23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

I prune suckers and trellis my cucumbers up twine tied with slip knots to an overhead support. Used wire this year but I think bamboo is better because its more rigid. I shorten the twine periodically to keep them growing vertically. This method allows for close planting, 12" proves plenty and they help support each other laterally. I planted the Burpless starters last year and they produced massive 18" fruit with very little bitterness. Definitely planted a few this year.

Good luck. It is a head start for zone 6b/7a I think. Hope you don't get cold snaps. Mines (in z8, WA) have just cotyldone leaves. But if temps go higher they will catch up n no time.

As anxious as we are to taste the fruits of our labor, with perennials like asparagus, being patient pays off in the long run.

Those look a little small and have mostly gone to fern, which is a good thing. Let them grow and next year, you should be in good shape.

This photo isn't meant to brag, but to show a comparison between two Minnesota growing experiences. The spears were my first harvest, on May 08, from an old established bed. I like to harvest short because I like them better that way, the spears by the tape measure are more like what a person finds in the grocery store, only much better tasting. (Notice spear diameters and compare to yours.)

You have nice healthy young plants that still need to grow and establish themselves. As wolverine said, your patience will reward you greatly. The only possible negative I see is that once you start harvesting and eating them you will wish you had planted more. :)

Good Luck!

Trying to grow in a pot and using only organics and growing in a raised bed using only organics are 2 entirely different things and have been discussed here in great depth many times..

Assuming your raised beds contain some soil as they should then they at least have the beginning of a soil micro-herd that will let compost and organic fertilizers work to supply nutrients. How well they will work all depends on how well develop the soil bacterial herd is.

In a container, which presumably contains soil-less potting mix as it is supposed to and if it doesn't then you have a whole other set of problems - there is no micro-herd, no soil bacteria to convert compost and other powder/granular organics to nutrients. Liquid organics will work.

Further you don't move/transplant/or disturb root crops once planted. So in a round container you do not seed in rows. In fact in most any container you do not seed in rows. it just wastes space and encourages you to over-seed. You plant seeds using proper spacing to begin with in a circular fashion using the entire surface of the pot. Then you thin, not transplant, as needed.

Compost is normally mixed in with the soil in a garden bed, not layered on top. Compost's best use in a pot is as a mulch only AFTER the plants are well established.

You have time to start over and do it right this time with most all these containers you have been posting about. meanwhile if you only want to use organic fertilizers in both places - pots and beds - buy one of the many good organic liquid fertilizers available and use it, following label directions, to feed all your plants.

IMO you have bitten off way more than you will be able to chew much less swallow this year and it is going to create constant problems for you. Which is why I and others have encouraged you to slow down and learn before the fact, not after. But what's done is done so accept that this year is going to be a struggling learning curve for you and plan accordingly.

Dave

Thanks for all the criticism and advice. I'm trying to grow as much possible so that I can use as much as possible for the restaurant.

I'm going to dump all the containers and add in a potting mix.
Any recommendations?

Now the main focus is getting the soil correct and learning the correct way to water and care for vegetables.

I'd like to buy a liquid organic fertilizer any recommendations ?

Thanks again
Mario

Yeah, bottom line is that you probably couldn't cross pollinate a tomato if you *TRIED*, short of hand pollination.

In my garden cross pollination rate is anywhere from 0% to 20% or more of the seed in any fruit (average was 12% I think). Halactid sweatbees do the pollinating and crossing.

But that still means you will most likely get what you want from saving seeds, with the rare surprise.

Silverkelt, plant roses, grapes, and hazelnut trees and the JB's will ignore your corn....works for me (ugh)

How long does it take for the silk to become sticky? Its been 7 days since the silk has emerged and it does not seem sticky. Should I still try and hand pollinate?

Make a low hill/mound in the center of the bed and put 3-4 plants spaced around on the top of the hill, and then let the 3-4 vines run as they will. You'll get better pollination that way. Keep the bed well fed and WELL watered.

Dave

Thanks so much! Also, how long is the harvest period? And what type of cantaloupe is most similar to this one? So that I can look up a similar kind if I have any questions.

This post was edited by LoveBird258 on Tue, May 14, 13 at 16:37

Never really had a huge issue in the garden beds, but my kids sandbox was a issue for one of our cats for awhile, covered it in plexiglass for about a year or so.

But I have to comment on water, our cat WILL never drink from the water dish, dont even try anymore. Her favorite mode of drinking is for one of us to turn the upstaris bathroom faucet on so she can drink from the running water.

We have 3 beds in a neighborhood with a lot of cats...who thought they were giant litterboxes. This year I'd had enough and bought some of this
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Gardener-602-BirdBlock-Protective/dp/B00004RA0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368556526&sr=8-1&keywords=bird+garden+netting
put screws in the top of the beds and wrapped the netting around. So far worked well and I can cut out holes to plant into.

If snipping then in various steps along the way as recommended.

If pulling (not recommended) then ASAP.

As mentioned in your other posts, "keeping moist" is for germination only. Once germinated then watering is done as needed by the particular plant given its growing conditions.

Dave

Thanks guys. Trying to do everything as close to right a possible.

Seems like one issue after the next.

But that's the life of gardener I guess.

I'll get it together eventually

I pay a 22 year old $10 an hour to mow and week whack and dig. He lives with his mom and has no expenses to speak of I would pay more for someone trying to make a living. Sometimes I wonder if I am enabling him in staying with mom past appropriate age by giving him spending money but not enuf to actually be independent.

I have a 73 year old man who helps me....I know, sounds weirdly cruel, but he loves it and thinks it's the funniest thing when I tell him what I want him to do next. He will only accept $10 an hour. Let me tell you....this guy works harder than any 13 year old I've ever known. (I call him "Rock-Steady" because he only has only one pace, "slow," but he just plugs along steady as she goes!) I love him.

13 year olds have notoriously short attention spans...I would only pay them $7 or $8 an hour because most of that time will be spent watching you work... or watching the clouds, or sneaking in a text or two, or playing with the cat, or replanting the worms or talking, talking, talking while propping up the shovel....then time for a pop, then time for a bathroom break, then time for a popcicle, then time to call and check in with mother, ...... !

Besides, if you find that they a a great worker, you can always give a bonus as a surprise...Rock Steady gets a big kick out of it when I try to give him one!

I have a LOT less stink bugs than my neighbors. I'm wondering if it's because I plant a few tobacco plants. I know the neighbor's goats won't even go near the plants, much less nibble on them, and they eat EVERYTHING. If you do plant some, use gloves when harvesting. I feel sick when I don't.

We do have them in maine as well.. though our top crop damage is still JBs.. Stink bugs are all pretty tenacious, where JBs are not as bad, simple netting may or may not keep out the stink bug for you, remember they get into your house, any loose hole they can find and enter.

If you're in Z7-east, your peppers may do really well in your partial shade. I usually have to install a shade cover for mine to prevent sunscald on the fruits. In some countries, peppers are grown between strips of corn for shade and shelter.

Sunlight will get much more intense in the next few weeks as the earth tilts closer to old Sol.

I'm in 7B according to the NGA's finder (Atlanta area)...is that the same as 7-east?

Plant blueberries!

You might want to try a organic soil stimulator as well.