I got some cheap panty hose from the drug store and wrapped the base of my squash stems in them yesterday, then spritzed the panty hose in insecticide. hopefully that'll keep the vine borers out. eternal, the garden's looking good.

5/14/2013 10:04:22 AM

frost advisory last night kind of freaked me out, but all is well.

5/14/2013 10:19:08 AM

I didn't see the advisory until this morning. All is well here too.

Though I'm still disappointed in my tomatoes. This cold air and gray days has really dampened their growth. I've pruned flowers once, and may again just because my Romas are only half full height. I know it's still early, but it's like they're stunted.

5/14/2013 10:23:22 AM

I just walked out there and everything is doing well except for my Okra. But yeah, like ^ said, it's still really early. They've only been in the ground 2 days.

Here is what I panted this year:

German Johnson Tomatoes
Patio Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Roma Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Green Zucchini
Yellow Zucchini
Spaghetti Squash
Okra
Red Bell Pepper
Green Bell Pepper
Yellow Bell Pepper
Jalapeno Pepper
Sweet Banana Pepper
Cucumbers
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Herbs: Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Rosemary(planted last year)

[Edited on May 14, 2013 at 10:38 AM. Reason : list]

5/14/2013 10:28:57 AM

it frosted here last night. I had to cover up a bunch of stuff and bring in things I hadn't planted. I'm glad I didn't have any really frost-sensitive stuff planted yet.

5/14/2013 10:36:25 AM

Quote :

"I've pruned flowers once, and may again just because my Romas are only half full height."

What is the reasoning behind this? I didn't think it had any benefit.

5/14/2013 10:46:04 AM

Romas are a semi-determinate (bush) variety of tomato, so all of their flowers open more or less at once, and they set fruit on the terminal bud,, they don't make another flush of flowers.

However, with the light levels increasing as they are, I doubt you'll get this plant to put a lot of energy into vegetative growth. The seedlings were probably exposed to long days too early in their growth. Once plants start flowering, it's pretty much irreversible. I hope you aren't pruning or suckering otherwise, elkaybie. it's mostly bunk, especially for bush varieties.


it's still early enough that you should just let them go and focus on getting some large, developed seedlings that haven't started flowering yet, and if you can't find them, large vining types that are flowering should be good. Planting in late spring, you want to look at pot sizes of the plants you buy. the more roots you can buy, the better.

5/14/2013 11:35:11 AM

That was going to be my plan if these didn't turn around in another week.

5/14/2013 11:45:51 AM

Anyone have some thoughts about this growing plants in trash cans method?

http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguides/edibles/planting/GrowingTomatoes.aspx

I made a fatal mistake with my garden in that I didn't account for how the sunlight levels would change after a giant mother fucking oak tree nearby bloomed. Now there's a part of my garden without even 8 hours of sunlight... more like 5. And it happens to be where my tomatoes and cucumbers are... so those are probably not going to last long. I have three old garbage cans that a previous tenant used for composting or something, and I'm thinking about slicing them in half, filling them with soil, and planting two Better Boys in each, just like the link, and placing them in a better sunny spot.

5/14/2013 3:14:42 PM

I've also been curious to try a Straw Bale Garden

http://www.growandmake.com/straw_bale_garden

5/14/2013 3:24:25 PM

Don't see how it's any different than container gardening, and I had great success with containers at our townhouse. You can easily move to better light. Just need to make sure you water well in extreme heat bc the soil will dry out faster.

5/14/2013 4:38:37 PM

Any suggestion on soil fill composition? I don't really have compost available and don't want to try and scrape up a bunch of obscure fillers that I have to buy individually. The link recommends non-soil potting mix, which I guess is an option.

5/14/2013 6:03:10 PM

Quote :

"Romas are a semi-determinate (bush) variety of tomato"

So... from what i gather, determinate varieties of tomato plants are shorter and more bush-like, and only produce fruit in one burst, while indeterminate varieties grow longer and vinier, and continue to produce fruit until it gets cold? is that right?

5/14/2013 8:53:38 PM

Looks like the frost claimed some leaves on my cucumbers and one of my tomato plants. Hopefully they will recover.

Oh, and my GF turned on the soaker hoses last night and forgot to turn them off. She remembered when we woke up this morning. Fingers crossed the over-watering doesn't claim some victims. Fortunately it is going to be near 90 today.

[Edited on May 15, 2013 at 2:01 PM. Reason : d]

5/15/2013 2:00:44 PM

3^ For the moment, I buy whatever is on sale at lowe's in the bag. Then I'll add my own compost and fertilizer (I use the organic "tone" brand--tomato-tone, plant-tone etc--by espoma). I know this means I'm not 100% organic, but whatever. I try where I can.

^I have done that before I hate when I do that.

Speaking of soaker hoses--anyone that uses rain barrels to water their garden, do you use a "rain barrel" soaker hose, or have you made your own irrigation system? We've got our rain barrel full, but I've only been able to water my potted plants using my pails and even with every day watering I'm barely putting a dent in it. I'd really love to water our raised beds with it, but we just don't get enough pressure. The rain barrel is already raised so we have the gravity to get it there, but it's just not enough pressure to ooze out more than very slow drips. I guess we could get a pump to assist, but I don't know which is the best cost option at this point--a pump versus a PVC irrigation type contraption.

[Edited on May 15, 2013 at 2:20 PM. Reason : the pvc may be more fun to build ]

5/15/2013 2:17:58 PM

I really want to start using rain barrels, I think that is going to be my project for this year.

Here is a soaker hose I found that might work for a small garden, but I can guarantee it wouldn't have the PSI to water mine:

http://rainbarrelsoakerhose.com/


Oh neat, they make pumps that are solar powered. Pricey, but it would be cool to water everything outside without using any electricity (we are on a well, so anytime we run water it uses electricity).


[Edited on May 15, 2013 at 2:27 PM. Reason : a]

5/15/2013 2:25:14 PM

I put my rain barrels up on several cynder blocks to get pressure, ran a hose out to my garden, then constructed a PVC grid that I drilled small holes for dripping. It works pretty well. Every year I start over again and try to improve it. PVC is pretty cheap.

(and when the rain barrels run dry, i can hook-it up to the faucet)

[Edited on May 15, 2013 at 2:32 PM. Reason : ]

5/15/2013 2:30:27 PM

So do you just cut into the drain spout of your gutters so they fill the barrels rather than flow out of the bottom? My front 2 spouts already flow into underground pipes that carry the water down into the woods, but I could definitely put rain barrels on my back 2 spouts.

5/15/2013 2:33:05 PM

Yeah, I cut the down spouts near the gutters, and attached a flexible downspout to route it into my rain barrel.



Then I have a hose coming out near the top of that rain barrel, so when it overlflows, it drains into another barrel right beside it that's one cynder block shorter.

5/15/2013 2:34:54 PM

Well I gotta get the approval from the Boss (GF) first, but this seems like a no-brainer to me.

5/15/2013 2:37:10 PM

^^that's what we did, minus having the second barrel but it's on the list.

And re: your hose and PVC setup from the barrel, that's exactly what we were thinking! Awesome. Would you mind sharing a picture? I'd love to see how it was setup.

5/15/2013 3:07:59 PM

On a related note, I solved the problem of ants getting into my hummingbird feeder with a red Solo cup, some waterproof adhesive, and some water:

Quote :

"EPIC ANT MOAT"

[Edited on May 15, 2013 at 6:47 PM. Reason : a]

5/15/2013 6:44:46 PM

I hope that's not just red dyed sugar water.

5/15/2013 6:50:54 PM

Well sugar, water, and red dye are some of the ingredients.

5/15/2013 6:54:51 PM

Quote :

"Please don’t use food coloring, honey, brown sugar, unrefined sugar or sugar substitutes, as they can be harmful to hummingbirds. Under no circumstances should insecticides or other poisons be used at hummingbird feeders. "

5/15/2013 6:58:33 PM

All natural food coloring, refined sugar, and bee pollen collected from my hives (not honey).

They love it, and nothing harmful here. The same families come back every year.

I appreciate your concern.

5/15/2013 7:16:05 PM

you don't even need to dye it red. my aunt has tons of hummingbirds coming to hers and it's just sugar and water. the feeder itself is red.

5/15/2013 7:18:41 PM

I only dye it red the first round to draw in new ones, then I don't dye it anymore.

The regulars will come back every year regardless of the color.

Shit, this might warrant a Hummingbird thread

[Edited on May 15, 2013 at 7:26 PM. Reason : a]

5/15/2013 7:24:00 PM

pretty sure they are attracted to the smell, not the color

5/15/2013 7:33:30 PM

Quote :

"pretty sure "

NOT GOOD ENOUGH.....NEED LINKS!!!

5/15/2013 7:41:21 PM

a quick google search says they are attracted to the color red

but as NRR said, they eat the hell out of some 3 or 4:1 water:sugar food

5/15/2013 7:43:01 PM

5/15/2013 8:00:05 PM

Quote :

"Would you mind sharing a picture? I'd love to see how it was setup."

i'll try to remember to in the next few days

5/16/2013 11:04:20 AM

Bc of the cool temps, worried my elephant ear bulbs may have rotted :/ and they ain't cheap

5/17/2013 4:58:20 PM

So I have mutha fuckin mockingbirds eating my tomatoes....WTF? What can I do? Google says put a fake owl or snake on the plants but so report that not working. Anybody have suggestions? Fwiw I live in Houston and we are in a slight drought.

5/22/2013 9:20:07 PM

shoot them

5/22/2013 9:22:06 PM

I wish my tomatoes could bear fruit already... they got off to a bad start and they're going very slowly now.

So here's an update on my "$100 garden" as I've started calling it. Basically I've never gardened before, and just jumped in with seed trays and the NCSU agriculture guide. A lot of what you see (the pepper plants, brussel sprouts) had to come from seedlings after the originals died or didn't flourish. The garden has less light than I first thought, especially now that all the foliage around us has bloomed (several large oak trees included). I thought the cucumbers were dying, but not they've started little leader vines (I'm pretty sure that's what they are) so I have hope.

Full garden:


Zucchinis:


Peppers (California Wonder, Anaheim, Poblano, Serrano)




[Edited on May 22, 2013 at 9:35 PM. Reason : f]

[Edited on May 22, 2013 at 9:36 PM. Reason : f]

5/22/2013 9:34:09 PM

My only comments are for the corn, you need more corn to pollinate each other.

When I had about four-five stalks, I really only got four-five ears.

So, if that's all you have, expect only one ear per stalk.

5/22/2013 10:57:59 PM

There's eight stalks total, and yeah I honestly don't expect to get much of anything from them. I knew that wasn't much for pollination, but I grew them from seeds for kicks and they did very well unlike most of my plants, so I said fuck it, I'll grow them.

5/23/2013 12:46:37 AM

SHIT, I FORGOT TO PLANT CORN. And for the record, I planted 8 last year and they did fine. Well, until the deer/rabbits got to them.

Everything else is looking awesome thanks to this rain. I did lose 2 Okra plants, but they looked pretty weak to start with. That's why we planted 4.

[Edited on May 23, 2013 at 9:38 AM. Reason : a]

5/23/2013 9:36:25 AM

if you plant so little corn, planting it closely in square is best. corn pollen doesn't fall very far away from the plant.



I bought tons of plants last week and planted half of them, and this weekend it started raining and dropped into the low forties. Some places south (!) of here are getting snow and frost. I have way too much to bring it all in, so I was outside planting plants and planters in the rain in a snow parka today. It's not going to warm up (or quit raining) until Tuesday

5/25/2013 11:49:58 PM

Just bought some flowers, mows, soil and seeds from Lowes. Gardening time!

5/26/2013 6:31:02 PM

Quote :

"I wish my tomatoes could bear fruit already... they got off to a bad start and they're going very slowly now."

You need to go ahead and put tomato cages on them while they are small. Once they start to get bushy it's a real bitch to get cages on them without breaking stems. I put the cages on mine as soon as I plant them.

5/28/2013 11:33:23 AM

^Truth. We ruined our tomato plants last year by waiting too long. Started off with the cage this year so we didn't have to worry about it.

5/28/2013 11:41:51 AM

If my tomato and pepper plants are still relatively small and are starting to produce fruit, should i pull them off so the plant uses it energy to grow larger first? My pepper plants are less than a foot, tomato plants less than 2 ft. I think I read that somewhere one time.

5/28/2013 11:43:57 AM

^^ I, too, learned the hard way

^ yes

5/28/2013 11:45:18 AM

We planted some flowers into the ground of front yard, but I was bited by a bunch of crazy bugs who were angry for interfering them.

5/28/2013 12:00:23 PM

I had a wasp fucking with me for like an hour yesterday while I was pressure washing my front porch. 4000 PSI took care of that issue with a quickness.

5/28/2013 12:07:59 PM

There must be nest under the box of pressure washer. It's the same place I got fucked.

5/28/2013 12:54:33 PM

Anyone have a good resource (book, website, etc) for apple trees? Got a Pink Lady a couple of weeks ago and need to know the best care techniques for this area (NC); primarily pest/disease control.

Also thought about getting another apple tree to aid in cross-pollination. My neighbor has 2 unknown-type apple trees, but those may be a bit far to really ensure success. I'm hoping to find/order (any ordering sources preferred?) another type I like that has the same blooming window.

Also, can anyone confirm if Pink Ladies are self-fertile or self-sterile? My web searches have turned up both answers.

--------

Any recommendations on landscape design software? I'm clueless when it comes to spacing/growth/climate/placement/etc.

[Edited on May 28, 2013 at 1:12 PM. Reason : .]

5/28/2013 1:10:33 PM