23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
i grabbed some Burpee early choice hybrid that supposed to be only 66 days to maturity. Got some sprouting on the paper towel im gonna plant and see what happens. Then just direct sow the rest. i also have about 20 or so 6 gallon pails in the garage i might try and give it a go. all ive got for free so i dont have anything to lose. Next year part of the soybean field in the background is probably gonna sweet corn.
I have to say I've never been able to detect much smell from Woodruff myself. When dried it has a sweetish hay scent.
It gets mixed reviews. Some view it as a garden thug and others as a useful groundcover for shady places. BTW it is not Cleavers or Lady's Bedstraw, both in the same family but looking different in the leaves.
neptune24 - glad you got your questions and concerns answered. :)
It is very interesting and educational hearing of all the different experiences with the same plant variety around the continent - this is why I like the discussions on GW.
I should clarify: I stated previously that they will store "quite well". This is a judgment call. For me, once hardened and cured, these first year bulbs harvested in July or August regularly store into December and often January. I consider that a pretty decent storage length but that is obviously not as long as standard storage onion varieties. I am not surprised that people have varying levels of success. I think the main point is that these onions should be eaten and enjoyed fresh - there are better onions for storing.
For me the topsets harvested in September usually store well into May of the next year. I store the topset clusters whole, not separated, in the open air in a cool (40-45 degrees) dark place. The reason that I store them is so I can use them in cooking during the winter months. Some years I will plant a bunch of them in early spring.
I guess maybe the only thing I may do differently regarding storage is that I leave the tops on. They never fully dry down but the curing does harden them nicely. As any other storage vegetable I check for and chuck the soft or spoiling ones on a consistent basis.
I just like to tinker with doing different things with these onions. My regular onions are always my priority crop for fresh eating and storage. My favorite use of winter onions is as a fresh spring onion - a tradition my father started back in the early 1970s. He absolutely loved them.
I have never tried dehydrating them - I think that is a good idea and will attempt to dry a batch shortly (outside!) after the basil is done. I bet minced, flaked, and powdered would be quite good. I will try to remember to post results here.
pnbrown - I would like to take you up on your offer of topsets and will be contacting you shortly. I would like to see how similar or different your plants are from mine. If you want to trade topsets, I would be happy to do that but mine will not be mature until September.
It works! Thanks Zeedman, for your suggestion to separate clumps of small onions and replanted them at about 3" spacing. I also removed topsets as they formed. I just pulled some very usable sized onions, maybe 1 1/2" diameter.
I did mine in very early spring, but I will try it in fall too.
The flavor is great when they are used chopped and sauteed in many dishes, and as mentioned, they make an excellent broth. For that, I even use woody bits and the tops, and brown them before adding water and simmering for 30 minutes or so. I strain out all the stringy stuff and voila!
Hepatica
Hybrid is just another name for cross pollination but in a controlled and designed fashion to obtain certain characteristics. So the hybrid, if it is not full established, the seeds/plants from it might go after one of its parents. It is so obvious the hybridizer cross some of tha best plants not trashy ones.
I've gotten excellent kale, lettuce, arugula and mustard greens from the compost bin.
But when it comes to squash family, I turn them under. Squash is promiscuous, in that it normally cross pollinates when given a chance, and so you roll the dice as to whether you'll get something good or something inedible. (I've grown the most bitter cantaloupe EVER in the compost).
So the question is, with squash and melons, do you want to give garden space, time, labor and resources to something that might be great, but might not be?
Since they're already flowering, sounds like it's worth the experiment to see if what they produce tastes good. If yes, then great. If not, then rip them out and plant fall greens :)
This post was edited by elisa_Z5 on Tue, Jul 9, 13 at 12:23
Thanks a bunch for all your help again Dave :) I was scared and imediatley checked the plants the past couple of hours knowing what they did to my family and friends plant. At least 20 of them on 4 plants of my brother and neighbors plants.
- Mr Beno
Do you I have to scrap all that fruit?
Have too? No, but most find that fruit with BER tastes "off". Some argue you can cut out the bad part and eat the rest but the bacteria infection in the area normally doesn't make eating it worthwhile.
Was this caused by lack of water? Or is it something else?
That is all explained in the links I posted for you above. Basically it is caused by a poor distribution of calcium throughout the plant as it develops. The transportation of calcium is totally dependent maintaining consistent soil moisture levels throughout the fruit development stages. In containers, especially small containers, that is very difficult to do. There are other contributing factors too - all discussed in the links provided.
Apply some lime around the plants, and water it in thoroughly. See the link.
Sorry but all the studies show that applying lime AFTER the problem develops does not help because lime is so slow acing. Applying it, if needed, BEFORE planting can help.
Again this is all discussed in great detail over on the correct forum - Growing Tomatoes.
Dave
No one has mentioned the fertlizer requirements for artichokes during the growing season.
I read that you should provide nitrogen. Anyone know if that's correct?
I want to grow asparagus near my artichokes but heavy nitrogen around asparagus is bad as it encourages foliage and not spears. Dilemmas.
Good deal Kosch. You may want to hold off on the calmag for now for those in the ground. Most "dirt" contains enough. Only add it if you see your plants needing it.
Looks like a lot of posters are swaying towards herbicide damage. Good luck with nursing it back to health.
Kevin
Regarding your specific question on suckering, the point of removing suckers on indeterminate tomatoes when you have a lot of tomato plants is to increase productivity per unit area, by forcing plants vertically upward. However, it decreases yields on a per-plant basis even for a healthy plant, not to mention stressed plants. I do not sucker any container-grown tomatoes. More suckers = more tomatoes.
Another reason to sucker is encourage air flow and decrease the risk of fungal infections, but again, this is not necessary when you're dealing with just one plant, or if you don't live in a humid climate.
This post was edited by Slimy_Okra on Mon, Jul 8, 13 at 16:16
I'm sorry. It almost sounds like the landscaper put some herbicide in the soil. As for a soil test, I got one from my local farmers market. There is a booth with advice from master gardener and they issue soil tests from the local university. You just mail in the dirt in the cardboard sample box, and you pay $10. Maybe you have something like that around you?
I can't think why having it landscaped should affect the garden parts. Is it possible to contact the landscaper and ask for input as to what specifically was done?
But it does sound as if a soil test is needed and they are available from your local county ag extension office for $10-15. You don't indicate your location or even your garden zone in your post (box provided for that info) or I would provide you a direct link to them. Not to mention having that info is important in answering any question. Your garden could easily have a build up of salts, low nitrogen, excess phosphorous, etc. and only a professional soil test will tell you that.
It is very possible that the garden problems may only be coincidentally related to the landscaping. There have been increasing reports of herbicide contaminated compost and manures. So if those additives were brought in from the outside that is a real possibility.
Plus since the landscaping was done have you been using a lawn service of any kind? If so them you need details on exactly what things they have been using in the area. Check with neighbors too as herbicide drift from as much as a 1/2 mile away can easily affect garden crops.
Hope this helps.
Dave