24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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agardenstateof_mind(USDA 7 NJ)

BTDT ... and this year was a record. Glad to know I'm in good company :-) Since I, too, had some older seeds and thought there'd be a lower germination rate, I decided to start the seeds en masse, in rows in the trays, then prick out and transplant the seedlings to individual cells/pots. It looks like they all came up and I'm now going to have to find homes for them all - peppers, eggplant, and lots of heirloom tomatoes.

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Peter (6b SE NY)

I have two rows of eggplants and extra tomato plants squeezed in some spots, because I couldn't bring myself to throw out nice looking seedlings I have been coddling for months. Next year I am starting less extras!

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

I can only tell you what I have been doing with mine for more than 50 years now. But I'm sure someone will come along and disagree.

Once the ferns turn brown I cut them off at ground level, clean out any weeds that may have sprouted, mulch with a 3-4" layer of compost and composted manure, and water it all well. Throughout the winter if low rain or snowfall I make sure to water the beds well about once a month. Mid February I feed the beds well with more compost. After the first harvesting I feed the beds once again and keep it well watered throughout the summer.

Dave

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Miss_Moose (Winnipeg, Canda. Zone 2)

Thanks! Can anyone ID the plants for me?

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bardamu_gw

Looks like leaf lettuce. I think these should bolt pretty soon unless you keep them shaded but then they won't grow fast.

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grubby_AZ Tucson Z9

I have one pic of an unopened sunflower blossom and can count over 50 little red ants on it. They have never done a bit of harm that I can tell so won't agree on any need to kill them off.
And if you have holes like this, it's birds.

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bmarlin611

Ants do too "eat plants."

Carpenter ants (big black ants, see http://www.cirrusimage.com/hymenoptera_ant_carpenter.htm) will chew holes in the main stem and suck the juice that comes out. They usually do this right below a leaf stem, and then the whole leaf droops and wilts or just falls off. I have seen them do this many times. I used to wonder too what made those leaves droop - and I have dozens of all different kinds of sunflowers.

These ants do not herd aphids, they just look for weak places and when they find one, they will continue to chew until the damage is done - the whole sunflower may topple. Watch them carefully and you can see them testing leaf edges and such for weak places.

Planthoppers can also do the same thing - ants love to tend planthoppers too, not just aphids, They milk them for honeydew and will protect them from ladybugs and other predators. Planthoppers inject toxic saliva that keeps the juice flowing and so can kill the whole stem and damage big patches of leaves. Watch how ants will attempt to drive off your lady beetles! Look for groups of hopper on the underside of leaflets. Planthoppers killed one of my newly planted weeping willows in just such wise.

Holes in leaflets can be caused by inchworm moth caterpillars (family Geometridae), psyllids (like tiny flies) and plant bugs in the family Miridae. Psyllids and plant bug damage will usually show some mosaic-like brown spots where they feed.

Don't blame the birds! It's always insects of some sort. Be on the lookout for weevils on your hollyhocks, too!

-Bruce (cirrusimage.com)

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jean001a(Portland OR 7b)

Temporary light shade may help the water last a bit longer.
But hot & dry are tough for potted plants to deal with because they have such small, restricted root zones.

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woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a

You could do double duty...pop a couple seeds right next to it in case this one doesn't recover. If it does recover, just pull the new seedlings.

Regarding your porch idea until the storms subside...not a problem at all.

Kevin

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jethrobodeen1581

It survived! Been getting cukes everyday now

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wertach zone 7-B SC

My reaction is umm umm good! It does have a laxative effect that reduces with boiling and draining a few times, I do it 3 times and I hardly ever notice any affect. I have more affect from fresh onions than poke.

You said "i didn't feel anything different right away". Did you get sick later?

It is kind of late to pick it. You should only use young tender leaves and stop picking any when the stems start to turn purple. Usually around mid May here.

If you used leaves only and no stems there should be no problems. I have ate fried young tender stems and they are good too.

I have been eating it every spring for 60 years with no problem, my Mama fed it to me as soon as I was old enough for solid food! My family including all of my aunts uncles cousins, ETC. have been eating it also. No one has ever gotten sick!

I remember a lot of people with arthritis would dry the berries and take one a day for it.

There are a lot of nutritious great tasting wild foods out there that many people are afraid of.

If you remember tomatoes were thought to be poison at one time and parts of tomato plants are poisonous. Same with potatoes which are poisonous if exposed to sun.

If anyone decides to eat anything wild they should be sure to identify it properly and how it should be handled, cooking and harvesting. Never, ever, even touch or eat anything that you are not 100% sure of! There are a lot of "look a likes" out there!

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farmerdill

Memories, wertach. My grandfathers generation crushed the berries and made a tonic with white Whiskey ( moonshine) for rheumatism. Don't know if it cured it but the recipient would perk up after a dose.

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WDMetalcraft

looks like my spaggetti squash

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tcstoehr(8b Canby, OR)

Could be a zucchini. But the dual blossoms are a malformation, subsequent blossoms will be singles.

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Russell Coleman

Sieva is probably the best variety of butterbean for the central VA. area. We have grown them in the Hanover/Henrico area for 50+ years. They perform well and taste incredible! The fordhook bush type runs a close second in flavor and performance.

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veeta

I love fava beans--I have successfully overwintered them in my zone 7 garden. The timing of my spring planting was not good this year, or the weather heated up too fast, so no bean--but I will be harvesting the green tips to eat this weekend. Any bean that you can eat fresh or dried is a winner with me.

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glib(5.5)

yes, blanching and light frosts remove the bitterness (just like light frosts sweeten a number of other veggies). Those I eat in January, the last ones, have zero bitterness. For storage, the best way is to bury them under lots of straw outside. They need to be right at the freezing point, but there has to be air circulation. I do not have straw anymore, so I store them in a tote. The outer stalks do tend to rot under these circumstances, but again, they are so abundant. My wife makes a pretty good soup with the coarser, outer stalks that survive, involving good stock, crumbled sausage, garlic and celery (the latter two, we have lots of). croutons also. but for me they are best raw, with a cup of olive oil, vinegar and salt to dip into.

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tarolli2011

Thanks so much for the advice. Not many people in US grow them. It a new adventure for me.

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gumby_ct(CT it says Z5)

Planting too close can reduce size/yields. I know potatoes don't like too much water or fert. In fact they prefer a low Ph poor soil with room to grow. But potatoes don't have to be large to be tasty. Early harvest can be a cause also.

I think with onions planting too deep can be a problem.

There are many varieties of white potatoes.

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dejanner

I planted them in a raised bed. Thanks for the information on the onions. I will look for onion plants next time. Thank all of you. I hope for better luck next year.

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laceyvail(6A, WV)

Well, they're not Cherokee Purple, that's for sure.

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h_nurmikko(Tahlequah, OK (7a))

I think I am in the same boat as you. I bought a pack of supposed CP seeds and they look like this too. I wonder how often seeds get mixed up?

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redtartan(5a)

The weather was great here yesterday and I spent the whole day in the garden. The cucumbers I transplanted are awful, don't think they'll bounce back. I'll have to get more seeds started just incase. It sounds like most of us are in the same boat with the cool season crops AND weeds flourishing and warmer weather crops getting a little sick.

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elisa_z5

Yes, in the same boat, floating away . . .

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exmar

In my experience, corn doesn't like to be transplanted. Just plant seeds next year, transplanting is a shock which it's not evolved to expect. You mention that you planted 12? Hardly enough to get good pollination, be interesting to see if the cobs are full or partially full of kernels come harvest. I'd suggest at least a 6X6 grid of seeds spaced one foot each way at a minimum. If space is the issue, buy corn locally and use that space for bush beans, etc. Much more return for your effort.

Ev

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jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)

Agree that is not enough corn to pollinate with, Z7 you should have enough time to plant seeds, The way your pictures look you should be ok but as far as the ears go I agree with exmar.

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maryam1nt

Thank you so much Dave.

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jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)

Special Salts? Did you mean Epson salt, If so that could be killing your plant if your giving it too much, I wouldn't give it more then once a month, Remove the bad leaves and throw them away from your plants.

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