23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Since this is a repeat discussion let's try it this way. You tell us how much room you have for a garden and what shape you want it to be. If you have a couple of different sizes in mind, post them. Then we'll go from there.
We gave you sizes required for each type of plant in the other thread eg. each tomato needs a minimum of 2 sq. feet so for a row of 10 tomatoes you need an area at least 2-3 feet wide and at least 20 feet long. So it should be pretty easy to add those together for a total.
Dave
I agree with Dave. All there really is, is plant spacing... Once you know that, you can research yields of each plant, from there figure out how many plants suits your needs.. Then multiply how many plants you need by the spacing of each plant, bingo, that is your garden space! Don't make it harder than it is.. Just make a garden and go from there. You could determine the perfect garden spacing for years, that could be time you spent planting! Its never going to add up correctly, nature has her own agenda.. Some years you'll get tons of tomatoes, other years few... You can't make an exact calculation on nature, but you could get a rough idea.. The best way to do so is go out there and get some real experience! Get a rough idea, and get gardening my friend!
Joe
Purple1701, I think trial and error is the way most of us learn. Indeed, although I do consult a few resources now and then, most of my gardening is still done that way. (My mother says I was a stubborn child :)) I find it more fun than the scientific method. Admittedly, it's probably a bit more expensive, but since I grow mostly from seed, it's not too bad. Best wishes on your new endeavor!
...and here is part 2 of that video
Here is a link that might be useful: Drip Irrigation Part 2
By any chance did you take them from inside into the outside sunshine recently? If you don't do this gradually in a process called "hardening off" the leaves will get sunscorched. That's what it sounds like.
If they are scorched but not badly so, they will recover.
On a related note, I'm copying my question from the seed propagation page:
Can anyone identify if this leaf damage on my eggplant seedlings is a problem?
To me, it looks like light damage from the t5 bulbs, but if it is an insect or disease problem, the sooner I know the better.
thanks!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8698937@N02/8647323808/lightbox/
Farmerbill1952, your 1015 onions are short day onions. In my zone 9a we plant these in December. You are are one zone up. My guess your issues are mostly related to timing - not sure what is the proper planting month for area...
This post was edited by grandad on Mon, Apr 15, 13 at 9:37
Right. Your error was in timing. Onions are usually the very last thing that I plant in my fall/winter garden. They grow green onion tops all winter and into spring and then begin to bulb in April or so. Depending on the type, they are ready for harvest in May or June.
It is not recommended that you add nitrogen fertilizer to them once they start the bulbing process.
If you go to the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Website, they have a very detailed and informative tutorial on growing onions. Check it out.There is also an Allium Forum here on Gardenweb. Those folks really know their stuff, including the ones who responded here.
24L x 18.38W x 15.75H"
Ok I'm guessing that is feet not inches? Hard to imagine a compost bin that would be only 2 feet long and 18" wide. That would be a really tiny, microscopic compost bin.
But just in case that would hold 1 plant only and it would be hanging over the sides. How much would depend on the variety as not all zucchini plants are the same.
See the discussion further down the page about growing yellow crookneck in pots. Same thing applies.
Dave
Has it been colder or wetter than usual? A lot of my stuff seemed to take a while to take off this year.
Could you try getting more and different types of compost? I think Sq Ft gardening recommends 5, at least, for optimal results.
I would buy some Miracle Grow and try it on a single plant, just to see if that made a difference. I know composting won't help much this year, but a soil test would help you rule out a lot of issues.
I know that's not much help, but at least it could give you an idea of if the potential is there. I mean, you don't know what's been dumped on there in the last eight years. Or what was in the compost you bought. I'm getting read to buy a bunch so I can sympathize!
On the one hand, nine bags of composted manure in that much garden space isn't a lot. On the other hand, it's not as if soil is a blank slate without amendments, plus you're adding other fertilizer. So I don't think that your seedling issues are likely to be due to soil fertility issues.
I would lean toward other possibilities, like the suggestion that perhaps it's been colder or wetter (or warmer or dryer) this year than it was for your other garden. Is this new area just as sunny? Higher? Lower? Better drained? Swampy? Are you planting at the same time as last year?
Warmth makes a big difference for both basil and peppers.
Also - did you purchase the seed this year? I have some genovese basil seed that germinated ok the first year - hardly at all the second year and nothing the third year. You may need fresh seed.
I used this yesterday for lettuce. Just sprinkled tp squares with water and spaced the seeds out, wetting as needed. I planted each square immediately, so I didn't worry about glue or drying.
The dark seeds were a LOT easier to space against the white paper. Light seeds were still easier than broadcasting.
Will know how it worked, assuming my seeds were good, in a few days!
I had the same problem , and i tryed seed tape. But I need alot.
Instead I made a planting stck out of a old hollow mop handle. It has a part that sticks out to one side. I use that part as a measure.
The Stick allows me to plant seeds ever 2 and 4 inches apart, while standing up.
I use a funnel at the top of the tube so it's easy to put the seeds in the tube.
I'm in 7a, northern Virginia.
And yes, around late July or August I lose some plants.
I am okay with that because I don't have a lot of options-I am somewhat disabled, can't really do an inground garden but have tons of space on my huge deck to do some container gardening.
Seeds are cheap, it's easy to have replacement plants to replace the ones I lose so I do things that may not be ideal.
So, it depends on your goals-if your goal is to get a few servings of squash a week and you are willing to lose a few plants, have some back ups etc you can grow just about anything in containers.
I would rather plant a lot of plants and lose some then not have a garden at all so I do what I can.
The big rubbermaid-type storage containers make great garden pots. Get a drill bit that makes a hole at least 1/2" in diameter (1" is better). Or stab their bottoms with a strong knife and twist it, depending on what your disability allows :). You want holes you can put your finger through, maybe 6 in the bottom of each pot.
If you don't mind the look, get some kids' wading pools and put the pots in them (before you fill with soil). Bottom watering is much, much, much better for plants and productivity. Add some BT grains to keep mosquitoes from breeding, fill pots with half compost and half whatever (potting soil, peat, coir, coconut, sand....) and Bob's your uncle.
Here peas end in the middle of the season, July 20th or so. So I follow them with fall crops, I think its some beets this year.
I plant spinich or mustard greens before Bush or pole beans.The greens are usualy done by June 10th.
If I plant raddishes before beans I can get the beans in by May 18th.
I've never done later pole beans, but I've gotten a crop off bush beans planted no later than July 1st.
Of course these dates are aproximate.
Swiss chard likes the heat so you should be able to leave it in place all summer. I started mine in mid-May last year and they produced well into fall. This year, I started them mid-April (this past weekend) to extend the harvest even further; just keep picking the outer leaves and let the middles grow all season.
For the others, it depends on what varieties you're using and their days to maturity, as well as whether you'll be harvesting all at once or bit by bit. And, of course, the weather doesn't always cooperate -- it could get so hot in May your lettuce will bolt, or it could be so cool that you need to hold the tomatoes until June.
So my suggestion is to make a general plan based on days to maturity of your various plants, while recognizing that you'll need to be flexible if crops aren't as far along as you'd hoped by a given date. (At which point, you'd need to either find a different spot for the warm season crop that is supposed to go there, or pull the cool season crop early to make room.)