23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Need the dimensions and why only 1/2 full of dirt? Plus what is the variety? Some get much bigger than others.
But using the 5 gallon bucket for scale then I'd have to say that yes, it is too small for all those plants. Fill it with soil and leave the middle plant might work. Are there drain holes in that concrete planter? If not that will pose many problems.
Dave
they said they were giant cucumbers. Idk. Would it be a good idea to transplant them? I put them in there with the premise of moving them in only a couple of weeks. Unfortunately the plot for them has taken longer to construct. Is this a lost cause for transplanting into the ground?
We started experimenting with early planting of corn, zuchini, and tomatoes a few years ago here in PA. I know it breaks all the rules, but it worked out so well that we kept doing it. Early to mid May for the zuke and tomatoes, and even earlier for corn. I will post my experience separately on the corn story in case others are interested in experimenting. I never could wait for sweet corn and I picked some last year on July 1.
This year we had to fight some serious frost, but it looks like we made it again. One day we will pay for our rule-breaking, I am sure.
Frank
It got down to 33 here -- slightly higher than the prediction of 29. I had most of my tomatoes and peppers covered with floating row cover, and some newly planted roses and peach trees done up in burlap. Everything survived quite well except for the one tomato I forgot to cover. I lost quite a few young leaves on that mater, though the bigger leaves survived unscathed.
I planted everything out just a week ago when the forecasts were calling for lows in the upper 40s all throughout May for our area. Silly me to trust the weather man. We've just moved to NH from NYC, so I can see that next year I will need to seriously adjust my seed starting and planting out dates. Live and learn.
This post was edited by galiana on Wed, May 15, 13 at 19:51
Let me guess - you bought the Jiffy "Organic" Seed starting mix this year? Gold foil-like package? Notice the difference in the texture and consistency? Been lots of complaints about it over on the Growing from Seed forum here the past 2 years since it came out.
Yes it gets crusty, no it is not sterile - has all sorts of composted chicken manure and feather meal added - and yes, germination rates seem to be very reduced.
Even the traditional Jiffy mix gets very mixed reviews at best but the so-called "organic" stuff seems to be causing folks even more problems than the traditional mix ever did.
Sorry for all the problems but for next year it really is worth investing a bit more in a quality, sterile seed starting mix. There are many brands available. ProMix BX is often recommended as the best but Johnny's also sells a good one as do several other seed suppliers. Fox Farm is another brand I have seen good reviews on.
Dave
Altito.
I meant what do you do with the harvested tubers. I know how to plant it.
I personaly like to pickle them. They make real crunchy pickle. You can also use the like Chinese water chestnut in stir fry or in soups(as you mentioned) or just raw .
I have never had to cut them back. But I can imagine that if you cut them they should grow more than one branch, just like sun flowers. When you cut them at 3 feet, they will grow branches which the will grow several feet.
pickling sounds delicious; i'll definitely do that next time. cutting at 3 feet does sound better when you explain it like that. it'll make the stem extra sturdy because the new branches should be fairly thin compared to the main stock. i like it. the extra branches should also be great for the bean poles. i planted too many compared to the jerusalem artichokes. this will even out the climbing area. thanks for the tips.
by the way, i'll cut some at 1 and 2 feet as well; for experimental reasons. check out this thread at the end of the season and i'll be sure to post an update.
Carrots are such a cheap item to buy at the store, that I do not bother growing them.
I think wireworms are the problem though, not cutworms. I would think that would be a big PITA to plant each carrot in a toilet paper tube... and not worth the effort for such a low value crop.
Different varieties of potato will different times last before sprouting. Looks like you got a variety that sprouts early. Personally, I'd probably compost those and start over. If you really want to use your own seed potatoes, you need to find varieties that will hold up until Spring.
If you want to plant those, go for it. It will be a learning experience.
Waaaaaaaaaay too early for setting them out in ME in my opinion. I am in NJ, and with the odd spring this year (even in a normal season) I would not set out my watermelons or any cucurbits yet. I normally do that sometime around this week or next, once the night time temps are averaging in the mid 50's or so.
This weeks local alt rag actually has a good idea - kale floret pesto. I'll be freezing a batch of this!
http://citypaper.com/special/sizzlinsummer/marketable-skills-1.1489203
Here is a link that might be useful: Kale floret pesto
OP here.
I think I'm in the clear. See pics below for how I protected my cukes and others these last three nights.
I stapled the 6 mil plastic sheeting into the bed frames and during the day I pulled some of the corners off to prevent getting stewed veggies.
At night I re-stapled to keep the cold air out.
My zuchinni plant actually liked the conditions under the plastic because when I pulled if off this morning, I saw my first flower bloom. Which actually answers another question from another thread I posted last week...the topic of whether or not my seedlings were too big to transplant.
This post was edited by njitgrad on Wed, May 15, 13 at 11:11
Sadly, yes. But you can save them for a fall crop.
Broccoli doesn't stand up to the summer heat.
oh.. thats bad. Thanks for your reply. So when should I plant for a fall crop?