STARTING OUR SPRING VEGGIE GARDEN PART 3

Well said Kat. Can't paint with a broad brush when it comes to growing conditions. Even tho both places are in TX, Tx is a huge state. Besides how do the pest find the supposedly weak plants, the pests have to be there in the first place. Spider Mites are my # 1 enemy and for others it's White Flies. My experience,after gardening in the same location for 20 yrs is that if you ignore the issue it only gets worse. I can say I have lost seedlings to pill bugs but not cutworms. I'm not even going to mention SVB...

I noticed when I first moved to Houston in 1984, mine was a new house on a new lot, and everything I planted the first season was eaten. However, I put in a tiny pond made from a palm pot, and I had brought all my pot plants from living in an apt which I placed on the patio, not on the ground. The following year, I had lots of frogs and toads, lizards, skinks and anoles and little snakes and mocking birds and blue jays. I surmised that at first there was no reason for the beneficial fauna to show up there. It had been an empty lot for years before and it just took them awhile to find me. Unfortunately, the lot came furnished with fire ants which I am able to persuade to move to another location but not far enough away! I credit the milkweed for bringing all the Lady Bugs that are everywhere now. Those giant aphids on the milkweed are Lady Bug feasts. I had assasin bugs last year but have not seen any recently. 'Never seen a Lacewing or a Mantis around here.

steadycam3,
you are my kind of gardener. Great thinking !
You will be very succesfull !

Hey, Guys!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I checked yesterday after the rainstorm, and no evidence of the "teeming" aphids, except for a couple clinging to a lone turnip plant. Can't say for sure the rest just took cover underground and are waiting for another opportunity, but, at least I don't see them all over the soil. I'll handle those few I do see when I spray again this evening.

Regarding planting schedules, I've been reading diligently for the past two years about when to plant what, here in Houston. I'm not the best with certain scheduling activities, so it took some first-hand experience (and trial and error) for me to catch on. I can now grow my fall/winter veggies in my sleep (I start all of my seeds in August...)

Now, I've moved on to the warm weather crops, learning what and when...

Most of the articles I've read, and the presenters from the two local gardening classes I recently attended, say there are roughly 285 growing days in Houston. My goal is to have something growing as many of these days as possible, using succession planting. This is why I still have beets, turnips, mustards & collard greens growing. I have enough shady areas with cool breezes in my garden microclimate to accommodate these veggies, so, for me, there's no reason not to have them growing, now.....I've also been reading up on how to utilize different types of hoop covers to achieve desired outcomes, and see how I can extend my growing seasons on both ends.

After assessing my aphid situation, I see how I possibly contributed to the infestation by 1) not thinning out the bed (plants a bit too close -- lesson learned), and 2) by not beginning a spraying regiment early on (albeit with friendly fire...)

It's not my intent to harm my bennies, and I would rather work with natural pest control cycles in the garden. I had a wonderful herd of Assassin bugs last fall. Didn't have a single bug climbing up any of my plants. They didn't even make it up an eBucket! Unfortunately, I discovered too late that they had set up shop in the Milkweed border around the perimeter of my yard, and I didn't know the plant was the attraction. Needless to say, I am now trying to get the Milkweed to grow back, LOL!

In any case, the Neem gave me a head start, and doesn't seem to have affected my pillbugs in any good way (they eat my leaves...), but, I know that even they serve a function in the garden. Thanks for the soapy water and Murphy's Oil Soap concoction, too. I would much rather use a Q-tip than break out the A-Bombs to control the pests in the garden. I gotta EAT those veggies, LOL!

P.S. Saturday, my neighbor gave me a HUGE bag of the most beautiful collard greens I have ever seen! We couldn't remember if they were from my seedlings or a couple plants she had bought, but, no matter. And, yesterday, I cooked up a wonderful mess of beet greens that I shared with her over dinner. She'd never had them before, and loved them.

That's what I call "share" cropping at its best!!

Hugs!

Linda

P.S.S. Here are some pictorial updates!
#1 Bell Pepper Blooms
#2 Broccoli Seedlings from Marty
#3 Bell Pepper Canopy

Gymgirl, I have never seen aphids on the ground- that's strange.
BTW, is is too late for me to sow some of the red mustard seeds you sent me? I forgot about them until now. Tell me about them-how tall will they be? and how will I be harvesting-single leaves or heads? I've never grown mustard, but you convinced me that it is good!
I fell 3 days and fractured my poor tailbone and my left foot, so I am down a little, but not totally-

Joe,
Take it EZ! So sorry about your injuries!

The OPM really likes cooler temps, as do most of the brassicas. If you still have some cold to cool weather ahead, go ahead and sow the seeds!

Mine grew in a 24" planter, and at its tallest was around 18-22" tall. It looks beautiful in the sunshine, as long as the ambient temp is cool/cold enough, otherwise it will begin to wilt, and will bolt at the first sign of sunny, temperate, springtime temps (say above 75°).

I harvested the outer leaves. This allowed the plant to keep growing from the center...

When it does bolt, let it go to flower. The bees will come -- good for the garden. Let any remaining pods dry out, and, when thoroughly dry, thresh the plant in a large garbage bag to release the seeds. Tah Dah!

Then you can send me some seeds when I run out, LOL!

Linda

Gymgirl - Sluggo Plus kills pillbugs, slugs, snails, and earwigs.

I'm glad the Neem killed the aphids for you. Unfortunately, you cannot take a preemptive strike against them. They breathe through their "skin" so must be soaked with an oily or soapy substance to kill them.

So sorry to hear about your injuries, Jo. Take care and don't push it until you heal, and I think you'll heal faster by taking it a little bit easier for a little while.

Ohhhh, JoParrott! Not the tailbone =(. My brother broke his tailbone while on guard duty when he first joined the navy. Said it was so very painful and he got no sympathy from his buddies either. He'd had broken bones before (a dare devil as a child) but this hurt more than any of the others.

Hope you heal up good and fast!

Thanks everyone for the well wishes- I am not at all good at being a patient! Got too much to do. Hubby has a walker that I am using-he has to use a motorized scooter, so the house is kinda crowded with wheels right now! I just keep looking at all my seedling babies growing and it makes me feel better.

Oh Jo I'm soooo sorry to hear that. I broke my tailbone about 25yrs ago and it was extremely painful, I still remember that. Also no position is comfortable, you can't even sit down. Hope you feel better soon.

Just for the record, as far as I know all bugs breath thru their skin. Whether you chose to use an Organic, synthetic or homemade insecticide it will kill the goodies and the badies. I just looked up my pest info that I got from the extension agency and I didn't realize how many types of Aphids there are, one type can produce 45 generations a year. Aphids also carry and pass along diseases so the best thing to do is start treatment as soon as you notice them. But even deciding that you can live with a few of them can put your plants in danger of the initial damage they do and the diseases that they carry.
There are always more that you don't see. It's strange the only time I can remember seeing aphids is when I grew roses.

GG what color are the Aphids?

My aphids are a pale, lime green...

I really appreciate your words of encouragement- I can't handle not being active, and I'm trying to find chores that are not strenuous. I'm so glad I have been staying up with my garden work all winter- when the time comes to plant I should be able to handle it in spite of my injury. My baby plants are such therapy- people who don't garden can't understand how healing it is to grow things! Thanks again, everyone- you are all treasures, and I love you all!

Jo, you poor doll. Heal up fast! I broke my tailbone snowboarding and it isn't very fun. Get yourself a donut pillow - I used the kids' pool noodles to stretch my arms with, too.

More tomatoes all the time, and at drthor's suggestion, starting up some long beans. :) A friend of mine Uptown has offered to "annex" his garden to me, so I'll have a whole 'nother microclimate-y garden to tend to!

Lisa -

I am hardening off 2/3 of my cucumbers (the older ones).
Some of the plants are making flowers and some have little baby cucumbers.
Planting dates (fruit days): all day Friday and a few hours on Saturday.
The cages are already set-up. I plan to wrap around them the perforated plastic cover to protect the cukes from the string winds.

#1 Some of the Pepper plants are making little fruits (They will be transplanted out no earlier than the beginning of April (unless I see warmer days at the end of March).

#2 & 5: Watermelon "Moon and Stars" ... so intriguing to look at all its yellow spotted leaves ... (It will go out only when I am sure it is warm enough)

#3 & 4: Long Beans sprouted after 2 days.

Thank you for the beautiful pictures, Dr. Thor, and others here, because it's so encouraging for us high altitude gardeners- makes me want to garden even harder, lol. I have started some tomatoes and have two trays of assorted seed planted in three mediums, for experimentation, perlite/vermiculite, perlite/vermiculite/garden soil, and garden soil and cinnamon. They haven't come up, yet, but what's planted:

Amish Paste heirloom tomato
Yellow Brandywine heirloom tomato
Black Beauty squash
Anaheim Pepper
Listadia de Gandia Eggplant
Kentucky Wonder bean
Bloomsdale spinach
Grandpa Admire's heirloom lettuce
Tango lettuce
Winter Density (Craquerelle du Midi) lettuce
Romano pole bean
Calabrese Brocolli
Bantam corn

You are very welcome.
I would like to see pictures of your plants ... when will be your time of the year ... and probably I will be envious because my season did end.
Good luck !

Solace - I would be very cautious about using soil from your garden as a growing medium when starting seeds indoors. Even when mixed with other ingredients.

The problem is not with the soil itself, but with the bugs in the soil. Once they get into an indoor setting, and have no preditors to control them, they are almost impossible to get rid of. There will also be pathogens in garden soil that may, or may not be a problem in and indoor setting.

If you are prepared to pasteurize the garden soil first, you may not have problems.

Thank you, Honeybee. I did try to sterilize the soil in the roaster oven at 180 degrees for three hours (I think), but not sure if that's good enough. I will try the mircrowave, too. Problem with it is if you overheat it, it can cause organic material to become pathogenic. That's my understanding, so I don't want to overheat. We have very sandy soil here.

Solace - I used to raise African violets and had to pasteuize the soil. There is a difference between pasteurizing and sterilizing, but I don't remember what it is. LOL

Bake Soil to Pasteurize Before Germinating Seeds

modernsurvivalblog.com/.../bake-soil-to-sterilize-before-germinating...

Bring soil to 180 degrees and hold it there for 30 minutes. check with a thermometer.




This message was edited Mar 13, 2013 12:53 PM

steadycam - your link was a little short. Try this one. :)

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-garden/bake-soil-to-sterilize-before-germinating-seeds/

My lettuce keep growing. I just love all the different colors ... soon it will start to bolt ...

Onions are growing. I started to thin my in onions, harvesting the ones too close to each others.

I am hardening off my cucumbers outside ... planting day: Friday
I think they are growing 2/3 inches a day ...

I harvested seven bags of lettuce ... yummy ....
I am making room in the garden for the cucumbers !

Broccoli are producing side shoots.
They will be in the garden for 10 more days ... until I will transplant out my Peppers in the same area.
The plants are still doing good. No insect attack.

This interesting:
- the four carrots on the right have been planted during a "ROOT" day (from M. Thun bio-dynamic calendar). You can see how straight they are.
- the first three carrots on the left have been panted on a "FLOWER" day. They are all twisted and curved.

This is a little experiment I did this year to show my DH that bio-dynamic calendar is not "magic" it is true.

Either that, or there's a buried box of gold in your garden bed you didn't know about- notice the angles of the carrots. ;) Your garden is so lovely. At this point my seeds are 4 days, some planted yesterday, and nary a leaf popping out. Sigh. The store-bought onions are going to town, though.

Solace,
my GOLD in my garden is that I have been following the Bio-dynamic calendar of Maria Thun for 4 years now. It might be magic, but I am a believer.
One year the calendar was showing pictures of vegetable started on wrong dates ... This year I decided to try and see if it was true ...and I got funny looking carrots ...

Carrots will take forever to germinate and to grow ... be patience.

My only excitement is that I planted my asparagus crowns and my pepper seedlings are dropping their cotyledons.

It's about time to plant carrots and another batch of radishes, though.

drthor - why are your carrots white - they look more like parsnips?

See above posts- her DH objects to carrots, the white ones he doesn't catch when she sneaks them in on him...

We have Broccoli LIFT OFF!! So excited.... :) Also two types of lettuce are up. I was watching to see which mix germinated first, but it looks like the perlite/vermiculite mix and the perlite/vermiculite/garden soil mix are running neck and neck. It took four days. Still awaiting lift off of the other things. I am encouraged. These are last years seeds I didn't plant (I'm such a miser, always saving some back, just in case).

Solace,
From your picture, it looks like there are more up in the perlite/vermiculite/garden soil mix...they're bigger, too...

Hmmm, I didn't notice that, in my excitement, lol. How about that? I see that. Interested, now, in how they each progress in size. I'll start giving them a very weak solution of the hydroponic liquid fertilizer soon. Right now they're just getting well water, dripped gently from a 2 liter recycled soda bottle. I hold my fingers at the ends so the water drips gently onto them, as these mixes are so much lighter...course I did the same last spring when I was using potting soil and Happy Frog in cups and egg cartons. I have to water more often than I did with the potting soil, but I think it will be worth it. I water every five or six hours, depending on how damp the mixes feel. The soil mix takes less water.

There's a third tray out of the shot, plus two more containers full of cups I planted yesterday. Experts say that a greenhouse extends your season two months, so I'm hoping to get some things planted in the greenhouse by the last of April (last frost here is June 15). I planted a bunch of different kinds of corn, except the Bantam...I ran out of cups. Argh. I don't have labels, so I cut up a gallon milk carton into strips. Ran out of those, so began using the back of plastic spoons - and they worked out pretty good!

May tomato seedlings are getting their true leaves right now. The cotyledons should be dropping soon. I feel like I should notify the Tooth Fairy! The eggplant and peppers are starting to come up in another tray, so we are off and running for summer. I did plant out a few pole beans last Saturday and I lifted up the Romex to check last night. It look like all is well and a couple are starting to germinate. The local weatherman is alleging that we might be up near 80 degrees this weekend. The rest of the pole beans will got in Sat or Sun. That will probably change by Friday. Supposed to go watch the Dallas Stars and the Hawks play on Saturday, so I hope Sunday is nice. Time to mow the lawn!

HoneybeeNC
here are the carrots I am growing: http://rareseeds.com/vegetablesa-c/carrots/lunar-white-carrot.html
My DH is actually eating them ... he never eats the orange carrots.
Solace,
great pictures