Questions from me, the beginner:
Some of my questions may sound dumb to you but I have never seen a food plant grow to know what it looks like in various stages except for tomato plants and they are simple to understand. My Ph.D. is not in plants and I haven’t cared one whit about plants, ever. I got in my order of heirloom seeds for the fall and have to work out which Dirt Bags get what planted in them, plus set up the big containers on the deck to handle regular big heirloom tomatoes for the fall.
Now, the questions: OK, my Kentucky Wonder bean plants are growing up the lattice on the back wall. It’s like they know where each strip of lattice is and they are bound tightly on it with the growing end heading for another strip. My question is, when does an actual bean start to grow? As I’ve said, I didn’t use any fertilizer, just dug out some dirt and put the seeds in and covered them up. Am I just going to have vine and leaves and no beans?
Next question is: It’s those squash plants again. I’m sure now they have had atomic radiation. One of the big branches is now in the riverwalk (brick path outside the edge of the dirt) and just about across it – as fast as it grows, it will be across the riverwalk tomorrow. Question is, will there be a squash where every flower is? Flowers have been blooming all over and then finished their bloom and more have bloomed and more are going to bloom and that includes both plants. It’s like the takeover of the squash, movie, except there is no movie like that but I may make one. The thing is, I can’t identify a growing squash yet and that doesn’t sound right. Could I have these enormous plants and blooms and no squash?
As of this morning, there is one very small yellow flower on a plant in one of the Miracle Gro bags that I think is Jalapeno. Do you know if a Jalapeno plant has small yellow flowers? If it isn’t that, it’s a regular bell pepper. Do bell peppers have small yellow flowers?
I ordered more 5 gallon “Dirt Bags” for plants. The 5 gallon has handles on it for easy moving and I decided it’s important to have more depth and a large surface area to grow more than one plant in a bag. If you get a smaller size the circumference is too small for more than one plant and the depth is limited. I can put a small plant in a 5 gallon if I want, but I can’t put a larger plant or more than one in a smaller bag so no more one, two, three, four gallon bags, plus I get handles with the 5 gallon. If I want a smaller plant in a 5 gallon, just turn back the top of the bag to the depth size you want and fill it with potting soil to that level.
Ha, Ha – the four sweet potato plants/roots I planted in a ten gallon Dirt Bag: The top leaves were so limp and pitiful looking, I thought they were all dead. I ordered these “live” from Burpee. I don’t remember if they are heirloom – will have to go back and read again as Burpee does have some heirloom (I know Johnny, should have written it down). Instructions said some people cut the top off and just plant the root – I didn’t do that because they looked so sick I didn’t want to traumatize them if they can be traumatized. They weren’t dead. They are all perked up and already have new leaves on each one. If I actually grow sweet potatoes, I will love myself for being able to do that.
I have more tomatoes than I can eat. That cherry one in the Miracle Gro bag has tomatoes that are larger than any cherry tomato I ever saw. Out of the ones I picked this morning, I set aside three of the large ones. I’ll use those for seed. Have to read my directions again to save tomato seeds. That plant is super strong and major healthy. I bought that at Lowes and it’s from Bonnie and is “Husky Cherry Red”, a hybrid, but Johnny says hybrids can also stay true for seeds. I’ll later plant large tomato seed for fall in the large containers with the attached trellis on them. Guess I should start the seed indoors first, then harden them (had to read what that was) by putting them in the small greenhouse, then in the container.
My son will be here Sunday and I’ll get him to put potting soil mix in the Dirt Bags I have now because I found a very large bag of Miracle Gro potting soil mix I didn’t know was there and it’s so big and heavy I can’t deal with it. I just happened to think – since he is a director of documentary film, why can’t he make a documentary titled, “The Takeover Of The Squash Plants”? I’ll suggest that to him – expect the film next year.
You asked about the documentary film he made last year, “Heroes Behind The Badge”. You can read about that at http://www.heroesbehindthebadge.com/about.html His picture is on the right. Put your pointer on his picture and click on it to read more about him and then read the rest of the information there. You can get the film DVD there, too, if you want. The film was made for the Police Memorial in Washington, D.C.. It has been shown over the country to police departments and the public at those times. It was shown last year at the FBI yearly convention and FBI Director Robert Mueller said there was not a dry eye in the house at the end. It is now required viewing at every police academy in Texas and likely other states but I only know about Texas. I saw it on my computer once, even I don’t have a DVD now so if you get one, you have more than I do, and I knew what it was about and thought I would be fine with it, but I had tears at the end and you will, too. Wayne can determine the right film sequences to film and when he puts a film together, he pulls you right into it. BUT, HE CAN ALSO FILL DIRT BAGS. He is 6’ 1”, grew up in Texas, graduated from Rice University in Houston, and sounds like an Englishman as he has lived in London over 25 years.
Along with my garden report next week, I’ll tell you about being kissed by Hugh Grant before he was arrested with a prostitute in a car in Hollywood – remember that?
So, could you answer my questions about the beans and the squash and small yellow flower on a plant in a potting soil bag?
With respect to veggies in general. First come the flowers, then comes the fruit at the place where the flower was. Of course the flower has to be fertilized usually by bees and other insects or there will be no fruit.
If your soil has too much nitrogen, you can get too much green and not enough produce. Other nutrients such as potassium and phosporous are great for getting flowers/produce in combination with sufficient nitrogen.
The specifics vary a little depending on which veggie you are growing.
Once you get several squash growing, you can pick some of those flowers and make some delicious treats to eat.
I have no experience growing Jalepeno peppers. The bells I have grown had white flowers, but that doesn’t mean all bells have white flowers.
You can plant saved hybrid seeds. They don’t always breed true, but you will get either the hybrid, one or both of the parents(not going any further back in ancestory) or some combo of all three.
Nothing wrong with saving hybrid seeds and planting them, you will get some sort of plant that will no doubt be tasty.
With tomatoes, I have even used cuttings to start new hybrid plants, but this year I’m just doing heirlooms.
About those squash ......
I’ve been reading the Square Foot Garden and he likes growing plants vertically instead of letting them sprawl all over. Summer squash will go vertical if you give it a little help. He also says this (which I found fascinating): “One interesting thing I’ve discovered about summer squash vines is that when they are allowed to sprawl on the ground, the fruits form only at the end of the vine. But when grown vertically, the vine continually produces blossoms & fruits all along its entire length. This gives you an abundant harvest in a small space - and all of it is straight up so it’s easy to see and pick”.
This year, I’m sort of trying to grow zucchini ‘up’(they are blooming but not ‘long’ enough to get them into the wire fencing I’m using for a trellis/support) .... not going vertical as easy as the cucumbers which seem to really like it.
I’ve had Kentucky Wonder grow eight feet high (the size of the lattice I’ve provided them along the east wall of the house) before producing. I’ve never had any luck growing them in the summer, however, that’s when I switch to yard longs.
Make sure to save a couple of those sweet potatoes to start your slips for next year. And once they get going you’ll have plenty of extra leaves to eat.
More tomatoes than you can eat—yayy!!! I’m certain that your neighbors and local churches would be happy to relieve you of the extra produce. (Our minister came right over and picked up our extra squash and bean plants started from seed, and it it a total gas to help to sustain the community!) One question: can you reuse those fabric bags after the first season?