Weekly Gardening Thread – 2010 (Vol. 20) June 18

Free Republic | 6-18-2010 | Red_Devil 232

[Red_Devil 232]

Good morning gardeners.

If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of gardeners, each with varying interests and skill levels from Master Gardener to novice.

If you have a question about gardening or just an observation to share please feel free to stop by and participate. There are no stupid questions, just honest ones.

[tubebender]

Which post do you want me to answer first? Leave the Broccoli along as you have nothing too lose if it is as small as you describe. I’m sure every thing will do better next year when the soil microbes stabilized in your new beds. My second planting of Radishes are worse than the first planting which is really hard to do.

My house mate picked another gallon of Raspberries and just as she finished our Pastor stopped by for half hour and visited with us in my swank garden office and he took the Raspberries home with him. I worked on the Blueberry enclosure after two trips downtown for supplies and some lumber. Our SiL will be here tomorrow to power wash the post and rail fence and prep it for paint. I’ll try to post some photos tomorrow but don’t hold me too it...

[afraidfortherepublic]

Well, you certainly got a lot done today. I talked a lot about getting stuff done, and now it’s raining again.

First, you can congratulate me on bringing a new veggie to maturity — peas! I don’t know what it will take to get enough for a whole meal. Right now, I have a handful to stir into a stir fry, or toss into a salad.

But, my main question was on the broken corn. Keep in mind that this seedling was only about 5 in. tall. It broke off in the storm last night (I think a flower pot blew over on it) at just above ground level. The root is intact. Do I leave it in hopes that it will start growing again, or do I try to move one from elsewhere in the bed to take its place?

[afraidfortherepublic]

Well, you certainly got a lot done today. I talked a lot about getting stuff done, and now it’s raining again.

First, you can congratulate me on bringing a new veggie to maturity — peas! I don’t know what it will take to get enough for a whole meal. Right now, I have a handful to stir into a stir fry, or toss into a salad.

But, my main question was on the broken corn. Keep in mind that this seedling was only about 5 in. tall. It broke off in the storm last night (I think a flower pot blew over on it) at just above ground level. The root is intact. Do I leave it in hopes that it will start growing again, or do I try to move one from elsewhere in the bed to take its place?

[greeneyes]

Sounds good on the harvesting. Did she have any other tips for growing it?

[greeneyes]

I am not sure about your corn, cause I’m just a newbie. But I have a feeling that as long as your corn still has some leaves, and the roots are fine that it may be ok after a little recovery period.

[tubebender]

I would move one corn plant to fill that spot. Be sure and dig deep with the trowel to get as much root as possible. We grew Sugar Snap peas and we ate as many in the garden as at dinner. We no longer plant them as we have a virus in the soil and I have too many projects to take the time to move the trellis for them...

[tubebender]

SWANK GARDEN OFFICE...

Vintage Retirement Villa. Note battle casualties in background...

Neighborhood Brats...

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"So, can anyone recommend good cucumber varieties for pickling?"

Cross Country and Sumter are two excellent varieties for pickling, but both make a nice slicing cuke as well. The smaller the cuke when you make pickles, generally the crisper they will be. Depending on the kind of pickles you are making, a dunk in a warm alum water bath will take a limp cucumber chip and make it as hard as a quarter. Good luck and let me know if you have any problems. I put up hundreds of jars of pickles each year.

[Yosemitest]

Get you a garden tiller. You don't have to buy new, but when you by used, have them crank it and show you how to use it.

Something like this is what I recommend.
The Rear Tine Tillers give you easier control and leverage to work the soil deeper.
Be sure to store in under a roof.

Get a good HULA HO. You'll be surprised how many different ways you can use it to do detailed weed-removal.

Forget the weed spray.

[Yosemitest]

"One corn seedling snapped off due to the storm. The root is intact.
Will it start growing again, or should I transplant another seedling in its place?"

No. It won't grow back.
You should transplant another seedling in its place.

[Yosemitest]

An eight foot high fence will stop most of those "brats",
but those "brats" are good eatin' too.
If you're in the city, get good with a compound bow.
Otherwise, a rifle through a open window will work.

[Yosemitest]

One other thing about that tiller.
The weakest link is the shifter "C" inside the transmission.
If you break it, it's a half a day's labor taking it apart, and a half a day's labor putting it back together.

(expensive unless you do it yourself and the part is about $50.00)

So go easy when shifting gears. And DON'T BUY ONE WITHOUT A REVERSE GEAR THAT WORKS.

[tdscpa]

I understand. Different strokes for different folks, and that things have to be done differently in different places.

If I lived in a cooler spot, I would probably grow lots of different crops than I do here on the “great American desert.”

My major problems here are heat, wind, and untimely rain. I am able to grow some things only in my greenhouse in the spring, fall and even in winter. I have had at least one 70+mph wind each year since I started gardening in 2004. One destroyed a greenhouse for me in 2007.

I have had, so far this season: 2 feet of rain from spring thaw until mid-May, and 100 degree F. daily highs since my anticipated garden starting date (May 8). I am just now getting my garden mostly planted, about six weeks late.

Some of my huge tomato planting might not mature before first fall frost. I planted about 15 tomato plants yesterday before I got rained out, 30 today, and hope to get the last 35 or so planted tomorrow. Today and tomorrow: two rare days below 100 F!

Good gardening this summer!

Tom

[tdscpa]

I didn’t realize you were working with a small space. I have the opposite situation. I garden more space than I need, so I can avoid mowing more lawn every week for eight months every year.

I end up with way more garden produce than I need, but I try to grow things I can easily give away to friends, family, and neighbors.

I grow mostly tomatoes, sweet peppers, corn, cucumbers, and melons, as they are very easy to give away. I also grow onions, beans, beets, lettuce, spinach, strawberries, and asparagus, because I like them, and have a few neighbors who also like them.

I don’t know how much space you have, but corn at 4?/sq. ft. seems like a reasonable use.

I “farm” about 2,200 sq. ft., and plant way more than I can use, just to help control the weeds.

Tom

[Yosemitest]

Honestly, you need both. The Hula Hoe will do detailed work around the plants.
You can use the lower corners of the stirrup at a 45 degree angle to dig out very small amounts of weeds, almost against the edge of the plant.
You can use it upright to go below the weed root, digging deep and undercutting the weed.
Then you roll the hoe over and drag it flat to remove the weed from the loose soil, like a rake.
It's a great tool.

But it won't really pull dirt up to the plant, like a regular hoe.
I use both, each for a different purpose.
The regular hoe is perfect for "laying the corn by" and doing the same for the other plants.

Another tool that's very usefull is a "Garden Seeder and Planter"

You need all three of these, but be sure to clean them well, after each use. The Garden Seeder Fertilizer Attachment can be used by itself to drop fertilizer, "Ironite", and ammonia nitrate next to growing plants by hand. Just take your finger and stop/release the fertilizer from the bottom as you walk dow the row.


I also use one of these High Wheel Garden Cultivator6500 from time to time. It's great for RE-planting what doesn't come up.
Just scratch up the weeds where the seed DIDN'T come up, and replant the seed by hand, after you're finished with the hand plow.
You can get it real close to other growing plants and hit spot-areas as needed.

[tdscpa]

I would not think buying "Miracle Gro" just for filler would be worth the cost. Do you not have access to "soil"? I would just use dirt, and fertilize as needed. My lack of belief in "Miracle Gro" is based on my recent experience from this year's seed starting in two different potting mixes:

"Miracle Gro" potting mix just about killed half of my seedlings. I had to remove them from the MG, and replant them in better potting mix.

Tom

[Yosemitest]

One other tool I find useful is a "Bean Punch".
You'd have to find one at a flea market or go to a junk yard and have someone make one out of a steel rod about one or two inches in diameter.
It needs to be about 6 foot long with a point on one end, and about five foot up, it needs a steel wheel about one inch thick and 6 or 8 inches in radius welded around the 1 or 2 inch steel rod. The foot above the "wheel of steel becomes the handle".
The thing needs to be heavy. Because you're going to use it to punch holes in the dirt and open them up by pushing and pulling the punch to work out a funnel in the dirt.
Wear leather gloves. You'll lift the punch you above where you want the hole and stab it into the dirt, and then wiggle it around.
A good punch in normal soil will make a one foot deep hole in about 5 to 7 stabs.
The hole will need to be about a foot deep. Then you put your bean stick, a piece of wood, usually a sweet-gum sapling about 6 foot in length and about 1/1/2 inches in diameter at the base, in the hole, and pack the dirt around it.
One you have your bean punch either made or bought, be very careful. Don't loan it out, because people won't return it.
Keep it under lock and key because people will steal it.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Thanks for the info. I have only about 510 square feet in my little, fenced, Square Ft Garden. I have plenty of land, but the earth is heavy clay and difficult to work by hand. My corn is in a raised bed (2 varieties) of 4 x 8 feet — 4 rows/8” spacing between seedlings. The planting mix is “Mel’s Mix” which is made of 1/3 peat, 1/2 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost with a few bags of Miracle Gro and Schultz potting mix and garden soil thrown in for good measure — also worm castings and composted manure. There is no “real” dirt in there at all.

The garden is fenced because of the deer and rabbits which abound on my 12 acres. The reason it isn’t bigger is that I don’t think that I can take care of anything bigger at this time of my life. Already, my flower gardens and other landscaping are suffering because of the time spent on setting up this little garden. I am frustrated, however, because of what I consider to be minimal yields for my effort. Most of that is my own fault for mistakes I made in planning/planting.

I gaze at other gardens in my travels around town and wonder how the people deal with the wildlife when their garden is NOT fenced. But, I see a lot of unfenced gardens. Building the raised beds (4 + perimeter beds) and the fence was a lot of work for my husband, so I don’t want to complain about not having enough space. I started with 2 beds and quickly realized that I wanted more and doubled the size of the garden before the fence was up. Then I realized that I could incorporate inside perimeter beds for additional planting — flowers, herbs, etc.— to utilize the reinforced edges of the fence.

And that is how the garden grew. Other than tomatoes in containers and a few herbs, this is the first time I’ve tried to grow vegetables since I was a kid.

I’m still wondering how to get soccer ball-sized cauliflower and ping pong ball sized radishes, but I think tubebender has it pegged that my planting mix just hasn’t developed the right composition yet. More additives are needed. We’ve also had a cool, wet spring/early summer. Temps have fluctuated between 90F and 47F with a few days at the higher temps followed by a week at 50F.

I’ve given away a lot of lettuce so far, but that is the only thing that has produced in abundance.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I notice you are using Fertilome for your seedlings. Diana in Wisconsin (one of our expert gardeners) swears by that.

Actually, I don’t have any Miracle Gro on hand, I have a similar product called Schultz which seems to be pretty good. I’d just use straight compost, if I can get my hands on some. Mine’s not ready yet.

Since I’m working in such a small space, I thought that bagged planting mix would be easier to fill the furrows than trying to dig out my weedy clay from some place else on the property. (4 eight foot long furrows about 6 in. deep won’t take much fill.)

[afraidfortherepublic]

You are so funny! Your admonition of how to keep your bean punch reminds me of a TV commercial that is shown around here a lot where the puzzled lady of the house notices that a mideaval archer, with a flaming arrow in his cross bow, is patrolling her front lawn. She asks her husband about it. Without taking his eyes from the TV he says:

“Baby, that’s Rahlf. It’s OK. We have cable TV with HD and Start Over and Digital phone. People want that. We’ve got to protect it. I wouldn’t look at him, now...”

Do you have a picture of your bean punch?