23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
I also have nightshade allergy. I had a bad episode as a child and was never allowed to have a raw tomato (but growing up in an Italian home, had lots of tomato sauce or gravy, as we call it). Unfortunately a few years ago, it started to get worse and I can't have eggplant or peppers either. Nightshades have toxins in them that cause problems in some people. I even have a tough time with the tomato plants (my husband loves tomatoes, so I grow them for him) touching the leaves and then touching my face gives me a rash.
I don't know of any low toxin variety. The neurotoxins that are in nightshades are saponins, alkaloids and lectins. Tabacco is also a nightshade and it is some of these toxins that cause inflammation and even cancer. If you are sensitive to it, I suggest you avoid them.
Hey! Thanks everyone. Jay, that's very kind of you to offer to send me some, but I put a couple of cuttings in a glass of water yesterday and I can already see root nubs starting to poke out, so I think I'm probably good. I appreciate your "gardener's generosity", though.
Looking forward to some sweet potatoes in September or so...
Hmm... Ok, I'll give it a good water tomorrow and throw some mulch around them and see what happens... I'm getting a little worried about the sole survivor of this one type of pumpkin... Its' leaves are getting more splotchy... I didn't think it was something like temps or soil because other pumpkin varieties in the same bed seemed to be doing well... I have a different bed near with some zucchini in it and they have been out growing everything (except some peas, perhaps)... but, it gets a bit different sun overall...
The bed is a foot tall , but i dug an extra 1/2 - 1' deep in the ground.. It is a new bed this year... I put a soil/compost mix in as I did in my other bed (last year) with the local nursery recommended amounts..
Well, i chose not to mulch because we were forecast to have a lot of rain and cooler temps roll through today before sun and warming tomorrow.. I figured it would not be a great idea to mulch and lock in cool/damp soil... (i could be overthinking all of this)
However, today, I looked at this plant again and noticed the following with its' new growth... it doesn't look healthy, but I cannot figure out if it looks like it was eaten or wilted. I am looking for pests under leaves and such....
One reason i have not been thinking something "global" like soil nutrients or temps was the first plant that up and died... It seemed to shrivel up and die all alone with only minor issues with the other plants around it.
It would be very likely that they would go to seed, if you had not pulled them. Any over wintered onion(full size) will flower eventually, given enough time.
Another thing is that some onions are compound inside. When you cut them you'll see two (or more)hearts. I think in the wild nature onions also multiply. Isn't that another way to MULTIPLY? :D
Iron phosphate pellets, sluggo is one brand name. In your case, I suspect they are hiding under the pots during the day, but basically they live everywhere in little pockets of moist plant decay. Very helpful in nature, a bit destructive when they get into gardens in large numbers.
Buttergold is an SE type, so assuming you want to stick with other SEs, varieties I've grown with good results, these all reach at least 6':
Delectable
Bodacious
Bi-Licious
Bon Jour
A variety I've had poor results with is Early & Often (despite being an SE type, had boring flavor and wasn't particularly sweet).
A variety I've had variable results with is Ruby Queen. Probably depends what you use as a pollinator (the package recommends using another SE to pollinate it; I've never grown RQ by itself)
I like the bamboo(?) U's. A little more decorative than the plain old tomato cages. I think I'd use them for eggplant and tomatillas, maybe peppers if they get too heavy. Where did you find these? Nancy
Nancy, not sure about using them for tomatillos, but the bamboo hoops are fine for peppers & eggplant. I got these at our farm store Wilco & at Fred Meyer (Kroger's). You probably don't have either of these stores in your neck of the woods, though.
Where are you located? It doesn't show where your name appears.
Most people look up their USDA zone and/or where you live which helps others help YOU with any suggestions!
I live in No CA, others are on the East coast where there are many different growing conditions!
That's my only suggestion for now! Things look pretty good in your garden! Nancy
I can't really see anything I can positively id as an insect in the photo. Those dark things on the stalk above the last leaf at the base of the tassel? Could be some kind of moth, but not enough of a close- up to tell what they are with my relatively poor vision.
Can't get a close up. They fly off :) but I think I have them identified as glassy winged sharpshooters by someone else..... Which I've never heard of or seen until today. Thanks though.