23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Last week we had 2" of rain (we don't usually see rain from April til October!), then hit 105* yesterday! Ugh!
Just hoping everything is OK! Nancy

Hot and sticky (though not as hot as Nancy's!) here. Planted more peppers yesterday and a couple of tomatoes that were starting to blossom in 1 gal pots. Was going to plant the rest of my peppers today (maybe 12 or so, have 61 in the ground, I always end up planting more than I originally planned - in this case b/c somene gave me some new varieties). But more severe T-storms predicted tonight/tomorrow so didn't want to risk them. Some of the ones I planted yesterday were leaning, had mulch (hay) blown over them just from a brief storm yesterday. Of course Thurs they had predicted strong storms and we got some wind (thought it was going to rip the squash out) but only 1/2" of rain. Been picking up branches all month, DH keeps fixing the road whenever it washes out.

Were those 4x10's pressure treated wood?

I was the OP from the other thread. The ones I found were being used to build the frame of a house. I don't think mine are pressure treated. They have a natural wood color, no other green or red coloring.

Yes, they are pressure treated, and are green.

Thanks Kevin and Dave

Ted

Near Denver, CO - 'been in the mid 90's and near 100 off and on - mostly on. I figured I was ripped off by the nursery. I planted seeds but one out of 12 germinated - again too late. I think it was first week of June - couldn't get the garden prepared before that. I understand no seed will germinate when temps are over 85. Bummed.

Westy

I have a problem with a zucchini squash plant. I had a female flower and I was anxiously awaiting it to open. I went to check it at 6am this morning. It wasn't open, but the tip appeared to be brown. I opened the flower and the ovum (?) was brown. Is this going to be able to be pollinated or is it bad? Is it the heat or other factor. This plant has already produced a few good squash.

Aha! That's it! Thanks everyone.

They certainly are interesting little bees. Now I'm tempted to catch one and tie some fishing line to it so I can follow it and see where it goes.

Rodney

Adult Agapostemon splendens (Lepeletier), a sweat bee.

Pollinator...good to have.

Here is a link that might be useful: sweat bee, figure 3

Well, you can use my suggestion above and bag your grass clippings when you mow. (If you have a bagger) just be sure to dry them out first before putting them on the garden. The reason for this is when the grass clippings decompose, they get HOT. And could potentially harm your plants. I work at the Home Depot garden center and a lot of people use straw. We also sell pine straw, a little pricier, but works well. I would not use landscaping or wood mulch. You could also use leaves. We take the leaves off our neighbors hands in the fall and till them in in the spring, because not only are they a great mulch, but an excellent soil amendment. So. There are lots of options, just depends on what your can get your hands on.... I've also heard ppl using cardboard, newspaper....etc. There are lots of benefits to mulching: less weeding, less washing away of soil, keeps soil cool and moisture in after a rain, less splashing of dirt on leaves of plants which reduce diseases spreading. Hope this helps.
Alley

YES. Thank you, Alley! :D

And thank you as well, Dave! I'm digging the trench(es) today now that the soil's dried a little bit more (but a little TOO dry -___- [why I need mulch!! LOL])

University of California Cooperative Extension
San Diego County Farm & Home Advisor
5555 Overland Avenue, Bldg. 4
San Diego, CA 92123-1219
(858) 694-2845

If I recall correctly.. if not, they should be able to point you in right direction.

If not them, try the master gardener hotline between 9am and 3pm at (858) 822-6910

It's been a few years.

Good luck.

Kevin

Thank you both for the suggestions/info. They may have been getting too much water. It's a community garden and we all take turns watering so it's tough to know for sure. I will check in with the county next week.

I prefer the pale ones, much sweeter. Typically they pickling cucumbers and are very tasty. They have a thinner skin than the dark green but usually more seeds. Yummy!

There are varieties that are pale groon, other than some pickling cuke. I have grown Korean cukes that are long(12"+), crooked and pale green. They are some of the better ones.

Yep.. That's why the old Italian chefs will tell you to tear basil leaves and not cut with a knife.

Kevin

That looks a bit like bruising, and is exactly the color you get when cut basil is exposed to air for a while. (Oxidation.) That's why you don't cut basil and leave the pieces exposed to the air. Instead, you cut (blend, chop, tear) the basil with oil. The oil covering the leaves keeps the air out. That's how pesto keeps from turning brown.

But yes, when washing the leaves before making pesto, just hose em' down and drain. Don't squeeze or flex them by hand.

Have you used any fertilizer? They might appreciate some compost or a good balanced fertilizer. Also, they do have a finite life span, which is why succession planting is a good idea. Put a few new seeds in the ground every month so new plants will take off when the old ones are in decline.

Here is a link that might be useful: What's Growing On?

I did spread some organic manure compost recently just over the top of the entire bed...this was about a week after I applied the fish emulsion. That's really the only fertilizing I've done since planting in March.

I didn't realize that about their life span. I do have a lot of seeds left...would you just bury them in between the others?? I currently have eight plants equally spaced in each square foot. Would that make them too crowded?

Thanks to all for your input. I'm getting back to gardening after about a 20 year layoff. I lost my first round of starts to gophers. The second round was planted during constant winds in northern CA. I've never had a wind problem before. The plants were healthy when set out and the soil in the raised beds is rich. We learn each year for the next one. :) Thank

My mom uses old wooden (cedar?) shingles on 2 or 3 sides to temporarily protect young transplants from wind or to shade them for a bit after planting out.

Try Googling ~ Laserboy532 site:.gardenweb.com ~ if you want a different ordering of results.

I would be interested in reading if you find that better, worse or just different than searching here as some similar forums such as SDMB are now urging users to do Google searches.

Thanks albert, I tried that method, but didn't find it any more convenient than using GW's search.

But I do appreciate learning yet one more neat Google 'trick' =)

Not in my case wertach. Don't get me wrong -- we have many, many microclimates in SoCal. But, the town that they(TWC) forecast is right next to mine. Same valley, same temps, same everything. Both cities are on the local weather broadcasts, but the only thing that ever changes is a degree now and then. In fact, the place that they do their readings is at an airport on the border of the 2 cities.

Kevin

yeh i'm 67 and my wife tells me dearest if you walk outside and get wet it is raining, sunburnt then put a hat on.

me with all this science implanted into such a simple affair, her advice will do me.

enjoy

one day we may return to observation and common sense, in our area early in the year in a dry spell the official rain guage recorded 50mm of rain but no one in our area had had rain, weather reporter copped heaps of flack that he didn't realy deserve.

hnycrk, you said " I shoveled dirt, well mud from the center of the rows"

As Dave said, You probably did more damage than good. As close as that corn is planted you were digging feeder roots up with that mud!

Have you ever tilled between the rows after the corn was over a foot tall and saw that the corn kinda slumped for a few days?

That is because you are cutting roots!

OP, IMHO, It is best to just leave it alone. I always have and my neighbor didn't. He would get out there and try to straighten it up and stuff and mine would always do better.

If we didn't have a high wind storm and he didn't have to "fix" it we would usually have about the same yield.

I learned that from an old farmer that new his stuff, My Dad!

This post was edited by wertach on Sat, Jun 29, 13 at 14:20

Well hopefully I didn't do to much damage. When I say center of the row I meant between the rows because I grow it in raised rows 3ft apart. Here's an older pic to show what I mean between the rows like where all the water was. Ill keep y'all posted on the outcome.