardener

A look at the curl and yellowing. The new leaf looks green and happy at least.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Thanks for catching that Slimy. I missed the okra completely.

Dave

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ceth_k(11)

Assuming the soil textures in equal condition, the one thing that decides plants watering need is the characteristic of their roots. The stronger, longer, wider, deeper root types need less watering(the exceptions here are those root crops that need a lot water ) and the shorter, weaker, shallower root types need as frequent watering as they could get(i.e. most leafy vege and squash family).

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tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM

So Wayne, does corn have to be covered if there is a freeze coming. My soil is warm enough but my last freeze is May 15th. Of course, I could just try some and see what happens. Where else could I get my jollies for just a $2 packet of seeds?

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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

Sweet corn is more tender than field corn and anything below 35ð or 36ð may damage them some. Freezing temps ? forget it.

Covering helps, yes.

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howelbama(7 NJ)

Wikipedia

Here is a link that might be useful: Cutworms

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woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a

Cutworms +1

Stick about 3 toothpicks right next to the stalk so they can't wrap around and clip them. Haven't lost a single seedling to them since I started doing this.

Kevin

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pnbrown

It is the heat more than anything else and that was considerably exacerbated by being in containers. Early march is overly late to plant in the Orlando area - mid to late january is the correct time. A half-zone north in Lake county I plant in late january and that generally strikes a good balance between mostly avoiding frost-nip to the emerging foliage and the mature plants running into long hot days. Greater Orlando has much fewer frost events, depending of where you are you might even plant in late December.

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missxnish

I planted red potatoes bought from the farmer's market. This book I'm reading said to plant in March so I did. I'll try February next year. I put 4-5 potatoes per gallon 15 gallon container.

Thank you all for your comments and advice.

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