23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
I've been advised by nursery that strawberries can not take the full sun of the summer times here in Tucson, AZ.
So I thought about building some type of dome made of sun shade netting, but do not want the garden to look like a dump.
Thought of bell peppers also....
It is possible to grow potatoes by setting them on bare ground and covering with a few inches of hay or straw. As the foliage comes up one thickens the mulch periodically. If you are inclined to save money the combination of wood ash and urine gives NPK.
Potatoes are heavy feeders while carrots are light feeders. Carrots do need decent levels of P and K while potatoes also need ample levels of N. Loose soil is always desirable for raising crops and when first preparing a garden in most soils that is achieved by some tillage.
Lastly, in that very high latitude you can realize bumper harvests and you may even be lucky enough to have volcanic soil.
I did use the MiracleGro that has the feeder that attaches to a hose and uses the dried blue crystals and mixes as the water flows. It kind of makes sense because it appears to be a "blast" pattern that these spots make on the plants - hitting in a line, missing some and hitting others.
I had a similar surprise today. I had carefully weeded my vegetable garden before adding my plants, so was puzzled when something was growing from under one of the stepping stones I had laid down.
I forgot I had planted a potato last fall after it had sprouted in my kitchen. It must have sat dormant over the winter, but now it's growing strong.
I'm going to leave it, since it's not really taking up much room with its roots under the stone.
This post was edited by SaraElise on Sat, Apr 13, 13 at 17:52
It isn't squash bug egg nor SVB egg nor cucumber beetles egg, the most common squash pests. The next most likely is aphid clusters.
But it could be many different things and may easily be something beneficial if various species of butterflies or moths are active in your area already. So there is no reason to assume it is an "enemy". :)
The real clue to identity often comes from the number of them found and the type and degree of damage, if any, being done.
If there is no real damage being done then just monitor it to see what happens.
Dave
Raw_Nature "... I have a 5 tier shelf holding 70 seedlings each, right by a south facing window. Each tier gets about 12000 lumens, not including the sunlight..."
I'd love to see your setup, any chance of posting a photo? Did you buy the whole thing as a single unit or is it your design? I think I would like to have something like that for next year, or, whenever."
Sid:
I bought everything separately.. I'm way to cheap to buy a "grow kit" that's probably inferior to what you could make half the price... i wouldnt say I put a patent on it, it's just shelfs with a light hanging from every tier.. The light is your basic four-light T8 shoplight, each t8 bulb produces a little under 3000 lumens each.. Now, I would take credit for this one: instead of using plain old solo cups that fall over and are a pain in the but, I used plain old storage/shoe bins, you know the plastic box that you buy at walmart,etc... I made sure the dimensions were divisible by whatever you plan on spacing your seedlings,(easier, cleaner,etc), wasn't to concerned about the depth, think it was 4-6" or something.. I marked the sides every three inches, so each bin would hold 35 seedlings space 3" centers... Plus you have all the root growth you wouldn't normally have.. With a little cheap seedling trays, they are normally 2" centers, plus there is only a pinch of soil in them.. In my containers you have tons of soil so the plants could get a huge rootmass.. Whenever you have to move it, you jus carry the bins, 35 seedlings at a time, no need to deal with clumsy solo cups that fall over! Real easy, and cheap! The mos expensive part was the light an the shelf... I'll try my luck at posting a picture...
Joe
Assuming that you are in a Deep South Zone 9, you will find that it is basically immaterial whether you grow determinates or indeterminates. When your daytime temps begin to hit above 90 degrees, all your tomato plants will stop blooming and/or setting fruit. I always keep 2 or 3 cherry tomatoes in large pots that I coddle and pamper through August so that they will begin to fruit again in September and go till frost, but I pull out all the plants in the ground in July and plant my peppers which love growing in a blast furnace.
As far as pruning is concerned, if you are staking your plants, pruning makes it easier to stake them. If you are caging your plants, there is really no reason to prune. As far as removing leaves, I wouldn't advise it. The fruit will suncald without the shade cast by the foliage.
If you have planted in florida sand without adding large amounts of nutrition, then nutrient deficiency is certain whether legume or not. Crop plants have no resistance to disease when attempting to grow in very low fertility conditions.
The hot dry climate of florida springtime combined with excessively drained impoverished sand creates conditions unlike any other.
Good Thing you asked. Plants grown under lights do not have the same protection from the sun compared to when they are started outside. Do not put them out for more then an hour the first day or they may burn. It only takes a few 'outings' before they form sunscreen 'waxes'
Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Denver County
Hi there - the Harvest forum here (linked near the top of this forum's page) is the canning and food preserving forum. I'll direct link it for you below.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest forum
All the other inappropriate stuff aside, when it comes to growing vegetables from seed there is a Growing from Seed forum here that covers all the basics from what soil to use, the amount and type of light needed, how to use heat to germinate the seedlings, etc.
Just go to that forum and check out all the FAQs there.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQ
yes just needs a path down the middle, for now .5 of a meter wide will do we found even at 1 meter wide tomatoes especially crowd a bit. but we can for the main get a large wheelbarrow along our paths.
stepping stones sound nice but you need to be able to reach with safety to the lower back muscles.
that is why we have progressed from beds like your to these latest, no bending.
len
I thought the chief complaint was
"The problem I have with it is that I'm still on my hands and knees while tending to my plants; doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a raised bed?"
I don't see where or how stepping stones can help that? Not having to get on hands and knees that is.
I have a raised garden of 10 x 12. Would you find this raised bed too large? The problem I have with it is that I'm still on my hands and knees while tending to my plants; doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a raised bed?
I was thinking of putting a path between and making it two beds, however, it is pressure treated wood and was told it's hard to work with once it's set. Is that true? What would be the best solution converting it into two bed?