23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Little holes...flea beetles (like Dave said).
From link below:
Try this homemade spray to control flea beetles: 2 parts rubbing alcohol, 5 parts water, and 1 tablespoon liquid soap. Spray the mixture on the foliage of garden plants that are susceptible to these pests.
Moths and butterflies do not have chewing mouth parts but rather a long proboscis for lapping up nectar from flowers. Perhaps the white butterfly is a Hairstreak butterfly which is harmless but plentiful right now...late Spring and Summer; 1 generation a year.
Here is a link that might be useful: Flea Beetles
I'm new to vegetable gardening and have had help from my dad who lives nearby and doesn't grow anything he can't eat (if he can help it). He's been gardening for 40+ years and suggested I add a couple of spoonfuls of Epsom salts to water in a sprayer and spray my pepper plants for increased production and healthier fruits.
I stopped growing Peppers because I was just not getting enough sun but I have cleared part of my yard and hope to move my garden to a very sunny spot next year.
My question is: Is it ok to still hit your peppers every few weeks with Neptune's Harvest or does this fall into the "Too much Nitrogen category"?
I never knew that. Most of the time the cotelydons on my tomatoes turn yellow and fall off at some point (if I don't take them off when I pot up). My cousin's in the greenhouse without artificial lights were horribly leggy but they already had true leaves so I don't know when they started getting that way. Interesting, I should get them some lights for next year and have them put them under light right away.
But this still isn't answering the OP's question - though unless he/she comes back and clarifies what type of plant(s) and whether they've germinated yet, nobody can really answer if it's OK to leave them outside for a while right now.
*Right now* may not be a good time for setting things out in LI. Getting cold up here in CT, high 30's early tomorrow and then Tuesday AM predicted to be 34 with "feels like" temp of 31 even with just 5 mph wind (probably windier here) and 70% RH. I'm going to cover my newly-planted kale and spinach just in case. Not even going to hit 60 the next couple of days.
Yes, this late cold snap emphasizes the importance of separating the seedlings. In this weather, I'd leave more hardened brassicas out in the daytime, bring them in at nite. But I left the tomatoes and peppers inside all day, yesterday, even tho I've been hardening them.
Which, of course, is why artificial lighting should be available.
What's valuable about this discussion is how it illustrates that, ideally, all seeds would be sown outside in perfect weather. Starting inside, starting in artificial media and pots, transplanting outside is all unnatural and not ideal for the plant. Transplanting is always stressful. Sown-outside seeds are acclimating from the outset to conditions.
But reality isn't ideal. Our weather isn't ideal. Freezes can kill young and tender seedlings. If we direct-sowed everything, people in northern latitudes would never be able to grow, say, tomatoes. So we do what we can to extend the growing season and try as far as possible to approximate ideal conditions by artificial means.
This post was edited by ltilton on Mon, May 13, 13 at 9:20
If you go along the hill and are concerned about drainage, all you need to do is stagger channels for the overflow to drain to the next level down. This gives the benefit of controlling the water flow.
If you are interested in a little research, you can search for terms such as swales and contours. There is a book on rainwater harvesting using earth works that gives great information on siting these and how to build. My local library carried it.
Thank you all for taking the time to comment on my post. I feel better now... Mosaic seems to be pretty much the worst plant disease out there... It even ruins your soil or so I hear. Any ideas on the yellowing? I just treated it today with a neem oil anti fungicide, since I noticed a bit of powder and rust mildew elsewhere in the garden. I hope it helps....
Welcome, California!
As far as I am aware of, the only time a first time blogger or video presentation doesn't go over well is if the presenter is trying to sell something. That's not the case with you! I'm not so sure that SaraElise should have posted about the 'general attitude' without being quite sure what that is. ;-)
That being said, even as a first time poster, you have to be prepared for the criticism! I totally agree that this PVC trellis is not likely to hold up to a climbing zucchini plant. Plus, in direct sunlight, PVC breaks down and is likely to weaken or even shatter before the growing season is over. I can't really see such a construction holding up a morning glory vine (for example), what with the wind sail effect.
Trellising our cucurbits is great idea, saving tons of precious ground space while taking advantage of the vertical space. Just be sure that the plants aren't going to create a sun screen for other crops on either side of the climbing vine.
I also worry about the use of the fishing line. Zucchini isn't a natural climber and will need a strong grid like system to be trained upon. It's not going to twine itself around some fishing line. Zucchini will likely need to be gently tied to what ever structure is used.
Trellising really needs to be fairly sturdy, even for very light, non fruiting plants. The poles you've selected (PVC or the tall plastic bamboo plant stakes in the pea video) are just not going to be sturdy enough to support a plant in my opinion. By the way, "tendrils" is the word you were looking for, for the peas.
The other thing I noted (I didn't watch it carefully all the way through) is that most of the 'bugs' that plague our zucchini plants don't come from the soil. They are on the wing, freely able to fly in and wreak havoc whenever they want to, lol. Real benefits include fewer problems from slugs (though they can climb) and no more veggies rotting on the ground.
Darling child seen peeping in and out of the videos! If she's yours, looks like you might have a gardener in the making. That's the age I started toddling around in my Dad's garden.
Fair enough. Maybe I should clarify.
Definitely post what you want, but just be very open to criticism. I've seen more than a few threads where the OP puts out their tips, others immediately point out flaws, OP takes it personally, etc.
I wasn't trying to discourage the posting, just wanted CaliG to be ready for posts that weren't all saying "thanks for the great tips" as you get at some sites. As long as he doesn't take criticism as a personal attack, should be fine.
As a newer member myself, I just remember the surprise at how intense some people feel for or against different approaches to gardening. :)
g-i-t-d, congratulations on launching yourself into the dark! Be prepared for some fumbling and disappointment in the early stages and some exhilaration as you learn what works for you. This is a great place to get support and hints.
In your area is there not still time to start more carrots in the bed without manure? Then you could compare the results with those in the manured locations. Carrots could even be grown in a deep tub (with drainage holes.)
You referred to peas "brought on" indoors for planting out. Did you mean simply pre-sprouted in water, or are these actual plants growing in pots? I've never heard of anyone starting peas this way. In my experience the seeds are usually put straight into the ground. I'd be interested to know why you've done things this way and how it works out for you. Please keep us posted.
Does anyone else do this or have comments on starting peas this way?
This post was edited by VanIsle_BC on Sun, May 12, 13 at 14:18
As mentioned all fungicides are preventative, not cures so when to start spraying depends on the disease you are preventing and the plant in question.
If talking about tomatoes then spraying from the day of plant out is the standard recommendation because of the correlation between spring's cool, damp weather and some of the common diseases.
Disinfecting cages is your choice. Few do it AFAIK because I can't think of anything off-hand that can over-winter on them.
Dave
Few years ago I also used a home made formula, that I got here at GW. I don't remember exact prportions but it is made withmilk, water and baking powder. I used it on cukes, gourds, squash, as preventive. It worked fine.
I have also used neem (?) oil. Again, I used it regularly to preven fungus desease on cucorbitacea family only.
Same question from a couple of weeks ago with replies.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: How long for potatoes to sprout?
Ack, thieves. I've got big fat squirrels galore who have so much to eat in the woods around here that they never bother with my fruits and vegetables.
The raccoons are another matter entirely. I've grown melons for three years, and have yet to try one. The minute they ripen the raccoons steal them. Way before they even blossom the raccoons rummage around the plants, leaving evidence they've been there. They know what melon leaves look like, and that one day there will be sweet fruits for them. This year I'm building a cage for my melons once fruits start forming. I'm fortunate that they are in terraced wooden boxes that a cage can be secured to. Otherwise I really don't know how you would thwart a determined thief.
I wouldn't plant anything tempting where people have easy access. One year a guy parked his truck near my blackberries, which were obviously on private property, not to mention next to my driveway, in which my car was clearly parked. He and his wife and kids got out and spent hours harvesting my blackberries for themselves. I said nothing because I'm a shrinking, sniveling weenie who's afraid of confrontation and who, by the way, only picks the berries around the edges, but leaves the dangerous, thorny, inner ones alone, so it wasn't as if I were going to eat most of the berries. I was just amazed by the sheer brazen affrontery and lack of shame.
So, to keep people away, keep the veggies out of sight. To keep animals away, create a barrier. Or count on luck, which some just have, and some don't.
It would depen on HOW HOT it gets and HOW MUCH SUN they get. For example, cabbage can stay on well before frost. but for short cycle cold crops you can plant at different times(say one month apart).
What happens if it gets hot? Well if you don't harvest them(like chinese cabbage, lettuce...) they will bolt(go to flowering and seed production.
Okay, I have been experimenting with this for years. I'm way south of you, but I live on a mountain side, so I have mostly cool weather all summer (about a week of temps approaching 90 in the day, a month of 80s in the day, nights always in the 50s and 60s, 40s in May and September).
Normally, for warm season crops, I plant the shortest DtM (days to maturity) varieties--tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, corn (rare, I hate to fight the raccoons), etc. I no longer even try melons, and have no interest in cowpeas or okra. :-)
But you are asking about cool season crops. Yup, that's the majority of my garden, as the long, cool autumn before a hard freeze makes the cool season crops a joy.
First of all, lettuce, radishes and spinach planted in the spring are going to bolt around mid-summer, even in a cool summer. It's a day-length thing, not temperature, for the most part. A few lettuce varieties have been bred/selected to hold longer before bolting, but I haven't seen great holding in spinach. Plan to plant again after the summer solstice. However, things will not grow as fast as the summer is winding down as they do when it is winding up. I have struggled with counting back 60 days from first frost to plant my 60 dtm lettuce or spinach and it just never matures. While you are learning the best practices for your area, I suggest you plant maybe 4 feet of seeds every 2 weeks up until you reach that (for example) 60 days before first frost. Keep note of it (I don't have a garden notebook, bad gardener, but I write this stuff on my wall calendar and have a stash of old calendars on top of my fridge) and you'll have a better idea of the planting window next year.
Swiss chard and perpetual spinach are good spinach substitutes for mid summer. Both of these are basically beets selected for stems (chard) and leaves (perpetual spinach). I'm not a big fan of the stems, so I grow beets for a version of perpetual spinach. I rarely harvest the roots, but we do eat the greens. They also hold well into the cool season. If you like beet roots, plant again after sumer solstice to have nice tender roots at harvest time in the fall. Mulch thickly and you should be able to harvest the roots up until your soil freezes (or you can harvest and hold in a root cellar or your fridge). Turnips are also good for greens and the roots hold well in the ground until hard freeze. Again, plant after summer solstice.
Winter radishes also go in after solstice. These are the Daikon radishes, but also Spanish black, German beer radishes, etc. These tend to be harvested much larger than spring radishes, and the ones I have grown are quite mild in the fall. Covered with mulch, they keep well in the garden until the ground freezes, and can be kept in a root cellar or refrigerator.
My solution for cabbage and carrots is just the opposite of my warm-season veggies. I grow the long-season varieties! We like big fat carrots, so that works well. I don't rush to put them in early, but they can go in before my summer planting weekend (usually Memorial Day weekend or the weekend before). I've never had success with the early cabbages, but we've had some memorable January King cabbages that were just fine cooked, shredded for cole slaw, or shredded for sauerkraut. And again, they hold well in the garden until hard freeze. Oh, and we are a family that goes against the norm, even my kids like Brussels Sprouts (harvested after a frost and roasted, not boiled), so we have also grown those for late harvest. I have a nine-pack of Falstalf to go in next weekend, in fact. Need I say kale gets the same treatment as these other cabbage-family crops?
I've tried Napa cabbage a couple of times without success. I'll have to take my own advice this year and plant a few every couple of weeks after summer solstice.
BTW, deer LOVE, LOVE, LOVE members of the cabbage family. Rabbits do, too. I am learning to love rabbit fence (which keeps old fat chickens out of the garden, too) and re-mesh cages.
Good luck with your cool-season garden!
Catherine
Here is a link that might be useful: Baker Creek's Radishes, many winter