What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[rewebster]

OMG! I missed that! I LOVE IT! Thanks Rew!

<except now I am afraid of being alone in the dark with my eggplant>

(maybe think of your flowers as a pupating vegetarian bat)

 

[baywax]

you grow Stachybotrys Mold? ----what?----a 'culture' garden?----not enough room for tomatoes then?

No, the stuff grows itself! I don't know where all the global warming is but we could use some! Just yesterday a guy broke his leg snow shoeing... in the last days of June.

 

[rewebster]

did the mold growing in the snow cause the accident?

 

[baywax]

did the mold growing in the snow cause the accident?

Probably the brewer's yeast.

 

[Evo]

Here's a shot of my garden from earlier today. Amazingly, given the almost daily drenching that we've been getting for weeks, most of the stuff is doing OK. I've had to replant the cucumbers and green beans, and had to replant the squash twice. Seeds don't germinate well in mud. I have made it a habit to hoe my rows up to help excess water run off, and it has definitely saved the garden this year.

Nice garden turbo! Have the squash come up yet?

 

[rewebster]

Probably the brewer's yeast.

funny!


and there's the solution---genetically cross brewer's yeast and that algae


get it produce oil and ETOH on a 'home' level---and we will be assured Canadians will the first country to sign on full scale

 

[turbo]

Nice garden turbo! Have the squash come up yet?

Thanks. The squash (most of it, anyway) is up. Now we need some really warm days to accelerate the growth. We got some hot days in spring, but most of this month has been cool and rainy, with temps 5-10 deg below normal.

I just got back from my neighbor's place, with at least a peck of the big German garlic scapes, and a couple of gallon's measure of the smaller Russian scapes. My wife is going to flip when she gets home. She raves about the garlic-scape pesto - now we'll have to start making lots more and packing them in freezer-containers for winter. We have some basil that is big enough to start sacrificing leaves, but I doubt that she'll want to tinker with perfection, and we'll end up using the original recipe.

 

[rewebster]

a couple of this color just opened

 

[turbo]

The garden is suffering from even more rain the last few days. It is torrential at times. Saturday and Sunday, we got 1.5" of rain, which is typical of the last couple of weeks.

Today is bonus day. The garden was mucky and wet, but I needed to weed it, which I did until the skies opened up. We got 0.8" of rain in about 20 minutes, then the shower let up a bit, only to get heavy again and give us another 0.3" in about 15 minutes. The rain continues and I fully expect that we'll get over 2" for the day. I may have to start building an ark and collecting animals 2-by-2. The chipmunks would probably be happier if I didn't save red squirrels. After I started relocating squirrels, the chipmunks' scars healed up and it got harder to tell them apart - the squirrels were brutal on my 'munks.

 

[Evo]

Too much rain is really bad. not only does it leach nutrients from the soil, the diseases constantly wet foilage can contract are bad, not to mention it being too damp for blossom set, if any are at that stage.

I hope it let's up.

 

[turbo]

My tomatoes and peppers are trying to set blossoms, but cold wet weather is tough on the pollinators, as well as the plants. I'm hoping to salvage the garden this summer - my high-hoed rows and beds are helping keep plants out of the worst of the water, along with the gentle pitch of the garden-spot, but the lack of sunshine and the cool soil temps are stunting some of my highest-value plants. I don't care if the Swiss chard, lettuce, etc is crappy this year, but I'd hate to lose productivity in peppers, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.

 

[Evo]

What is this bug?

I thought it was bad until I saw it catch and suck the juices out of a caterpillar. Within 15 minutes and just caught small catterpillar became a shrunken black husk, and this bug doubled in size.

The Evo child took my camera because she is interviewing kittens with a friend of hers, so i had to use my camera phone.

 

[turbo]

I wish I knew, and I wish I had them. We get assassin bugs, and they can catch, kill, and eat bugs that are twice their size, including bumble bees.

 

[rewebster]

What is this bug?

I thought it was bad until I saw it catch and suck the juices out of a cat erpillar. Within 15 minutes and just caught small catterpillar became a shrunken black husk, and this bug doubled in size.

The Evo child took my camera because she is interviewing kittens with a friend of hers, so i had to use my camera phone.

I'd call it a cat sucker (until whoever finds out what it is)



(maybe some type of weevil?)

 

[Borek]

(maybe some type of weevil?)

According to wikipedia weevils are herbivores. Not that I know what they are, there is no link to Polish wiki which is usually the simplest shortcut to translate name.

I wonder if its adult form or larva. Could be the latter (hence no wings), especially this time of the year.

OK, Googled and wikied some more. Looks like assasin bug Turbo mentioned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_bug

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/assassinbug.html

 

[lisab]

According to wikipedia weevils are herbivores. Not that I know what they are, there is no link to Polish wiki which is usually the simplest shortcut to translate name.

I wonder if its adult form or larva. Could be the latter (hence no wings), especially this time of the year.

OK, Googled and wikied some more. Looks like assasin bug Turbo mentioned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_bug

Maybe it's a notaweevil.

 

[Andre]

Right, notaweevil. which is a beetle family. Also very important for paleo climate reconstructions, since the temperature ranges of the species are pretty confined.

Moreover beetles do not increase in size like that. It reminds of a cicade type larve.

 

[rewebster]

According to wikipedia weevils are herbivores. Not that I know what they are, there is no link to Polish wiki which is usually the simplest shortcut to translate name.

I wonder if its adult form or larva. Could be the latter (hence no wings), especially this time of the year.

OK, Googled and wikied some more. Looks like assasin bug Turbo mentioned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_bug

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/assassinbug.html

it looks like they come in all shapes and sizes (and probably young and old too)

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&q=assassin+bug&btnG=Search+Images

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/wildthing/images/assassinbug.jpg

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/wildthing/assassinbug.htm

 

[Borek]

As far as I remember cicades are herbivores, and their larvae live underground, with those funny 13 and 17 years live cycles.

From what I read assasin bugs are carnivores and they suck, so at least partially they fit the description. And they are not beetles, but heteroptera (like bedbug) - so they must be anatomically prepared to be able to suck a lot. But that's what I have found in the last 5 minutes.

 

[Evo]

That's it! They are assasin bugs! One of the pictures Borek posted is an exact match!

Ok, as long as they do not bite me, I am ok.

I didn't even know I had a caterpillar, I don't see any more. The Japanese beetles have disappeared also.

 

[Evo]

I have a grape tomato plant that has gotten really tall and leggy, so I am thinking of transplanting it into a much taller pot, and burying most of the lower stem. The problem is that it already has over a hundred blooms and tiny tomatoes on it and I am afraid to harm it. I'd ask the Evo Child to help, but since she couldn't care less about plants, I fear her helping. "Oh, Oops, dropped it, you can buy another one."

Anyone have any opinions on repotting at this stage?

 

[turbo]

If you don't want to disturb the existing root system, get a much bigger pot, put the plant (pot and all) into the bigger pot and then fill the large pot with soil heaped up against the lower stem. The buried portion of the stem should throw out more roots. If you do that, lugging that plant inside just got a lot tougher, though, and we don't need you with herniated disks in your spine...

 

[Borek]

Very strong opinion. Don't even think about doing it now. For at least two reasons, of which one has nothing to do with tomato, but a lot with those incisions you may see when you look down.

And I don't think tomato would like to be replanted at this stage.

 

[Evo]

If you don't want to disturb the existing root system, get a much bigger pot, put the plant (pot and all) into the bigger pot and then fill the large pot with soil heaped up against the lower stem. The buried portion of the stem should throw out more roots. If you do that, lugging that plant inside just got a lot tougher, though, and we don't need you with herniated disks in your spine...

That's one of the things I was considering, the current pot is plenty big for it, it's just not tall, I found this really weird tall and skinny pot. I'll check to see if the current pot will fit inside, you just know it's going to be too big.

 

[turbo]

You might also want to amend your potting soil with composted cow manure to supply extra nitrogen. The plant will need that to develop a beefier stalk and stems.

 

[rewebster]

Grape tomatoes (your variety) just may grow that way, but a lot of plants that don't get the normal full sun tend to grow that way too.

 

[Evo]

Here is a picture of it and the new pot. You can see two regular tomato plants to the right of it and see how low and dense they are in comparison, and this plant gets more sunlight and is potted in the same growing medium, gets the same fertilizer.

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/7728/grapetomatosj3.jpg

That plant is about 4 feet tall.

 

[Redbelly98]

... I am thinking of transplanting it into a much taller pot, and burying most of the lower stem. . . .

I wouldn't bury any of the stem, it is meant to be exposed to air. Covering it up could cause it to mildew or rot.

p.s. glad you're doing better

 

[Evo]

I wouldn't bury any of the stem, it is meant to be exposed to air. Covering it up could cause it to mildew or rot.

Oh, tomato plants will grow roots along the buried stems, it's always good to bury most of the plant when you transplant it, it makes it stronger.

p.s. glad you're doing better

Thanks!

 

[turbo]

Oh, tomato plants will grow roots along the buried stems, it's always good to bury most of the plant when you transplant it, it makes it stronger.

Thanks!

Evo is right. If you have thin, stringy tomato plants, strip off lower leaves and bury them deep - the plant will throw off roots from the buried stem and help them develop faster and beefier. I have a neighbor who starts his tomatoes from seed and buries them sideways in rows. They turn up toward the sun and get tougher because of the stress. I get more tomatoes, though.

 

[Evo]

I guess we should let people know that not all plants do this, as Redbelly indicated. But we're pretty seasoned gardeners.

When in doubt, check with an authoritative source.

 

[Moonbear]

If it already is flowering, I wouldn't stress it with transplanting. Maybe get it out a little further into the sunlight, give it a stake to hold it up, and treat the soil with a bit of lime or tomato fertilizer?

 

[Evo]

If it already is flowering, I wouldn't stress it with transplanting. Maybe get it out a little further into the sunlight, give it a stake to hold it up, and treat the soil with a bit of lime or tomato fertilizer?

I've never grown tomatoes in containers, which is why I am concerned about transplanting. In my garden, I would just let the plant trail onto the ground and grow roots along the stem, I don't have that option in a pot. It's already a good foot taller than the tallest plant stakes I could find and with the amount of fruit it appears to be putting out, I'm afraid the vine will snap.

It's skinny enough that I can still fashion a cage around it. But that means I won't be able to move it anymore.

 

[Moonbear]

I got out and got some photos about a week ago, and now am getting a chance to upload them.

Here's my mostly container garden (I've just stuck stakes right into the pots and have put twist ties around them to hold up the tomatoes).

This is a close-up view of the corner with the flowers, basil that's really hurting from all the rain (for some reason, the pots the basil is in just aren't draining right, so the poor basil is drowning), behind it I have zucchini planted in the little patch of ground I turned into garden.

I'm actually surprised at how well my tomatoes are doing in planters. I didn't have so much success planting them in the ground, but then I also generously treated the potting soil with lime before transplanting them (thanks to turbo for reminding me how important the soil pH is for tomatoes and that potting soil is not usually right for them). I had good success with seedlings too, this year. I must finally be getting my green thumb back (ended up actually throwing away seedlings because I didn't have enough planters...I tossed them all onto the ground and one is actually growing in with the zucchini...not growing as well as the others, but I was surprised the little guy hung on after the abuse).

I have a LOT of flowers and decent sized tomatoes already. For the tomatoes, I've been getting just the right amount of rain. It basically has saved me from having to water them every day. Once in a while I have to supplement the watering, but for the most part, we get rain just about when they're getting dry again. The deck gets full morning sun, but then is shaded in the afternoon, which is great for growing plants.

No signs of critters eating them yet either (knock on wood and keeping fingers crossed).

 

[Astronuc]

I've never grown tomatoes in containers, which is why I am concerned about transplanting. In my garden, I would just let the plant trail onto the ground and grow roots along the stem, I don't have that option in a pot. It's already a good foot taller than the tallest plant stakes I could find and with the amount of fruit it appears to be putting out, I'm afraid the vine will snap.

It's skinny enough that I can still fashion a cage around it. But that means I won't be able to move it anymore.

I would put the existing root ball and dirt in the new pot and add soil around and above covering up the stem. I also would let tomatoes trail on the ground in the garden so that they would produce more roots. Tomatoes take a lot of nutrients from the soil. Is it possible to find 6 ft steaks or more?

We tie them up with used fabric softener (the kind used in dryers) material.

 

[Redbelly98]

Oh, tomato plants will grow roots along the buried stems, it's always good to bury most of the plant when you transplant it, it makes it stronger.

Wow! Thanks, next time I try tomatoes I'll know.

Ms. Redbelly and I pretty much missed the main planting season this year, too much going on with house repairs all spring.

 

[Moonbear]

Is it possible to find 6 ft steaks or more?

The tallest stakes I've seen sold are about 4 ft. I was concerned about that when I started my tomatoes too, because I remember having 5 ft stakes for the garden when I was a kid and once they were hammered far enough into the ground to be secure, the remainder was barely tall enough to support the tomatoes.

I've never attempted to transplant a tomato so late in the growing season though, so I don't know how it would handle it.

I've been fertilizing my tomato plants about once a month. I never did that with tomatoes in the ground, but in pots, I figure there's only so much nutrients to go around, and they can't just send out longer roots to get at nutrients, so give them extra food to keep going.

I'm not moving the pots though. Once the tomatoes were sufficiently hardened to outdoor life, they've been permanently outdoors ever since. It's when they started overnighting outside that the stems finally thickened up and started to look really healthy. There are two that seem to topple over every so often if it gets windy, but so far, it hasn't hurt them at all. I just pick them back up the next morning, and they're still as happy as can be.

 

[Evo]

I got out and got some photos about a week ago, and now am getting a chance to upload them.

Here's my mostly container garden (I've just stuck stakes right into the pots and have put twist ties around them to hold up the tomatoes).

This is a close-up view of the corner with the flowers, basil that's really hurting from all the rain (for some reason, the pots the basil is in just aren't draining right, so the poor basil is drowning), behind it I have zucchini planted in the little patch of ground I turned into garden.

I'm actually surprised at how well my tomatoes are doing in planters. I didn't have so much success planting them in the ground, but then I also generously treated the potting soil with lime before transplanting them (thanks to turbo for reminding me how important the soil pH is for tomatoes and that potting soil is not usually right for them). I had good success with seedlings too, this year. I must finally be getting my green thumb back (ended up actually throwing away seedlings because I didn't have enough planters...I tossed them all onto the ground and one is actually growing in with the zucchini...not growing as well as the others, but I was surprised the little guy hung on after the abuse).

I have a LOT of flowers and decent sized tomatoes already. For the tomatoes, I've been getting just the right amount of rain. It basically has saved me from having to water them every day. Once in a while I have to supplement the watering, but for the most part, we get rain just about when they're getting dry again. The deck gets full morning sun, but then is shaded in the afternoon, which is great for growing plants.

No signs of critters eating them yet either (knock on wood and keeping fingers crossed).

Gorgeous Moonbear! I wish my patio wasn't covered, but at the same time with the baseball sized hail and 70MPH winds we get here so often, I'm glad that they are covered.

Is it possible to find 6 ft steaks or more?

I'd settle with eating just a 1 foot steak right now.

 

[turbo]

Remarkably, with all the torrential rains, wind, hail, etc, my garden is still chugging along. Today, I put up plastic fencing alongside the buttercup squash and cucumbers. They are starting to throw out tendrils, and will climb well. This helps the plants maximize sun-light and it seems to allow them to flower and fruit better. Keeping the squash and cukes hanging instead of laying on the ground also minimizes insect damage and rot.

 

[rewebster]

apple and plum in the background? what's that taller big leafed stuff in the lower left corner of the photo?

 

[turbo]

Both trees in the background are apple, but poor producers as yet. I've been pruning them aggressively, and they can tap into the nutrients of the compost, manure, etc of the garden that they border, but they're stingy trees. I have an older tree near the road at the end of my driveway that is absolutely loaded with apples. I spray the trees with a mixture of canola oil, with a bit of caterpillar-specific BT, and a little palm-oil-based detergent to help with emulsification. A nice pesticide-free way to smother pests and give leaf-eaters bellyaches.

The leaves in the left foreground are from little white ash seedlings. I have some prolific ash trees near the road, and their seeds fly all over. I'll strip these out sometime this summer - don't want large fast-growing trees near the house.

 

[Evo]

So, turbo, should I plan to be there late August/early September? When is the harvest coming in? I'm handy in the kitchen, I can help with the prep for canning.

Lovely garden.

 

[loseyourname]

Does anybody have any advice for keeping the soil loose and arable in a very dry region that has experienced a bad drought this year? I'm visiting my parents right now and the plants they keep in their backyard are doing terribly because the dirt back there is so packed and dry that roots can't get established and water just runs right off the ground without being absorbed.

 

[Moonbear]

Does anybody have any advice for keeping the soil loose and arable in a very dry region that has experienced a bad drought this year? I'm visiting my parents right now and the plants they keep in their backyard are doing terribly because the dirt back there is so packed and dry that roots can't get established and water just runs right off the ground without being absorbed.

Lots of hard work. The only way I know to accomplish it is to get down on hands and knees with a little cultivating rake and work down the rows to turn the soil.

 

[rewebster]

yep--, a hoe, a three pronged cultivator---this fall add a lot of compose and sand


maybe get the soil a little damp first to help with the hoe and cultivator

---avoid walking up and down the rows, too--it packs the dirt


use one of those drip hoses (one where the hose is made out of what looks like course rubber) or tiny holes in it where the water goes on lightly over a longer period of time but lighter so it has time to sink in instead of a heavy spray.

 

[turbo]

So, turbo, should I plan to be there late August/early September? When is the harvest coming in? I'm handy in the kitchen, I can help with the prep for canning.

Lovely garden.

I'm making and canning salsa as soon as tomatoes and chilies are available, making pickles as soon as cucumbers, dill, and sweet peppers are ripe - you'd have to spend several months here to experience the harvest, processing, canning, etc that I do. I extends right up until the threat of hard frost.

 

[turbo]

Does anybody have any advice for keeping the soil loose and arable in a very dry region that has experienced a bad drought this year? I'm visiting my parents right now and the plants they keep in their backyard are doing terribly because the dirt back there is so packed and dry that roots can't get established and water just runs right off the ground without being absorbed.

The secret is to increase the organic content of the soil. You would need to mix in compost, composted manure and perhaps peat to keep the clays in the soil from clumping/compacting in the heat. Soil that is heavy in clays, silt, and other inorganics can act like concrete in hot weather. This is not a little project - it will take some investment in time, materials, and labor to improve the soil.

 

[Evo]

Does anybody have any advice for keeping the soil loose and arable in a very dry region that has experienced a bad drought this year? I'm visiting my parents right now and the plants they keep in their backyard are doing terribly because the dirt back there is so packed and dry that roots can't get established and water just runs right off the ground without being absorbed.

Lots of peat moss will help. Since peat moss is acid, you might need to add some lime. Also, if the soil has clay, gypsum will break that down into decent soil.

 

[rewebster]

The tomatoes and peppers are doing well with all the rain. I put plastic bags on bent steel wire (meant for holding insulation in place) due to starlings nipping off the peppers at ground level and in case its frosts (I'll take them off this week).

The tomatoes are not quite as big as tennis balls.

I put one layer of newspaper down with sand on top to keep the weeds down. The ground is shaped like funnels with the plants put in at the low spot--this helps the water run directly to the plant base and since they're raised beds with a lot of sand and compost, it drains nicely. This was from about seven weeks ago.

 

[turbo]

Nice tomatoes, REW! I'll be months getting to that point!