23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

My Internet searches did turn up squash bugs, but their eggs are laid in clusters and are brown... Not like the picture I attached.

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

Sid-I am growing red and green basil, Italian parsley and cilantro :)

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

"I had a indeterminate cherry tomato plant turn into a 15 foot snaking monster and completely take over a whole row of garden once."

You say that like it's a bad thing?
The plant was happy :-)

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.

I see some leaf miner tracks, I assume that was the problem.

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.

I have found the above to be true as well. Definitely strip off the outer layer if you do plant them.

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

I do see what looks like one true leaf yellowing.

Over-watering. Red and purple tinting only indicates phos deficiency in established plants, In young seedlings it is related to their young age, insufficient root development, and too much water.

Dave

Yeah, helluva lot more money to me made growing cannabis over any fruit/vegetable. Marijuana is Californias top cash crop.

These guys are masters at hydroponics as well.

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

Kevin, check out the link below.. I was going to do the same thing in the video, but instead of the nylon string, I would use pure 1 inch PVC.. I'll post a picture of mine when it's built.. It's going to be strong enough to hold anything! At least that's the plan...

Joe

Here is a link that might be useful: Melon Trellis

They'll work on any trellis, but it needs to be strong enough for the vine/fruit + wind concerns...and if the angle the vine gets to grow on isn't enough to "lay" on your trellis you will have to tie them to your trellis (you may want to do this anyway).

I've grown them straight up strong rope/wire in greenhouse environments (vines need ties) and I've grown them on angled supports where they need to lay at an angle on the trellis that will support it's growth.

As noted, it's very important to tie/support the fruit, regardless of trellising method. It will get too heavy to hang on it's own without breaking the vine or separating from the vine.

LOL I want to put some linoleum down just to watch! I put electric fence up, strands every two inches, maybe three in a wide spot, for the squirrels. They have plenty of other food choices, but my plants are a treat. No foraging for them. So for those that do not suffer lead poisoning, electrocution is a good deterrent. Looks pretty neat too. Much better than the chicken wire I put up last year in a fit of rage. I didn't have enough strands last year and the tree rats hopped right between them.

This may or may not be for you but...There are wild rabbits ALL over my neighborhood, and I have a large garden. We have discovered that if you shoot one of them on your property, the others will not come for years. You may have to repeat every 2-3 years on one rabbit. They go everywhere else in our neighborhood, but not our yard. I don't have any rabbit fencing and they don't touch my carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, nothing.

Get a soil test and go from there.. That compost looks full of life. I would keep it moist with the lid off, and maybe even poke air holes.. If the stored compost in garbage bins does not get adequate air, simply put, it will become anaerobic and ruin..

If i was you, I would:

1-let it decompose more(don't till it in, leave it as mulch..)
2-not store it without adequate air
3-if you can't store it properly, throw it in your compost pile.. It will speed decomposition, and provide air.. It's a win win...
4-wouldn't be afraid of using it.. Now is about the prime time to use the compost, it is full of Life, even if you use it for mulching your beds, it all does good.. If you let it sit in a garbage can, there is a great possibility it will lose a lot of life, that is beneficial to the soil..

I should also use organic ferts throughout the season too correct?

You can but no, you don't have to. It is your choice.

Agree with Raw nature on the storage. Compost stored without adequate air exposure can quickly turn anaerobic. An open to the air pile works best if possible.

Dave

Every year I grow more and more flowers in and around the garden, and every year I have fewer problems with pests.

Most pests arrive from elsewhere, so like Dave said, hard to prevent. One of the tenets of organic gardening is that healthy plants get fewer pests and diseases, and healthy plants grow in healthy, balanced soils. So I suppose you could call bulding up your soil health preemptive pest prevention. :)

Planatus' tip is also good. Many beneficials eat pollen, either in adult form or when pest prey is lacking. And it looks nice, too.

This is my first year with celeriac, so I can't comment there. I've grown celery for a few years now, though, and for my zone, they don't need to be started really that early. I seeded mine March 30 after a 24-hour soak. I'd say it's not too late to start celery for my zone, but you're a few zones warmer than me.

You have a better shot at it, if you can salvage what you have.