23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Local sources will definitely save you money, the shipping if nothing else, and both HD and Lowe's carry the basic supplies.
Online there are any number of suppliers for both kits and the individual components. dripworks.com, dripdepot.com, growersupply.com, just to name a few.
I'd encourage you to look into using drip tape instead however as it is less prone to problems - clogging, spacing issues, GPH emitter sizes for different plants, etc. Plus it generally tends to be cheaper. There have been recent discussions here about such systems the search will pull up for you.
I have about 150 - 200 feet of row
That is going to be your primary problem. No system will maintain pressure over that long a run without inline pressure boost pumps. You'll have to divide it into separate zones.
Dave
THANK YOU so much! What's weird is that I don't see a packet in my seed box with this mix, I wonder if it's just missing somehow. THANK YOU!
And yes, I grow these as baby greens for salads :) I have 20+ other pots and just didn't realize what these were.
Thanks!
Does the stem look brownish but not dry at the point where it bends or detaches? If so, google 'damping off'.
Sluggo plus beer will cut down on the slug and snail population but, in Portland, will definitely not get rid of all of them. Using those is not a reason to believe molluscs aren't eating the beet stems, I'm sorry to say.
Thank you for advice.
Take away from the discussion is:
- I am over watering. Need to stop that.
- Need to watch out for ants and other plants
- Plants the next batch of seeds on a list
- Hill the seedlings that look like they are leaning over.
Thanks once again!
Agree you will have to thin to 1 shoot with the beets, the chard you can thin or not and it will do fine.
Personally I find beets don't tolerate transplanting well if you are growing them for the beet root rather than just for the tops. But your experience may differ. Beets, like all root crops, are normally direct seeded since it is too easy to damage the root in the process.
Dave
" I didn't ask about any other boxes besides these bucket containers. All my other boxes I filled with this soil and im pretty sure it'll work fine. Im more concerned about these buckets. In the buckets im growing carrot, beet, radish, strawberry, few husky tomato, pea, leek. That picture is NOT of the soil but the small amount of compost I added. I already had a ton of left over soil so I ALREADY filled them with it. This season I will just use it and see what happens, the main issue sounds like drainage is going to be the problem, how can I help this is my situation without changing soils?
I have done both sod cutter and newspaper/cardboard.
The sod cutter removes the top 4-6 inches of soil. If you pile it up, it makes for awesome compost in a year or two, but meanwhile you do not have the soil.
Unless your grass is much wimpier than mine, the sod cutter will not completely get rid of it. I found it a waste of effort.
With cardboard or newspaper, the idea is that you plant /above/ the paper. (Again, unless you have really wimpy grass.)
Put down 2 layer of cardboard or 4-5 layers of newspaper, overlapping the seams. Put soil/compost/planting mix on top of that, about 4 inches, covering the edges well. Plant your vegies in the top layer this year. By the time the plants grow large, they can poke roots through the cardboard and into the soil below. Next year, the cardboard and the grass will both be pretty well gone and you will have a lovely deep garden bed.
Very interesting info guys. The seed-starting kit I've used mentioned how to plant, water, and when to remove the plastic lid that keeps in some moisture and heat to help the seeds germinate. It never mentions when to move my seedlings outside so I guess that's the bit step I've been missing.
I'm not using any type of additional light source, just what it gets from a window. I'll eliminate the fertilizer and start hardening them off tomorrow. I've got a spot outside that should be pretty good.
I've thought about the fan and I'll keep that in mind for next year. I'll also look into an alternate light source when they're inside.
I'll also check out the link that Dave posted.
Thanks again guys!
--Jonathan
You need shop lights. Windows just don't give enough light to grow strong seedlings. I use a wire shelf unit from target ($39) and hang 2 shop lights (Home Depot) per shelf and keep adjusting them so they are only a couple linches away from the plants. I have this in my basement where it is probably about 60 degrees. I also use diluted seaweed/fish emulsion when they have a set of true leaves. When i get the tomatoes going I add an oscillating fan.
Keski
Tomatoes should be kept above 50 degrees, but there is a trick that can help if they get colder. Say your tomatoes go down to 35 degrees overnight and sit at that temp for 6 hours. The next day, put them in a greenhouse and let them get up above 90 degrees for 6 hours. Each hour above 90 degrees counters an hour spent below 50 degrees.
Why is this so?
When a tomato gets cold, Rubisco - a chemical vital to plant growth - is deactivated. Letting the plant get above 90 degrees the next day reverses the effect. I use this trick to very good effect in my greenhouse. It allows me to deliberately cold stress my tomato plants and then reverse the effects the next day.
So you don't have a greenhouse? Well, you can make do with a plastic tent or even a partially covered aquarium. Don't EVER put seedlings in a fully closed aquarium, the temperature can easily get above 200 degrees in full sun. A gap an inch wide at one end is usually enough to bring the temp down below 120 degrees which is safe for tomatoes. Be sure to water them well, seedlings will consume incredible amounts of water when in direct sun.
DarJones
Can you give us a citation for the deactivation of Rubisco at low temps? I just did a quick search, and the literature I found only talks about the inactivation of Rubisco at HIGH temperatures.