23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Generic rectangular plastic tubs, about a foot and a half long and a foot wide, with sides a few inches high, are called "tote trays" or "stacking containers". I find those work very well, and are durable, long lasting, and fairly inexpensive. Some have ribs on the base, which keep seedling tubs out of standing water. You can get those at Target or Walmart, I think.
If it's for your own use, you could either try freecycle.com or craigslist. But you could also recycle by using TP rolls with paper bottoms, or egg cartons (cardboard type). I also see tons in thrift stores/recycle places at the dump.
appears to be russet mite damage.
see this http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2011/9-14/cyclamenmite.html
I read about folks who use Dipel religiously in seed trays to kill the gnat larvae. Might not kill the gnats themselves, but does a job on the larvae (and therefore, eventually gets rid of the gnats). The larvae, I understand are the real threat to seedlings. Not the gnats.
The idea of the treatment is to preserve the wood. If the wood is still pretty well preserved, I think you have to assume that the treatment chemicals are still in it. I assume you're talking about pressure-treated lumber? If the wood is a few decades old, it might have been CCA treated, and that stuff was pretty nasty. If the only treatment was ten year old stain, it's probably OK to use now for gardening.
Advice is to plant peas as soon as soil can be worked. Still frozen doesn't quite qualify I don't think. ;-) I only grow edible podded peas which are a bit more prone to rotting in cool soil, so I always presprout mine. I soak for several hours until they swell and then place in lightly damp paper towels until I just see roots starting. Then I plant out and get good growth - it seems to take care of the rotting issue. A good resource is Johnny's Select Seeds - for every vegetable they give an optimal germination temperature chart (scroll down to the top of the "growing information" section.)
Animals are less likely to chew their way into an enclosure, since it will offer few escape routes. A fence, with open sky above it, is another matter. This year, though, I had a deer jump my 6-foot garden fence for the first time. It landed, saw that it was fenced in, and beat itself against the fence trying to get back out. After 4 tries, it escaped... without eating a thing.
If plastic hardware cloth is strongly discouraged for protecting birds in aviaries from carnivores (by folks who are expert at that stuff), seems to me the same has to apply to protecting vegetables. Animals will chew their way into an enclosure if there is good stuff to eat there. Frankly, I suspect rodents are pretty clueless in thinking about how enclosed they will be. I'm here, the food I want is there. Chewable plastic in between. That's the equation they're solving. I've put chicken wire fencing around veggies, and squirrels burrow under it to get in to get those veggies. They get in and gorge. Yes, they're sorta enclosed, but there was a way in, and that's the way out.
Studies have shown that relocation of rodents to random sites more than half the time results in their death. At least partly because they are very territorial, and partly because of restricted food supply. What I do, however, is relocate in the spring, when edibles reemerge, and well before they start putting away food for the winter. I also relocate in very similar (for me, riparian) habitat. FWIW, squirrels are reared (and kicked out of the nest) in early spring, which is often why recolonization happens around then.
With a garden of that size, an electric fence sounds like the most cost-effective option. In my rural garden, I use a hybrid fence of electric fencing high, and chicken wire low. The wire not only keeps out the deer, it keeps the racoons out of my corn. To make an entryway, I just tie pieces of twine between two poles with quick-release knots... the deer could come through there, but once bitten by the fence, they don't seem to know the difference between wire & string.
But like almost any other method of animal deterrent, an electric fence is most effective when used proactively, to keep them out before they learn what's on the other side. If the animals know that something they like is inside, they will find a way through... so putting up a fence after damage has begun is less likely to discourage them.
Sure looks like multiplying onions to me. Here is a good article on How to Grow them. They just need feeding now and then, keep them watered, harvest a few from each bunch 2-3 times a year as needed. If you want them to expand faster transplant a few as you have done. Mulch them well in the fall for some winter protection.
Several things can make radishes more or less hot. How much water they get, how fast they grow, the temps they're grown in, and most importantly the variety. I grew Long Black Spanish for the first time last year and holy geez those things were hot and it didn't matter what time of the year I grew/harvested them.
Rodney
The reason a lot of N sometimes results in small roots/tubers is because it causes reduced availability of K - which is what is required for large root and tuber crops. OTOH, if K is low to start with failing to supply the crop with N is not going to help.
I have 6 rows, each are 3X13 ft. One row has a wire tunnel over it for cukes to vine on one side and green beans to vine on the other. Will put corn, tomatoes, zukes and squash, carrots dispersed properly over the other rows. raspberry and blackberry bushes in the corner. And a bag of compost/worm castings to throw off to the side and stick some watermelon seedlings in there to vine out away from my rows. Have 2, 1x13 ft beds off to the side for wildflowers to feed the honey bees so they will pollinate my garden. No raised beds. Have a, 18 ft lettuce bed with radishes in it as well. And a little 4 ft herb bed
I do not have a lot of room, so I use something called "edible landscap
ing." I have landscaping around 3 sides of my house where I have a variety of flowering shrubs and flowers. Among the landscape plants on the south side, I have planted bush cherries, a blackberry bush, a pomegranite bush and a strawberry patch. In the spring I intend to add 3 cranberry bushes and some tomatoes and eggplants. In front of the house I have interspersed herbs among the flowering shrubs and flowers. On the northside of the house I plant tomatoes, eggplant and peppers among the flowering shrubs and flowers. In front I also have a Japanese persimmon tree and a cherry tree. In the backyard I have a plum, 2 asian pears, 2 paw paws, 2 jujubes, an apricot and 3 fig trees. A also have a blueberry, 2 raspberry and a blackberry bush. I have a trellis on which I run 3 hardy kiwi vines and a pergola on which I run 3 fuzzy kiwi vines. For additional garden plants I have a 10'X20' garden plot where I plant beans, greens, parsley, garlic, leeks and tomatoes. I also have a raised garden where I have 2 gojiberry bushes and I am planting artichokes, radishes and carrots. Finally, I have 2 honeyberry bushes. Here are some pictures.
Ditto on a reduction in watering, which would be my first guess on the cause. However, as the plants age, there will naturally be some leaf die-back on the lower leaves. Your plants are still producing, as long as the new leaves & fruits look healthy, there is probably no need for concern. Given the size of the container, it's possible a light application of fertilizer might be necessary, but I would not do so until the plants stop bearing.
For good California gardening references, I would add the Sunset New Western Garden Book. They are up to their 9th edition now (I still have the 4th from when I lived in California in the 80's). It is a very comprehensive garden book, it was of enormous help to me when I gardened in San Diego and Pala Alto.
My leaves (the older) look like they have powdery mildew and at one point I did have white fly which I sprayed naturally but it still kept the bees away. Now I have a plant that is producing what looks like great fruit (and a conjoined) but most have just shrivelled, turned brown and well that's it
This is my first time trying to grow cucumbers but some how everything else I have grown from seed is doing fantastic... I'm losing friends off handing the stuff!
Why the heck are the cucumbers being so god dang awful to grow! There are heaps of flowers although I admit not many male when I last looked. What the heck am I doing wrong??? Oh and it is grown in a large wooden container with struts for growth.
Any help before the season here in Australia finishes would be so welcome and thank you in advance for the help.
I use the one from Territorial Seeds which is $25.00 a year if you renew after the 30 day free trial. It is worth it to me to make notes to review what happen in the previous years. I have been using it for 3 years now and think it is worth every penny.
You can find some tutorials on the Internet and it will be much more cheaper.
Since most of your original compost has since decomposed and the nutrients have been used up the standard recommended supplement for most all gardens is more compost.
All compost continues to breakdown over time so many find twice (or more) times a year replacement with approx. 3" of quality compost to be ideal. If you don't or can't compost on your own then I'd suggest find a good local source of quality compost.
Dave
We have an organic source of compost from our local dump. I usually get a truckload about every other year and use as much of my own compost as I can. I have started letting one bed go unplanted each year and composting straight on the bed in a bin. There's still room to plant something small like basil while the box sits there in the middle.
About every 3rd year, I buy a load of "garden mix" from the organic dump place and top it off. I have a very small tiller that I mix it all in with (only about 10 lbs)
Truckloads are really the way to go. With 20 forever beds, you can always find a place for the soil/compost! Nancy