24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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Rachel Jane

Sorry for the duplicate cabbage pic. This is the blueberry.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

The tomato plant has been heavily over-watered. is starving for nutrients, and is likely root bound in that container. They don't really intend for them to live out their life in those containers but to be transplanted into the ground or a much bigger one. At this point it may not be salvageable but if you want to try it needs to have all the damaged foliage removed, be transplanted into a container at least 2x as big with fresh potting mix and then needs to be fed regularly. Container plants always need regular feedings to survive.

The cabbage is fine - holes happen in leaves for all sorts of reasons. Look for tiny green caterpillars on the undersides of the leaves and squish them. Those look like young plants as they haven't begun to form a head at all. Either that or they are way too warm. It is quite late for cabbage in much of the country as it is a cool spring vegetable and doesn't tolerate summer heat. But without knowing your location or at least your garden zone I can't say for sure.

Blueberries same as above - in a container they require regular feedings every 10-14 days of a well balanced fertilizer. Nutrients leach out of containers everytime you water so you have to replace them regularly. Blueberries also require very acidic soil to grow so normal potting mix doesn't do well for them and they need an acidic fertilizer as well.

Hope this helps.

Dave

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annew21(7b NC)

I agree with Peter that it's better to leave the fruits on the vine. I don't have vast experience on this issue, but I've never had a borer get into the fruit. (There are other bugs that do that!)

I also think it's a good idea for you to not trellis them next year. Re-rooting seems to help with production, and it also gives them another nutrient source (ahead of the borer damage).

Good luck!

-Anne

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emily52138(6b)

I should have phrased that a little differently, I meant I hope that I got the Bt in soon enough that the plants will live long enough to ripen the squash.

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drscottr(7)

Wayne,

So 120 plants for a 30' long 3' foot wide raised bed. Sounds reasonable.

Thanks

Scott

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sepulvd(zn8,WA)

my question is are you gonna be selling this strawberries

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bshughes21(zone 8)

I have 2 bird baths out there. I don't know why they take JUST a bite or two. But Im in and out might be disturbing them. The cd's are a great idea! I'm on it! Also going to hang some alum. foil around. Thanks everyone.

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CindyMac(8b)

In years past I've used CDs. Seems to work. Never put 'em out this year. Netting also works, but can be a pain to work around.

Not so sure that the birds are searching for a water source. April - June we had 1.5 times our normal rainfall. It wasn't until the middle of June that I started noticing bird pecks in tomatoes that barely had any color. Fortunately by then my harvest had peaked.

Good luck with the CDs!

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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

Rhizo said it well. "Transplant shock" means you did something wrong when you transplanted. No plant needs to see transplant shock.

But again, the question here isn't why you should start things indoors in the winter (we all do), but rather how one should start them outside when it's summer. Tishtoshnm's point about winter veggies is a good one. If you're trying to start winter veggies outdoors, it saves bed space if you do it in pots. If, on the other hand, you're trying to start summer veggies outdoors, then in principle it shouldn't matter, though row crops like corn and beans are obviously not things you want to transplant, though.

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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

I have started fall broccoli by direct sowing and by sowing in pots on the picnic table. I have had FAR better results starting them in pots. The flea beetles used to decimate the direct sowings from day 1 that they came up...and they were wasteful in getting the rightly spaced stands....tomatoes for a fall crop...about the same story.

Now fall butterhead lettuce and spinach here have to be sown INDOORS where it is cooler to get a good stand.

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astralsled

the buds are definitely getting bigger, and in fact this morning there was a male flower looking almost ready to bloom. yay! tons of little tomatoes have appeared on my plants, too.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Congrats! The rewards for your patience. :)

Dave

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daninthedirt(Cent TX; HZ10, Sunset z30, USDA z8a)

My canteloupe plants were about a foot across when they were struck by a hailstorm two months ago. I was left with maybe a four inch diameter of lightly damaged leaves on each of six plants. Pretty grim looking. I planted some more in pots to have them ready to replace the originals. But the originals survived, and thrived. I ended up giving away the new seedlings. Am up to my ears in canteloupes now.

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aniajs(Z6 Reno NV foothills)

I had a bad hail storm yesterday afternoon and walked out this morning to a pretty grim, shredded garden. Picked all the cucumbers that were close to ripe in the hope that it would alleviate the stress on the plants and let them focus on growing new leaves. The watermelon, summer squash, and zucchini hadn't had any fruit yet, so hopefully they'll recover in time to produce. The tomatoes fared pretty well, lost a few outer leaves but the fruit and the inner branches are pretty much fine.
So do what you can to clean up and get the plants back up, and don't despair too much. Veggie plants are surprisingly resilient.

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tomtuxman(6bNY)

Not having an eggplant-specific forum is a bit of a frustration, but the search function works fine for what I need.

I'm growing Black Beauty (my "go-to" for Italian parm dishes) and Ichiban this year. I've also grown Rosa Bianca and Casper in the past. Even people who say they don't eat eggplant will eat the white ones; I don't know why. Maybe they are naturally less bitter (the eggplants, not the people)?

The world of eggplant cuisine is vast -- there are Indian/Pakistani curries -- some hot/spicy, some smooth/creamy and they could be served either hot or cold, temperature-wise. Similarly there is a plethora of Middle Eastern and North African (and even sub-Saharan African!) dishes to explore. BabaGhanoush (sp?) is easy and can be used as a veggie dip, a salad dressing or a bread spread instead of mayo. Healthy, too.

Flea beetles are a fact of life for me here in mid-Hudson Valley of New York State (Putnam County) but have not damaged crop output. Colorado potato bugs were new to me this year, but simple picking and squishing solved that problem.

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Peter (6b SE NY)

Oh no I hope those Colorado Potato Beetles don't find their way over to my yard. I've already got the striped cucumber beetles which is new this year for me.

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Nitsua(6b MO)

Very nice. Remember, a small garden is better than no garden.

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grandad_2003(9A/sunset 28)

Nantes are my favorite carrot also. I agree with fbx22....It might be a (lack of) quality control issue. I too also find that year to year the Nantes don't always produce the desired cylindrical shape. Last year I noted about 50% tapered. Hopefully this year will be better. I plant in September & begin harvesting in December.

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Bobbie Jay

qbush: It's been a long time since I gardened in Idaho so I'll tell you what I have in my notes and what I remember. I covered them with straw bales. My notes say they stored very well except for a few places where the water got through. So the next year I used straw bales and plastic. That must have worked because my notes indicate I left some in the ground each year for storage. I planted the end of July or early in August so the tops must have been fairly well developed. We got from 18 in to 3 ft. of snow. I hope this helps. I know it's not fresh info, but I remember spring harvest of some real crisp, juicy carrots. Good luck.

grandad: So the plot thickens. Wonder what it is about the breeding that would cause such undependable results. Must be about genetics...and now I'm over my head. Thanks for your comment. That's very helpful.

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chigardenlady(5b)

I grew these last year and again this year. Last year all of my vines got the powdery mildew, but were still able to produce. These are great roasted and we love the seeds. Sorry they died, I would replant rite away since you are in zone 8, sure you have plenty of time.

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RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)

I planted kabocha last year and lost most of them to SVB. This year, I protected the vines and I still do not see the SVB moth come by this time. The vines are growing very strong now. The largest fruit is about 3" diameter.

I also have about 20 small vines, just with 3 sets of true leaves. I hope they can produce some before the frost time. Kabocha needs a long growing season, like 90 days or so.

Kobocha is about the only pumpkin/squash I grow and eat. The orange pumpkins are for Halloween and I did not plant them this year.

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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

Jim's I assume you are talking about plants from saved seed? Any cross-pollination effects only shows up in the second generation, not the first. Otherwise it is just one of the random mutations.

Dave

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carolb_w_fl(zone 9/10)

If it's from the compost, might it be from a purchased squash? I've had that happen for me & lucked out on a squash vine that can grow here w/o succumbing to mildew & borers, It produces buff-colored pear-shaped fruits & loads of big yummy male blossoms. I've saved seeds for a number of years & it comes true.

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fbx22

wildflower mixes are also a great way to attract bees. Although I avoid planting them in the vegetable garden since they pretty much multiply like weeds. If you have the space, try planting some close to the garden but not in it. Bees have been using wildflowers long before we introduced and imported all sorts of ornamental flowers :)

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tomtuxman(6bNY)

I let a few leeks bolt and produce those wonderful spherical lavender and white flower heads. I could not believe the number of honey bees congregating on them! There were even bees sleeping in the flowers very early the other morning

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donna_in_sask(2b)

Adult Harlequin Bug, a type of stink bug. They love brassicas, apparently.

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mystearica

I guess I wondered about kitched compost since most of our trees are pine trees (not a ton of compost there). I spoke with my experienced gardener and he told me that he ran a grass cutting business and there is a ton of compost in the forest in front of us that I could use. Haven't checked that out yet.

On another note - @bardamu_gw you mentioned placing cardboard boxes around the raised bed. What exactly do you mean? Carboard at the bottom of the raised bed (wouldn't that interfere with the roots - since 8 inches may not be enough)? Or are you referring to something else?

I have another silly question - as you know I plan on removing the top layer of the soil, then retilling the soil. Obviously I have to manually remove the crabgrass (weeds) while doing this. I worry by doing this some pieces/seeds of the weeds may remain and spread in my raised bed - am I losing my mind? (the neighbor on our left - his bed is made out of 1 foot long weeds... he has neglected it mind you). Sorry if I sound crazy - my family keeps telling me that this is the dumpest idea - weeds, nothing will grow etc etc. I do want to prove them wrong!

Thanks!!

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bardamu_gw

Mystearica, the cardboard and wood chips get placed outside the wood border to keep weeds a foot away from the raised border at all times. It pays to be thorough when weeding.

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