24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)

What are the white one's called?

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jnjfarm_gw(5a)

If your dog loves cukes he will love green beans.

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bcomplx(z6VA)

The plants can cross with queen anne's lace, making the seeds less desirable. And why save seed from such a ready bolter anyway?

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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

I agree that I wouldn't save seed from a bolted carrot either. I didn't intend to sound as if I was recommending that, just that it's no longer usable for anything else.

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

The ones I can see in the pic all show damaged fruit, fruit that is either distorted or has stopped growing for whatever reason - usually incomplete pollination or insects. Far as the plant is concerned they are done and it is in the process of aborting or dropping them. So that is a normal response for the husk to pop like that. Remove them and toss.

Dave

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ilodato(6b)

Our tomatoes often have these. They will usually fall off as the tomato grows bigger, thhe ind blows on them, etc. No biggie.

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AJ (6A)

Thanks. Thats what I assumed, but I couldn't find anything to reassure myself. Thanks!

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zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin

I guess I want to better understand the situation, to come up with the best solution. Is space an issue? Will it be necessary to grow two crops in the same space, or can you succession-plant corn after another vegetable in a different space?

Personally, even if I had the season to do so, I would not follow corn with corn, for reasons of fertility. That's a good general rule of thumb for any vegetable, not following like with like... it also avoids or reduces insect & disease problems.

I prefer the succession crop method mentioned by Dennis, following a fast-maturing Spring crop (such as peas) with the second corn planting. To gain time, you could also plant them in a block of peas or bush beans, when the plants begin to flower. By the time the corn gets large enough to shade the peas/beans, they are already done... and the dying legumes would provide mulch & nitrogen. Hey, you might even find a few extra dry beans when you harvest the corn!

Oh, and lest I forget the first corn planting... you could follow that with a Fall crop of peas, brassicas, or garlic.

Haven't tried following potatoes with corn, but it might be interesting. When you hill the potatoes, plant the corn in the furrows. Then when you dig the potatoes (carefully!) hill up soil around the corn. My soil is too heavy for potatoes, or I'd try it myself.

Is the size of the crop an issue, or is the object just to spread out the harvest? How much corn & how much space are we talking about? You could just inter-plant two varieties in the same plot, one early, one late. You could use transplants for the early variety, but if they were too large, they might stunt the growth of the late variety planted between them. Personally, I would direct-sow the early variety, and direct-sow the late variety between them as soon as they had 2-3 leaves. Most of the main-season corns are taller than the early varieties anyway, but I would choose both varieties carefully to emphasize this difference, so the late crop would not be excessively shaded.

I'd have to agree with Wayne regarding the super-early corn varieties (such as the "polar" series). Their earliness seems to come at the expense of poor quality. I used to sow "Honeycomb" as my first planting, it's maturity is somewhere between early & main-season... don't know if it is still available. "Ruby Queen" has done well for me as a late planting, it seems to ear up well in cooler temps... I was picking it the night before frost last year.

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gdskis

Our corn should be ready to harvest en early July which would make a second planting a litle iffy for harvest before winter. I had a thought of planting new seed in the spaces between plants when they tassle. Then when we harvest just cut out the old plants with the new ones well established at about a foot tall,anyone got any input. This sound damn near genius to me. any opinions?

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

How deep is it? They come in all sorts of depths.

Dave

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tlyvonne(z6 KS)

It's between 6 and 8 inches deep. I've filled it with old potting soil from pots I wanted to fill with fresh potting soil, a couple wheel barrels my native sandy soil then added some cotton burr compost I had on hand and a little peat moss. I planted my nine slips and covered the surface with straw have not watered in yet as it was starting to rain. Decided to let Mother nature water it. Will check moisture tomorrow to see if maybe need more water or more drainage holes. Thank you all for your info, and I will let you know results. Yvonne

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sr5red

This is how i cook Bitter MELON. Clean the Melon ,removed the insidesmthen chop it cross cut into quarter inch pieces remove the seeds,stir fry with onions and crushed garlics, seasoned it 3 tbsp salted sauce, then add a scrumbled 3 pcs.eggs.Do not over cook.Enjoy eating with Rice .

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Turtlegardener(6a Toronto, ON. CAN)

ltran,
Looks fantastic! I'm kinda bummed. I had gotten bitter melon seeds because my mom really likes these melons because they're really good for you. I started them inside, but none of my seeds germinated and it was getting late and I didn't want to sow more because I don't have that many. Never grown them, are the seeds difficult to germinate? Any tried sowing seeds from store bought bitter melons? Ya, we mainly eat them in vegetable stirfrys. They're great with asian eggplants and a black bean sauce.

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

<we did get a few days randomly around frost temps. but everything else is growing great my tomatoes are almost 4ft tall and flowering and transplanted the same time>

The difference in tolerance between tomatoes and peppers for cold exposure and cold soil temps is like night and day. No comparison as peppers are easily stunted by it, tomatoes aren't. That's the main reason why peppers are normally planted out much later than tomatoes are. They require 20 degree warmer air temps and at least 10 degree warmer soil temps.

So the odds are your peppers have been stunted by such cold exposure. If the weather cooperates and heats up fast they may recover but crop will likely be late and reduced.

I'd give them a kick-start of something stronger than compost tea. Good stuff but only effective if you have a really good and active soil food web in your soil. If you want to stay organic look into some of the fish emulsion/kelp blends. If synthetics are ok, a diluted 1/2 strength dose of MG All Purpose should do the trick.

Dave

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sepulvd(zn8,WA)

thanks I will try and get some MG all purpose

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Straw as mulch?Will straw work as a mulch, or does it blow all over?
Posted by mark_roeder(4B IA)
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jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)

I have no problem with it blowing and I live out in an open field, No problem with weeds either, Just lay a thin layer of newspaper down first, Newspaper will decompose then plow or till it in the garden.

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ksl1932

Why people don`t have cats to control the mice?

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

Wow! I wonder how they can possibly justify that cost given what it is made of? For that price you could buy 100 rakes, a Troy-Bilt tiller, or 2 Mantis mini-tillers and not have to supply your own motor. But like jnfarm said my planter and my tillers more than fill my needs.

Dave

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drscottr(7)

Dave

I'll admit I have a tendency to try new things and have been lucky enough the cost didn't faze me. The tilther did a nice job giving me a very fine soiled top 3 inches.

Scott

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pugetsoundgardener(8 Puget Sound WA)

My straw mulch sprouted too (and yes it was straw, not hay). I may age the straw before using it from now on. Pulling grass-like sprouts from my whole garden is not my idea of a good time.

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sandyinva(7A)

I don't think the asparagus will like it very much. I am tempted to remove it, and starting over, as some of it is rooting in the soil.

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eloise_ca

Thanks, went out and watered and will try to be more consistent with that!

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grubby_AZ Tucson Z9

Like Dave said, that shape points squarely at inconsistent watering. Zukes don't seem to have very deep roots, and I grow the stuff in full sun, arid-everything, hot temps, heavy OM, and lots of mulch. They grow wonky if the watering is inconsistent, so in these conditions, automatic drip is the key.

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Koz

Hi. Newbie here searching for a solution described in this thread. What is P & K ? I use newspaper and grass clippings in my garden to keep down the weeds. I was thinking too much nitrogen was my issue. Now thinking the spacing. Soil sems pretty packed too. Should I till in some sand? This is my first time trying radishes. Thanks

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

Hi Koz - is radishes the only crop? If not how are the others doing? If ok then your P (phosphorous) and K (potassium) levels are likely fine. Plant spacing (over-crowded) and maybe too much N (nitrogen) are the most likely problems. Be sure to this the radishes once they germinate to insure good spacing.

Adding lots of good compost to compacted soil is much better than adding sand.

Dave

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nickrosesn

Thank you digdirt2. You answered my question.

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Steve Copeland

I don't get wrapped up in measuring exact dimensions when I fertilize. Mix as instructions state, water plants until run off, and you are good to go. Been doing it this way for nearly 40 years and haven't ever burnt a plant yet. 0-10-10 fertilizer.....absolutely no sweat applying that stuff even though I wouldn't use it on my tomatoes unless they were coming out of the cages with zero blooms on them.

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dave_f1 SC, USDA Zone 8a(7b)

Mock strawberry generally considered a weedy invasive species in alot of the US. Don;t know about up there.

And beesneeds was correct, it's a cinquefoil, or Potentilla. Mock strawberry is one of those.

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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Miss Moose - Mock Strawberry is Duchesnia indica, sometimes called Potentilla indica. Your plant isn't Mock Strawberry. Either way you don't want it in your herb planter. It'll crowd out the other plant. (Is it Tarragon?)

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