23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
The important thing about peas is that they don't like heat (I suspect you won't get too much heat in Seattle anyway), but they are freeze tolerant to 20F, which I suspect you don't get lot in the winter in your zone which, I believe, with regard to plant hardiness and winter survival, is the same as mine. (Everything else is different!) I plant my peas in November/December, and harvest in April. So yes, you definitely get another chance in the fall for peas. Yes, you COULD get a killer freeze, but it isn't likely, and the plants would be small then, so easy to protect. I used to live in Portland.
IME, the tricky part about starting any peas or brassicas indoors is that they are much less frost-tolerant than direct-seeded plants. Kale, one of the hardiest crops, will get zinged by even a light frost if you start it indoors and put it outside. Hardening off against wind and sun does not entirely help. You need to harden them to cold by exposing them to several cool nights (35 to 40 degrees F) in a row. Just something to think about for next year if you decide to go with transplants.
The peas have started sprouting! Not like crazy, but I have a few sprouts peeking out. I got the trellis up today.
I put my brassicas I transplanted under cover at night. I also put out my artichokes, and have them under cover also. Got a lot going now! Garlic, Leeks, Onions, Peas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Potatoes, Beets and Lettuce all sown or transplanted.
OK, I'll leave them be. Sorry -- I should not have used the word "dispose" ! I was not planning to harm them -- just wondering if there was a way to move them safely. But it seems not, so I will leave them in peace and hope one day they return the favor to my lettuce. :)
Weeds are a fact of life in gardening. You'll have them either way. :) However wasting good, proven-to-be-productive soil would be awfully difficult for the gardener in me to do so yeah I definitely use it. As you move the soil many of the clumps of weeds should be easy to pick out and toss.
Dave
Weeds are self-seeding, so if you do a decent job weeding this year, next year will probably be easier. If the seeds are getting blown in, putting in new soil isn't going to help in the long run. If you don't do decent weeding, it's going to end up filled with weeds as well. The weeds aren't a property of the soil. They've been added to it. If it works, use it.
I grow cukes up by tying a string (using jute twine) to the seedlings stem and running the string up to a crossbeam I have screwed to my bed frames. This holds even during the hurricane winds CT has at the end of the growing season when plants are loaded with their fruits.
It works so well I also tie up any other vines as well as tomatoes which can be heavy during Aug. & Sep. and works much better than those useless tomato cages.
I do use those cages for peppers and eggplants.
While any string or wire will work jute twine is compostable yet holds for the the growing season. Even if you don't compost the fall cleanup plants it makes cleanup easier since the plants can be quite twisted around the string. I would not use something you think can be re-used each year.
Thanks Dave. Good to know that BiotaMax has a positive reputation. It's something like $6 for a quarter-acre, so not too bad. I have limited garden area and would like to try minimizing the occurrence of Verticillium wilt in eggplants and peppers.
I believe that BiotaMax needs to be reapplied every week to thirty days, while RootShield suggests every 6-8 weeks. RS can also be applied in tank mixes with almost anything, including fungicides. That's extremely important for commercial applicators.
BM is not OMRI certified, RootShield is. That's also extremely important to certified commercial growers, not so much for back yard growers.
RS promotes soil borne disease protection as its primary purpose. It can be used on seeds, cuttings, in any kinds of growing medium including mist. It can be applied through fertigation and misting systems at the same time as soluble fertilizers.
I really don't think that the two products can be considered the same, so comparing the price alone doesn't make sense.
jnj, I have clay soil, so probably retains moisture well, but I've read that seeds and seedlings need constantly moist soil. I know a less frequent deep watering encourages stronger root growth, but I thought that was once they're well-established. I watered Friday afternoon and am out of town until Tuesday evening, so I have a friend watering either this evening and tomorrow evening, or just once tomorrow afternoon. Supposed to get some rain Tuesday morning. Sounds like you think they'd be fine without water from Friday til Tuesday.
Thanks again for the input vgkg. The info I got says the plots are rented 3/15 through 10/31 and that all plots will "be cleared of any and all debris/material by October 31st." It also says parks & rec is responsible for tilling at beginning & end of the growing season. Yeah, so that along with delaying the opening a couple weeks and not having water available due to a water line break, and then the 15x15 plots actually being more like 13.5x14, it's not a perfect situation, but my options are limited living in a townhouse.
Regarding carrots, I was planning have a total of nine 3' rows stagger-planted over a period of about 2 months, and then replant the rows throughout the summer as I harvest them. I guess I'll stick with that plan and just harvest all remaining on 10/31 Regardless of size. I'll also try to give my other fall crops a bit more time to mature by 10/31.
Your beds look good. You might consider growing bush beans if you plant them within the next couple of weeks. They do well in your area. You could plant purple hull peas in May. They are one of the few plants that tolerate the hot Texas summer. If is probably too late to plant potatoes. The hot weather will be here in less than 60 days.
Just remember that in Texas we really have 2 short growing seasons, spring and fall. Many people plant tomatoes in very early spring and plant another crop of transplants in July for a fall crop of tomatoes.
Bell peppers are a challenge but sweet banana peppers and hot peppers are easier to grow. Bell peppers tend to make early in summer and then just sit there until the fall when they will put on another crop.
Square foot gardening tends to put plants too close together for Texas gardens. As you may know tomatoes can get over 8 feet when put in cages. In raised beds you do plant things closer together but if you are not careful you can have a grown up "jungle" Plants need to have air circulation with the humidity that we have.
I decided to grow Kennebec this year, they are known as a good all around reliable variety. I planted them today, in a similar climate to yours (also 6b). (Potato Garden where I bought them recommends planting no earlier than 2 weeks before last frost date... the foliage can be killed by frost.) I grew potatoes last year, and they are not a particularly difficult crop to grow, relatively speaking.
I would advise against that unless your night temps will remain over 50. Basil is a heat lover, and lower temps than 50 will lead to stunting that it may not bounce back from. And for me, basil germinates in three to five days.
For me, I'm a zone behind you and for the most part basil doesn't go in until the end of May. I do some earlier, but in an Earthbox that is in a small, enclosed (6') townhome backyard next to the brick. It creates enough microclimate for the basil to thrive, and can be brought inside if we get a cold snap.
Until the seed sprouts I use a spray bottle to wet the surface. I use a little peroxide in the spray bottle to keep the damping off from killing the seedlings.
I bottom water and cover with domes for 48 h before seeding anything. By that time, the evaporation/condensation has moistened the mix evenly.