23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
And what has your weather been wherever you are? Cool and wet like many have been having equals no growth. Save the fertilizer for when the plants are established and showing growth. Only makes the problem worse right now.
Dave
It's usually wind or over-fertilization that causes mid-rib breakage.
Corn responds best to timed fertilization (and different types, NO3 vs NH4, depending on the time (though that's not crucial)).
That said, as long as it's just a few leaves it generally doesn't effect the plant too negatively unless the breakage is at the collar of the leaf.
In the future, time your fertilization efforts appropriate for your area (generally pre-planting/very-early and at silk emergence). Some areas may need/suggest side dressing during the season between these points. You can find suggestions from successful locals or your local extension agency.
Organic veggie fertilizer will burn tiny seedlings. Use a very diluted (1/4th strength) soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro, once a week. Too much heat isn't good after germination. They like it around 65-70 degrees. 16 hours of light a day is enough and the lights should be 1" from the seedlings. I think you are over-loving your plants!
ltilton...This should answer your question
Here is a link that might be useful: Old Thread
This is the first year I have ever had a garden so I am trying to learn as fast as I can.
My garden is 14' x 28', we just bought the house last year and the garden was already there. Last fall I poured about 5-6 bags of grass clippings into it and tilled everything together this spring. After tilling my neighbor mentioned I should use landscape fabric to handle the weeds which sounded like a good idea. Now I am not sure as I am learning more and more.
I used scotts 4' x 200' landscape fabric and covered the entire garden. I then cut holes out to plant all of my vegetables. I have corn, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, jalepenos, Strawberries, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and spinach.
Everything is growing very well but I don't know if the fabric is the best way to handle weeds. Do you think I should take it out and lay down a layer of Compost or mulch instead? Would this help the plants grow even better?
I didn't want to add mulch on top of the fabric because I don't want to have to deal with pulling it up when I want to till next year. Please let me know your thoughts, thank you in advance.
I went from using landscaping fabric from the local garden center to something called Lumite from Shaw Fabrics (via a tip from Gardenweb) and I couldn't be happier.
The Lumite is woven strips of some kind of plastic and lasts for years. I plant my tomatoes between two 3-foot strips of Lumite and run a soaker hose between them.
I can only access my garden on the weekends so it saved me huge amounts of time (not) weeding.
This year, I'm using a 4-foot wide strip to plant my peppers and eggplants and basil in/under. I have 2 rows of holes about 14 inches in from the outside edge, again with soaker hoses underneath.
The best way to cut it is using a torch so it melts the ends so it doesn't unravel.
Here is a link that might be useful: Lumite
After the discussion of roly bugs here, I went to the garden yesterday and put more yeast in the bowl. It rained last night, but the bowl did not overflow. There were a wide variety of insects already floating in the bowl, including roly poly and - bellieve it or not - a squash bug. It was the first I had seen of the season, so I took it out for closer inspection. Yup, squash bug. I inspected the squash plants and found a nest of eggs under one leaf. Its gone now! I checked all squash and found one more bug far away on a trombocini squash plant. I squashed him and found no eggs on those plants.
Just thinking that by eliminating the first generation of squash bugs, what a difference that could possibly make on the season. I'll be on close watch now and will likely add more bowls of yeast in all areas where there are squash plants.
I was planning on baby greens in 2 more weeks, just want it to hold out til then. Supposed to be 30-40 DTM I forget when I start it but transplanted a couple of weeks ago and it's looking good. Same with kale. Need something to bring to first market June19.
I've read that growing pepper plants close together can be beneficial because it can help keep the plants cooler and provide a canopy for the fruits (which are prone to sun scald). You'd think that a plant should be able to provide its own canopy, so that seemed a little dubious to me. Thoughts?
Annew21:
I've had colored bells that have gotten burnt on their shoulders and maybe an Anaheim or 3. It's the larger, thicker fleshed varieties that may get burned. Usually when you're waiting for them to change color. All my other varieties -- never.
Kevin
Hi-ChicagoDeli...I have seen your postings over the last week or so and I felt compelled to tell you how much I admire how hard you are working to get your garden going. I hope you get some sunny weather over there soon. Your set up is amazing. :) Jude
Thanks very much I really appreciate it.
I'm also the chef at my restaurant so from 6am till 3pm I'm cooking , but thoughts of grilled cheese are not going through my head, only thoughts of how to make the garden better. I'm obsessed !
But I really wanted to get them off to the best start possible so I'm trying my hardest to do so. I definitely bit of work than I can chew but I'm going to try to make the best of it and work hard to get everything growing.
Ill keep posting pictures throughout the season
Goodluck with your garden hope you have bountiful harvests.
chitting, in the UK, does not involve cutting, merely leaving the potatoes in a cool light place for the incipient sprouting eyes to develop into mini stems. I have never bothered to cut my seed potatoes, or even rub out eye shoots - one way or another, potatoes will grow, chitted or not, cut or not, given decent soil and a modicum of water.
This year I purchased egg-sized seed potatoes. It was cold for so long, I just left them in their brown bags until I was ready to plant. They had some sprouts on them and I just dug a hole in the raised bed and put the whole thing in and covered with soil. They are coming up just fine. In the past, I have cut and dried and not problem that way either.
Keski
Squash happens! But I do agree that seems to be a very small pot for squash! Mine get to be 4-5 feet across!
You might want to re-plant either in the ground or in a very large container! I don't think it will thrive in that small container. Nancy
You have a baby zucchini there! See? Just give it a couple days. You are over-thinking this; let Mother Nature take charge and you'll have zucchini.