The seeds I started last week sprouted almost immediately, and have had a 100% germination rate. I have a few plants ready for transplanting and hope to do that this week.
Hubby has convinced me to plant my potatoes in the old compost heap from last year, instead of taking up space in my raised beds. (He already has a volunteer taking off there).
I have a bunch of sweet peppers and fooled you jalepenos growing like crazey. The lettuce and spinach in the mushroom compost is ready to harvest a little, and past time to thin it. The other mediums have fewer plants and they are only about the diameter of a pea.
I'll be using mushroom compost from now on, if I can find it. Hope you and your gardens are doing well.
Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Pinging the List.
Ok, need some wise advice...
First time trying to grow zucchini and cukes and am trying them in large pots.
Only two of my zucchini seeds have sprouted...these two look strong and are growing like gang busters but why only two?
My cukes are doing well but I have a lot so how do I thin? There’s good drainage in the pot but maybe too much...mulch?
Here in Southern North Carolina, the various-lettuces are almost done after several hot days this week. I’ve had many meals of colorful leaves! They were neatly planted, but catz excavated the beds later, so they’re all mixed up ;-).
Sugar-snap peas liked the cool April and May. We’ll begin picking them tomorrow. Tomato plants are just sitting there, so far.
Two days ago I came downstairs and opened the curtains across the large three pane glass that looks into the garden. There were two squirrels on the deck close together and it was like the “Keystone Cops”. It scared them so badly, one turned right at top speed and the other turned left at top speed and they ran smack into each other (my squirrels are not real smart). The crash sent them rolling and they fought to get right side up and get out of there.
I've got birds coming in. Today, a huge blue jay landed right next to my large cherry tomato plant growing in the bag and I was out there like a flash to make him leave.
You see, I can sit in my chair and turn my head left and see the whole garden and be out there in a few seconds. I don't want to spend my life every minute of the day trying to keep my food safe staring out in the garden from my chair. That's why I'm going to grow mainly on the deck and cover that area with netting.
Thinking about it, I could put large containers in the garden itself, have them grouped together and use the netting there, too. That means another bag of netting to get. I am going to keep my plants safe from squirrels and birds - it's either me or them.
My two rose bushes are full of beautiful blooming large pink roses with mega number of petals on them.
Planted another bed if leaf lettuce and turnips this week and it is already coming up. The older leaf lettuce is ready for eating.
I have several clusters of yellow cherry tomatoes that are ready to pick. May have some tonight with the leaf lettuce.
Our neighbor gave us half a dozen of yellow onions. They sure are sweet. I gave him some shallots in return for his omelets.
Help. I am a newbie to this thread and gardening. I have 4 cherrie trees that should cross pollinate (bing and ranier). They did okay last year, all made cherries. This year, nothing. They made flowers okay, but no cherries. I put fruit stakes in and watered, lots of sun. I should add that we live on a lot that backs up to a golf course and this spring the course owners went nuts spraying and I haven’t seen a single bee or wasp. Its too late for this year, but what can I do next year to have cherries?
Whether you want vigorous young plants for a fall or winter crop, or decide to multiply a tomato you particularly like, learning to grow rooted cuttings is a valuable skill. Speed is a huge advantage. Seedlings need six to eight weeks to grow to transplanting size, but cuttings kept in warm conditions will be ready to set out in just 10 to 14 days. You also can root cuttings directly in the garden. Tomatoes are among the easiest plants to root (cells in the stems morph into new roots quickly when kept moist), so even if you’re a newbie propagator you can expect success. Tomato cuttings will root in a jar of water, but you will get sturdy plants faster by rooting them in soil.
Here’s how:
•Fill clean, 4-inch containers (or large paper cups with drainage holes in the bottom) with potting soil, and dampen thoroughly. Use a pencil or chopstick to poke a hole in the center of each prepared container.
•Select 6-inch-long tips that are free of leaf spots or other evidence of disease. Snip off any blossoms or buds with sharp scissors, and remove all leaves except the two at the top. Trim off the cut end so it will be 1 inch from the bottom of the container when the cutting is buried up to the base of the intact leaves.
•Push the prepared cuttings into the holes, and press soil against the stem. Set in a warm, shady place for seven days, and keep moist. You can protect them from strong sun by covering them with an overturned clay flowerpot. Gradually expose the rooted cutting to more light for another week.
•Move the rooted cutting to a larger pot (or transplant it to your garden) when new leaves appear or roots become visible in the drainage holes of the container.
************************************************************* Note - I am still experimenting with this technique. I have no idea whether it works or not.
Ick, yuck, pooey! I was out in the garden this morning picking some of the Ferry-Morse Mesclun mix and smelled a skunk. I picked some more and the smell stayed with me. I took the bucket into the house and still smelled it. As I was rinsing the leaves, one was awful! It was a spikey leaf sort of like a thistle. It was a young leaf, about two inches in diameter. I’ve looked on the internet for a picture of something similar but no luck. I went through the names on the seed package (arugula, endive red kale, red and green romaine, salad bowl and loola rossa lettuce) but still no luck. I tasted it and it tasted like it smelled - like skunk. No, the leaf is nothing like a skunk cabbage. I’m not a botanist so the best I can do in describing the leaf is picture the palm of a hand and fingers with the fingers having spikes on them like thistles do but not the fuzzy stuff. I was thinking maybe an endive but I’ve never known them to smell like skunk.
Sure, I have tons of weeds but I haven’t seen or smelled this thing before so chances are it came in the mesclun seed packet. I may have to throw out those packets and cross Ferry-Morse off my list because it’s really nasty.
Anyone know what it might be?
Small stand of red clover in one of my planted areas, it quickly became almost overwhelmed with powdery mildew!
I decided last year after fungi destroyed my tomatoes I WOULD NOT let it happen again. So I broke out the sprayer, made 2 gallons of Potassium Bicarbonate solution, and sprayed away.
Powdery mildew has retreated almost totally! Plus, the potash in the solution is an EXCELLENT fertilizer!
For those who can’t get the potassium bicarbonate, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) works almost as well.