24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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Stu Zone 7a

Appreciate the advice all! I got the soil, compost, peat and perlite all mixed in today!

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Peter (6b SE NY)

In the Spring working the soil too soon can make it get very hard as well... so another vote for now.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

It's a little deep but the odds are they will make it up. I normally trench mine in 8" deep but only cover them with a couple of inches of soil and then build it up as they come up through. Main thing is don't over-crowd the containers. So depend ing on how many you added you may want to remove a few of them if you can get to them easily.

Dave

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lenarufus

Yes I think I'll take them out again and replant in separate bags, they may be a bit crowded now. Thanks

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

<Any other thoughts on whether the taste would be good enough to justify the effort in cutting up one?>

Not sure what else can be said. It is a personal taste thing. Calling something 'edible' only means it won't hurt you, that it can be eaten if necessary not that it should be eaten at that stage.

Most people prefer the flavor of ripe fruit over the flavor of green fruit regardless of the fruit in question. That's why we look for the ripe ones in the grocery store, right? And as several have said, the longer you can wait for them to ripen the better the quality.

Greener fruit has a sharp bite, an acidic bite you don't find in ripe fruit. Greener, unripened fruit are notably less sweet and harder textured. They have a very different mouth feel as well. Whether that will appeal to you or not only you can know. So if you are desperate to eat one, go for it. They are your pumpkins. :-)

Dave

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A J(9A)

Learn patience. On the vine or off the vine, the time you should wait will be the same. Is it edible right now? Sure. Would I eat it? Not until I was sure it wasn't going to ripen anymore. You're growing pumpkins for pies--let the flavor develop fully. Grow smaller or ones that ripen quicker next year.

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slobeachguy

I'm so sorry it's taken me weeks to respond. We had a couple of family emergencies that had to be resolved.

The soil mix was (approximately) 50% plain Uni Gro potting mix, 10% horticultural sand, 10%-15% vermiculite and perlite, 10% cocoblend by Black Gold, and 15% Fox Farm premium potting mix. I added a touch of acidifier in slow release form, some Dr. Earth veg food, some Dr. Earth acid lovers food, and some Dr. Earth root starter food (the total combined foods equaled about 1 cup for the 20 gallon pot) to start the lower layer.

We laid in 3-4 inches of soil mix (without the Fox Farm, which went into the upper layer mixes) and covered the seeds with another 2 inches or so. Firmed lightly and then watered them in. The first 2 weeks were beautiful. At about 6 inches, we did the first hilling with the same soil mix, except including some Fox Farm. Last year, we had no wilting at all using pretty much the same mix and method.

It was very cool to cold this April and May, while 2014 had frequent hot spells of 85 to nearly 100 degrees for 3 or 4 days at a time. We had some wilting last year, but only because I wasn't watering enough at first in the extreme heat. I know that heat slowed down production at a crucial time, but we got about 6 lb per pot that summer. I went ahead and harvested what we had this year in mid-August. Where we had potatoes, they were mostly small with a few good sized ones on the few healthy plants with only a couple on each of the "regrowth" ones. The Russian fingerlings had about 4 lb total; the Cherry Red about 3 lb; the others had maybe 2 lb each. So maybe 10-11 lb total for four 20 gallon pots. Obviously, whatever happened stopped or slowed production on even the plants that seemed unaffected because those plants had beautiful potatoes, just very few of them. Oh, only the one plant ever flowered and it had 6 or 7 pretty darn nice ones. The potatoes we got were very flavorful and in good condition, except for a couple with split skins.

Everything is cleaned and prepped for the next planting. I'm going to try a couple of pots for the winter because our climate is so mild. On a side note, I took the healthiest soil and set it to start solarizing for use as part of the mix in pea pots this winter. A few days ago, I noticed the inevitable tiny potato plant coming from the itty bitty potato I missed harvesting. Question: When I load the soil into the shallow boxes (with tight lids or 2 layers of heavy plastic covering the top) to fully solarize, will that kill/stop any remaining tiny "seeds"?

I think I need more sand to further lighten the soil for this winter planting, but how do I keep it moist as well? The fabric pots, which I love for healthy roots, dry out faster. I thought maybe some Soil Moist worked into the mix for slow release moisture? The other problem is finding any appropriate sand here. Our native sand compacts into little brick-like clumps, so that's out. Any ideas?

Thank you so much for responding. I truly did not mean to neglect this and appreciate any help or suggestions you can give me.

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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

It seems to me that fungal wilts and diseases tend to be worse when the soil is regularily too moist.

If you still have a lot of growing season left, I think I would let them keep on growing.

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marketgardener

Jrslick, where do you buy your ladybugs from? Have you had decent success with them?

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jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)

High Sierra ladybugs, http://www.highsierraladybugs.com, I have an order coming tomorrow. Not a minute too soon. I started harvesting kale today and found I have more aphids than I thought. I hope the bugs can wage an aphid genocide! I have always released 5,000-10,000 ladybugs every winter growing season, even if I can't find aphids. It is the cheapest and most effective aphid control I know of. There are other bugs you can release too, but I stick with ladybugs.

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Marianne W (zone 10A)


Growing season is just starting up--picked a bunch of key limes and the first eggplant and pepper of the season. Calliope eggplant and padron pepper.

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illiveggies

Almost getting to a close here - got some nice fall radishes and few okra stragglers.

http://edenpatch.com/harvests?uid=1&sdt=2015-09-30&edt=2015-10-01

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slimiest_okra

I live in the neighboring province and I agree with the others. Heat is definitely not the issue here. Of course there are some veggies that don't like heat, such as spinach, most herbs, kale, etc. My best guess is that the soil is compacted and does not drain well. Try raised beds, and focus on warmth-loving veggies.

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Rosemary Freitas(6, but I prefer to follow 5)

try lasagna/no dig method. It will give you a raised, well drained and moist soil that will retain moisture at a low cost. Collect coffee grounds from shops and buy some straw, A bit of bagged soil. Then if it is still too hot go for the trellis idea if you are able. 3inches of straw, 1 inch of organic matter and cover with sufficient soil to seal over the organic smelly stuff, about 1-2 inches of soil. keep all layers moist as you build. Oh and start with wet cardboard, it will be good for earthworms. also If there are no earthworms import them to your plot. With all that paving the soil very well may be dead and compacted and without earthworms. That is why I suggest this no dig method. I built up 5 layers in each bed.

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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Do you know whether you have Common Dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) or Greater Dodder (Cuscuta europaea)? AFAIK those are the 2 species you are likely to see in Italy. I have never experienced Dodder in my garden and it is actually quite scarce in the wild in the UK. But I do know it fairly well and I really don't think it poses much threat to your plants. I've never seen it in a cultivated setting and I've never seen it growing on annuals, only on low shrubs or coarse perennials. If it does pop up in your vegetables it should be easy to pull if you can get to it while it's still growing in the ground before it establishes parasitically. And if your own patch is well cultivated Dodder is unlikely to establish a foothold as the seedlings die if they don't reach a host in a few days.

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philat(Zone 9 Italy)

I think it is Cuscuta europaea. I encountered it first in some contaminated seed compost. It was quite destructive on my small tomatoes, basil and aubergines. It puts out long tendrils a bit like ivy and is able to advance quickly.

I hope you are correct floral-uk.

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beesneeds(zone 6)

Tomatoes and eggplant indoors many weeks early... I tend to pre-sprout my fresh eating beans, which is just a few days for that then plant in the sprouts. I then overplant my sprouts to help account for critter damage. If it's a very long season bean for drying beans, I tend to start the seeds a couple weeks before planting out to let them get a true set of leaves on before transplanting. For cukes and zukes, I start those out a couple weeks early to get a true set of leaves on too.
For root crops, those are always direct seeded.

I live in a colder zone that you though, so those couple extra weeks count for me in a way they may not for you.

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LoneJack Zn 6a, KC

Agree with the Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers all being started indoors a couple months prior to plant out. I also start all Brassicas indoors like Broccoli, Kale, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprouts about 4-5 weeks prior to plant out. Heading type lettuce gets started about 3 weeks prior to plant out. Alliums like leeks and onions get started indoors about 10-12 weeks prior to plant out since they take awhile to size up.

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slimiest_okra

Beet seedlings can handle temperatures down to 20 degrees F in my experience. However, their ideal germination temperature is 80 degrees. Started early in very cold soil, the seeds take forever to germinate. If you're planting a small area, transplants are a good idea.

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zzackey(8b GA)

I have plenty of seeds. I can keep planting them. I found an different Florida Gardening guide today. It said to start them in Sept. The seed packs tend to be wrong for me.

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A J(9A)

Wine cooler seems like a waste. Look on craigslist for a free/cheap fridge or freezer with adjustable temp.

Also hot garage = appliance overworking = shortened life + wasted electricity.

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slimiest_okra

Veggies that don't store well at fridge temperatures, including in my experience, are eggplant, okra, green tomatoes, green peppers and sweet potatoes. For all of these except the sweet potatoes, a fridge set to its warmest setting will maintain 45 degrees which is warm enough.
Potatoes can be stored in the fridge provided you let them warm up for a couple of days before eating them, otherwise they do taste a little sweet.

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jjjjade H

ok. thanks

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slimiest_okra

I've had good luck with D'Avignon, which is a fast-growing French Breakfast type. For round, German Giant works for me (despite the name, don't let them grow to a giant size - harvest at golf ball size or less). Radishes are best grown in spring and fall. If you're south of the 40th parallel, it isn't too late for you to seed a fall crop of radishes now.

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lizzah47

Know all the methods of weed control. I also have my own liquid weed killer....that works on weeds only. WEED MAN is dead to me. .... Will be using landscape paper and outdoor carpet in a small area, just to see how it goes. My dad has outdoor carpet on the deck for years, never became moldy...just became thin with wear and tear. I think landscape paper will change the degradation of the fibers. Carpet that has been left out for tooo many years, with a lot of moisture will rot. for sure. Called a carpet depot... Dark brown outdoor carpet is not cheap, custom order. This is an experiment at best. Hope it works.

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NHBabs(4b-5aNH)

Lizzah, I think the difference between carpet on soil and carpet on a deck is air circulation. Decks have narrow openings between the boards that allow water to drain and sir to reach the underside of the carpet, whereas dirt maintains a moist surface against the underside of the carpet, at least here in NH where we get something over 40" of precip annually.

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Shell

Thanks! Gardening is a continual learning process.

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catherinet(5 IN)

Wow jrslick............the spinach in your link looks wonderful!

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vamtngranny

Do the HH pods stay tender at larger sizes? I grow varieties that are still edible at 4-6" and am unsure I would want to trade out for more pods.

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irfourteenmilecreek

vamtngranny,

Heavy Hitter is a Clemson Spineless variety of heavily branching, high production okra. It starts producing tender pods within 60 days after germination, so it's popular with market growers, being one of the first varieties to be ready for sale at the Farmers' Market.

The pods are the same as Clemson Spineless in quality. They are tender up to 4 days old. Tenderness has more to do with pod age than with pod size. With lots of rain, a 6" inch pod will be tender at 4 days of age... With little rain, a 2" inch pod might be tough at 4 days old.

I pick the majority of my pods at 4" inches. Any longer, and no one at the Farmers Market will buy them, tender or otherwise, folks just don't trust long pods.

With okra, a lot depends on weather conditions, but if you are familiar with Clemson Spineless pods, then you already know Heavy Hitter. Just picture a much higher production rate, due to several fruiting

branches.

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