23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Yep it's their first year.. I didn't expect to see much this year (or on my raspberries) but the strawberries are still pretty much the same size as when I transplanted them. I did give them nitrogen shock, with a few other plants, but the other plants have recovered and started to take off while the berries still sit there. They put out a flower here and there, which I pick off as I read to do, But other than that, they haven't done much.

I use 5 ft wide re-mesh placed horizontally against, and wired, to 6 ft long T posts for the lower trellis height (so base height is 5 ft). T Posts are about 1 ft deep and placed at 4 1/2 ft intervals. I add an extension to the top of the re-mesh using a lighter gauge 2" by 4" wire. The lighter wire has a 3 ft width and runs the length of the re-mesh base. The extension is wired to 4 or 5 ft long poles which are placed against, and also wired, to the re-mesh. The extension has a 1 ft overlapping of the re-mesh so the total trellis is 7 ft - or about the height to which I can reach. Poles supporting the extension are spaced about 3 to 4 ft apart. The spade cleat on T Post keeps the trellis from blowing over in high wind. Bricks placed under the re-mesh at ground level to keep the re-mesh above ground to protect it from soil corrosion.

I've never really understood why anyone goes to all the trouble of trellising pole beans or peas. Sweet peas I understand, since you want the flowers to be as visible as possible, but not edible beans. I plant bean seeds 2-3" apart in a 5' wide row, and they support themselves, forming a mat that is surprisingly tidy (maybe a few wayward vine tips drifting into the path). The mat is not too dense to prevent easy harvesting, but you do have more sneaky hideaways, I imagine, than you would with trellised beans.


I must admit I bought indeterminate patio starter tomatoes (rather then raising from seed) for the
Bato buckets. I believe at least one was a money maker. It has been so cold, grey and damp that
I couldnt really use the Greenhouse until mid April. I have subsequently grown a batch of
Amish paste, grape and cherries for my regular outside garden. They are growing like
weeds. I used NC tomato mans method - start 30 seeds in a yogurt cup let em pop and grow for a
week or 2 then transplant to individual cells. You can see that here... Man it works great even when
they are that young they survive transplanting very well.


Figured it was sunscald, But to answer your question, I'm not sure if they were hardened off, as these were transplants from the local garden ctr, and where they were was shaded. Any chance of recovery??
This post was edited by bomber095 on Thu, May 9, 13 at 19:00

Thanks for all your input folks. I took 10 of the largest tomatoes outside, repotted them, and rolled them into the garage at night. There were 4 Rosso Sicilian plants that were just monsters (I've never grown them before, quite impressed).
I'll probably take out a few more each night (there's about 20 more still inside), when they've clearly outgrown thier temprary housing.
Thanks again.

Over hardening is ambiguous to me. Sounds like Over Cooking. But if it implies doing it for a long while, it should then be good thing.
Hardening Up is nothing but making your plants to get used to their new habitat: i.e. temperature, sun and wind, gradually. At some point when the danger of cold and frost is over then you just plant them in their new home.




Here you go. More than anyone probably wants to know about SVB and the various controls.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: SVB Control discussions

Sometimes I get stuff like that as I get towards planting time, when I get overwhelmed with all the gardening projects and I water them too much, too little, or fertilize too much, or to little. I am not really sure what is what, I just know it is typical for me to have a flat or two of my tomatoes/peppers with weirdness on the leaves.
It always fixes itself once they are hardened off and planted int he warm ground.

Thanks for the photo assist, Dave.
They are planted in promix, and I have not fertilized. But I just realized I used the promix vegetable and herb blend! That could explain why my eggplant seedlings looked bad as well (which I thought was a light issue)!
Yes, they are cowpots, which I thought was a huge mistake, but the small pots held up so well I used the larger ones when I potted up. I plan on removing them when I plant in my garden.
thanks for the input, everyone! So it does not look like disease to you? I had such an abysmal year for tomatoes last year (pin worms, fun) that I am a bit paranoid now. Realizing my dumb potting mix could be the issue--we'll see soon. It is finally warming up here so I can plant outside.


Does anyone know if tinfoil or aluminum foil works to repel slugs and snails? I am trying out this method (details in the link) where you use pieces of tp rolls and wrap them in tinfoil then place it around the base of your plants. (not my idea or blog, someone else's)
Here is a link that might be useful: Slug collars


I got everything planted except for squash. I'll get that in a few days. It's been mostly sprinkles and good old fashioned pitter patter rain so far. The good side is that it seems to be warmer. The over cast skies made for stress free transplanting too.
As far as strawbales go....i wouldn't mind growing potatoes in them; but i'm a dirty girl. I want to dig and feel the dirt between my toes!
Ya'll have a great soggy day!
Thanks again for all the feedback!


It depends on where you live. You don't list your zone on your profile, and we'd need to know that before we can tell you.
It also depends on how well the seedlings are doing, and whether you've hardened them off. Do a search for "hardening off" on this forum or on google to learn how to do that.

Never grown it so I wouldn't know. But, one thing I found interesting about fennel while researching companion planting for veggies -- almost nothing is good as a companion.
Kevin
Here is a link that might be useful: according to wikipedia

I grow bulb fennel twice a year, in spring and fall. It's a reasonably heavy feeder, but the plants take a while to gain size -- longer than the seed packets say. Any good garden soil of average fertility is fine. I mix a standard application of organic fertilizer into the soil before planting, and drench with a high N liquid when the plants start to bulb. The spring crop matures in late June, the fall crop (started indoors in July) is ready in October.



The big plant on the right looks like a ground cherry (a weed to me). There is a Name that Plant forum on here, you will get better responses there. If you didn't plant it then it is likely a weed you are cultivating.
It looks quite like a wild nightshade that grows as a common weed in socal. I hear the berries are edible when ripe, but otherwise poisonous, but they are too tiny to be worth it to me.
Here is a link that might be useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_nigrum