How Does Your Garden Grow? 2012 Thread
  |
News, Tips, Brags, Whines...
  1-25-12, 12:03pm | Post
#1
| ||||
Nana Bargainshare  
 |
||||
 
|
|
2-1-12, 1:16pm | Post
#2
| ||||
|
From Gardener's Supply NL...
New to Seedstarting? Answers to frequently asked questions about starting seeds indoors |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
2-19-12, 2:03pm | Post
#3
| ||||
 Tomatobob writes... Getting Your Peppers Started Hot and Sweet Peppers have taken a huge leap in popularity over the last decade. Not only are they delicious, versatile, and full of vitamins, but they can also be one of the most expensive items in the produce department! You can save a lot of money by growing your own, and you can try some wonderful varieties that you'll never see at the store! Once you have selected the peppers you'd like to grow, you can start your seeds indoors about 8-10 weeks before the last frost date for your area. Preparing Soil: You can either purchase a good quality starting soil at your local gardening shop, or you can make your own. We recommend 1/3 soil, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 sand for good drainage. Be sure to mix very well. We put our soil in plastic seed starting packs. You can get the kind with a clear plastic cover that fits on top, or create your own cover with a little plastic wrap. This will really help the germination process. Also, you can soak your seeds overnight before planting them, to give them a good start. Where to put them: Peppers like to be very warm. 75 - 85 degrees is best. Once you have planted your seeds, water until moist but not "soaked" and cover your containers with a lid or plastic wrap. Place them in the window of a warm room where they will get sun, or use some grow lights to keep them warm. Patience, Patience: Peppers can take 3-6 weeks to germinate. Our Bhut Jolokias take about 5 weeks before they sprout. Don't be discouraged if they don't pop-up right away. Keep the soil slightly moist, and the temperature warm. Once the seedlings appear, you can remove the lid or wrap. Thin out the weaker ones as they grow, and keep the soil moist. The seedlings can be transplanted to larger containers when they are about 6 weeks old. Planting Outdoors: Your healthy transplants can be planted outdoors about two weeks after the last frost date for your area, when the weather is warm. Harden them off for about a week by exposing them to the outdoors for a few hours every day. When they're ready, plant them in a warm, sunny spot with well-drained soil. A PH level of 6 - 6.5 is best. Plant them in holes about 12" deep and 18" apart, putting an inch or two of compost in the bottom of each hole before you plant. We also put compost on the top. Plant them a little deeper in the hole than they were in their containers. Water well. The Best Part: Picking and eating your peppers is the reward for your patience and careful work. Although they can be eaten green, they have the best flavor and highest vitamin content if you allow them to fully ripen. Pick them by snipping them off, and be sure to wear gloves when picking hot peppers...don't rub your eyes! If you want to save some of your peppers for later use, you can blanch them and then freeze them in bags either whole or chopped. Fresh in salads, roasted in a sandwich, grilled and tossed in our chili...there are a million ways to eat them and we can't wait to try them all! |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
2-19-12, 2:18pm | Post
#4
| ||||
|
I give up... After spending a fortune in plants, gating, and everything else...I'm done!
|
Silver Member 
|
|||
|
|
|
3-3-12, 1:06pm | Post
#5
| ||||
|
More from Tomatobob...
How to Start Tomato Seeds 1. Seeds can be started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last anticipated frost in your growing area. 2. Obtain some seed starting mix at the local garden store. The mix should contain peatmoss to help retain water during seed germination as the seeds should be kept moist for proper germination. 3. If you are starting many varieties of tomatoes or other seedlings, you should have a separate starting container for each variety. Be sure you mark your containers with seed type. We use white plastic plant tags that can be written on with either permanent marker, or pencil. 4. In a old bowl, bucket, or other container, place some of starting mix and add water while mixing to moisten the mix. 5. Fill the trays with 1-1 1/2" of the moistened seed starting mix and distribute seeds over surface. Cover seeds with 1/4" of starting mix and gently firm the surface. 6. Check seed trays every 2-3 days to make sure they stay moist. We cover ours with a loose fitting piece of plastic wrap to help retain water. Seeds will usually take 10-14 days to germinate (depending upon variety). Once the seeds have sprouted, they will need a light source. We start our seedlings in our basement and use fluorescent grow lights which works very well. If you start the seeds on a window sill make sure you turn the seeds daily to keep them from bending toward the light. If starting under a grow light, make sure the grow light is within 6" of the seedlings or they will become tall and leggy. Seedlings need 12-16 hours of light a day. An inexpensive timer works well to control grow light time. Seedlings should be kept within 6" of the grow lights. Seedlings must be kept moist in a well drained container. Too much water can lead to damping off of seedlings. 7. Once the seedlings are showing a second set of leaves, it is time to transplant them from the starting tray to individual pots. We have found that the best pots are plastic as they retain more water. The peat pots work well if you make sure to keep them moist...they work great for transplanting as you do not disturb the root structure of the seedlings. Gently loosen the soil in the starting tray and separate individual plants. Fill the transplant pot loosely with moistened starter mix and use a pencil to make a hole in the starting mix. Insert the seedling into the hole up to the second set of leaves...this may require the slight twisting or bunching up of the plant's root as they can get pretty long. Gently firm the soil around the seedling and moisten once you have finished transplanting. 8. If you start your seeds very early, you may need to transplant some of your biggest plants again as they will outgrow their pots. For our healthiest plants, we transplant them into 1/2 gallon milk containers that have been cut off about 6" from the bottom...these work Great!!! Transplanting Outdoors 9. When it looks like it is time to plant your seedlings outside, you will need to harden off the plants. This is simply getting them adjusted to the changing conditions outdoors. When you begin this, make sure the plants are kept in the shade for the first few days of hardening so they don't get sun-burned. Plants should be returned inside at night...this seems like a lot of work but it will yield stronger, healthier plants. Hardening off usually takes 7-10 days. 10. When planting your seedlings in the garden, make a shallow trench and lay the seedling in on its side. Bury the entire plant up to the first set of leaves as the stem is capable of producing roots. This will greatly improve your plants ability to obtain water and nutrients resulting in greater yields!! Plant Care in Your Garden 11. Once the tomato plants are in your garden they should be watered daily for the first week. They should be supported as they grow with wooden stakes or metal cages. We use old nylons cut into strips to tie plants to supports through the season as they do not bruise the stalks. Many commercial plant ties are also available. 12. Caution!!! Plants are very susceptible when young, to cutworms which will cut the plant off at the surface of the soil. To avoid these without chemicals, simply take a piece of aluminum (cut up a pie plate into 2' strips) and fashion a collar that slips around the plant and gently place in the soil around the stalk. 13. Tomato hornworms will more than likely be a problem when your plants start bearing fruit. They devour the foliage and in some cases even eat new green tomatoes. The easiest way we have found to get rid of these is to put a bounty out on them at ten cents a piece and have our kids pick them off. A natural bacteria is also available in plant stores that works. In the Spotlight...Azoycha!  This beautiful light orange/yellow fruit was named after a Russian woman. No one knows why, but we think she must have been very dependable, because this is one tomato you can count on for heavy yields of 3" round fruits that are sweet with a slightly citrus flavor! This Russian heirloom is also known as Zolotoy Borago in its native land. The indeterminate plants will need stakes to hold up the beefsteak fruit. A great choice for those of you who do farmers markets or those who supply their entire neighborhood with tomatoes! |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
3-10-12, 11:32am | Post
#6
| ||||
|
Tomatobob says...
Preparing Your Garden Soil We get asked questions about garden soil all the time, so we thought we would offer a few tips and a little advice on how to best prepare your spring garden soil. 1) The first thing to do, is to clear the garden bed of any sticks or debris that may have accumulated there over the winter. My Grandfather always used to rake through the top few inches to remove any rocks or hard chunks of dirt that could damage tender seedlings, then he would turn the dirt with a shovel and rake again. Now he would do this a couple of times, but even if you do it once, it should be fine. If you are planting more root crops (beets, carrots, radishes, etc.) then you will want to make sure the soil is loose to about a foot deep so they can grow downward with ease. 2) You'll want your soil to be nutrient-rich and well-drained. We always start by adding compost, compost and compost! We can't say enough good things about it! If you are lucky enough to have your own compost pile...hurray! If you don't, you can either purchase it from a local gardening center, or check to see if your town has a composting center. Many towns will collect green-waste and offer their residents free or low-cost compost. This can be a great source, especially if you need a lot. Don't add the compost on the day you're going to plant. Mix it in well with your existing dirt by turning it over with a shovel, and let it sit for 2-3 weeks before planting to give it time to balance out your soil. 3) If you have soil that doesn't hold moisture very well, then add some peat moss (but this should not make up more than a third of your soil). This is available at any garden center, and will hold the water in for your plants instead of letting it run right through the dirt. 4) We add in an organic fertilizer (3-3-3) to our soil as well, usually a day or two before planting. Your new plants will need this to get plush and green. Some of the organic fertilizers have micro-nutrients that commercial fertilizers might not have. If you have done all this, your plants will have rich, healthy dirt to give them a great start! If your forsythia is blooming, it's time to apply preemergent herbicide (crabgrass killer)... |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
3-18-12, 7:04am | Post
#7
| ||||
|
Another tip from Tomatobob...
Growing Edibles in Your Flower Garden Have you ever wished you could grow just one more tomato plant? Want to try a new kind of veggie, but your garden is full? How about adding some vegetables and herbs to your front yard landscaping or an existing flower bed? Most of us would never think of putting veggies in our front yard, but they can be just a beautiful as flowers, and you get to enjoy them at your dinner table! Here are a few suggestions that we hope will get you thinking of your landscaping in a whole new way! 1) Use romaine and leaf lettuces as the lowest border in the front of your flower beds. They are easy to grow and come in some beautiful colors! You can pick them a little at a time, so the border will last. 2) Have a trellis? Instead of climbing flowers, how about Scarlet Runner Beans or some cherry tomatoes? You'll still have beautiful blossoms and your neighbors will be amazed! 3) The tops of carrots look like wispy ferns. Use them in your flower bed as a background to some brightly colored blooms. 4) Instead of container gardening on your patio, bring the veggies to your front porch! Planters filled with herbs or Abe Lincoln tomatoes look great and help you make the most of your space! 5) It's easy to mix 1 or 2 tomato or pepper plants right in with your existing flower plan. Just replace a couple of your usual plantings with a veggie plant. Your flowers will be just as beautiful, but you'll get more fresh veggies for your table. My carpet of snow is blooming...I haven't even trimmed off the dead stuff... 
|
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
3-25-12, 8:17am | Post
#8
| ||||
|
Dandelions are blooming...
 DH needs to apply herbicide...STAT!!!From the Trib's 'University Of U" How To Repot A Houseplant |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
4-2-12, 4:21pm | Post
#9
| ||||
|
Tomatobob's weekly tip...
Tips for Growing and Transplanting Your Seedlings This time of year, we get a lot of questions about seedlings so we thought we'd answer the most common questions in our newsletter. Common Problems: Mold in your dirt - This one can be avoided by starting with quality, sterile potting soil. We like ProMix (available at most better garden centers). If the soil you are using isn't sterile, it may have mold already in it. This can also be caused by overwatering, so try cutting back on the water a little. If you do have mold in your dirt, DO NOT USE THE SAME DIRT when you transplant to a larger container. Get some new, fresh, sterile potting soil for your transplants. Mold usually won't harm your young seedlings, and using new dirt when you transplant should resolve the problem Seedlings are to tall and thin (Leggy) - This is a very common problem, and can be helped by moving your seedlings to within 1" of your light source without touching the bulb (only if you are using a cool or fluorescent light). Low germination - The most common cause of low germination that we see is temperature. For optimal germination, tomato seedlings should be kept at 65 - 75 degrees and sweet or hot pepper seedlings should be at about 75-80 degrees. You could also be overwatering. Tiny seeds can rot very quickly and never germinate. Keep the soil lightly moist, never wet. Yellowish Seedlings - This can be caused from overwatering and/or a lack of nutrients. Cut back on your watering, and add some quality fertilizer mixed at 1/2 strength (full strength is too powerful for young seedlings). We recommend Miracle Gro or Espoma Organic Fertilizer. General Suggestions: 1) While growing seedlings, we like to keep a very light breeze blowing with a fan. The slight motion will help the seedling develop a stronger stem. 2)Transplant your seedlings to a 6 cell pack or larger when they are about 3-4" tall and have their second set of leaves. Very gently bury them all the way up to the second set of leaves. Keep the temperature and light the same or move them to a greenhouse if available. 3) When the seedlings are 6-8" tall, they can be "hardened off". To do this, place your plants in a shady spot outside (no direct sun!) every day for 4 or 5 days, then bring them in at night. Do not leave them out overnight. We hope these tips and suggestions can help you with your crop of seedlings! If you have any other questions, please feel free to call us at 614.256.6298 or email us at questions@tomatobob.com. Good luck! My strawberries are blooming...  |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 10:25am | Post
#10
| ||||
|
Foo...
Thu, Apr 5, 2012, 10:32 AM CDT ... FREEZE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING... * TIMING... MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL FALL INTO THE LOW TO MID 30S TONIGHT. LOW LYING SHELTERED LOCATIONS COULD DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S. * IMPACTS... THE COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO SENSITIVE PLANTS AND FRUIT TREES. TAKE MEASURES TO PROTECT ANY COLD SENSITIVE VEGETATION TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FREEZE WATCH MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE. THESE CONDITIONS WOULD KILL CROPS AND OTHER SENSITIVE VEGETATION. MONITOR LATER FORECASTS FOR UPDATED INFORMATION. DH has found me a bunch of old blankets & sheets to cover the tender sprouts...Too bad there's no way to cover the fully blooming lilacs... 
|
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 3:49pm | Post
#11
| ||||
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 3:50pm | Post
#12
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 3:52pm | Post
#13
| ||||
|
beauganvillia at a local restaurant. I won't have that because of the terrible stickers/thorns! and I think they are also poisonous. where the thorn pricks you, there is pain for 3 days!
IMG_7205.JPG ( 1020.88K )
Number of downloads: 1 |
blonde
|
|||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 3:53pm | Post
#14
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 3:55pm | Post
#15
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 3:57pm | Post
#16
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 3:59pm | Post
#17
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 4:00pm | Post
#18
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 4:01pm | Post
#19
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-5-12, 4:03pm | Post
#20
| ||||
|
blonde
|
||||
|
|
|
4-6-12, 9:37am | Post
#21
| ||||
|
Wonderful pics dejavu!
Looks like everything survived last night's cold temps...and it's not supposed to frost again (for a while)...it could be a long month and a half until the official end of frost time... Plant your potatoes today... |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
4-12-12, 10:58am | Post
#22
| ||||
|
That was a short reprieve from the frost warnings...had to cover things for the past 3 nights...covering strawberry beds with sheets is a whole buncha' fun when the wind's whipping @ 35mph...thank goodness for helpful grandsons...
 Looks like I lost the some of the west part of a clematis that straddles a fence...tulips are pretty beat up, but they're about done anyway... |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
4-29-12, 7:51am | Post
#23
| ||||
|
My strawberries have set fruit...
One Clematis is blooming...most of the sea thrift as well...Johnny Jumpups all over the place...blanket flowers have buds... I wonder if there will be anything left to bloom come late summer.... |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
5-14-12, 1:01pm | Post
#24
| ||||
|
I have picked strawberries the last 2 days...I had to pitch some due to over-ripeness because I had no clue they were ready...
A little bunny ate all my painted daisy buds...or else DH whacked them, and isn't admitting it... Blanket flowers are blooming... |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
5-24-12, 3:58pm | Post
#25
| ||||
|
Climate Debate Heats Up As Local Gardeners Change Plants
The corn's about a foot tall in the farmer's fields... |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
6-17-12, 8:39pm | Post
#26
| ||||
|
Tomatoes, peppers, & zucchini are growing nicely...but I've had to tote water out to them ever since I planted them...we've only had 1.21" rain this month...the farmers are getting stressed as are their crops...soybeans are really taking a hit...
From Proven Winners NL... To Deadhead or Not to Deadhead... When and how to deadhead is a common question for gardeners. This post has been edited by kar522: 6-17-12, 8:40pm |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
6-28-12, 8:29am | Post
#27
| ||||
|
Nana Bargainshare
|
||||
|
|
|
6-30-12, 6:25am | Post
#28
| ||||
|
It finally rained enough yesterday so that the ground was soft enough to sink my tomato cages...they're blooming, and so is the zucchini...
|
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
|
6-30-12, 4:08pm | Post
#29
| ||||
|
Send some of that rain our way. Everything is still crispy, here, and nothing is growing...not even the weeds.
|
Aluminum Foil Member
|
|||
|
|
|
7-15-12, 1:50pm | Post
#30
| ||||
|
From Gardening123 NL...
At First Blush, Harvest Tomatoes by Kathleen Ward When they reach a certain age, tomatoes – Americans' favorite garden vegetable, which is really a fruit – start acting like teenagers. All they do is hang around. They're in the throes of suddenly active hormones – which in the tomatoes' case, produce gas! They're still attached to their vine, but become totally closed off from its day-to-day operations. Vegetables guru Chuck Marr says this "adolescent" stage is when tomatoes need to leave the vine. The fruit on plants now growing in home gardens and patio pots is beginning to reach that age. "Until frost is in the forecast, I recommend always harvesting tomatoes when they show the first blush of red color," explained Marr, who is the horticulture program leader at Kansas State University Research and Extension. "Tomatoes will ripen off the vine, as well as on. "Off the vine, however, they'll have lower odds for cracking or bruising. They won't touch the ground and rot. Plus, you'll have some control over the ripening process." If stored in a cool 55- to 60-degree basement, for example, tomatoes ripen very slowly, he said. If warmed to 85 degrees, they ripen quickly. When garden temperatures soar above 95 degrees, indoor-ripened tomatoes also produce better color. Hot weather stops the fruits' red pigment formation. The result is an odd orange-red. The ability to ripen indoors or out is unusual in the vegetable world, Marr said. The process is as complex, yet effortless as a teenager's growth spurt: The tomato (fruit) reaches full size while still green. It starts to develop a jelly-like material around the seeds and a pale white-green color that has distinct white streaks radiating from the fruit's blossom end. The tomato is now fully formed – "mature green." "Tomatoes harvested before they reach the mature green stage won't ripen to have the flavor or quality of one left on the vine a little longer. That's why tomatoes you buy in winter can have less flavor. They've been picked at a green stage so they can be transported to distant markets. Some experts estimate that more than half of off-season tomatoes may be picked earlier than the mature-green stage," the horticulturist said. Inside mature green tomatoes on the vine, two growth-regulating hormones change dramatically, causing the fruit to start producing ethylene gas. The gas makes the fruit cells age – soften, begin to lose their green and develop red, and produce more ethylene .. and so on. At the same time, a layer of cells starts to form across a joint in the stem, about one-half inch above the fruit. These cells will seal off the tomato so no additional materials can move into or from the plant. "By the time the tomato has its first blush of red color, the layer of cells – called an abcision zone – is complete, and you can pick the tomato with no loss of flavor or quality," Marr said. "If left on the vine after that, all the tomato will do is hang there, disconnected, going through the rest of the ripening process." Despite the important developments that come after tomatoes reach mature green, slightly younger tomatoes can still ripen off the vine, too, the horticulturist said. "Commercial producers make that happen with ethylene gas. But home gardeners can get much the same effect after a late fall harvest if they simply store the younger tomatoes near those that already are mature green and producing ethylene," Marr said. This post has been edited by kar522: 7-15-12, 1:50pm |
Nana Bargainshare
|
|||
|
|
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:
|
