The 2014 Garden Thread

a reply to: tovenar

If it is slugs then you can stop them getting to the plants by putting crushed up egg shells in a ring around them, the slugs dont like sliding over them, or if it isnt going to rain and you can keep the water off it, some people use bran or something else that sucks the moisture out of them as they slide. I prefer snail and slug pellets myself, they can be a bit expensive but they give you long term control, most of them have a bittering agent that deters your pets from eating them.

Well it is mid winter here, and today is pretty cold. I have been busy in the garden the last few months, but I realized that I was a bit slow in planting my winter vegies. I thought I had to plant them at the start of winter, but mid autumn is better. I have been planting on a monthly basis, the earlier ones that I planted at the end of autumn are doing fine, but other people's are even more advance than mine. Some fine seeded vegetables I planted 6 weeks ago are not doing so well. It seems that fine seeds like carrot get eaten by mites in the soil when you plant them in the cold season, they are there too long before they germinate and the mites get them. I have broadbeans, kohl rabi, fennel, kale, lettuce, silver beet, cabbages, cauliflowers, peas all growing happily at the moment. The good thing about winter is that I dont have to water them as we get frequent showery weather here. I have taken to germinating my seeds indoors using damp paper towel before throwing them out in the cold.

The chickens haven't layed in a month, but I did get an egg today. I have made them a bit more comfortable and given them more privacy in their nesting boxes. About a month ago I culled the roosters out of the flock and the hens seem to be a lot more happier now, not being chased around the yard all the time and the pecking order squabbles seem to have quietened down too.

originally posted by: 74Templar
a reply to: missvicky

I always plant them as seedlings in the ground once they are about 6 inches high. The cool thing is they can grow pretty close together, I usually plant them about a foot apart and they just kinda all grow like a big hedge.

My bed is about 6ftx6ft with four plants in each row. One year I used an old single wooden bed frame and just filled it with dirt and potting mix, and they took off. If you can, just get one of those little metal beds from a garden store, or you can even buy canvas troughs that function as garden beds from ebay pretty cheaply. Then just fill them with potting soil and away they go.

As for ripening too soon, I would say the warmth of lack thereof would be causing that. Where you have them do they get full sun, shade or partial both? I find half and half, particularly morning sun and afternoon shade seems to make them go well.

I have found that mostly or morning shade is helpful for my tomato plants. I am finding that the more full sun they get the poorer the plant. I have been getting more tomatoes this year but they are small. The ones I put in the ground are starting to produce and it looks like they are going to make bigger fruit. However, the ones in the pots are producing, the vines are starting to die off, but they are producing more new growth with blooms! What do I do I now!

a reply to: missvicky

They are a strange plant the tomato, mine suffered through some pretty horrendous heat and a fair bit of humid rain this summer, and they kept on going regardless. It was only when the ground began to get really cold did they suffer, but I was still getting fruit in May this year.

I've really found with any veggie plant, it's a combination of shade and sun (usually morning sun and afternoon shade) that seems to give the best results. Having said that, the few 35+ degrees C days we had made them back off a little, but then they just kinda came back with a vengeance. Best thing is to give them lots of plant food, I use seasol once a week, and that tends to give bigger fruit. Manure of any kind will also help produce bigger tomatoes if you don't mind the smell.

As for the ones in pots, it's possible they're either root bound, you'd be surprised just how deep and wide the roots go for the size of the plant, otherwise they could also be getting too much heat in the pot, stifling them and causing the roots to die off. Perhaps move them to shadier pastures or even limit the sunlight a bit and see how it goes for them.

Unfortunately in the southern hemisphere we are mid-winter right now, although it is still sunny during the day, we are getting very cold nights, even having frosts which is kinda scary for a sub-tropical area. September/October I plan to re-plant my crop for summer, going for at least 35 tomato bushes this year, so it should net me quite a few.

a reply to: missvicky

A tip I got last season about tomatos in pots, add a teaspoon of bicarbonate to the water, it makes the tomatos sweeter. We had a really hot summer and the tomatos were acidic here. They got better when I put a bucket of wood ash round them.

I got a gardenia tree from Lowe's. Great sized blossoms.

I have 3 lower bush style gardenias that I've had successfully for years in my Sonroom.

Somehow, I killed the gardenia tree. I knew they had to be moist as the tag said. And before I transplanted it to a bigger pot, I made sure I watered it liberally daily. It started looking wilted. I guess I drowned it. I got another one and already have transplanted it. Guess I should water it every other day or some such???

Someone said to give it some juice from dill pickles to keep it blooming. Anyone tried that?

9 out of 20 purple asparagus plants are doing OK to well.

Giving my raised bed greenhouse area its sabbatical. Will likely plant in the fall, again. Not sure what. Maybe tomatoes.

Strawberries did better with more watering this spring.

Stark Bros says to insure that the black raspberries are at least 75 feet from any other variety. Anyone know why that is? I need to move one.

And, given how raspberries propagate wildly by underground runners, will likely put more I plan to order in a new raised concrete block bed.

Am thinking about getting a few persimmon trees. Want the smaller sized tree varieties. Any favorites???

Hope to get a GROWINGSPACES.COM geodesic dome greenhouse before winter. Will see how my coins are doing along the way. Need to sell a stamp collection first. Not sure the best route to do that through. It's been 6 months since dad died and I'm stilllll wrestling with aftermath tasks. Wheeee.

Thanks for the thread.

originally posted by: MojaveBurning
Maybe someone can help me with an indoor houseplant? We keep it in water, have had it about 4-5 years, and up until now has been beautiful and green. Now it's losing green color in the leaves. I'm thinking it must be some sort of nutritional deficiency... but not sure what? Up until now, just regular tap water has been working fine. Should I get some sort of hydroponic nutrient solution and add to it? I'd really like to keep it in water if at all possible. Any help is appreciated, and I've attached a pic to help you see what I mean.

Looks like your houseplant has Tobacco Mosaic Virus.

originally posted by: Cinrad
a reply to: tovenar

If it is slugs then you can stop them getting to the plants by putting crushed up egg shells in a ring around them, the slugs dont like sliding over them, or if it isnt going to rain and you can keep the water off it, some people use bran or something else that sucks the moisture out of them as they slide. I prefer snail and slug pellets myself, they can be a bit expensive but they give you long term control, most of them have a bittering agent that deters your pets from eating them.

Egg shells work great for slugs but I have found that beer works better; I use egg shells and beer; The slugs don't stand a chance.

Two weeks of 40 C + in summer and now this:


We have had -3 last night and tonight, but my plants seem to be ok. I have planted kohl rabi, cabbage, cauliflower, fennel, kale, lots of broad beans, peas, silver beet for the winter crop. My rhubarb carcced it in the extreme heat last summer.

I have just planted some bare rooted saplings too. Apricot, peach, nectarine, almond, chestnut, cherry, walnut and some raspberries, thornless blackberries and loganberries.

Midwest US here......

Has anyone planted cucumbers this year?
HOw are they doing?

Here it is August, plants doing very poorly....no vibrant growth.....few female flowers.....only one fruit so far....

Been growing them for YEARS...not sure if it is something I've not done or ?????

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I know I'm not in the same country as you, but just reporting that yours sound exactly like mine. Only did 5 plants this year. One plant has one cucumber, maybe 4 inches long, 2 plants are just starting their first fruits (1 each plant) and no sign of anything on the last 2.

a reply to: MissBeck

Oddly, they germinated very quickly.
I thought it was the cooler temperatures....we've only had two 90F days so far, many only mod 70sF.
I also thought maybe the ground is tired....but I've been watering with liquid seaweed fertilizer....and liquid humus the other day, but it is too soon to tell if that helped.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Well mine have just been outside, unprotected, yet where I work they have a huge polytunnel and irrigation system set up there, and the tomatoes and cucumbers in there are monsters. At least 6-7 cukes per plant!! And they don't feed theirs. So I think mine must just be a bit chilly. It is roasting in that polytunnel at work.

a reply to: MissBeck

hmmmmmmm......how are your tomatoes???
My plants are big and healthy, lots of flowers, lots of tomatoes.....ALL green.


ETA
Now, my flowers..perennials and shrubs....all big and beautiful!!!!!
The annuals....so great...so just okay.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

My home ones are all leaf at the moment. They are only just starting to set. All marble size.

Work ones, huge and ripening, some being picked already.

This time last year, I had a fridge full at home. Was giving them to the neighbours!! This year, rubbish.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
Midwest US here......

Has anyone planted cucumbers this year?
HOw are they doing?

Hi!
yes. my cucumbers have been amazing this year! I have ONE plant and it's been producing so much I've been giving them away to everyone and I still had to throw some out - had so many we couldn't eat them all. I am in Texas and using the straw bale method this year- it's been amazing. I have tons of tomatoes to but they are small as well. Someone told me you are supposed to pinch off some of the blossoms, Is that true? (this is my first successful year- total newbie lol)
How about cantaloupes? I have some that are doing pretty good but they aren't as sweet as we hoped. I don't know if it's the type (Hale's Best) or if it needs something I'm not doing..Does anyone here have any ideas?

Spring is finally here. The early fruit trees have blossomed and are buzzing with bees. The temps are getting to 20C every day now. In case we get another cold month or two I planted some winter vegies a couple of weeks ago, if they dont produce well or bolt (go to seed) early then I can always give them to the chooks, they love a few greens in the morning. I can then replant those plots with summer vegies in two months.

I have not had any success germinating carrots here. My neighbor told me to give up because they wont grow here. Any ideas why? I have tried another method now, transplanting carrot seedlings. I have been told that it can be done so lets see how it goes.

All the winter vegies have either been picked or are growing at a fast rate the last week. I have broad beans coming on, cabbages, kohl rabi, and snow peas.

I had 7 beautiful cauliflower ready within two weeks of each other, too much to eat, I sold two but there were still too many for us so I made sweet mustard pickles with one of them, I lacto-fermented it before adding onion, sugar, spices and simmering it, tastes a lot like my favourite pickles that I buy from the supermarket. The pumpkins I harvested 4 months ago are still keeping well just stored in the garage on top of shelves.

Happy harvesting to you up north!

Thank you Cinrad for all your posts! I think I've figured out my tomatoes. some of them I put in the ground, but I most likely won't get year 'round tomatoes from them so I have left my two year olds in pots and will pull them into the green house this winter. I increased my fertilizing to once a week, water everyday, and they are doing well. The potted plants are putting on right now, while the plants in the ground are not, although they are still green and maybe concentrating on new growth?
Meanwhile I have a couple of pumpkins coming on ( buried a rotten pumpkin in a pot last spring and transplanted the sprouts. Someone told me I might not get any pumpkins since the seeds didn't dry out. What has been your experience?)
My zucchini plant is producing and most of my pepper plants are humming along nicely. However I have noticed a strange white "fungus" that doesn't seem to bother the fruit until the plant dies, and the ants seem to love it. Do you know what this could be? I have sprayed them with neem oil and have seen a certain amount of recovery but what do I do?

a reply to: missvicky

Are you sure its not just cold causing the fungus growth? My spinach copped a bit of cold damage this year and the edges were like a white colour as a result.
Another option if it is bug or disease related is some lukewarm soapy water. Some of my flowers have bug problems and it seems to be a good fix for it.

For the tomatos, do you pick out the laterals? There should be a youtube video on how to do it (tomato laterals are not the same as fruit tree laterals in case you are familiar with them). Also if the soil is high nitrogen then they are going to produce more leaf than fruit, so either stop feeding them N or give them a good dose of potassium (K) based fertilizer.
The white fungus on the zucchini is powdery mildew, and yes it isnt a problem usually as the plant seems to grow faster that it. But in cooler damper climes it can reduce productivity. The first thing is to not water the leaves, water under the leaves at the base of the plant. If you are getting mists or heavy dews and the year is cooler then you can spray/shake some elemental sulphur on the leaves, this slows it down a lot. Zucchini are Mediterranean in origin, so full sun is fine for them and antagonistic to the mildew. Do a google image search for powdery mildew on zucchini and see if it is the same fungus.

I have always dried my pumpkin seeds out before planting them, but if they sprouted without that treatment they should be fine.


PS 74 Templar, soapy water is great for sooty mould and some bugs.