24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

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

The stake or cage is for support and protection. One hard thunderstorm or hard wind can lay them over and break stems and as fruit weight increases so does the potential for damage if there is no support. Even the gardener walking through or overreaching can cause damage. If you choose to use a stake then the plant has to be somehow tied to the stake. The advantage of the cage is no tying is required and it gets 360 degrees of support.

Salad Slicer is a cucumber. It is the use of the word pepino that isn't quite accurate in its use - it means cucumber in Spanish. That is Burpee's effort at international marketing but they don't understand how to use it in proper context because it can mean something else in English and something else in French and Italian and Portuguese, etc.

So they way they have it you are growing "Cucumber Salad Slicer Cucumber". :)

Dave

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Jason Byrne

Yes, absolutely for support and protection. They don't need any training or help to grow straight. Mine are two or three feet right now and I noticed they got whipped around pretty hard in storms or even just gusty normal Florida afternoons. The more support you give them the less stress the plant is under and less likely to get damage.

I am using the staking because I've got the plants in pretty close quarters and also it just looks nicer. I haven't had any issues with it not being enough support and I secure it with some loosely tied twine just every foot or so.

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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

I think that whatever it is, it's an adult. It's absolutely one of the assassin bugs.

What is all of that white fuzzy stuff?

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Jason Byrne

The "fuzzy stuff" is what used to be cucumber flowers, which are now wilting and falling into oblivion thanks (I think) to the cucumber beetles and their larva. I only saw one of them a few weeks ago and now I am seeing a lot of babies on the under sides of leaves. So that's what he is eating.

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mdy113

i believe its about 5 gal. container or maybe little bigger, its not huge, but not a tiny pot, ya curious if they would get crowded, or how bushy they would actually get. its basically 2 rows of 3, wanted to be safe that some would germinate, and all 6 did

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

If 5 gallons and IF you can monitor the soil moisture levels carefully several times a day then it may handle 3 plants. Cukes are so consistent soil moisture, so water dependent however that I would only leave 2 plants max. Otherwise you risk bitterness, poor pollination and deformed cukes.
Dave

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ccabal(7)

Funny right... In the dinosaur movies we usually root for the plant eaters.

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randy_coyote(7)

ccabal, that's because in those movies people are the meat.

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

The variety you are growing per your other thread - Salad Bush (aka Salad Slicer, aka B409 C) - does not climb. It is a very small bush variety, small enough that it can easily be grown in a container or even a hanging basket.

Dave

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gumby_ct(CT it says Z5)

This is how I do mine. It makes fall cleanup easier as you don't have a vine tangled around a trellis - just cut the string & vine then dispose of the whole thing.

Tie the jute twine loosely to the plant then up to the cross beam described below. Then each day or when you water wind the plant stem around the twine - I was surprised at just how well that does hold.

It really only takes seconds to do the winding plus you will notice growth and see any problems early on.

The nice thing about gardening you can do whatever fits you and your space.

The below is taken from the FAQ page which was taken from Mels first book.

<An upside-down U made from electrical conduit or other pipe works well and doesn't break the bank (3/4" copper plumbing pipe used for this purpose is a little more expensive but very nice-looking). To support the individual plants, string is tied horizontally just above ground level and then vertically between the top bar and bottom string. Nylon is recommended to prevent rotting.>

I used 2x2 wood for the uprights and 1x2, 1x3, or 2x2 for the cross piece. I thought the wood was not only more affordable but easier to work with. I used whatever I had on hand.

I used a combination of sheet rock screws and carriage bolts (w/wing nuts) long enuff to hold the pieces together. The bolts will require drilling first and a cordless screw gun is always handy.

I used nylon string the first year after that I used jute twine which only lasts a year but did last the whole season and makes cleanup easier as the jute will compost IF that is what you choose to do.

I only ran a string down to the plants (tomato, cukes, or other vines) - I did not run one horizontally. You just wrap the plant around the string each day or when it is long enuff.

I am not an aggressive pruner by any means but I was really impressed how well this method held up to the hurricane winds when the plants were weighed down with fruit in Aug/Sep. So impressed I have used this method each year since 2002.

<Mel includes extensive info on this method in his book and website.> This referred to his 'old website' as that is when these FAQs were written.

http://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2766689/how-do-i-trellis-veggies

For more SFG FAQs...

http://faq.gardenweb.com/forums/square-foot-gardening-faq

HTH

Make the uprights no higher than you can reach to harvest or wrap - when growing longer vines I let them grow down the other side.

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