What's Growing in Your Garden This Year?

Herbs, flowers, vegetables, etc...

Any perennial favorites you can't wait to come back up again?

Trying anything new? Anything in particular you're excited about? Something you've heard of and always wanted to try?

Or how about the old staples which have become garden traditions from year to year like maybe lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, etc?

Any heirloom vegetables growers out there?

It's that time of year!

:bounce:

phoebe,
Sounds fabulous!

kthull,
What specific type of disease and pest problems(other than those mentioned)? Maybe we can help.

Jim,
Ah, another herb lover! Are you looking for something specific on growing successes?

kthull,
My pleasure. Wow, 50 bags of new soil? I'm assuming this is a raised bed? If not, I'm curious - where did you get your bagged soil ... and have you had your own (ground) soil tested?

I ask because it's unusual for a gardener to buy that much bagged soil. Usually they call a place for "yards" of dirt because the cost is much less and you really should know what to look for when buying soil.

I would suggest watering in the early morning (4 am early) with a timer and a soaker hose (under mulch) preferably. Keep in mind that dew forms in the early morning and can take most of the morning to evaporate. If you're watering in the late morning or early afternoon, you're actually extending the potential time the foliage is wet.

If you have an overhead sprinkler system for the lawn and it can reach your veggie garden and flower beds, try putting it on a timer to water around the time dew has formed. I don't know your area but somewhere around dawn. This will knock off the dew, water your plants, and give plenty of time for your plants to dry out.


If you're having that much of a problem with powdery mildew, sounds like they're not getting enough sun (at least 6-8 hours), and/or that they are too close together and preventing enough air circulation and ventilation around the plants. Also, you may be overwatering. Let your plants dry out for a couple of days by not watering them. The roots need oxygen equally as much as they need water.

It might also be the sign of some other disease... (still wondering about the soil)...

I'd be much more worried about getting that powdery mildew zapped over pests at this moment. It will weaken each plant and make them more suseptable to pests and disease.

Your "crazy fast rat terrier" should do the trick. I have two cats which take shifts and do a fabulous job keeping critters out.

You may also consider companion planting. Mixing flowers, herbs, and vegetables to create a biodiverse environment to bring in the good bugs to eat the bad bugs and make it harder for the bad bugs to find their next meal. Here is a good book you might want to check out the next time you're at the book store.

Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden by Sally Jean Cunningham

Rosemary is a tender perennial, you'll want to bring it inside over the winter because it will die if it gets too cold. Otherwise, it's pretty much a carefree plant, don't overwater herbs, they like poor soil and "dry feet" (let the soil dry out).



Isa,
Oh no! Don't give up. What happened with your container gardens? What did you try to grow and what were the results? There are specific varieties available expecially for containers. If you didn't have a problem, what would you want to grow?


phoebe,
What stages are your vegetables at?

phoebe,

>I love talking gardening stuff

Me too! (as you can tell). It's so refreshing to hear about a home gardener starting vegetables from seed. It's a dying breed. Not to mention the fact that you are growing heirlooms! Are you involved in any gardening organizations?

How do you use your dill and purslane?

If you haven't already tried the Cherokee Purple Tomato (heirloom) I highly recommend it. I never like tomoatoes at all until I tried that one.

It would be nice to be in a more mild climate to be able to grow more varieties for a longer period of time... I may have to trade seeds with you! Are those you listed new to you or repeats?

My own garden is claylike so I've been working on my compost pile. All my life I only grew vegetables, I got into seed and plant trading and that resulted in a lot of perennials. The good thing is that I'm not emotionally attached because they're not vegetables so if I've lost any, that's ok. I planted what I received last year and I'm a convert. Perennials are a good thing, as far as a listing, I don't keep as close track of anything I can't eat... I'm sure you all understand.

What am I growing? LOL! Actually, as far as vegetables, all I have in my yard are radishes, garlic, shallots, broccoli, cauliflower, and purple cabbage. I have a little herb garden with regular and variegatd sage, variegated and regular oregano, Cuban oregano aka Spanish thyme (mosquito repelling plant) variegated and green - haven't tried to eat it yet but there are recipes for it, rosemary and creeping rosemary, lovage, english mint, a couple of kinds or thyme, comfrey, chives, garlic chives, scallions, tarragon, pineapple mint, and spearmint. Will likely find more in a couple of weeks.

Outside the herb garden I have horseradish, rhubarb, bluberries and blackberries.

Still in pots are about 10-12 different heirloom tomatoes and I don't even like tomatoes!

I have a friend with a greenhouse who is starting Asian vegetable seeds so I will have to follow up with a list of what germinated.

I participate in helping with a local demonstion garden in town. It has several beds including native plants, vegetables, scented herbs, dying herbs (colorants), culinary herbs, perennials, trees, shrubs, wildflowers, turf, hardscape, really a little of everything. I'll have to verify the size of the vegetable garden, it's pretty big with very rich soil, they've been building the organic matter in the soil for at least 5 years, so it's the ideal place to "demonstrate" to the public.

We'll be putting in zucchini and 42 different varieties of tomatoes this morning, half the tomatoes will be heirloom. Off the top of my head, what is currently in the ground are various beans (including a pole bean tee pee in the center with Italian Romano, Asian yard long, and Kentucky Wonder, cucumbers (vining and bush), peas, beets, eggplant (four varieties including Rosa Bianca), 16 varieties of pepper (half hot, half sweet), cabbages, lettuces, cauliflower, carrots, five varieties of radishes, turnips, mustard greens, yellow and red onions, 2 varieties of corn, canteloupe, beets, and kohlrabi.

The produce is donated to local organizations and food banks.

It will be fun to see everything grow as I have not planted many of these vegetables myself until now.




kthull,
No problem. Sometimes you can find a place that can deliver soil by the yard within a week. I'm sure it depends on your local suppliers.

I strongly recommend you get your soil tested, the cost for me was only $11.00 and I know exactly what state my soil is in and if it needs amendments so I'm not wasting money on fertilizers or things I don't need by guessing, etc. You didn't elaborate on what type of soil you got and there is a lot out there that is not good or needs to be amended.

Do you use mulch?

If you have specific problems, each state has it's own Extension Service with county offices that provide horticultural information usually free of charge if you call. Here is a link to your state of Illinois Extension Service, the Illinois Soil Testing Labs, and an Illinois Gardener's Checklist.



Hi Jim,
LOL! Beets? I think the key is timing, getting them in the ground early enough while it's still cool, consider soil temperature and air temperature, make sure the soil contains organic matter and is loose and well drained, water regularly for plump beets. They are easy to grow.

Satisfactory soil temperatures for beets are between a minimum of 40 and maximum of 75 degrees. But they grow best and produce more between 60 to 65, the optimum temperatures.

Here are a couple more sources you may find informative:

Growing Beets
More on Growing Beets

:bounce:

phoebe,

Fabulous. Since I live nearby, I have attended the last three Festivals Baker Creek has held (2 spring, one fall). I believe there is seed saving info at the Tomato Forum at GardenWeb in the FAQ, if not, I'm sure a quick search will yield results without having to post the question there. I'll put together a list for you next week of what inventory I can trade.

Not my profession, but I have definitely developed an avid interested in learning. And one thing is for sure, horticulture is never ending....

LOL - yes, I'm a rare breed that actually grows vegetables other than tomatoes. I don't know what the percentage is but I think I once heard that out of all home gardeners, 90 percent grow flowers, trees, turf, etc, 10 percent have vegetable gardens and 70 percent of those 10 percent veggie growers grow tomatoes. That leaves the rest of us to grow all the other veggies! And an even smaller number actually start their gardens from seed!

The Demonstration Garden is 2400 square feet, confirmed that today.

I'm beginning to like tomatoes, just have to find the right ones. Those supermarket tomatoes have no flavor which is probably why I never liked tomatoes, now I'm into heirlooms...

;)



kthull,

If you get plants shooting up, transplant them into your veggie garden where you want them. Can you give specifics on how you started your seed? What type of conatiner, what light and temperature conditions? What type of soil?

There are always exceptions, if you think you can direct seed, go for it.

kthull,

Nothing wrong with seedling kits. Cold frames can be very inexpensive if you still want to try building one.

Yes, the varieties out there are amazing. If you want to try again, let us know.

phoebe,

What color and shape are the First Lady and Caro Rich? What did you like about their flavor compared to the others?

I'll be growing the Zapotec for the first time this year, it's a convoluted/ribbed variety. I can't wait to see how it will turn out.

Fertilization

That's actually a complicated question to answer because it depends on the vegetable you are growing. Basically, if you have great soil, you shouldn't need to fertilize. You also have to be careful with fertilizer, too much can burn your plants or make your plants dependent on them. If serious gardeners use fertilizer at all, they use it at one-half the recommended rate for numerous reasons.

If you do fertilize, don't fertilize in the heat of the summer, do it earlier in the stages of plant growth to promote a healthy plant with healthy roots in the first place. When it get's hot later in the summer the plants actually go into a more dormant stage to reserve their energies for the day. If you fertilize in the late summer, you're actually forcing the plant to grow which stresses the plant and makes them susceptible to pests and disease.

As for beds vs containers, containers will need more fertilizer than the beds because the beds will have more organic organisms moving thru it.

I believe a 10-20-10 fertilizer is best for tomatoes. You may want to verify at the tomato forum. They have better fruit production with more phosphorous rather than high nitrogen which will only make the foilage grow well but will take away from the fruit.

I still recommend you get a soil test so you know for sure what your soil needs, it's usually the same cost as a home kit and much more accurate.

Fish Emulsion - a good all purpose organic fertilizer with an analysis ranging from 4-1-1 to 5-2-2. Can be used as a soil or a foliar treatment and is excellent combined with seaweed and other products. Also has some insecticidal qualities. An occasional application of fish emulsion or compost will add trace elements to the soil.

Bone & Blood Meal - unique combination of blood and bone meal provides a slow release natural fertilizer with an analysis of 6-7-0.

TPC Total - an organic fertilizer made from composted poultry manure, with an analysis of 6-3-0 plus trace elements, It is long lasting, slow releasing and non-burning.

Here is a good Vegetable Fertilizer Guide to refer to.

For more on Fish Emulsion and Slow Release Fertilizers for vegetables, look here.

phoebe,
No problem. Keep in mind that not all plants go dormant in the heat of the summer, some of them thrive on heat and drought. I am mainly referring to our vegetable plants which flower to produce a 'fruit or vegetable' (eggplants, squash, peppers, tomatoes, beans, etc). Tomatoes for example will stop fruiting if temperatures reach above 90 degrees.

Here are sources for information regarding cucumbers and fertilizing, click here.

>Why exactly am I doing this?
I'm not sure what specifically you are referring to...

>the bugs, wilts, and various unidentifiable diseases
They are usually identifiable. I have two suggestions:

First, contact your state's Extension Service. Each county has it's own Cooperative Extension Office which provides free publications and information for the asking. They will also have valuable vegetable/gardening tables available specifically for your area. You can just call your local county office and describe the pest or problem and they will offer you solutions. As a last resort, bring a leaf or the plant to the extension office and someone will be able to properly identify the pest.

Since you'll be gardening from year to year, I highly recommend investing in a book on vegetable pests and diseases such as The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control and Rodale's Garden Problem Solver: Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs

If they are tiny holes in leaves, it may be a "flea beetle".

If you encounter a limp limb, break it off where it meets the stem immediately.

kthull,
To control tomato hornworms, picking them off by hand early in the season usually controls them and maintains the organic gardening method. Dusting with Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) also reduces them; dust every 10-14 days until pests are gone. If infestation gets out of hand, use pyrethrum. Apply twice, 3-4 days apart.

kthull,
My pleasure. Actually, you're right on target. A few drops on dish soap with water added to the container is all you need to combat many garden pests since you are out there watching for them in the first place which some gardeners tend not to do. If you can get them early, it's the best preventative measure. Also, I look up the answers online and in my garden library... (don't know everything but I learn every time I look something up!)

phoebe,
You're very welcome!

>just being semi-sarcastic...
Ah, gotcha.

Both the books are different and I don't think they can be compared. It's like, should I choose a book on cooking techniques or grilling chicken... It depends on what you think you'll find most valuable to you at the time.

I suggest you read the reviews at the links posted for the titles of the books, they'll give you more of idea of the content. You can order the books in at a local bookstore if they don't have them in stock and normally you don't have to purchase the book unless you want to, so you can browse thru it to see if it would be something you want to spend money on.

You should also browse your local library's gardening section.

As for the herb book, I think it depends on if you just want growing information or if you also want recipes or other uses as well because there are so many books on that topic. Are you looking to grow only culinary herbs or more than that? There are many good ones at used bookstores. The New Book of Herbs looks like it covers medicinal uses as well. If you are not wanting this, you may want to look into others like Your Backyard Herb Garden by Miranda Smith or, since you like to grow from seed, maybe Growing Herbs from Seed, Cutting & Root: An Adventure in Small Miracles.

Again, browse thru the book to see if you like the writing style, content, etc. That's how I usually make my decisions.

For both you and kthull, I do highly recommend looking into companion planting and the following book: Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden by Sally Jean Cunningham.

Keep us updated!

:bounce: