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Post by SPLASH on Jul 1, 2012 21:27:14 GMT -5
I like that crooked stem pepper plant that has a pepper on it. I like plants with character. Pepper plants grow slow, but once they get going, it's game on! As for the small cukes, get some blood meal. I have a bag of it and it's straight nitrogen. I'd work a half cup of it in the dirt around each plant and then make sure it gets watered in. Do this once a week until you see flowers form, then switch to bone meal. The bone meal has a little bit of nitrogen, but more phosphorus to promote blossoms and healthier fruit. The garden is looking good. You mentioned getting a late start. Many in our area use Memorial weekend as a target planting date, but I try for a week or two before if temps will allow.
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woodeye
Fish whisperer, scholar, and gentleman
Backbone 2012 Greenthumb
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Post by woodeye on Jul 12, 2012 20:52:24 GMT -5
So the garden has been doing really great in the past week or so. I harvested my first two salads today and the lettuce tasted nice. Harvested a small zuke also, it was yummy! Zukes and yellow squash are forming many vegies now, should eat well in a week. Tomato plants all have tons of fruit on them, just waiting for them to turn colors. Pepper plants have fruits on them too. Bean plants are going nuts, time for a trellis for them, fence is too short. I still need to find some blood meal and bone meal, plan to look tomorrow. Cukes are doing better, but still behind compared to others. I will get them going though. So far it has been fun, I can not wait to start eating all the great results!! Thanks for all your help everyone, especially Splash. Its nice to have someone that has already tested a lot of different things.
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Post by SPLASH on Jul 16, 2012 15:49:12 GMT -5
No problem, helping eachother is what it's all about. Don't worry about buying blood meal at this point in the season. It's straight nitrogen (just makes plants bigger, doesn't add to production) Focus on the second number on the fertilizers, that the phosphorus (P) and that is what makes the fruit bigger and more plentiful. This is the first year I have added wood ash to tomato plants and I've done it a few times so far. If you can get some, I highly recommend doing so. Glad everything is doing so good, my beans are so far behind due to having to replant. I'm really looking forward to those.
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woodeye
Fish whisperer, scholar, and gentleman
Backbone 2012 Greenthumb
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Post by woodeye on Jul 16, 2012 21:17:45 GMT -5
I put the blood meal down last week and over the weekend the cuke plants probably doubled in size and are really going good now. I put bone meal down for all the plants except the cukes. I have nice peppers formed on two plants and some jalepenos forming on two small plants. Roma tomato plant is loaded and beefsteak and better boy have a lot too. Beans are flowering and love my new trellis. I will take some pics tomorrow. I have access to plenty of wood ash, does the type of wood matter? Oh yeah, I was gone for the weekend and a deer decided to trim the top of one of my mater plants for me. Bastards!! Nothing detrimental though. Everything is looking good! I also replanted beans, but not as late as you I don't think. I can not wait for them.
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Post by SPLASH on Jul 17, 2012 14:45:42 GMT -5
Get those pics up! ;D
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Post by SPLASH on Jul 17, 2012 17:45:45 GMT -5
The wood ash question- I have not read that there are any trees to stay away from. I have used mostly maple and some ornamental looking thing.
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woodeye
Fish whisperer, scholar, and gentleman
Backbone 2012 Greenthumb
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Post by woodeye on Jul 18, 2012 20:03:39 GMT -5
Pics tomorrow during nap time! So my yellow squash leaves are out of control and have a white residue on them. Do any of you prune them? And I was told soapy water to treat the white residue.?. Suggestions?
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Post by SPLASH on Jul 19, 2012 14:48:53 GMT -5
You have the dreaded Powdery Mildew or PM as it's called on gardening forums. I have tried the soap method and some say copper sulfate, but truth is- the plant is done. Only way you can stop PM is to notice it the first morning it is there, you remove the leaves with it on there and then spray the rest of the plant with the soap in hopes it hasn't traveled. You will notice your fruit growing much slower, you will then see the PM on stems and all leaves, then the plant will turn yellow, eventually it will never grow fruit and die. Your best bet is to remover the plant and burn or put in trash, NOT COMPOST in hopes it doesn't spread to all squash, zukes, cukes, and cantaloupes if you have them. PM starts when any leaves of the curcubit or squash family get wet (why I only water with a soaker hose) and it doesn't dry quickly. Heat and especially humidity makes it even worse. When I did the melon trellis a couple years ago, I learned to never again crowd curcubits because you can't control rain, humidity, and heat. Best way to prevent this is to not crowd plants so that airflow will dry the leaves quickly. After the rains starting 2 nights through today, I'm worried about my pickling cukes. I didn't take my own advice and they are too close to eachother.
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woodeye
Fish whisperer, scholar, and gentleman
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Post by woodeye on Jul 28, 2012 20:43:43 GMT -5
So i decided to cut all big leaves and stems off the yellow squash plant to see if it will make it. Zukes are coming up to size every couple days now. Beans are getting to the point where I will be able to start picking a meals worth every couple days. Picked two ripe beefsteak maters so far. Roma plant is loaded with fruit but still green and the leaves seem to be dying. Better boy mater plant has plenty of maters on it but no ripe ones yet. Cukes are growing crazy now with tons of flowers but no cukes that I see yet. Pepper plants are getting some nice fruit on it, just waiting for the colored ones to change. Jalepenos have recovered from the deer attack and have some nice peppers on them. Ate up almost all of the lettuce I planted. Next year I will plant enough to harvest once a week for a couple weeks. I will alternate planting times. I plan to take some new pics tomorrow. Any advice on how to help the mater plants get a little healthier looking? I have used bone meal a couple times now.
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Post by SPLASH on Jul 28, 2012 22:39:14 GMT -5
Not only would I like pics because I enjoy them, but I need pics of the mater plants to know what the problem is before I can attempt to help. Your deer problem- watch this video. He is on the garden forum I'm on and is one of the best gardners I have ever seen. He had coon and groundhog problems, but his "liquid solution" would work on deer too. He definitely went overboard, but I like his style on this one. youtu.be/6fN2LTMRYgg The video is a little long, but definitely worth watching. If you have some time, go through his videos and watch the ones of his greenhouses. I'd love to do what he does.
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woodeye
Fish whisperer, scholar, and gentleman
Backbone 2012 Greenthumb
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Post by woodeye on Aug 12, 2012 19:35:36 GMT -5
Just got back from a 10 day vacation and the garden did some nice things while away. I have pics to post, but just need to get them uploaded. Picked 8 really nice cukes today and they taste great. Beans are going nuts, we got some really nice sized ones today, a great big bowl full. Pepper plants are loaded, just waiting for reds and yellows to turn. Jalepenos are growing, but slower than I thought. Not quite sure why. Tomatoes are starting to turn red, a couple split but the non split part are fine. Got a huge zuke, it will turn to bread. Tore out the plant though, the stem rotted. Yellow squash plant seems to be making a comeback, we will see what happens. The lettuce I already harvested appears to be growing some new leaves, we will see how they taste. OVerall I am quite pleased with my first garden, and next year I will be ready earlier and the soil will be ready to grow some great veggies!!!
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Post by SPLASH on Aug 13, 2012 13:56:21 GMT -5
Sounds like the work has paid off. Get those pics up!
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woodeye
Fish whisperer, scholar, and gentleman
Backbone 2012 Greenthumb
Catch and Release Straight into the Grease!!
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Post by woodeye on Sept 16, 2012 8:33:33 GMT -5
Cucumbers are gone, got the PM and wiped em out in a week. Got plenty of cukes though. Squash plant is gone too, got a decent crop of yellows once it regrew and then the PM wiped it out. Beans just started growing again, I almost recycled all the plants because I thought they were done and then more flowers and more beans!! Maters are almost done and bell peppers finally turned yellow and red. Peppers will be good for a couple more weeks it looks like. Pics to come!
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Post by SPLASH on Sept 16, 2012 8:48:53 GMT -5
Don't use plants with PM for compost. Bag it and take it to the road or burn it. PM can last through the winter and doom next seasons plants.
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