23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Always get a complete soil test before adding lime or fertilizer. Compost is ok to add anytime.
It is lack of calcium uptake in the plants that causes BER. There can be sufficient calcium in the soil that never reaches the plant because water moves the calcium to the plant.
Uneven watering (not enuff water) causes the BER we normally see. As the plant grows so do the roots- which can extend 10ft out from where the stem goes into the ground. Move your watering spot out as the plant grows & water daily. Water the walkway.
Fwiw - I water my tomatoes twice a day when it is hot. I water the soil (not the plant) using buckets with small holes drilled in the sides that allows water to soak deeply into the soil.
I have also started using large (3gal) pots that already have quite large holes in them. I just pack the bottom with some leaves then some compost or coffee grounds so the water just seeps out.
I make sure to water between tomato plants. I use buckets to fill these pots, this also allows me to know just how much water I am giving my plants which turns out to be 6 gals when watered 2x/day; once in AM & once in evening. This also serves to avoid the splitting you see after a rain storm.
Tomatoes are as smooth as a baby's bottom :)
You are definitely overanalyzing this. The Mg in dolomite won't do any harm unless your soil is already very high in Mg. More importantly, I would test the pH to ensure that you haven't driven it too high (over 7.5). Keep it in the range of 6.0 to 7.5.
milkweed shoots are edible, but frankly, there are much better shoots. Mature milkweed is slightly toxic if ingested. Obviously it will be good for maintaining and attracting pollinators, and it will intake its share of nutrients like any other weed. It can not make other plants toxic.
I don't have specific mustard greens, but do have Mizuna, a violet pac choi, and a head cabbage.
Mizuna
Head Cabbage
A little harder to see against the black plastic, but the purple is pac choi. The larger green at the top is bok choy. They seem to have a smoother, shinier leaf than my cabbage, which has slightly serrate edging. The choi also seem to have leaf curl down, while my cabbage seems to fold more up if that helps.
It depends on how and how deep you planted them, the nature of your soil, its moisture and nutrient content, how often and how deep you water them, etc. I've seen sprouts in 7 days and others where nothing was visible for 6 weeks. I'd say if you don't see any signs of growth in 4 weeks then carefully dig one up and see what is going on with it.
Lots of good discussions here on growing asparagus you might want to read through. The forum search will pull them all up for you.
Dave
Dicamba will drift even on a calm day. What is he trying to control. 2,4-d is good on dandilions and clovers. dicamba will control crabgrass. the drift will damage nearby trees and is deadly to tomatoes. in my area, weed and feed should have been done in late march. I have used granular in early spring and a gain in September to kill off lawn weeds. I now have good thick grass an don't weed only feed.
It's the 3rd year I'm planting in this soil so all rocks are long gone :) thank you for your help on this, also is there a best way to till? I read to go in straight lines, and to really not over till either. Is there truth in this? What are your best practices when tilling?
I prefer to deep till then mix the compost in. I also often will till across or at an angle to the way the rows will run. also working the soil just before planting is good. I don't know what it cost to rent a tiller or how big your plot is, but you may want to consider a mantis for about $300 on Ebay.
Pegleg, wood chips are fine for surface mulch, but will tie up nitrogen when mixed into the soil unless they've been well composted ahead of time. You might want to start a new thread to ask about soil mixes. I just use native soil with compost turned in every year or two and it does fine, but I have good soil, and am not any type of expert.
I was under the impression that soil microbe feed on the sugar in Reg Coke. Jerry Baker, Master Gardener Extraordinaire, has a recipe using coke to enhance plant growth. Claims your plants will be jumping out of the ground.
You should do that coke vs soap experiment using reg coke,
brass tacks. Most corn will support beans, but I dont think it will support squash.
American Indians planted corn, squash and beans in a row system with the corn in the middle of three bean plants with the squash on the outside, about five plants. The beans are 6 to 8 inches out from the corn and the squash is about the same distance from the corn. To be sure google Three sisters planting system.