23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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! :-)

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.

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

perfect, thanks everyone for the replies.. i really appreciate it!

ok ty very ozzy

Easiest way is to mulch the whole thing in the fall with leaves, hay, etc, and turn it in in the spring. You get all the organic material as well and much less work.

Broadcast the seed in the container. Then broadcast a thin (1/8") layer of potting soil. Several times, as the carrots emerge and grow, clip off at soil level the crowding plants to an ultimate spacing of 3"

GL

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

Thanks Dave. Learn something new every day. :)

Kevin

The spacing on the hill is to provide space for the roots not for the vines. So 12" is a good conservative number , if you have two seedling planted together. If you have planted them singly, then 8" can do.

12-15. 15 if you don't want a hassle training them. Sometimes it's a pain in the a** if the tendrils grab on to the vine of an adjacent plant.

Kevin

Len, in the northern hemisphere mulching in the spring slows down soil warming so your advice in this case is precisely opposite to what is needed. Unless you are talking about black plastic or fabric.

Thanks all, the plants remain indoors in water and will be going out Sunday or Monday after a cold rainy Saturday and next week is supposed to be much more conducive for warm weather planting. I have had black plastic covering the planting area for about a week so it should be sufficiently warmer than surrounding areas.

I think it depends on the plant.. Some tolerate having their roots messed with more than others.

Root vegetables and plants like squash that have taproots don't like their roots being disturbed at all. But most everything else will be fine with disturbance. In fact, roots for the most part are much more resilient than stems and leaves. If the plant is rootbound it is a good idea to break apart the roots some. I have heard that wherever a root breaks it will grow two branches to compensate. Still, I'd only disturb around the edges - nothing major.

I use liquid fence... I spray around the perimeter of my garden and areas of my yard which are deer access points ... I have been lucky for the last two years with only liquid fence... as my garden is getting bigger I will probably invest in the scarecrow soon. Also pain of liquid fence is you have to keep it up.... if it rains you have to make sure you go back out and respray...

I also plant chilli plants in the front ( I have found chillis with bite markes in them but no bite marks in my toms yet) and this year I am going to try strong smelling herbs.... mint, thyme, rosemary... last year marigolds worked well for me.

"I also plant chilli plants in the front ( I have found chillis with bite markes in them but no bite marks in my toms yet) and this year I am going to try strong smelling herbs.... mint, thyme, rosemary... last year marigolds worked well for me."

Deer won't eat hot pepper fruit, but they do like the foliage. They don't however, like the C. pubescens species as the leaves are fuzzy. So add fuzzy leaved plants to your list. I grew the cherry tomato Velvet Red that has fuzzy leaves one year and they didn't bother it until the toms started to ripen. Then the only damage was broken branches when they went after the toms. The toms of this plant are fuzzy too, but not fuzzy enough to put the deer off.

I've never lived in GA, but I have grown corn in central Illinois, with full summers of 90+ degrees and 90%+ humidity. Lots and lots of corn grown there in very hot summers.

I have a bad back and a torn shoulder so I will opt for just replanting and hope for the best. I have lots of other plants and gardens to water all summer, so that's not a problem. I understand the bug issue. I thought it would grow, but I've only grown it twice. Once at the right time and once as a fall crop. I'm always trying to push the zone.