23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

scatter crushed egg shells on top of the soil around the plants will deter slugs too.

This post was edited by JCTsai on Tue, Dec 16, 14 at 13:04

In my experience neither egg shells nor coffee grounds make any difference at all to slugs and snails if you live in an area where they are a real problem. I've tried both many times. Note the egg shells around this hosta which is also growing three feet off the ground.

You likely are better off getting potatoes in March that are not so soft and sprouted.

Potatoes like a loose sandy loam soil. Really heavy soils are not good potato soil. Potatoes also do best in the cooler regions of our country, but if all other things are right, they will still do fairly good in Indiana...especially the northern part.. Ohio too.

I put the potatoes out in some light and warmth at the end of March. Ideally they should have only short sprouts that quickly green up in the light.

I dig a trench about 6 inches deep in the middle of April and scatter some slow acting organic fertilizer [Tomato Tone] in the trench and till that up. I plant either medium whole potatoes or cut up larger ones in two pieces. I place these down a bit into the loose soil. I also put a ring of faster acting fertilizer in a circle around and slightly below the seed piece. I very lightly cover the piece at this time due to likely heavy rains here at this time and so that they can emerge quickly.

If you have a hard frost after the sprouts are starting to show, pull a bit of soil over them. Depending on the weather, you can flick the dirt off when it is safe

I pull some dirt around the 5 inch plants. Later I pull some more around them making a ridge...if planted deeply enough, you don;t need or want a high ridge.

Let the plants fully die off before digging unless you are so jumpy that you steal a few early...but don't dig up the plants at that time. Leave the potatoes in the ground until you need them to eat. Finally, they have to be dug before the ground freezes. Spray wash and dry them a few days and store in the darkest and coolest place that doesn't freeze.

You likely are better off getting potatoes in March that are not so soft and sprouted.

Potatoes like a loose sandy loam soil. Really heavy soils are not good potato soil. Potatoes also do best in the cooler regions of our country, but if all other things are right, they will still do fairly good in Indiana...especially the northern part.. Ohio too.

I put the potatoes out in some light and warmth at the end of March. Ideally they should have only short sprouts that quickly green up in the light.

I dig a trench about 6 inches deep in the middle of April and scatter some slow acting organic fertilizer [Tomato Tone] in the trench and till that up. I plant either medium whole potatoes or cut up larger ones in two pieces. I place these down a bit into the loose soil. I also put a ring of faster acting fertilizer in a circle around and slightly below the seed piece. I very lightly cover the piece at this time due to likely heavy rains here at this time and so that they can emerge quickly.

If you have a hard frost after the sprouts are starting to show, pull a bit of soil over them. Depending on the weather, you can flick the dirt off when it is safe

I pull some dirt around the 5 inch plants. Later I pull some more around them making a ridge...if planted deeply enough, you don;t need or want a high ridge.

Let the plants fully die off before digging unless you are so jumpy that you steal a few early...but don't dig up the plants at that time. Leave the potatoes in the ground until you need them to eat. Finally, they have to be dug before the ground freezes. Spray wash and dry them a few days and store in the darkest and coolest place that doesn't freeze.

Hi ray, here's my idea, in case you like it (easier on the knees, harder on the back -- requires periodic tilling). My raised beds are on the ground, though -- I guess if you have wooden frames, it might not work to till between them?

In the early spring (about every other year) I till (or hire someone to till) my paths and perimeter. Then I rake it smooth and broadcast clover seed, tamp it down a little, wait for rain. The clover forms a nice carpet (no mowing needed) and shades out weeds. I've used white clover with good success. Also crimson clover, though that can get taller (but it has gorgeous flowers!) The idea first came from my AG extension office.

I've scoured the gardens I inherited from the previous homeowners for their massive flagstones. I use the flagstones to "pave" my garden pathways. This severely cuts down on the weeds but does require an athletic hand (the lifting and moving, and turning). Every Spring, I pull up the stones and level them off from the previous Winter's erosion. Then, creeping thyme (or some weed that's extremely similar) grows up through the "grouting". It helps hold the stones in place, is easy to walk on, is VERY easy to pull if it becomes a nuisance.

As for my garden beds/ like others mine are in the ground (not raised). I purchase lots and lots of salt marsh hay from the local farms with estuarine property. The layer helps insulate in the summer time and the weeds that do grow through are leggy/easy to pull. I also do this mulching in the Autumn, just in case; my area is on the edge of zone 5a/6b, so during milder winters the weeds grow ravenously.

Tomatoes do not need much nitrogen, if they have it, they grow very bushy and green, but do not produce well. I always rotate tomatoes with zucchini, cucumbers or corn(just for rotation purpose), where LAST year I applied manure, and do not apply anymore nitrogen whole season long, and they still grow a bit bushy to my taste, but at least they produce).

I have not tried it with tomatoes, but last year I tried it with onions, letting clover grow between them instead of mulching them with hay. (can you say "lazy"?) I got small onions, and the info above has explained to me why, because of course the clover was still growing.
Maybe if I'd mulched heavily over the clover and killed it, then it would have helped? Though I've also heard that clover only fixes N in its second year of growth? Oh, if these plants only knew how detailed we get in taking care of them!

Sure looks like a sweet potato to me, and a nice one too.

may be sweet potato

This post was edited by JCTsai on Mon, Dec 15, 14 at 20:27

crikey ...

how deep is the field ...

and will anything you grow on top ... get their roots .... to the actual depth ...

mine is 2 to 3 feet down .. in sand ... and water doesnt leach upwards ...

so i simply dont see what difference it could make ...

as with wells ... someone in the county ought to have access to permit/installation information ... i think i tracked my well info thru the county health dept ... [i had started by calling well drillers .. there are only 3 in the county .... until one of them gave me the lead .. you might try the same with septic installers]

once you have some actual facts... THEN ... you might get some actual relevant advice ..

and... maybe the health dept peeps will have info ...

good luck

ken

I will start this by saying this is just conjecture on my part, I do not know enough to be sure. I wonder about heavy metals and it may be worth it to you have the soil tested by a place that specifically tests for heavy metals that could have concentrated in the site, depending on how long the septic was used. The potential risk could be somewhat lessened by using raised beds but as it is my family's health/well-being on the line, I would prefer to have more definitive data before proceeding.

That new code is with a fifty dollar minimum.

Thanks Grubby, I didn't click on the link before posting so I didn't know. I will check next time!

I went to that posting and still didn't find out anything worthwhile.

My name is Ron Cook, I am the one who developed Heavy Hitter Okra.
I have seeds, if you need to contact me about them, please send an email to: fourteenmilecreek@ yahoo.com

fourteen mile creek is where I've lived most of my life, so I made it my email address.

Also, there is quite a bit of information about Heavy Hitter okra with photos, and the story of how I developed it, on the green country seed savers website. I hope this is helpful information to anyone seeking seeds from this new strain.

Whether or not you opt for lined raised beds or not you still have to deal with the gophers. They will destroy roses, fruit trees and just about anything else you care about.

Learn how to trap them. I like and use the Victor black box trap. You need a body count. Guessing with poison or scare tactics isn't the best way to go.

Gophers relocate on the surface. Poultry fence around the garden is helpful to keep out the surface relocating gophers and essential for rabbits. If you see mounds approaching the garden you will have time to get the gopher before it finds its way under the fence.

Zeuspaul

From the perspective of the DH, I would build 2 separate 3X8 beds 10 inches deep. 10" boards are cheaper than 12" and should be deep enough. I would not line them, just assemble with 3" screws.

3' wide beds would make it easier to reach the middle if you have the baby in a sling. The additional dirt would not be that much more than one 4X8. If you need the lining you could always tear it down and rebuild it. The boards should be strong enough not to need post to keep them from bowing.

Trust me, you do not want to have goats and a new baby at the same time.

I use to live near Abilene that had both moles and gophers. They were a problem that you fought but did not wipe out the garden. I just planted flat after tilling up the ground. I would save up to buy a tiller rather than rent one.

Thx Kristi. I'm familar with the hearts of course, but wasn't sure how to prepare/eat... the leaves. I have one ready to pick so I will try the steam/butter recipe tonight. I have a total of seven plants. Not sure how many to expect per plant. Some are just starting to form but there is one plant that has three and another that has four out at this point - at different stages. Shouldn't be long though.

We in the Middle East prepare the artichoke differently. We use several methods for that but in most of them, we dip them when stewed in a mixture of mashed garlic, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Then we peel off the leafs and eat the lower portion. The heart is then eaten seperately after removing the flower hairs.
We also chop the heart then clean the flower, and do the heart as salad after stewing or even green.
We also use the green heart and fill it With the French Gratin recipe.

I don't believe wall-walla will survive zone 5. Z7 is supposed to be the maximum coldness. Walla-walla WA is z8, right?

pnbrown- walla walla survived in a low tunnel in my back yard- the winter of 2102/2013 in zone 5. I am experimenting further this year-hoping to replant onion seedlings started late last summer in low tunnels.

Can you show us some pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: growing seedlings indoors

Sounds like it might be a soil problem. Your problem sounds like it's not just that your seedlings aren't growing, but that there is something actually hurting them. It's hard to overilluminate indoors, and if you under-illuminate, things will just grow more slowly. What are you using for a planting mix?

I'll echo floral_uk's question. What exactly are you trying to grow that you're having trouble with? You say you can get seeds to start, but not grow. Which seeds?

This is only your 2nd year. The yield will at least double over the next two years. Send me some :-)

First thing I would take into consideration is how much do you like asparagus? If you really like it than plant as much as you have room for, you won't regret it.