23,821 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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drippy(7bAL)

Thanks, nc-crn - will follow your advice. I think they are likely saveable.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 10:13PM
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skeip

Something I have used for years and it really works. If you take a plastic laundry basket and invert it over a flat of plants you are trying to harden off, it gives them just the right amount of sun and wind exposure. After a week or so, if it's not too windy, I am able to remove the basket. I usually put the flat and basket on my east facing front porch.

Steve

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 1:50PM
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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

You may have to adjust your demands somewhat, make them a bit more realistic.

You want only a local source, already pre-tested by someone who has used it, only a small amount, really good stuff, AND delivered? All that wouldn't be possible in many parts of the country. Is cost a consideration too because all that is going to cost you.

Bagged compost from one of the big box stores may be your best bet for many reasons.

Dave

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 12:28PM
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newyorkrita(z6b/7a LI NY)

I get compost from Fischettis every year. It is very good quality. They sell it by the cubic yard.

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 12:52PM
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weedlady(Central OH 6)

I left a couple of my leeks from year before last in the ground just to see the seed stalks--and were they impressive! I saved the seed and those now-4"-high babies will go into the garden this year!
Last season's leeks (I left 2 again) do not seem to have survived the winter--though I have not checked for a couple of weeks.

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 8:04AM
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NilaJones(7b)

@florauk: In my experience, they vary from plant to plant. I think some get tougher, younger, and some stay cookable.

Y'all know what's really funny? If you forget about a few leeks and don't pull them even AFTER they drop their seeds, they resprout from the base. In clumps. I should take a pic and post it. I am leaving those to see what they do next :).

Also, for me, leeks reseed themselves. So far I have not needed my backup tray of starts.

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 10:54AM
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zeuspaul(9b SoCal)

I would want to know more about the topsoil and more about the compost. Topsoil is very generic. Some venders sell good topsoil and others sell a mixture of sand and composted horse manure and call it topsoil.

Compost is also very generic. Composted sewerage sludge is commonly sold as compost and you probably shouldn't be using that in a vegetable garden. Or it might be green waste which can also be suspect.

Ask the sand silt clay and organic content of the topsoil. Ask about the ingredients in the compost.

Zeuspaul

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 11:20PM
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greenmulberry(5-Iowa City)

I always use just compost in my raised beds.

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 10:30AM
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weedlady(Central OH 6)

I'll bring the vanilla ice cream & be there in a few minutes! LOL!!

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 7:54AM
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pnbrown

Almost gone now so you better hurry...

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 9:09AM
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ltilton

So have you seen any recovery? Like where the poly wasn't touching the plants?

    Bookmark     April 12, 2013 at 6:28AM
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TOTEMs

I'd say I lost 85%

    Bookmark     April 27, 2013 at 5:24AM
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donnabaskets(Zone 8a, Central MS)

These pics are really old, but you can see the structure. I liked the blocks because I was able to install them myself without many tools.

Here is a link that might be useful: My garden in year two.

    Bookmark     April 25, 2013 at 11:09PM
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AT_garden(7A)

I made mine out of the 4x8x16 concrete blocks. I used the "lightweight" blocks for the base layer and then the solid ones for the upper layers.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 10:19PM
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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Don't know that I have ever seen or heard of short-day varieties in sets? 99% of the ones sold are long-day varieties. Do you recall the names of any of these varieties off hand?

I would have laid it off on Home Depot buying in bulk and shipping them all over the country but the ones sold in our HD here are all long day varieties so it sounds like the HD there must have made some weird, off-the-books purchase.

But I'm not surprised they don't understand the difference between the types. Most gardener's don't either. Or even understand the difference between sets and plants.

But as for one list that covers them all, not that I know of. You can put together a pretty comprehensive list by browsing the varieties offered by the big name US plant suppliers: Dixondale Farms, Browns of Omaha, Piedmont, Territorial, etc. but that doesn't even begin to include all the seed varieties or the set varieties.

Dixondale Farms has some great info and how-to publications you can print out and take to the HD manager if you think it will help. :)

Dave

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 9:30PM
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Raw_Nature(5 OH)

I can put down cardboard or newspaper and layer it over the existing weeds, and then cover that with aged compost etc."

That's exactly what I would do. You are right on my friend. Mow the weeds short, layer newspapers/cardboard, pile with compost, mulch, and plant..

You can plant in that right away, no time to wait.

Joe

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 6:59PM
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NilaJones(7b)

Yes, if you put 4-6" compost on top of the cardboard you can plant same-day.

I do think the flametorch weeder is worth looking into. Less shoveling of compost! You can probably rent one if you have a local tool rental shop.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 7:50PM
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flora_uk(SW UK 8/9)

OK, in that case it sounds as if something ate them, not that they fell off by themselves.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 11:59AM
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bktl

I put a barrier of deer netting around and over them to keep what ever critter is picking them apart. I don't think it could be bugs this time of year.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 12:09PM
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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

I'm sure they would be and there are many of them on all the various Exchanges forum here as well as on the Round Robin forum that run every year at seed trading time.

The tomato forum even has its own trading/exchange forum which is very active at trading time.

Dave

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 11:03AM
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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Can you compare the ingredients of the two types? See what is different between them and what explains the price differences?

And if you can tell us the actual manufacturers brand name too it would help. It should be on the bag.

I can pull up all kinds of "soil mixes sold in Germany" and "German brand potting mixes/soils" but none of them are named Blumen.

Dave

    Bookmark     April 25, 2013 at 8:29PM
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flora_uk(SW UK 8/9)

DD - Blumen just means 'flowers' - it's not a brand name. I had a little Google and plenty came up under Gemueseerde. (Sorry - I can't do the Umlaut but if you have a German keyboard you can.) This is the first that came up - 9,90 for 40 litres. And it's organic.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gemueseerde.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 10:51AM
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foolishpleasure

From my experience there is nothing fights squirrels. They are sneaky creatures. I guard them during the day but they come while I am sleeping. I used pp gun it did not work. I used cages and caught many of them and drove them 60 miles away but there are so many of them who keep coming back. I wish every one just eats one fruit but no they take a bite from each one and once the fruit is injured they fall. I set under my trees with the gun they jump on the neighbor shade trees and make noise like they are laughing at me I gave up

    Bookmark     April 25, 2013 at 10:54PM
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gjcore(zone 5 Aurora Co)

Good luck with the forks. They have an artistic look. They may not slow down your "tree rat" though. I only do some outside container gardening and the squirrels don't seem to bother those containers. Plenty of squirrels here though that love to dig through freshly dug beds. Mostly I used rolled fencing over the new beds even then they attempt to dig. It is fairly effective at keeping damage to a minimum. It seems once plants get established they don't mess with those areas too much.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 10:17AM
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woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a

oleladytexas:

I'm sure there are many online suppliers, but the cheapest way is to just add lots of organic matter to your soil.

Kevin

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 12:16AM
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drscottr(7)

I suspect adding earthworms is a losing proposition. They breed fast if the conditions and organic materials are there. Adding them if the conditions are not will lead to lower survival and breeding. The end result will be exactly the same.

The way to get more worms is to add more organic material. Ten per shovel sounds fine.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 8:44AM
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foolishpleasure

I just received the Elephant garlic bulbs from the nursery I am going to go ahead and plant it and see what will happen.

    Bookmark     April 25, 2013 at 10:37PM
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veggiecanner(Id 5/6)

The first year I grew garlic didn't know you were supposed to plant in the fall. I got small bulbs from a spring planting.

    Bookmark     April 26, 2013 at 1:47AM
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