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A couple newbie questions. I have a small bell pepper on one of my plants. It's been about 3 inches long for weeks. Is it done growing? The plant itself is still pretty small. Should I just pull it off? It's a green bell so color isn't much indication of ripeness. I also have an eggplant growing on my tiny eggplant plant and the tip of it is already rubbing on the ground. Is it okay if it grows sitting on the ground? Should I pick it off early or elevate it somehow?
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May 12, 2009 16:05
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There are potatoes growing in literally every pot. I'm kind of proud, but also sad. I had to dig a bunch up to let other foodthings grow. Do potatoes jump? It's the only explanation. 
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May 12, 2009 18:09
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All of my potatoes have sprung up too, I'm a bit concerned that I may have put too many in the buckets and containers, etc. First earlies and second earlies, haven't planted the main crop yet, I'm told they should have been planted already but I can plant them after I pull up the earlies.
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May 12, 2009 18:28
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Oh my god it is carnage....12 of my 16 tomato plants look to be dead or on their way to being dead....4 pepper plants are the same. Everything else seems to have survived. :angry: :angry: :angry: FROSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT :angry: :angry: :angry: What are my chances of saving these guys? Any advice? MarshallX fucked around with this message at 22:30 on May 12, 2009 |
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May 12, 2009 22:26
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Keep them inside if you can, in a window. If all else fails you'll need to get to a nursery and get some seedlings... What's an easy way to wash your leafy veg? By hand, rubbing each side, or is there some other way? I've read that a wash of water with vinegar will kill off any bacteria. My plants are all organic except for carefully applied slug pellets (so it doesn't sit in the leaves) so the only thing I'm really rinsing off is dirt and bug trails I guess.
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May 12, 2009 22:45
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Becktastic posted:A couple newbie questions. I have a small bell pepper on one of my plants. It's been about 3 inches long for weeks. Is it done growing? The plant itself is still pretty small. Should I just pull it off? It's a green bell so color isn't much indication of ripeness. Do you have the eggplant staked? It is the best way to keep them off the ground, like you would a cucumber. If yes and they are still touching, you can take something like an old pair of hoisery and use it as a net, tying it to the stake. If you are letting it sprawl, you can slide a board under it like you would a melon. You can also mulch with straw or something so it isn't laying in dirt. You can let it grow like that, but it makes it more susceptible to mold and pests. -- MarshallX: I know this doesn't help you now, but next time there is a chance of frost just cover them. Empty 2 liters with the bottom cut off work well, so do milk jugs. Or, just anything you have around the house, buckets, cardboard boxes with a brick on top, etc. Can't say for sure if they will live, but if they do you might want to pinch off any blossoms until they look like they've fully recovered, so they can devote their sugar production to rebuilding foliage. If they have any large suckers yet (stems in the armpits) you can cut them and reroot them in very moist soil if you don't think the whole plant will survive. I hope you didn't start from seed, I'd be heartbroken. -- We've been dipping down for the last few days into the low-40s and my tomatoes remain in their cozy little tent. I think they might like it too much in there, I hope I haven't undone the hardening off process with regards to wind. Next year I am going to get a proper floating row cover--I can't touch the drat thing I 'built' because it will fall down if I do. HeatherChandler fucked around with this message at 01:08 on May 13, 2009 |
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May 13, 2009 00:38
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krushgroove posted:What's an easy way to wash your leafy veg? The best way is to fill your (clean) sink with cool water, then dump your separated leaves in so that they're floating above the bottom of the sink. Then swish everything around, rub off the really dirty spots, and let all of the grit sink to the bottom of the water. Lift everything out and into a salad spinner. A lot of times I end up just doing a quick rinse under running water, but if I'm preparing a lot, or for special guests, that's the procedure I use.
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May 13, 2009 01:43
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HeatherChandler posted:
Unfortunately it was too many plants for us to cover and I was being naive thinking there would be no frost. They are not looking too good, thankfully we don't go from seedlings but from the tray when they are ~3 inches tall. I honestly put them in a week ago (My post about planting is literally one page back).
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May 13, 2009 02:22
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So I have a little ghetto pot in my window growing some herbs that I'd like advice on since I know absolutely nothing about growing plants. In the OP you suggested researching what sort of potting soil to use - what should you look for in potting soil? I just used whatever they had at Meijer. I planted basil, chives, and curly parsley all in the same pot. It's pretty big, so they all have an "area" kind of, but I'm not sure if these herbs can grow together. The basil so far is getting pretty massive and the chives and parsley are lagging behind. How often should I water them? How many seeds do you plant in a pot? Do you need to germinate first?
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May 13, 2009 05:42
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I killed the poo poo out of my borage seedlings and possibly my green goddess eggplant because I am an impatient dumbass who never remembers to test new insecticides on ONE LEAF ONLY. I wanted to try pure neem oil this year, instead of buying the pre-mixed pricy sprays at the garden center, so I picked up a couple of bottles at the Indian grocery. I didn't bother to check the dilution ratios and just dumped it in with some water and a few drops of dish soap, and hosed down the borage and eggplant to try to get rid of some caterpillars. Well, woke up this morning to dead, brown borage and a very damaged eggplant. I'll have to start over with the borage, and hope that the eggplant makes it. Ugh. I did this last year with baking soda for powdery mildew. I never learn.
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May 14, 2009 17:51
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Just picked up some goji seedlings, about 2" high, hope they grow into massive, antioxidant-radiating towers of power! The UK doesn't have 'frosts' any more so I'm just going to keep them outside. What is this neem oil supposed to do? I'm pampered in that the only garden pests I have to deal with are cats (I use netting) and slugs (pellets), unless I just don't grow enough stuff to attract aphids and caterpillars and things. That reminds me, I need to move around my containers of onions and garlic and stuff, supposedly that helps keeps out the slugs and things but who knows. I have one of those bamboo bug houses which are supposed to attract ladybugs and things that eat other bugs, too. 
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May 14, 2009 18:17
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Neem oil is kind of the wonder drug for plants. Just about any and all diseases or pests can be eliminated with it. If it's used correctly, that is. :P
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May 14, 2009 18:33
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Help! I have some bell pepper seedlings growing in little coffee filter pots. One of the pots seems to have some white mold growing on the top of the soil, not touching the bell pepper but I am scared for my baby anyway. I took a bleach-dampened Q-tip and swabbed the mold away, but I don't know if that will solve the problem or if it will kill my seedling or what. Should I isolate the mold-contaminated one in another room or is that overkill? He is only one of the bell pepper dodecuplets, but I want them all to survive!
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May 14, 2009 22:53
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Bleach? That might be a bit OTT, you could just change out all the dirt, and quarantine that plant just in case it has spores or whatever on it if you're that worried about it. My houseplants get white nasty crusty crap on the top of the soil, I think it comes from the minerals in the tap water.
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May 14, 2009 23:02
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krushgroove posted:I have one of those bamboo bug houses which are supposed to attract ladybugs and things that eat other bugs, too. This also attracts orchard mason bees (non-hive forming, very cute bees) which are early pollinators if you have any blossoming trees. That's a better solution than what I've done in the past, which is to simply drill holes in a big 4x4" block of wood and leave it hanging in my tree. I may have to make one of those bug boxes....
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May 15, 2009 00:23
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I bought mine because it was cheap and has a metal (tin?) roof, it's hanging in a tree and I have seen bugs chilling out in there, but you can make one out of bamboo cane and put it in a simple wooden frame like in the pic. That's precisely what I was going to do until I saw the one I got in a grocery store.
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May 15, 2009 00:38
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moana posted:Help! I have some bell pepper seedlings growing in little coffee filter pots. One of the pots seems to have some white mold growing on the top of the soil, not touching the bell pepper but I am scared for my baby anyway. I took a bleach-dampened Q-tip and swabbed the mold away, but I don't know if that will solve the problem or if it will kill my seedling or what. Should I isolate the mold-contaminated one in another room or is that overkill? He is only one of the bell pepper dodecuplets, but I want them all to survive! It is probably overkill. That white mold on the top is common and usually harmless, scrape it off or repot, and make sure it isn't getting too much water and is getting good airflow.
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May 15, 2009 01:48
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krushgroove posted:Bleach? That might be a bit OTT, you could just change out all the dirt, and quarantine that plant just in case it has spores or whatever on it if you're that worried about it. My houseplants get white nasty crusty crap on the top of the soil, I think it comes from the minerals in the tap water. e:^^^ thanks for allaying my fears, this is my first garden. God help me when I have my first kid
moana fucked around with this message at 01:53 on May 15, 2009 |
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May 15, 2009 01:49
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Oh god. The slug carnage. I gave in and used pellets (organic ones, but I have no idea how that works) I got a surprise the other day when I was weeding- some of the peas I sowed directly into the ground survived afterall so I've got little pea shoots growing up! All the pumpkin seedlings in plot one were ravaged by slugs, but one survived in a container so I'll transplant that this weekend. Plot two (the one I dug this year) is having serious bindweed problems. I have to weed every day and it just keeps coming  . Trouble is I can't dig the roots up without disturbing all my plants.The garlic is THRIVING though. Easiest thing to grow ever!
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May 15, 2009 19:14
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madlilnerd posted:The garlic is THRIVING though. Easiest thing to grow ever! What kind are you growing? I was looking for something that will survive the Zone 5/6 border but gave up.
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May 15, 2009 22:15
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The packet was fairly unhelpful because of the number of languages on it, but I think the variety is called Fokhagyma and it's a Hungarian cultivar (googling it just came up with the Hungarian wiki page on garlic, so I guess it's just Hungarian garlic).
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May 15, 2009 23:54
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I'm interested in making a raised bed/mini greenhouse out of a clear sterilite plastic container from Home Depot. Should I be concerned about such a container leeching petroleum byproducts or other chemicals into the soil which then get taken up by my veggies? They'll be in the sun or rain pretty much constantly. Thanks.
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May 16, 2009 00:31
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Socratic Moron posted:I'm interested in making a raised bed/mini greenhouse out of a clear sterilite plastic container from Home Depot. Should I be concerned about such a container leeching petroleum byproducts or other chemicals into the soil which then get taken up by my veggies? They'll be in the sun or rain pretty much constantly. I don't know for sure, but I've seen instuctions for building Earthtainer type things with Sterlite boxes, so it has been done and it hasn't been a problem. I'm probably way overthinking this, but doesn't exposure to light stunt root growth or something like that? Just something to think about if the container is clear. edit: Negative Phototropism, trying to remember Bio 101. They want to grow away from light. I don't know if it would really make a difference. HeatherChandler fucked around with this message at 16:04 on May 16, 2009 |
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May 16, 2009 16:01
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Thanks to this thread, I had the inspiration to start a small garden this year and it seems to be doing well save for the goddamn snails that eat everything in sight - bastards. I'm tired of patrolling the garden every morning and evening just to see snails feasting on all of my hard work so I'm going to do my best to get rid of the naturally by using the following methods simultaneously: diatomaceous earth (reapplied every after rainfall) and traps set with yeast and sugar.
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May 16, 2009 16:35
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May Long Weekend has arrived! My plants are in the ground, and there is some major dahlia sulkitude going on, which is a small worry for me. As it stands, my garden looks like this:  I took the pansies out. They were only there so that the ladybugs would realize there's a free buffet happening in my garden. I had waaay too many dahlias, so I gave some to the neighbours. Sharing is good  Left: Dahlias Top Left: Purple Irises Right and Top Right: Echinacea Border: Wizard Coleus Throughout: sweet peas and onions Now, the sulking:  That's kind of worrying me, because that's some intense wilting. The smaller dahlias are a little bit wilty, but looking quite perky still. They were in the full sun when I planted them (oops) but they're now in the shade, so I'm going to keep an eye on them today. Any ideas to keep them alive, or will they snap out of it? They remind me of trust fund babies... no idea how to function in the real world  A perky plant picture:  That's an echinacea and a wizard coleus, both being quite nice. Fun day! I was out for about 2 hours putting everything in the ground. Here's to hoping photosynthesis pulls through, and it all lives. I'm pretty happy, overall. Everything in there grew from seed! (Except the irises, they have been there the whole time) Tequila Mockingbird fucked around with this message at 20:47 on May 16, 2009 |
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May 16, 2009 20:41
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I've got harlequin bugs in my cabbage!
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May 16, 2009 21:38
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Noooooo! Frost warning tomorrow night. I'm really hoping sheets do the trick, maybe a blanket. I'm not in an outlying area so I doubt we will get it, but I saw about 20 buds today and after Monday fruit setting weather will be here, and I don't want them to die after all the babying I've done.
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May 17, 2009 00:52
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I had a dream last night that we had another hard frost overnight and the news mentioned it at like 5 AM and I leaped out of bed and ran to my porch only to find my tomato plant had turned all yellow and then snapped off at the base.  Honestly, I can't stand getting frosts as late as mid-April, I don't know how you guys are dealing with frosts this late. Winter used to be my favorite season when I was a kid but now I just want to go south where it gets warmer earlier.
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May 17, 2009 15:29
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Chajara posted:I had a dream last night that we had another hard frost overnight and the news mentioned it at like 5 AM and I leaped out of bed and ran to my porch only to find my tomato plant had turned all yellow and then snapped off at the base. Do you live down in the states? Up in Calgary we aren't supposed to plant until this weekend because frost is usually done.. but wouldn't you know it, forecast says mixed rain and snow for tomorrow now and it's looking like next weekend would've been the best time to plant. My dahlias are perking up a bit, all but one seems to have come back to life overnight. Maybe the one will snap out of it today or tomorrow. Today it's overcast, and yesterday it seemed that it was the sunshine that really sapped them. So they're back for now, just in time for snow! I'll have to cover them up tonight.
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May 17, 2009 17:23
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Tequila Mockingbird posted:Do you live down in the states? Up in Calgary we aren't supposed to plant until this weekend because frost is usually done.. but wouldn't you know it, forecast says mixed rain and snow for tomorrow now and it's looking like next weekend would've been the best time to plant. Oh good, I didn't miss the planting weekend then. Maybe I can get something done when I get home now
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May 17, 2009 19:59
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Slung Blade posted:Oh good, I didn't miss the planting weekend then. Maybe I can get something done when I get home now Seriously you're probably planting at the right time. It's supposed to hit -1 tomorrow. And snow.
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May 17, 2009 21:18
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It's going to be a shock to return to Calgary after two weeks of this:
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May 17, 2009 22:24
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My spoiled tomatoes now have 750 thread count sheets covering them, since I just discovered the matching pillowcases have gone walkies. Probably wherever my extra blankets I had planned to use went. So 3 layers of sheets, and I put a gallon of hot water in each. It is pretty toasty in there, but then again, the sun is still out. I don't have any light on that side of the yard so I had to get it done while I could see, although I might go out with a flashlight and refill the bottles before I go to bed. Buds!  I usually pinch first buds so the plant can establish, but they have been in the ground two weeks now so I want to leave them.
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May 18, 2009 01:18
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HeatherChandler posted:My spoiled tomatoes now have 750 thread count sheets covering them, since I just discovered the matching pillowcases have gone walkies. Probably wherever my extra blankets I had planned to use went. So 3 layers of sheets, and I put a gallon of hot water in each. It is pretty toasty in there, but then again, the sun is still out. I don't have any light on that side of the yard so I had to get it done while I could see, although I might go out with a flashlight and refill the bottles before I go to bed. Neato. Remember back about a month ago when I covered all my tomatoes with random crap from around the house? Well, it hit 32 that night and every one of my plants survived in the end. They looked crappy for a long time, but I believe that was in large part due to the obscene amounts of rain we've gotten here the past month. It's rained, literally, every day but one out of the past 30 days in varying amounts. The funny thing is, my scrawniest "might die any day" Rutgers heirloom plant is the first one with a tomato I noticed and it's already about the size of a mature cherry tomato. I don't know if the plant will even make it long enough for the fruit to ripen. Really weird.
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May 18, 2009 01:30
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ChaoticSeven posted:Neato. Remember back about a month ago when I covered all my tomatoes with random crap from around the house? Well, it hit 32 that night and every one of my plants survived in the end. They looked crappy for a long time, but I believe that was in large part due to the obscene amounts of rain we've gotten here the past month. It's rained, literally, every day but one out of the past 30 days in varying amounts. It's weird how tomatoes do that. My damaged little plant is growing faster than the others, playing catch-up. I remember all your crazy coverings, I wish I had something useful laying around. I moved here 6 months ago and am only now realizing that I am missing all my extra blankets (that I was going to use in my tent), so that shows how organized I am. My plastic tent would have been much better for this, trap the sun and then cover, but it got so muddy I tossed it. Oh well.
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May 18, 2009 01:49
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Tequila Mockingbird posted:Do you live down in the states? Up in Calgary we aren't supposed to plant until this weekend because frost is usually done.. but wouldn't you know it, forecast says mixed rain and snow for tomorrow now and it's looking like next weekend would've been the best time to plant. Yeah, I'm in Milwaukee. When I was in Calgary I liked it, but that's because it was during the summer while the Stampede was going on. I doubt I'd have liked it much had I gone during any other time. It seems my strawberries are putting out runners, two of them to be exact. I'll have to scrounge up some pots and dirt to put them in when they start getting roots. I found another little tomato forming today as well, I was afraid since our weather has been in the 40's at night and between 45 and 70 during the day it wouldn't set any more fruit yet. I can't wait to see how they get going once the weather turns hot, though my peas need to set /their/ fruit first. Speaking of which, when do peas get their flowers? Do they have to be a certain height or have certain conditions? I'm just wondering because I planted them some time ago and they're getting rather tall and enjoy full sunlight (I even move them across the porch as the side they're on gets shady every day) but I see no indication that they plan to produce anything other than more leaves and vines. Am I doing something wrong or do I just have to wait?
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May 18, 2009 02:54
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Hi, This isn't really veggie or herb related, but there is no general landscaping/gardening thread so here it is. I got tasked with landscaping the house this year, one of the things I really would love to do is do themed landscaping. I would like to landscape different parts of the yard with plants from different continents. For example, have a section of Asian plants, a section of European plants, and so on. I don't need a ton of plants, just maybe four or five species, one or two center pieces and then a couple of smaller flowers. I have found plant databases for Illinois (where I live), but I have had a hard time finding plant databases for other parts of the world. Anyone have any suggestions of where I could find any websites for this info? Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm fine with annuals or perennials, if I can't get this in this year, I would like to do it next year so seed suggestions are fine too.
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May 18, 2009 19:58
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Aero737 posted:Hi, This isn't really veggie or herb related, but there is no general landscaping/gardening thread so here it is. Well, this isn't exactly what you're aiming for, but I've always liked the idea of themed gardens based on plant usage. The Chelsea Physic Garden is a great example. It's divided up based on medicinal plants, apothecary's gardens, scented gardens, and so on. Just an idea if you might be interested in other themes.
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May 18, 2009 21:44
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Aero737 posted:Hi, This isn't really veggie or herb related, but there is no general landscaping/gardening thread so here it is. I would honestly just Google search for "native plants of [place]". Just so you know, it will be hard to pin down some plants to existing in certain locations only. Spreading to new locations is kind of what plants do, unintentionally or not. If those plants were separated from home long enough, then they probably evolved into a relative. If you really want plants that look distinct from other plants in your garden, look for plants that come from islands, like Japan or Australia.
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May 19, 2009 03:18
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I'm glad you guys have survivors...I lost all of my 12 tomato plants and 12 pepper plants including cayenne, jalapeno and bell pepper. Guess it's time for a visit to the nursery....though I won't be planting for 2 weeks, no way no how am I going to put them in and have another frost.
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May 19, 2009 13:47
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