Posted on 04/01/2026 6:22:58 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Victory Garden Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
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I’m a few miles north of San Francisco, Ca.
I have a very small growing area on my outside terrace.
I recently planted tomatoes, yellow squash and mustard greens. The tomato and squash are sprouting only days later, but next to nothing for the mustard greens.
Do mustard greens require some special type of fertilizer?
I use Eleanor’s Plant Food, but I’m not as confident of Eleanor’s as I used to be a few years ago. I think they have been tinkering with the formula.
In the past I often ended up with too much yellow squash until I discovered yellow squash soup. It has a great flavor and can be frozen.
As a kid, there was no vegetable I hated more than squash.
Just the name brings to mind something that has been
both ‘squished’ & ‘squashed’. However, I have since discovered that squash can be tasty and as versatile as a potato. That includes the Big Z aka Zucchini.
Fertilizer Timing and Type (Mustard Greens)
At Planting: Mix in a balanced organic fertilizer (10-10-10 or similar).
During Growth: Side-dress with compost or a nitrogen-rich fertilizer every 3–4 weeks.
Container Plants: Feed with liquid fertilizer every 10–14 days since nutrients leach quickly.
https://harvesttotable.com/feeding-mustard-greens-fertilizer-tips-for-fast-growth/
Diana here: Nitrogen is the FIRST number on the NPK scale (10-10-10) so make sure that first number is higher for the fertilizer you’re using on your Mustard Greens...once they’re UP. You’re wasting product to fertilize before germination. :)
The tomatoes and squash can use the same general fertilizer, but you want THAT NPK number to be higher in the MIDDLE for blooming and setting fruit. Also make sure both get calcium, since you’re growing in pots and nutrients leach out quickly. Calcium (liquid bone meal) will help prevent Blossom End Rot in both plants.
In my youth my father would buy acorn squash in the fall. He would cut it in half, clean out the seeds, put a big chunk of butter in them, wrap in tin foil, and put in the hot coals of the fireplace for some duration. I always loved it.
Thank you Diana. This is all very good advice!
I thought I was doing something wrong, with the Mustard Greens. Turns out, the greens have different nutritional needs than my other 2 plantings.
They are, indeed!😁🐶😁🐶😁
I took up the Acorn Squash as a cooking challenge.
It’s easier to use than it looks.
It’s a hard, tough seed to slice, (the Coconut of the Vegetable Garden) but once opened, as your Dad did, you slice in half, scoop out, season and roast to your custom.
I didn’t do much this year and even bought my plants from Walmart instead of using my own seeds.
I put a Santa Fe Grande Pepper into half a 55 gallon water barrel on the 30th and it already grew up and wide so fast that it looks like it was planted at least 10 days ago.
I put an Early Girl in the ground deep and it looks great and healthy.
I had a German Queen Tomato that was short and stubby with 3 flowers on it in a 3” pot, put it in the ground on the 30th and it looks like it will take a while to settle in and find its growth but it will be fine.
Planted 2 sweet peppers in the ground on the 31st they look like they are taking off, big winds are coming and I don’t yet have any more wind blocking materials so I am repotting 4 sweet peppers and will put them in the ground in 2 weeks or so when I can put them behind 2 foot wind shielding.
My Walmart Red Beefsteak Tomato definitely needed repotting to thrive so I will probably put it in the ground in a month, my early girl will give me my early tomatoes.
I have heirloom seeds and may do what I did last year, grow them indoors and then put them in the ground in late June or early July and let them produce tomatoes as the summer cools and into fall.
Garlic finally pushing up through the mulch - spring is here!
Finally got some cooler weather so I planted tomatoes and peppers - then last night we had pounding, and I mean pounding rain. I'm going to check my new plants this morning and hope they weren't destroyed.
Meanwhile, plants don't know what to do:
This plumeria should not be blooming until late June - but is blooming now:
This cactus knows it's spring and time to bloom:
Bougainvilleas "bloom" (actually the "flowers" are bracts) no matter what the weather, scorching hot, cold, windy:
California Gold:
Seafoam:
Gardening today: This guy is getting a hair cut!:
And, my helpers, helping with watering:
I gave up on cutting acorn squash. I cook them whole, then deal with them.
SW corner of Wisconsin. I’ve got Chives, Tulips and Daffodils up - and everything is budded out.
Ice storm predicted for tonight. Snowmobile Suits worn over our Easter Finery this year. ;)
Happy April!
We are hopefully set for some decent rains in the next few days. April showers, and hopefully not too many strong storms!
My conjured up stinkbug light / trap is working well. But, I still intend to make at least one with a 5000K color temperature (and brighter) LED panel as the light.
In which growing zone do you reside? I am jealous of those who are already able to plant peppers and tomatoes. Maybe in another month I can get started with things here.
Radishes, onions and peas in the ground.
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