23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Also, from elsewhere on the site, it showed that a separate pack holding the seeds was inside the folded art pack. It looked like the art pack could be easily unfolded and framed.

"First, the factual. Each art pack unfolds to reveal a seed packet full of seeds. On the seed packet, you will find specific planting information.

The number of seeds allows you to plan your garden, the number of days helps you figure out when to plant. The short paragraph gives specific information for each variety--the type of soil they require, the amount of water and sunlight. There is also a description of how large the plant will grow and what to expect out of a single planting.

As far as fun goes, the information printed on the back of the art packs is the stuff of interesting dinner conversation. Each art pack has the variety name in English and Latin, as well as the artist's bio and a bio of the seed variety."

Here is a link that might be useful: Scroll to Art Packs: New and Improved

Thanks guys. I guess you are better at searching websites than me - I looked for that info and couldn't find it - guess I didn't look hard enough!

Appreciate the help,
Julia

Thanks glib. Do you test your soil?

I have tested it once, but not at the beginning. Unless you have very sandy soil, a few applications of OM will give you good soil except for N.

I also find that cucumber is a fussy plant. I am attempting more of them than usual this year, in different situations, maybe I'll learn something about what they prefer.

Last year there were by far more posts about cucumber problems on this forum that anything else.

They are obviously a bit trickier than most of the other vegetables. I certainly get more fungus/disease problems with mine than anything else I have tried to grow.

My first year with them was by far the best and I have been hoping to repeat that for the past 4 years.

Are you sure it's St. Augustine? Usually St. Augustine is pretty easily smothered for me, but it takes a lot to kill bermuda grass. If it really is St. Augustine coming up, the few times that's happened for me, it's been really really easy to pull up - just a patch here or there.

But I keep thinking maybe you have Bermuda coming up instead - that stuff sure is tenacious.

please post images

Your raised beds are really containers since they are not in contact with the ground. The combination of Miracle Gro garden soil and top soil is a very heavy and water retentive mix that really shouldn't be used in a container. Do the beds have good drainage? Is the soil drying out between waterings? If your plants haven't shown growth in a couple weeks, your problem is not going to be solved by adding fertilizer. If the soil is waterlogged, the plants are drowning and can't use fertilizer. If that's the case, you might want to pull the plants, replace part of the soil with a container potting mix and get new plants.

It does seem to dry out between waterings but I will probe down deep and check to be sure. If it is too wet, I'll make more holes. Thanks.

I'll make them grow upright instead.

When properly hilled with soil and then mulched they grow upright naturally.

Dave

These are red potatoes. The two I started 5 weeks ago from last year's crop (two tiny potatoes) are as big as the one I started 2-3 weeks ago from seed potatoes purchased from the farmers market. It's possible that they are different, but they're both red. I'm surprised to see flowers so early too. Maybe it's the Arizona sun. A few days ago I found a little potato the size of a nickle.

I will take your advise and pile more dirt as they grow taller. How many inches of leaves should I leave above the soil?

Yes, excellent article. It does speak to chemical residue in non-"O" seed and fraudulent "O" seed that is in reality non-"O".

Hopefully the USDA and other "O" governing bodies perform the same level of follow up as this German report.

Case closed. I found USDA "O" seed in bulk at a local heath food store, which is right across the street from a nursery that I frequent. The prices are reasonable, and the brand is Handy Pantry.

transplanting can slow down squash, but I grow several every year and always transplant. Even my giant pumpkins get transplanted after it is 2 feet tall and wide. Transplant carefully and you should have no problem. It looks to me like maybe too cold and too wet. ? Where are you located? I am on the coast of British Columbia and this (last week of May or first week of June) is when I set my plants to ground from the green house.
Don't fertilize until they show growth. If you can put a cover over them that will help to warm them up but DON"T burn them!. You need root growth in June. Taking off the first few flowers will let leaves and roots develop. Leaves and roots are what feed the fruit.

Sounds to me like these guys just need to get their roots established. I transplant squash routinely with success, but squash that are transplanted out of a rootbound pot will take longer to get established. The existing roots aren't pointed radially outward. The plants look reasonably healthy, but are those flowers??? Get rid of them. The plants needs to be concentrating on greenery. If you get a fruit set right now on one of those plants, it isn't going to grow any more. I also agree that you should hold off on the fertilizers until they are established.

For staking tall tomatoes - 10ft long, 1/2" iron rebar works best for me. Driven 2' into the ground leaves you with 8' to work with. Lasts forever. Use visegrips and 5# hammer to drive into ground. Home improvement stores have them. I bought all of mine (30) almost 30 years ago when they were a bit cheaper.
Happy Staking!

I use tall wood stakes for my tomatoes. They are hard to find. My friend uses tree limbs. Things have gotten to expensive for me to buy. I have to be creative with what God has given me intead.

Definite yes to chard -- mine grows all summer, even last summer when it was ridiculously hot and dry. Qualified yes to beets and carrots. The ones I planted in May and June last year grew well, but I had a difficult time getting either to germinate in July and August when it was really hot.

Other ideas -- how about green beans, soy beans, melons, squash, sweet potatoes? They all like the heat.

Kathy

Wow, great suggestions, thanks.. Sweet potatoes sound great and the carrots and chard would make great use of the garden space too! I tried to germinate Swiss chard seeds about 3 wks ago (last year's seeds) to no avail, but I think they may have been in the sunlight in the sunroom over the winter.

I could probably plant 4 melon/squash plants per bed if I wanted to - I'll have to think about that because I decided not to do melons thios year (because of the space).

Thanks again y'all and happy gardening!