24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

I used to need multiple stakes to keep my peppers up, then started using the short cages like DigDirt. I plant big varieties one to a cage, but with some others I'll plant one on each side, and then tie the plants to the outside of the cage. If you need to add a Florida weave deal later because the plants are so big, the cages give you something to work with.

The cheap crap tomato cages work well as mentioned. Or three stakes just out of the root ball. I did that last year and attached a ring of chicken wire....had some in the shed.
I gave up peppers years ago but alway tried just two or three. Never did well but the climate is different the past couple years and i'm at it again. Slowly,lol. I put in 6. I'll shop in my shed again this weekend and decide the staking method. If anything is left after that last storm.


My Cucuzza is a climber. Now aware of a contained pot variety.
Like mentioned, too many plants close together. Start over and add some top soil or potting mix, (...not sure the best as i don't use pots. )
But do fill the pot. Start with just three seeds so you will assure the chance of good germination but thin to the one strongest once they are up. Really no much room for more than one.
I made a cute garden for the neighbor kids this spring. Just three 2ft sq raised beds. I used pro mix, some peat, compost and some worm 'goo' from my worm bin. In one bed i did snap peas, lots of them and a teepee trellis. one is salad, grew and pulled...just added another crop.. The third bed is zucchini squash. I put in five seeds and thinned to two. They wanted the moon but i wanted success and all is doing great. I did put in a few sunflowers in the middle of the peas but the birds must have found them.
-i should take a pic...

I was using the EPs as a foliar treatment for bloom set, versus to enrich the soil. Thanks to both of you, and I won't worry about another treatment.
And Dan, thanks very much for the link to Pavlis's website - really great info there - and since I didn't see any posts saying that incantations and dances helping gardens is a myth, I'll give that a whirl around midnight tonight, as tonight's the full moon where I am. How lucky is that?!

Njitgrad, those look beautiful.
I prefer the yellow/golden zucchini over the ubiquitous green...but its more a visual preference. However they do tend to sometimes get a green mixed in.... which (I think) tends to give it a bit of "visual character". Forty-Niner Hybrid and Golden Zucchini from the Burpee seed rack at Lowes or Home Depot did well for me this year. These are Burpee Golden Zucchini...


Njitgrad, it's best to pick zuke types while they are young, just a day or two after blooming is good, too big and they get seedy. Some that young may not have "set" or been properly pollinated so while sliceing them up to cook it's good idea to taste a raw slice to make sure it's not bitter from being not properly pollinated or bitter for other reasons. No need to ruin a dish due to one bad tasting squash. Most should be just fine.

I think if you put some sort of lattice system in place, you can keep all four plants in that container. If you really want to get rid of one or two, just snip it off at the base...I wouldn't try transplanting at this stage of the game. Make sure to watch the watering and fertilizing if you decide to keep them all.

Agree just snip it off at the soil line with scissors rather than trying to pull it. Whether you can leave all four plants depends on the variety. If they are compact variety bred for containers then maybe 3 will do ok with extra care and attention. But if regular full-size, vining varieties I limit it to 2 plant max.
Dave


The bait that worked for me last year with just one try was sweet potato. I'd place a tiny sliver of freshly cut SP at the trap entrance and a large piece inside just past the trap trigger plate. The GH would have a taste of the sliver and then go inside after the mother load.

They are not skittish at all, at least not mine(. My husband yesterday manage to hit it with a small rock(not painful, but he definitely get him) while he was dining out on my lettuce. he jumped 2 feet to the side, then looked at us like - are you nuts? Returned back and continue feeding, until my husband found some more rocks and got closer to him. No, he is not afraid of anything(



Do you mulch them inside tunnel? I had problems with blight last year, and am experimenting with a few in my UGH (unheated greenhouse) .
Pulled a few Napoli and Cordoba to thin and check, yep they are making carrots! Oops I saw carrot rust fly on 2nd planting, have to dig up the sugar and coffee ...


I'm on the eastern end of your storms and seeing the same sort of problems. Despite gardening with raised rows. The beets and salad greens did beautifully and I've made three cuttings of basil already. I am having similar problems with peppers at the moment and a few of the heirloom tomatoes look like they are headed for an early blight. Keep the faith. You know what August in Pennsylvania is like.....



Next year I don't want many things in the ground. Probably only tomatoes because they aren't bothered too much by pests. I have one tiny little baby tomatoe only. Guess what it is about to rain some more! I got my sweet potato slips yesterday, from sandhill don't look great darn near nothing I ordered. I planted them in the 25 and 30 root pouches. The soil in the pots wasn't even very warm. Chicago isn't my favorite place for gardening.I am ready to move to a warmer zone. One that has seasons besides just winter and spring. So many gardening challenges.







They are also a pest magnet....at least by me.
It happened again!!! I came out this morning and it's laying completely flat!! What the heck?