23,822 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

It would help if they were more closer for planning fall plantings. I used to plan the whole years garden in the sping but now I wait till summer to plan the fall garden cause the summers harvests were not even close to what it said on the pkg.

Since we grow in containers things tend to grow a little faster than in the ground, and last year we found that the DTM for watermelons was very accurate. This is particularly helpful due to the difficulty in judging watermelon ripeness, especially when you only have a few and don't want to waste any "test" melons.


Raji- not sure what part of the bay area you're in, but, yes it's time to plant! We're actually a couple of weeks late!
Your seeds should have been started about 8 weeks ago inside under lights for most things, but with our long growing season, go for it!
Happy gardening! Nancy

John, got really busy with the build and got lost. Thank you for the idea on 1/2 block. I love your beds, those look amazing. I will have to go 3 high as well now :) Great idea on the onion and lettuces in those, now you have me thinking about basil, chives, and a ton of stuff that could go in there. I am actually honored you would post. I had not seen your stuff and watched all your videos. I love how you give it away to a food bank your a great guy.
Great idea NC about checking craigslist, I wouldn't be surprised to find some.

Hello! I just found this forum, and this thread... it's a little old, so I hope you don't mind if I jump in with some questions on the subject (or should I start a new thread?). I too am very impressed by John's beds! I'm planning on building two raised beds out of cinder blocks as well, one of them 2 feet high and the other 3 feet. The 2-foot-tall one will be 10x6 feet in size, a garden with a path in the middle of it that you can walk on. The 3-foot-tall one will be long (35 feet) but narrow (2 feet) and will serve as a border edge wall along the sidewalk, and will be planted with shrubs. Now, my questions are -
1. Can I get away with not pouring a concrete footing, but instead using just compacted gravel or sand? Will that be structurally sound?
2. Can I use the "skinny" cinder blocks instead of the standard ones? They're cheaper and lighter, but are they as structurally sound of a choice given the size of my beds?
3. Do I have to fill the cinder blocks' holes with anything for structural support? I was thinking of putting top caps on them so the holes don't collect water (as they'll be quite deep).
4. It's hard to find information on raised beds that are 3 feet tall; is there anything else I need to take into consideration at that height, other than general raised bed procedure? Like, do I have to fill the bottom with a layer of gravel for drainage? Etc.
I'm planning to drive rebar down the holes for extra support, and mortar the joints between the blocks. But given that one bed will be walked on, and the other one is tall, I'm worried about their structural soundness. I feel like the more I read the more confused I get... If anybody can answer my questions, I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks!
Didi
This post was edited by DidiH on Wed, May 1, 13 at 21:24


Uh oh...I use about 8" centers between plants. Past 3 years have had way more corn than I could eat or give away. But my garden is very, very nutrient rich (almost too much) as per soil sample sent in to the co-op, so that must be why I can get away with that.
The stalks get pretty crowded, but they sure don't seem to mind. The tough part is digging out the root clumps in the fall. Since they grow together it almost takes the bionic man to pry them up out of the ground.

Vanlsle_BC, thanks for the link. That's what I was seeing. Tomorrow they both go.
Hopefully my handpicking is coming to an end as I got notice today that my ladybugs have shipped and should be here the end of the week. Sure hope that they arrive hungry....

I agree completely about the squash as sensors. They're the sensitive ones. When they wilt, I water them. Every other time, I water everything else.
But in general, when things wilt a little, put on water. They won't mind being thirsty briefly. The squash perk back up in an hour or two. You'll develop a keen eye for when things look like they're drooping a bit.
The inches/week also depends enormously on sunlight, temperature, and humidity. If I did one inch/week in a central Texas summer, everything would be dead.
DO NOT keep the top of the soil moist. That's fungus heaven.

Well unfortunately I don't have any squash right now lol. I did decide to mist all the seedlings that have sprouted (lettuce, kohlrabi, a few herbs and flowers) since it hit almost 90 today. But tonight it's supposed to start raining for several days straight so I'm hoping they all do ok.



No.. Lol. I watched a you tube video explaining how to grow them vertically so you can fit more plants in a smaller space. It said to use soft thick rope and tie the stem to a heavy tall garden stake every few inches. Once you harvest zucchini, cut off any leaves below the fruit line and move the rope up. It's working pretty well actually. I'll take a picture of the full plant when I get home from work tonight. :)

Watering any plant isn't a set a schedule thing. Sometimes it might be every day sometimes once a week. It all depends on your soil and the weather, the needs of the plant since all don't need the same amount, and in the ground or in a container. Depending on where you are located every other day could easily be over-watering.
But as a general rule watering less frequently and deeper is.much better that watering frequently and more shallow. It isn't the surface of the soil that you go by, it is the moisture level down at the roots. Stick your finger deep into the soil. If it is still cool and at all moist or damp, don't water.
Keep in mind that most gardeners OVER-water and that most all plants will tolerate too little water much better than they will too much water, so when in doubt, don't water.
Dave

If one does decide to use a pesticide it is imperative that one follows the label directions to the letter. So many bees have been killed by people who do not take the time to read instructions. Farmers around here are now "beekeeping" so their crops will get pollinated!

Deborah....are you CERTAIN that your "black and orange babies " were assassin bugs? Because when I hear a description just like yours ON TOMATOES, I'd suggest that leaf footed bug nymphs are present. They appear in large numbers. The adults look quite similar to ordinary stinkbugs.





Eric: I've read some of that about root spread/penetration in the past and was shocked. Now I've seen some of the Square Foot Gardening literature that claims 6" is plenty (and 4 potato plants to the square foot!) and was shocked again. What to believe? I know my crowded asparagus, in an 18" high raised bed, has roots that don't go down a foot. Some is very healthy; on the other hand some plants seem to be dying - ???
What experience do others have at both ends of the spectrum (excluding those plants - carrot, parsnip etc. - that obviously need deep soil anyway) ?
Just as a point of reference, I made my raised bed 18 inches I believe it was, but I also put potatoes in mine and those tend to plant deep and grow deep.
General rule of thumb when working with containers (and a raised bed is not dissimilar from a very large container) is that the container should be big enough to put on top of whatever you are growing. Or in other words, ideally the root systems of many plants are as large beneath the soil line as the stems and leaves are above it.
There are exceptions of course, but always better to have a little too much space than not enough.