I am feeling rather depressed right now about my latest veggie garden endeavor. I was so excited about this, and now I just feel frustrated and confused. On October 9 I direct-sowed peas, lettuce, spinach, onions, carrots, shallots, leeks, cauliflower, and marigolds. Almost a month later now the peas are only about 2-3" tall and yellowing. One of the dozens of lettuce seeds I sowed is about 2" tall and same with the marigolds. Everything else has failed to sprout. I'm so confused! I have everything in raised beds, which I replenished with lots of compost and some organic potting soil before sowing. Should I have let the soil sit after I added the compost before planting? Should I have sown everything individually in containers and then transplanted? Should I have covered the raised bed with plastic to make sort of greenhouse until everything sprouted? I feel like I've been good about watering, so I just don't know. The only thing I can think of is that maybe some of the seeds were too old. Some were from 2008 and some 2007, but the shallots are from this year and they never sprouted. Please help!!
(x-posted in Beginner Vegetables)
Fall veggies...not looking good :(
I'm having some spotty results from some seeds this year. I had fantastic results with onions last year. I read that onion seed doesn't keep well so I got all new this year. Two varieties from the same company have so far out of 2 plantings produced nothing from one variety and about 6 plants out of the other. Two varieties from another company are somewhat better but still way less than half. Two varieties I received from 2 different people, one is producing at about 20 percent and one is producing at about 95 percent. They were all planted at the same time, twice and in the same way. So I'd say seeds can be very important, some varieties much more so than others.
If you planted Southern peas, they should have done a lot better. I'm eating off mine that I planted in late August. I have seeds of Sugar Snap peas to try for the first time and have read that need COLD weather as do all the green peas and the spinach. I've had an uncommonly warm fall so far which has not helped the cole crops.
The shortening daylight hours may be telling your marigolds to slack. Plants know when winter is coming.
I would suggest you lightly sow some of your seeds in small pots to check for germination. You can always transplant them where you want them. I always have my best germination in bright shade.
One possibility - it may have been too warm there for fall crops.
Twiggybuds, I've had exactly the same results with onion seeds this year. Sometimes they pop right up, sometimes nothing. I'm using seeds from 4 different companies. The evergreen bunching onions are the worst for germination for me.
Leeks and shallots I got zero germination. I've planted chives two times and finally have a few coming up.
Spinach has been spotty. I'm using two different varieties from two different seed companies and some rows half the row will be perfect, the other half nothing.
Carrots, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, swiss chard plus lots more are almost 100% germination this year..
Do you have trouble with ants carrying off the seeds if you don't get them covered and watered in pretty fast?
Calla I've had almost 100% on everything besides onions too. It sure is a mystery since my onion seed came from different sources. I've been plagued with lots of ants all season. But not in my germination pots. I plant most things, including the onions, in small community pots and then repot or plant out when they get some size. They sit in a tray for bottom watering and I check them often. That's one of the few places I haven't seen any ants.
This really has me stumped and aggravated. Last year was the first time I grew onions from seed and it worked so well I was really looking forward to more and better.
Last year I had wonderful germination from all the onion seeds. I remember when placing an order with Territorial, the lady mention crop failure in several different varieties of onions. Maybe this year was a bad year for seed.
Something I found out this summer about seeds on the racks at stores: seed companies take their seeds back, recertify germination and repackage them for the following year. I guess one never knows how old the seeds at the box stores really are :-( I guess that's why the package says "packed for xxx year" instead of "harvested in xxx year."
I have also had spotty germination with my onion seeds this fall, for what it's worth...
Well that makes me feel better. Ya'll have more experience with them than me and if ya'll are having trouble, it must not be all my fault. I have lots of dried onions for cooking but this is a big disappointment. I might as well just keep planting til I go through all these trashy seeds.
lol twiggybuds - my thoughts exactly...
I had terrible germination with scallions this year and noticed that I was using a previous year's seed.
Passiflora, I'm not sure it's helping you to hear about other posters getting 100% germination except for their onions, lol. I realize you were posting because you are having problems with LOTS of things. So I'll jump in. Lots of my stuff is not doing well -- I am learning the hard way on a lot of things.
Here's my rundown:
Green beans came up and looked promising, then virus wiped most of them out. I have only one bean plant that survived in that bed, from which I pick two beans every other day -- not exactly a bountiful harvest! I have another bed in another part of the yard and so far, so good, but nothing to pick there yet.
I did okay with spinach and lettuce last year but this year not much is happening. Hubby trampled the first fall planting, rains washed the next planting away. I'm on the third try now and am just starting to see a few things. Cross fingers!
Some green onions I planted from seed in a wide pot are just sitting there. The green shoots seem stalled. I think my soil is too heavy and holds too much moisture. Carrots are pretty much the same story.
I can't seem to grow a radish to save my life, and I thought those were supposed to be the easy ones! Believe I planted too deeply and maybe not enough sun.
My broccoli transplants that I put into a garden bed were eaten down to the stems by cabbage loopers (I suspect). I have one in a pot that didn't get attacked, so we'll see if that produces.
I am doing okay with tomatoes. Not great, but I do have 2-5 tomatoes on a few of the plants and flowers on some of the slower varieties. The biggest tomato (also lowest on the vine) seems to be a residential cave for a variety of bug. They convene on that one tomato constantly, despite spraying. I just hope if I give them that one tomato, they will stay off the other ones.
I'm getting a couple little peppers about the size of golf balls and more little ones coming.
My herbs are doing okay - parsley, basil, chives, oregano -- but that really doesn't give me much to EAT.
Yep, pretty frustrated! I hope that makes you feel better!
I also console myself that I'm still a newbie (I have not yet killed 1000 plants!), and I just try to concentrate on enjoying the few things that are growing. I think I'll also take a page from Edison's journals and declare that I'm not failing my experiments, I'm just discovering all the ways to NOT do something.
Thanks, Lisa; it is nice to know I'm not alone :) I love the Edison declaration. I'll have to remember that if anyone asks me why the heck I work so hard and have so little to show for it!
LiseP, I have one whole 4 x 34 ft bed of beans that are doing terrible (and I do this for a living). I planted Jade beans; they came up great and looked pretty good. Then they started turning yellow and a few started dying. I can't figure out what is wrong, they don't seem to have a virus, no root rot, can't see evidence of nematodes........another bed the same size has Tendergreen beans which look great. My friend, another market gardener, has 3 100' rows of beans and they look worse than mine.
I lost a 34' row of yellow squash to CMV, the seedlings came up with it so it was seedborne. I bought more seeds, a hybrid with a good disease package and they're looking good. They are starting to flower and have a few little squash on them but now I'm a month behind on the squash.
The only thing I grow in the ground is Southern Peas. I have one 15' row that I've eaten from 3 times. I have another row of a variety named Elite that are a week later. They're all covered in aphids and ants. The Elites have set very few peas and will probably get wiped out by frost before they make anything. That's one variety I won't need to plant again.
I have never been able to grow a decent carrot and didn't even try this year.
I had 5 beets come up from my first planting thanks to cats digging. The second planting is a no show so far. I think I got them too deep.
My Chinese Kale is bolting without making many leaves.
I had some beautiful late green beans and some kind of caterpillar just wiped them out as they started blooming. I didn't get to eat but a handful that I put in with a pot of soup. It was raining every day and washing off the BT so fast that I could never get rid of them.
Same thing with my pak choi except that a cool spell put an end to the caterpillars and now it is beautiful again. The first 2 times I harvested, I had to soak in salt water and wash them 4 times. Still wasn't sure I got them all.
Disease, bugs and caterpillars got ALL my fall tomatoes. I failed to pull 2 plants. Now they're looking healthy and blooming again but it's too late.
I certainly didn't mean to leave the impression all was well in my garden. I'm not a newbie either but each season seems to throw some kind of curve ball to keep me humble. Just when I think I've got it all figured out something is sure to happen.
I, too, am unable to grow a radish. If they start to form roots, they get this black rot, particularly on the long white kind that I prefer.
I did finally get a fall spinach crop after the usual failure in the spring.
Slugs got most of my potatoes. Squirrels got all my early corn. Some disease got my slicing tomatoes.
And there I am, out in the garden tilling it for next year's bout.
there are a lot of experiences here..
you just have to keep planting away.. if you are not sure of depth plant at three depths, if your seeds are not germinating, seed again.. if someone tells you that you can't grow it, grow it anyway.. after a few seasons things will come up regularly - the plants that like your style will be the ones you grow..
keep coming back and we'll help with the rest. remember: some have big problems, some have small.. most important is we all have something odd happening with something every year.
go get youself a nice variety of seeds.. try your best to rmember what it what. you will eventually plant the ones that worked best for you. When all else fails go to the store or nursary and transplant something that will make you smile!
keep at it,
-joe-
Passifora, if I were you I would try growing the veggies inside under grow lights first and then transplant them outside in your raise bed. I've even done lettuce this way and not only I save on seed but also the germination rate tend to be a little better.
Once thing to test your seed is to place the seed in a damp paper towel and then inside a ziplog baggie, in a few days you should see which seeds sprout and which ones do not sprout. I then take the ones that have sprouted and plant them in yogurt cups or any container and whithin 2 to 3 days the little seedlings are ready to place under the lights.
Sometimes seeds do not germinate because of outside temps, I have tried to grow beets since September and I've had to replant the seeds 3 times already!! This last time I finally saw some comming out and since the weather is getting colder they seem to be a lot better.
Some seeds such as onions and lettuces are supposed to be viable for only a year. While others can last up to 5-6 years.
Hope this helps.
I thought about growing indoors, carminator1, but I am just going to re-sow everything this time. I tore everything out and am in the process of planting everything again. Luckily I had only planted one of the two beds before, so I will have to redo only one. Here is my planting layout...
Wow! Passiflora if you grow out all that you'll surely gain a lot of experience and be giving me advice next year. I really think the warm temps had a lot to do with your last planting not doing right. I heard on the news last night that all regions of the country had a cooler than average October EXCEPT the Southeast.
Yes I agree with twiggybuds I really think the temps have a very important part to play when planting outdoors. By the way what a great layout, you are very organized person, good for you. Let us know how it goes this time.
About seed viability look online there are some good charts out there that can help you whether the seeds are too old or not, I've had to throw a bunch of really nice tomato seeds because they were too old and would not pass my sprouting test.
Thanks! Yes, organizing is kind of an obsession I have :) I have a good feeling about this second try. The weather is definitely cooler than it was a month ago. Its actually beginning to feel like fall around here (which is nice for me as well!)
I found this link about veggie seed viability...
http://blog.oregonlive.com/homesandgardens/2009/01/are_those_seeds_still_viable.html
Passiflora, how did you make that layout? It's really nice. I have been looking for a way to plot out my garden like that, but I have paths and a greenhouse to work around and my rows are shorter in some sections than in others. I haven't been able to find a decent program for the purpose, either, so I resorted to using PhotoShop Elements, since I'm familiar with it. All that gets me is a template that I can print and fill in with pencil each year. You'd think "they" would come up with something, but it's a bit harder because I'm on a Mac.
Yes that is a good site.
The only thing is onions and lettuce according to a book I have mentions that seed viability for lettuce and onions to be just 1 year, in fact I planted a lettuce patch of parish island the pack was 2 years old and none of my seeds came out. I'll post the seed viability that comes out of my book and see if this is more helpful.
Artichokes: 5 years
Asparagus: 3 years
Bush Beans: 3 years.
Pole Beans: 3 years.
Beets: 4 years.
Broccoli: 3 years.
Brussel sprouts: 4 years.
Cabbage: 4 years.
Cauliflower: 4 years.
Celery: 3 years.
chinese cabbage: 3 years.
Sweet Corn: 1-2 years.
Cucumber: 5 years
Eggplant: 4 years.
Garlic: N/A
Gourds: 4 years.
Arugula: 5 years
Claytonia: 5 years.
Endive/Escarole: 4-6 years.
Garden Cress: 5 years.
Mustard: 4 years
Radicchio: 5 years.
Red Orach: 5 years.
Basil: 5 years.
Chives: 1-2 years.
Cilantro: 5 years.
Dill: 5 years.
Fennel: 3-4 years.
Marjoram: 1 year
Oregano; 1 year
Parsley: 1-3 years.
Sage: 2 years
Tarragon: N/A
Horseradish: N/A
Kale: 4 years
Kolrabi: 3 years.
Leeks: 2 years.
Lettuce: 1 year.
Melons: 4-5 years.
Okra: 2 years.
Onions: 1year.
Parsnips: 1 year.
Peanuts: 1-3 years.
Peas: 3 year.
Pepper: 2 years.
Potatoes: N/A
Radishes: 4 years.
Rutabaga: 4 years,
Spinach: 3 years.
Summer Squash: 4 years.
Winter Squash: 4 years.
Sunflowers: 1-3 years.
Strawberries: 1 year.
Swiss Chard: 4 years.
Tomatillos: 3 years.
Tomatoes: 4 years.
Turnips: 4 years.
Hi,
Popping in here late but just thought I'd add rather than start a new thread.
My radishes and lettuce came up OK, but the radishes are all greens , not a sign of bulb. I hoped for better since I am also unable to grow many good radishes in spring. At this point I'm thinking they'll just go right to seed in spring. I'm considering cutting the greens to eat.
I have a few plants of red mustard that planted themselves from my spring crop of 'oriental salad greens mix', that look just gorgeous, helped by lots of rain this year. They're too hot for me to eat in salad but I have mixed them with some collards just now and they're simmering.
Greenhouse Gal - I don't know if you can get it for MAC, but I found I can use my Printmaster program for my garden layout (after about a hundred years of drawing it over and over by hand). I like it because I can make whatever symbols I want for the various plants, and then move them around for the next year's planting. Here's my 2009 garden layout. I scanned in the graph paper with the outline of the garden and greenhouse, then added the other stuff. (If you can't get Printmaster for MAC, I'm sure there would be something similar.)
Should add - each square on my plan is about 3 x 3'.
Sandy
This message was edited Nov 24, 2009 5:21 PM
sallyg you are not the only one having problems with your radishes, I am also getting all greens and no bulbs either, I am thinking of trying them again maybe jan time frame when it gets a lot colder and see if this will make a diference or not.
Sandy, what you have looks a lot like what I cobbled together with Photoshop Elements. I wanted to be able to add labels and vegetable varieties that I could move around, though, to experiment with various rotations, and that just seems too difficult to do with that application. So I just print this out and then fill it in in pencil. Not very high-tech, but at least I have a template to start from:
Wow, I just happened to come across this thread while searching for something else. I had completely forgotten about this ordeal! I thought I would tie up a few of the loose ends in this thread...
The diagram I made of my garden plantings was done in Microsoft Word (I just made a table with landscape orientation). I'm using AutoCAD now (learned to use it for my job), which means I can draw it all to scale.
As for my garden results...I ended up moving a few months after planting. Because of the logistics of buying a home, moving, working, and going to college, I didn't have time to really tend to the garden as much as it needed. I did end up harvesting the carrots (many odd-shapes and varying sizes, but great "carroty" taste!) and the broccoli 'Veronica Romanesco' (which some sites call a cauliflower...probably more of a cauli IMO) was the best I've ever had. The kohlrabi also did extremely well, and was quite good to eat. I had never had kohlrabi before, but I am now a fan :)
The rest of my plantings failed to thrive for whatever reason. I honestly don't remember the details now. I'm at a new home now and have been working tirelessly to set up my new veggie garden. It won't be raised beds with wood sides like I had before. Instead they will be on the ground, but double-dug and mounded, so "raised-bed-ish" without the sides. I'm also growing in a much larger space. At my last home I had two 3x15 raised beds. Here I will have two 4x24 beds, one 3x24 bed, and one 4x20 bed. My husband is building me some sturdy trellises out of cedar 4x4 posts and wire cables and I have been busy double-digging. I'm hoping to get the seeds in the ground (and a few transplants I've started indoors) this week sometime.
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement, everyone! It really does help :)