Gardeners in the Asylum

[Chainsaw13]

Wow, what a difference location makes. My corn is maybe 1/3 the height of yours. I'll be out putting up fencing later this week. Damn rabbits keep eating my plants. Had some lettuce starting to come in. Not so much anymore.

[jjirons69]

My garden is the worst it's been in as long as I can remember. A cool spring and one heck of a rainy late spring-early summer has taken it's toll. It's still been raining here about every day and has been for weeks now. My squash and zucs have rotted and are gone. My cukes are mis-shapen and are suffering from under pollination. Probably because they're continually spray for mosquitoes and they're killing every other insect in the process. Tomatoes have fruited a little, but the wet ground nearly drowned two of them a couple of weeks ago. Just sad. No one else's garden around here is doing much better. On the upside, my grass is growing like I've never seen it. Problem is, I don't eat it and I'm not starting now.

[shilala]

Our garden is in almost as "ugh" stage as Jamie's.
It just sat through all of June, never moving an inch. Too much cold and rain. The last week it bolted pretty nice with all the heat and then it got beat to death with hail yesterday. That'll set it back while it heals.
Plants aren't dying, but with our short season we'll be lucky to see much of anything if the weather isn't optimal for the next 8 weeks.
Good thing we're not relying on the garden to stave off starvation or I'd be a nervous wreck.

[Chainsaw13]

Mine's flourished as of late. My corn shot up quite a bit and I'm noticing the ears are starting to grow. I've got tomatoes on all my plants (4), eggplant and squash (already ate a couple small ones, plus some blossoms). I noticed cuc's yesterday too on my couple of plants and my broccoli is getting gigantic, but no crowns yet. Now if my garlic can be saved, i'll be really happy.

[Mr B]

Wow, so sorry to hear that guys. I can feel ya, because I would be mortified if my garden took a dump.
We had been suffering from lack of rain around here and was watering almost every day. I took the family to the lake for 5 days and came back to everything exploding! Most things had doubled in size. We also got 1.5 inches of rain while I was gone which really helped. Not to mention that I sprayed everything down with Compost Tea before leaving on my trip.
We have been harvesting Cuc's, Zuk's & Broccoli and all of our Greens (chard, collard etc.) tomotoes and peppers are starting to set pretty well. The watermelon and cantaloupes are going crazy.
I will try to record another garden video this weekend and post it here. Good luck guys.

[Fordman4ever]

Here's my porch garden. I hurt my back in January and couldn't build the raised garden I wanted this year but I'll probably get to build it this summer.
Right now I have basil, rosemary, cilantro, tomatoes, an avocado, and an easter lily that I thought was dead but has made a come back.

[Mr B]

Hope your back gets better soon. I am in the same boat with a back injury and 2 herniated discs in my neck. It sucks!
Good job making due with what you can.

[Mark C]

Shame y'all are having a tough year. Mine's been going great so far (SE PA). The first tomatoes should be ready in the next few days, with plenty more nice looking fruit not far behind. Picked my first pole beans yesterday despite the best efforts of a swarm of hungry japanese beetles, and my early garlic is drying in the basement. Peppers seems a little slow, just starting to flower now, but they fought off an early insect problem too and seem happy at the moment. Zucchini is growing well, though I've lost a few to what looks like blossom end rot? Does zucchini need calcium like tomatoes or is this something else? They grow about 6" long, and then turn yellow and go soft from the blossom end.

[Chainsaw13]

I"m having the same issue with my yellow squash. Had a few that started to rot on the blossom end. Not sure what it might be, my first time growing yellow squash.

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by Mark C

Shame y'all are having a tough year. Mine's been going great so far (SE PA). The first tomatoes should be ready in the next few days, with plenty more nice looking fruit not far behind. Picked my first pole beans yesterday despite the best efforts of a swarm of hungry japanese beetles, and my early garlic is drying in the basement. Peppers seems a little slow, just starting to flower now, but they fought off an early insect problem too and seem happy at the moment. Zucchini is growing well, though I've lost a few to what looks like blossom end rot? Does zucchini need calcium like tomatoes or is this something else? They grow about 6" long, and then turn yellow and go soft from the blossom end.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13

I"m having the same issue with my yellow squash. Had a few that started to rot on the blossom end. Not sure what it might be, my first time growing yellow squash.

Here ya go, Green Thumbers:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edib...-treatment.htm

[jjirons69]

Still raining here on the East Coast. Been raining for nearly 3 weeks. Like pouring piss out of a boot most days. The only things that remain are peppers and tomatoes. Getting a few of each. Like Scott said, I'm glad my garden doesn't sustain us throughout the year. At my production rate, I would've had to plant 50 acres and I'm pretty sure I'd be sick of tomatoes at about the 10th month.

[shilala]

Our garden is still a soggy embarrassment.
These cold nights are great for sleeping, and the rainy days are great for depression, but the combo really sucks for growing a garden.
Rain, rain, and rain in the forecast for the next 10 days, so it'll be more of the same.
I can report a nice pile of sugar peas, the chinese kind that you eat pod and all. Those plants have laid over and haven't dried out long enough to stand back up, so they're starting to rot.
The beans look great!!!

[DPD6030]

Got a question for you garden "experts". I planted 4 green pepper plants and not a single one of them has grown since planting about a month ago. Everything else is growing great (tomatos, jalapenos, beans, cucumbers, zuchini and squash). Any ideas why the green peppers are not growing?

[OLS]

Originally Posted by DPD6030

Any ideas why the green peppers are not growing?

As the county agent here says, get a soil test, lol. However under those circumstances,
I think it is safe to say that if started from seeds, the seeds could have been old and barely viable,
or not viable for another reason, and if you bought them as seedlings in a nursery or garden
center, it could still be the same, even plants that manage to spring from weak seeds can
grow, but in a very stunted fashion, with little vigor. Outside of that, it could well be the odd
season we have had this year, EVERYTHING seems to be getting a slow start. Except weeds.
Add to that you are in the mitten as you say. I am sure there are others who could be more helpful.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by DPD6030

Any ideas why the green peppers are not growing?

If you have any good compost, make some compost tea. I hope to be making a video on that this weekend.
Make a dilution of 30% Tea and 70% non-chlorinated water and spray it onto and all over the plants. Then drench the roots w/ a 50% dilution of the same.

Get some Azomite rock powder and work it into the soil real good around the plants. This has over 60 trace elements that your soil has probably lost over the years.

P.M. me your addy and I will mail you some Azomite if you cannot find it near you.

http://www.azomite.com/

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by DPD6030

Got a question for you garden "experts". I planted 4 green pepper plants and not a single one of them has grown since planting about a month ago. Everything else is growing great (tomatos, jalapenos, beans, cucumbers, zuchini and squash). Any ideas why the green peppers are not growing?

Peppers love hot weather. Give them time. They'll hook up soon.

[Mr B]

You guys might also try hand pollinating the squash. They might not be getting pollinated well enough.
Take the "male" flower (the one with the long stem) and tear off the petals to expose the Stamen. Then open the female flower (the one on the end of the small zicchini, squash, pumpkin etc. and rub the Male Stamen all over the female Pistil. This will insure good polination and help with fruit reaching maturity.

[OLS]

MR.B....I wanted to tell yu something about the birds that scatter feed all over, (from your
mention in your garden video) their behavior doubles your seed costs, makes a mess and encourages
the seeds to take root where you don't want them. IF YOU CAN both find it, and FIT IT, you take that
white grid diffuser that people use in flourescent light fixtures, and cut a piece to fit the floor of your feeder.
The birds that scatter seed like that are generally the 'trash birds' like house sparrows that both make a mess
and also intimidate other birds that you actually want. They are a non-native bird that will kill other birds for
nest space, and will eat anything that man drops or gives. Plus they don't sing so much as CONSTANTLY
chatter in the areas where they roost and rest, and it gets old fast. They like to 'rake' their bills across the food,
to get to what they want. The grid allows birds that peck at it to eat just fine, but it confounds the other bird's
ability to rake the seed and scatter it everywhere. I they want to eat out of a gridded feeder, they have to do it
the same as everybody else.

I will also pass on the fact that almost ANY kind of bird seed attracts them, but they
only want the tiny pearl millet seeds. They will throw out everything they don't like to get to that millet. The irony
is that while almost every bird you WANT TO ATTRACT will gladly take black oil sunflower seeds, about the only bird
that won't is a House Sparrow. So if you skip the blends and go straight black oil seeds, they will eventually just
stop coming around, and ALL the other birds will flock to your feeder. The upshot is the House Sparrows that just
have to come are relegated to the ground feeders they are meant to be, looking for bits of seed kernels the other
birds accidentally drop. This creates a LOT less fighting and intimidation at the feeder, and the only other birds
that will be on the ground are other 'good' sparrows and doves. And they are intimidated by the doves, so its payback time.

Usually at the Depot or the Low'es, you can find a busted piece that they can't sell, but leave there on the
shelf anyway, and you can usually get them to sell it to you cheap at the service desk. It would normally
be trashed, and you only need a little of it.

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by OLS

MR.B....I wanted to tell yu something about the birds that scatter feed all over, (from your
mention in your garden video) their behavior doubles your seed costs, makes a mess and encourages
the seeds to take root where you don't want them. IF YOU CAN both find it, and FIT IT, you take that
white grid diffuser that people use in flourescent light fixtures, and cut a piece to fit the floor of your feeder.
The birds that scatter seed like that are generally the 'trash birds' like house sparrows that both make a mess
and also intimidate other birds that you actually want. They are a non-native bird that will kill other birds for
nest space, and will eat anything that man drops or gives. Plus they don't sing so much as CONSTANTLY
chatter in the areas where they roost and rest, and it gets old fast. They like to 'rake' their bills across the food,
to get to what they want. The grid allows birds that peck at it to eat just fine, but it confounds the other bird's
ability to rake the seed and scatter it everywhere. I they want to eat out of a gridded feeder, they have to do it
the same as everybody else. I will also pass on the fact that almost ANY kind of bird seed attracts them, but they
only want the tiny pearl millet seeds. They will throw out everything they don't like to get to that millet. The irony
is that while almost every bird you WANT TO ATTRACT will gladly take black oil sunflower seeds, about the only bird
that won't is a House Sparrow. So if you skip the blends and go straight black oil seeds, they will eventually just
stop coming around, and ALL the other birds will flock to your feeder. The upshot is the House Sparrows that just
have to come are relegated to the ground feeders they are meant to be, looking for bits of seed kernels the other
birds accidentally drop. This creates a LOT less fighting and intimidation at the feeder, and the only other birds
that will be on the ground are other 'good' sparrows and doves. And they are intimidated by the doves, so its payback time.

Friggin' grackles...

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by OLS

MR.B....I wanted to tell yu something about the birds that scatter feed all over, (from your
mention in your garden video) their behavior doubles your seed costs, makes a mess and encourages
the seeds to take root where you don't want them. IF YOU CAN both find it, and FIT IT, you take that
white grid diffuser that people use in flourescent light fixtures, and cut a piece to fit the floor of your feeder.
The birds that scatter seed like that are generally the 'trash birds' like house sparrows that both make a mess
and also intimidate other birds that you actually want. They are a non-native bird that will kill other birds for
nest space, and will eat anything that man drops or gives. Plus they don't sing so much as CONSTANTLY
chatter in the areas where they roost and rest, and it gets old fast. They like to 'rake' their bills across the food,
to get to what they want. The grid allows birds that peck at it to eat just fine, but it confounds the other bird's
ability to rake the seed and scatter it everywhere. I they want to eat out of a gridded feeder, they have to do it
the same as everybody else.

I will also pass on the fact that almost ANY kind of bird seed attracts them, but they
only want the tiny pearl millet seeds. They will throw out everything they don't like to get to that millet. The irony
is that while almost every bird you WANT TO ATTRACT will gladly take black oil sunflower seeds, about the only bird
that won't is a House Sparrow. So if you skip the blends and go straight black oil seeds, they will eventually just
stop coming around, and ALL the other birds will flock to your feeder. The upshot is the House Sparrows that just
have to come are relegated to the ground feeders they are meant to be, looking for bits of seed kernels the other
birds accidentally drop. This creates a LOT less fighting and intimidation at the feeder, and the only other birds
that will be on the ground are other 'good' sparrows and doves. And they are intimidated by the doves, so its payback time.

Usually at the Depot or the Low'es, you can find a busted piece that they can't sell, but leave there on the
shelf anyway, and you can usually get them to sell it to you cheap at the service desk. It would normally
be trashed, and you only need a little of it.

Very good info, thanks. So the grid gets placed right over the seed in the seed feeding area?