23,594 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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!

Give it a shot.. It don't have to be rocket science.. I used something similar to your picture and had great success..

Joe

" 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.

I have started with cardboard with compost on top. I will update with progress.

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

black works but clear is much more effective.

There are many charts available on the web that list the soil temperature required for germination for most all vegetables.

Since all your questions are container gardening related you'd really be better served going to the Container Gardening forum here as that is their focus. Container gardening isn't the focus of this forum. There are many very experienced container growers on that forum that could be of help to you.

Dave

Looks like ground hog raided your garden.In my garden I have seen them burrowing under the fence and also climbing over the chain link fence.

Wouldn't there be holes somewhere if it were a groundhog issue? Our backyard isn't all that large, so it seems like I would have noticed something like that. Also, the damage has occurred intermittently over the span of a couple weeks, making me even more sure I would have spotted something as out of place as a groundhog!

knoxvillegardener,

I plant initially three or four seeds per hill, then thin to the healthiest one plant when they are about 5-8 inches tall. Each hill is given three feet on all sides of the hill, meaning 6 feet between hills. This is usually enough space, but sometimes they get tangled up into a giant mess.

The terminology between summer and winter squash comes from the typical time of consumption. Summer squash are eaten right off the vine during the growing season (which is considerably shorter than winter squash). Winter squash on the other hand are generally harvested in the fall, cured, then stored. They are generally consumed during the winter months.

Hope that helps!
Michael

Hope people don't mind me digging up threads...

I had the same question and this thread was first on Google. I think I'll stick around too, this forum looks very interesting.

So far looking up what squash will grow on a trellis, it seems any squash will. I intend to have some on the ground while others climb, so I'd rather the climbers do so on their own. I know Cucumber and Watermelon plants have tendrils from growing them on a trellis, but I don't know about others. If anyone grows squash this year, could you post which ones have tendrils?

Funny space was mentioned. I don't have much space (4x8 cinder block raised bed) so I grew 5 plants in a 4x4 area of different types with 3 seeds per mound w/o thinning them as a test because I use to do it a little more spread out in Nevada. The watermelon grew up the trellis and grew a green golf ball, the cucumber also grew up a trellis but produced a lot of fruit, the straight-neck & zucchini turned into bushes turning out a lot of zucchini and a few straight-neck, and the pumpkin produced no fruit. Learned that watermelon and pumpkin need their space, but cucumbers need very little space with a trellis. Zucchini have a tendency to outgrow the competition and leaving multiple plants per hill let me leave one to grow a big zucchini while the other 2 grew small ones ( I shred big zucchini for bread and cake ). I had corn in among the squash and on the other side and in the cinder blocks I had sunflowers, peas, tons of lettuce & spinach & carrots, a huge tomato plant and a new artichoke. All except the corn grew well. It's amazing what can grow in such a little area. BTW sunflowers have huge roots and will take all the dirt out of a cinder block, but they make a great trellis for peas.

Here's a calculator that I like for help with indoor sowing and direct seeding outdoors. Start by filling in YOUR last frost date near the top and then have it calculate things for you. Most veggies and flowers you might want to grow are on the chart.

Looks like TODAY is good for starting tomatoes, as is the next few weeks. Peas could be direct seeded outdoors now. Lot of great info on the chart once you enter your frost date.

We are having very cold, rainy, sleety weather by us. I see that you probably have longer yet to wait for warm weather than we do. In some strange way that makes our poor weather seem a bit more bearable.

Here is a link that might be useful: Seed starting calculator

I am in WI and have a similar length growing season to you (though our summers get hotter and our winters get colder) You started tomatoes a little early, but not by much. they should be fine if you have decent lights. If they get overly tall, you can plant them extra deep when you put them outside - tomatoes will just grow more roots along the buried part of the stems.

It is actually a bit late to start peppers and egg plants. I started mine a few weeks ago. They are slow growers.

I dont think its to late to start cole crops. Mine are started but are still tiny. Last year I had them outside by now, but this year the snow hasn't melted yet!

Dont start carrots or radishes inside - they need to be direct seeded.

If you search online you can probably find a recommended planting time for vegetables in your area - work from there. Most things-sow the seed indoors 3-5 weeks before you plant them out. Peppers & Eggplant 10 weeks, Tomatoes 6 weeks.

You ever buy flats where they only have a 2 inch spacing, with a pinch of soil for a foot tall tomato? It's almost insane how commercial growers can pack them in!

They aren't grown in those containers - the six packs. The plants are just transplanted into those for transport and sales. And they aren't a foot tall either. Depending on supplier any taller than 10" go into 6" pots or larger for individual pot sale.

To mass produce seedlings in a limited space and to avoid all the plant stress caused by starting a single seed in a large pot, most all commercially sold plants are transplanted at least once to stimulate feeder root development and most are transplanted 2x prior to sale.

Allie - Better Bush doesn't get all that big or grow that fast so IF you transplanted it deeply into the 4" pot they will probably be fine for another month although they will be rootbound so need careful monitoring for water. It sounds as if you started them a little too early.

However if you shallow planted it into the top of 4" pot then yes, some sort of additional top support will likely be needed.

Dave

Thanks everyone for your responses.
I did plant deeply I guess as I only filled the pots half way with soil. I just topped off the soil and will see how they do for the next month.
Here is a pic.

Please inform your son that each corn plant only produces two or three ears....at the best. The above suggestion is a great one.

Can be done:

Raybo