23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Have the same problem here my house is about 15 -20 feet from the veggie garden. The person applying the treatment asked if I were growing any veggies along the base of the house (I'm not) as that would be the only location to be concerned about. Even though the landscape slopes toward the garden he said it would not be impacted.
I first saw fall brassica seedlings growing in a greenhouse in Tennessee where it was at least 90 degrees. Since then I have been amazed at how much heat they can take. In fact, if you start too late and the plants are not big enough to take advantage of late summer warmth, b sprouts, broccoli, rutabaga etc won't make a good crop.
Some people set up an outdoor nursery bed for growing seedlings in summer, but I let mine germinate indoors and grow them on the deck, under a glass-topped patio table. It filters a little sun and keeps my little nursery from getting swamped by thunderstorms.
It's hot summer when I set the seedlings out, so I cover them with flower pots for a couple of days after transplanting, and then install a tulle tunnel to prevent aggravation from cabbageworms and armyworms. B sprout seedlings take several weeks to outgrow that little setup, but eventually the plants get huge and produce all through Oct and Nov.
I have not done it but have read about it.
It is just a hobby and fun stuff. But the most common I have heard is grafting tomato into potato. The result is that it grows potatoes in the ground and tomatoes on top. OF COURSE that is what they claim...hMMMM.
I like hybridizing idea. But it requires lot of discipline and years of work..no kidding and fun stuff here.
A number of folks are using Maxifort root stock and then grafting the target variety on to them. The theory being Maxifort is a vigorous root, and will be disease tolerant during the growing season. I will be trying this on several plants over this Winter as an experiment.
Raybo
I'm mainly thinking of herbs such as lemon and bee balm to attract bees and enhance flavor...
Ok, attracting pollinators is always a good thing! Even tho most veggies are self pollinating it is always handy to have them for the squash and such. All around the edges of the garden works well for that purpose. And they aren't picky either - most any flowering plants will get their attention.
Improving taste is another matter since it simply can't be proven/documented in any way and some problems can result depending on how planted - shading from the bigger plants, needing very different nutrient and water needs, competing for nutrients and water, attracting pests that can harm the primary crop (as marigolds do with aphids), etc. Again borders work ok, mixed in with the vegetables needs to be done with care.
A herb garden or patch or even in a separate row that is just herbs is a great thing to have and since herbs prefer much lower nutrient needs than vegetables they thrive best when away from all the heavy fertilizing is. Mixed in with the tomato plants and such - not so much.
Experiment with some placements and see what works for you best.
I posted this question in the companion planting...and got no replies
Yeah that's a problem and a clue as to the fading popularity of it. There is still alot of information to read there but it isn't active. When the fad was hot and heavy years ago it was pretty aggressive in this forum with all its claims and things got pretty heated so was given its own forum. Over time and with experience and questionable results the fad and the forum has pretty much faded. It just never developed into all it was initially cracked up to be.
Dave
I think I'll try bordering a bit and see what works... Not all that concerned about the flavor thing as anything out of the garden is gonna be delicious anyway! :-) I'll just stick with a couple that I know the bees like and maybe something small and colorful to catch their attention.
Thanks again, Dave! So glad I discovered this wonderful online community of gardeners; It's really helped tremendously! :-)
Its normal use assumes at least some drying now and then for best effect. Fully saturated and matted down it could cause a problem.
Can't you lift it, shake it out, fluff it up some, and dry it out some or prop it up on a center stake in some fashion so it drains better?
Dave
My tulle is just draped over my squash plants, with no central support. The leaves hold it up. Anchored at the periphery with 2x2s and bricks. Works fine. The squash doesn't mind. I slide a sprinkler underneath it and the spray comes down on top of it. Takes an hour to dry off completely after getting wet.
Now, if your row cover is denser or less permeable than tulle, it might be problematical. For example, row cover that is used for frost protection is not permeable. That's the whole idea. It could get pretty humid underneath that kind of row cover if it was wet and hot.
If it wasn't so rainy and windy, I probably wouldn't have covered anything. I did it out of an abundance of caution considering evening temps will be in the lows 40s until Tues night, wind gusts approaching 40mph Sat/Sun, and saturated soil in raised beds.
It wasn't fun fighting the wind and rain trying to cover those beds in plastic. I had to cut the sheets in my shed and then try to staple them over my cages and trellises into the bed frames while the wind played games with me.
I was so frustrated when I finished that I forgot about the strawberry seedlings on my deck until Galiana's response raised my eyebrows. Will have to check on them later.
Supposed to get down to 38 and gusts up to 32 mph tonight. Pouring right now - glad we covered the strawberries yesterday afternoon. I've already got some good-sized berries. Blueberries, apples, and raspberries (just starting to flower) may be toast by morning.
Looks like some sort of fungus or mold fruiting bodies. Probably breaking down the wood chips I think I see in the photo. Turning the wood into soil. Likely not a problem.
While you could indeed be overwatering, it is fairly common, I would expect the peppers to struggle more than the melons or squash if that were the case. Have you checked your ailing plants for various insect pests like squash vine borer and cucumber beetles and squash bugs? Cheers!
Normal production would be at least 3x that amount - it can be a very large pant - so yes I would move both peppers out to separate containers each if possible. If it is Sweet Basil it too can get quite big, easily 3' tall and 2 feet wide. Other varieties are lower growing.
Dave
I have experienced very severe damage from flea beetles, to the point that they destroyed half of the leaves, which gave the plants little energy to produce fruits. Neighbors and friends recommended diatomaceous earth, and it did absolutely nothing. I generally don't use any pesticides and what I do use are organic. So, I was out of luck that year.
The picture in the initial post is nowhere near that point. However, if it gets worse I recommend row cover. For in-ground gardening, it's the best way. I've also found that if I'm growing eggplants in containers, if I put them up on cinder blocks or whatever I have handy to raise them off the ground, that works like a charm. I did that last year. Got them about 2 feet off the ground, and the container was about a foot tall. The flea beetles couldn't jump that high, I guess.
Agree that it isn't a disease it is just environmental damage with perhaps a bit of salt damage from fertilizers. What fertilizers are you using and how often.
Try less frequent but much deeper watering. Peppers are water-sensitive and don't like to be wet all the time. Of course you can't control the rain but you can control any supplemental watering you may be doing.
And for future reference if you find burned, crispy, lightly curled edges of leaves it usually means too much N not too little. Peppers are not nitrogen lovers so go easy on the fertilizers.
You might also what to explore the Florida Gardening forum here and ask about proper planting dates for your area. I can't tell for sure how large or old this plant is but I suspect it may have been planted a little late. But the Florida gardeners would know best.
Dave
It does occur to me - it depends on the variety and when you plan to harvest them. If you're planting the long, slender imperator, or if you plan to harvest them as babies, you can probably manage that closer spacing (or at least 2"). Thicker varieties like Danvers, Nantes, and Chantenay, not so much.
If you do scatter the seeds and thin later, make sure you cut them off at the base rather than pull them up, so you don't disturb the other plants.
Digdirt: So, FAMILY rotation isn't nearly as important as GENUS rotation? What about peppers and tomatoes? What are some diseases that may be passed on between those two?
Briefly so as not to hijack this thread, my point was that crop rotation - be it genus or family - in the home garden isn't as vital an issue as it is for commercial growers and especially so when the soil is properly maintained. Maintaining a high level of beneficial bacteria in the soil via the addition of quality compost can cope with just about any contaminant.
As I mentioned, many home gardeners simply do not have the space/option of rotating crops and yet continue to garden year after year quite successfully in the same small area of soil. If rotation is possible then fine, do what you can. If not, be sure to use good soil practices.
The most common disease peppers and tomatoes share is Bacterial Spot. The bacteria has a very short life span in the soil and debris so using only disinfected seeds, removing infected plants, and good garden hygiene at season's end allows for follow-up crops in the same area.
Most of the common fungus diseases are also airborne and crop rotation can't help there.
Dave
Store bought potatoes work ok, providing the variety is suited to your area. Long season potatoes do not do well in south for example. The other danger is introducing a disease. Seed potaoes are grown under very stringent conditions and must be certified disease free.
Yes, tomatoes and potatoes are cousins.
When they flower, start setting tubers. So if you have a small fruit, then you have even bigger potatoes in the ground. But still growing. Mine are just about to flower. I see small buds coming.
I have grown potatoes in ATL, GA. I harvested in July. They wont set fruits(in the ground , nor grow them bigger , when soil tems get arouhnd 75F or so.