24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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little_minnie(zone 4a)

There are no sweet storage onions. They are all sweet once cooked but hot when raw.

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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

As I understand SULFUR is what makes onions strong. We also know that sulfur is a disinfectant and preservative.

So there is a trade of. as they say, You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

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ZachS. z5 Littleton, CO

Thanks Jonfrum, this is why I ask questions early and not right before planting. I will keep looking.

Tish, I hadn't thought about frost protection. I have done it with more moderately sized plants, but never even considered it for such a sprawling type as winter squash. As far last frost, well, off the top of my head I was planting cucumbers and green beans in 70+ degrees at the beginning of April two years ago while last year, we were buried in feet of snow right up 'til May! I was planning on using plastic to warm the soil where the squash will go, and starting a few indoors a couple weeks before my *tentative* plant-out date in mid-May. Like you we are very lucky if we have any 60+ nights (our night average is in the 50's all summer). I've only ever grown the short season tender plants like cucumbers and summer squash, so I have never had any problem with direct sowing at the end of may and still getting a good harvest without any season extending methods. I do like the idea of using milk jugs though, probably would be helpful even if I transplant from indoors. Thanks!

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little_minnie(zone 4a)

If you grew them up like that you would have to hammock the larger squash because they are so heavy.

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annew21(7b NC)

How cold has it gotten? Sweet potatoes are very sensitive to the cold. You should also check the size of the potatoes. It might be time to dig them up.

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courtneysgarden

They would do better planted in late spring or early summer (around may or June), I think August is too late. They like warm weather. They should be harvested in the fall after the first frost or when the vines start to die. Don't forget to cure them before cooking with them.

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shermthewerm(8 PNW)

Very cool! I also decided to start everything from seed this year. I didn't hear about any seed exchanges in my area, but I had an Amazon gift card, and another gift card to a local nursery and I bought all of me seeds.
Yesterday I ordered a very fancy grow light system from Gardener's supply, and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.
I only work part-time, so I had the same thought as you, Nancy--it'll give me something to do.

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farmerdill

In the USA, seeds are tested for germination in Fall and packaged for the next year. So those labeled 2014 should should have the germination rates listed if planted early in 2014 . Onions may fall below that if you wait for fall planting as they are relatively short life seeds. Still good. Example. I just recieved 1000 seeds of Miss Megan , Tested at 75% germination in August and packaged for 2014. I will plant them the first of September and expect a germination rate of less than 75%.

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barrie2m_(6a, central PA)

You should look at the test date as Farmerdill noted but if you want to keep onion seeds for another season all you need to do is keep them stored in your freezer. I have had excellent germination results with onion seeds held for 7 years that way. The tricky part is to avoid condensation when using a portion of those seeds. I pour an amount out of the packs I want while never removing the seed packs from the freezer compartment. Since I order larger quantities of these seeds I test germination (by planting) soon after receiving the seeds and I wouldn't hesitate to call the company if germination results were poor.

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glib(5.5)

I would put 9, each on a 16 inches square. The 45-54 spears then will come up over a long period, with only the first flush having a reasonable population. You will have to pick them, one or two at a time, and put them in the fridge until there is enough to dress pasta. This is why asparagus needs space. You are really in business at 35 plants or more. 100 would give you plenty, but still not enough to waste if you intend to use asparagus as your staple vegetable for a family over the 4 weeks harvest.

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fusion_power

As noted above, a 4X4 bed is not nearly big enough for a reasonable amount of asparagus. Two or three such beds would be better.

The most you could put into a 4X4 bed would be 16 plants and that would be pushing it. I would only put in a dozen.

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glib(5.5)

Yes, varieties have different fractions of fat vs skinny. choose a fat variety.

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

Have you checked with the hydro growers over on the Hydroponics forum here? While I have worked some with grodan it isn't something most vegetable gardeners would have any experience with. Personally I don't even like to work with the small 1" cubes for anything much less cut them down to a smaller size.

Dave

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jackblasto

I didn't see a hydro forum. I'll try over there. Thank you. Sorry for posting it in the wrong forum category.

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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

The other day I started some corn salad in my cold frames. I will start some lettuce when a get a nice day. With things like lettuce (Most cold crop) the difficult part is to get the seeds germinate. Once you do that (indoor or in cold frame) they cane be transplanted into garden. Better yet, under a plastic hoop.

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wertach zone 7-B SC

I stuck some mummified, sprouting, red potatoes in a pot, near a sunny window. They most likely won't survive. But I've got something growing! They are kinda leggie! :)

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Ohiofem(6a Ohio)

The active ingredient in AzaGard is azadirachtin which comes from Neem Oil. There have been mixed reports about its effectiveness against stink bugs. It appears to be most effective against them in the nymph stage, but it needs to come into direct contact with them to kill. How many stink bug nymphs did you see in your garden? I didn't even see the bugs themselves, but I did see extensive damage on my tomatoes and peppers at harvest. If you can't find them, you can't kill them.

An organic insecticide that is supposed to be a little more effective against them is pyrethrin. There are also traps that work like Japanese beetle traps, but if you look at the reviews they get on Amazon.com, you can see that most people didn't think they were effective.

The problem is that contact insecticides are not effective because of the bugs have hard coats, and they feed by piercing the skin of the fruit or vegetable, so they avoid most of the insecticide on the surface. They feed on so many different kinds of plants that you would need to treat everything in your garden to begin to make a dent. It sounds like the most effective control for home gardeners is growing trap crops (like okra or amaranth), using row covers and, from what Dave says, using a kaolin clay product like Surround.

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drscottr(7)

Thanks for all the input.

Dave, thanks for the Kaolin advice. I have a ton of the stuff and I've used it on cukes to stop the cucumber beetles. Will try it elsewhere and see what happens. Any idea of whether it inhibits corn pollination?

Last year I spent every evening killing 1000's of the two types of beetles.

Scott

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runswithscissors(MT 4/5)

I agree with digdirt. It doesn't look like it but it still MIGHT be pressure treated, but it's doubtful that any poisonous chemicals are in high enough concentration to be of danger. Keep in mind, even an apple has arsenic in them! :) Here's my suggestion: take one of the boards and put a bottomless pot on it (like say an empty milk carton with the bottom cut out, or even a styrofoam cup.) Plant a few seeds in the pot of cucumber and beans. They will be your canary-in-the-coal-mine testers. Cukes and beans are very sensitive to chemicals, so if they croak shortly after sprouting they are probably being poisoned. If they live ...the wood is okay to use.

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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

The old PT wood/lumber had a greenish hue. But what they have now has redish color.
Your neighbor's old fence has been weathered for years and supposing that originally it had bad chemicals, it has leached out already. BUT, i would not use that stuff anyway. You spend time and energy to make a raised bed/planter and it falls apart the next year or so.
Both HD and Lowes in my area are selling cedar lumber (5/8" - 5 1/6" x 6') for about 2 bucks. They are perfect for planters and small raised beds. I have used a lot of them.

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nc_crn

Viroflay is an excellent spinach, especially for cooking.

It's sweeter than a lot of heirlooms, even when stressed. Warm climate winter growers love it because it has less of a chance of going bitter/strong during occasional high-heat events.

I've had friends grow it. The only knock from some of them is that while it's sweet and rather tender it can be a bit a thick (though still tender) if picked in the "baby" stage...but that's a positive to some and doesn't matter to those that grow it for cooking.

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squirrellypete(z7b AL)

I've used hoop house to extend the end of the growing season, but this coming Spring will be my first attempt at extending the growing season from the early end using floating row covers for some crops and hoop houses for others, sometimes in combination with row covers on a particularly freezing cold night. So I'll have to get back to you on my results lol. But I don't see why it won't work, I've certainly read enough posts by others who have done so successfully.

Depending on what temp zone you're in you'll likely get some variance across the country in how much time you gain by using them. Soil temps, not necessarily air temps are really the deciding factor for a number of crops to get going in the Spring. I'll be happy with a month jump but if we don't have a particularly harsh finish to winter it could be possible to gain more than that, especially the ones used over raised beds. The use of the hoop house combined with the use of black plastic on the ground surface of the bed and possibly even wrapped around the outside of the bed structure itself will help warm the soil well in advance of any regular soil left to mother nature alone. That and the fact that my seeds are started with the use of a home made light rack and are grown in my greenhouse until it's time for them to be planted should help get them decent size before going in ground.

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nickrosesn

Well I have been doing a good job at keeping the plants alive. Yes the leaves have all but fallen, but there is actually new growth. There is one plant that is all dead and black/brown but there is new growth at the bottom of the trunk.

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

Lots of discussions about this over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here that you can read through. And how often you feed a plant depends on if it is in the ground or in a container.

But coffee grounds is hardly a well-balanced or even a good fertilizer. Whatever nutrients they might supply to the plant are minimal.

Dave

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ZachS. z5 Littleton, CO

If you want to go an easy-peasy route, home depot sells fence panels that are all assembled and you have to do is come up with a way to put them up. Lots of different styles, but you will definitely pay a premium for them, cost of convenience and all.

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planatus(6)

My dogs dig voles that like the soil among the mature apple and pear trees, which makes a mess but is of certain benefit.

In the veg garden I use temporary chicken wire fences to keep dogs, cats and chickens off of sensitive beds.

One suggestion: Don't try to alter the current dog trails through your yard too much. Instead try to design around them, within reason.

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