I planted Zucchini's last year, and they grew super fast. so you should probably get some of those soon. Do you mean your tomato's are just starting to flower? for me here in Mass, from flower to picking the tom was roughly about 2 to 2.5 months. I planted mid may ,and I didnt pick my first ripe tom until very end of July begining of Aug.
what kind of melons are you talking about? I planted melons way back in June, and I just started getting itty bitty melons (cantaloups) I am not putting any faith into getting any. I dont know what happened with them. Oh well better luck next year I hope.

when is your first frost date?

I should have included my frost date. I looked it up and it said October 3. But my last frost date is supposed to be May 20 or thereabouts, and it went below freezing on June 4 here this year. We've also had blizzards in mid-May and in Mid-September, even before fall starts. And then, sometimes it'll be warm almost to Halloween, and we'll have hot weather in March. It's a crapshoot.

I started the tomatoes indoors in March and planted them in containers outside the week after this year's last frost. I didn't get surviving zuke and melon plants until the ones I planted the first of July. They didn't sprout for a couple weeks, not till the temperature dipped and we got a lot of rain, and the flea beetles diminished.

I'm planting Black Eel, Parthenon, Ronde de Nice, and 8-Ball zukes. The linear zukes seem to be doing best. I'm planting Sugar Baby and New Queen watermelon and Midget Muskmelon and Athena canteloupe.

I also have some broccoli sprouts growing inside to put out for fall broccoli. They're doing well, but I don't think they're big enough to go into the ground yet.

There's always next year, but the plants are doing so well now, I was really hoping I'd be able to harvest something from them. Next year I'm definitely going to look into some short-season varieties.

Tomatoes usually take about 30-45 days from first sign of fruits to ripe, depending on variety, size, temperature, etc. Cherries near the low end, bigger stuff near the high end.

Mark

re Zucchini: It took about a month before we had both female and male blossoms opened (and believe me, I was out there every day begging them to get coordinated instead of female - male - female - male LOL.) Once your female blossoms get pollinated it doesn't take very long for them to start growing. Length of time almost depends on how big you like them to get. We like ours when they are no more than 3" or so around, and they are usually 8" - 10" long. Some folks like them almost baseball-bat size, which takes longer. It seems to me that from "baby" to dinner table for the size we like is no more than maybe 3 weeks tops. So it was almost 2 months after blossoming started. For boats, how big do they need to be? I might try that if our start coming on faster than I can pick them at the smaller size.

Zucchini boats are typically about 5-7" long. Otherwise, you can't fill them up much. I was really looking forward to stuffed 8-Ball. Almost all of the zucchini plants have buds on them, but we haven't had much sun lately. The tomato buds haven't gone into flower yet. I'm out there almost every day encouraging them. I'm wondering if I should fertilize more. I fertilize about every two weeks with Neptune's Harvest. I wonder if I should do it every week.

Doubt if you'll get tomatoes or melons. The zukes should start producing in a few weeks.
With the Brussels sprouts, when they are a bit bigger (20th of Sept?) carefully cut off leaves with sprouts in the base, leaving just the leaves at the top of the plant. This will encourage the sprouts to get full size.

I'm wondering if I should fertilize more. I fertilize about every two weeks with Neptune's Harvest. I wonder if I should do it every week.

Fertilizing encourages plant growth not blooming or fruit development. Fertilizing now only sends the wrong message to the plant now that it has started blooming.

You can try hand pollinating the squash and may get a few, but this late I too doubt you will get anything but maybe a few small green tomatoes you can ripen indoors so the frost won't get them. But maybe you'll be lucky and have a late frost year.

Dave

Sigh. Yet another failed year. :-(

I started the tomato seeds in March and set them out the week after last frost. It surprises me that that's not enough time to get a harvest. I guess next year I'll start them even earlier.

But my last frost date is supposed to be May 20 or thereabouts

Lilacs - per the USDA charts Zone 5 dates: Last Frost Date - April 30, First Frost Date - October 15, Frost Free Days - 165

Zone 6 dates: Last Frost Date - April 15, First Frost Date - October 15, Frost Free Days - 180

So in 5/6 you fall somewhere in between. Say April 20th to October 15.

Granted these are approximates and all of us encounter the surprise late frost now and then but May 20th??? Perhaps you are a different zone than 5/6? There are micro-zones (called microclimates) within all areas. But even zone 3 and zone 4 are May 15th dates.

At any rate, assuming your zone numbers are correct, short season varieties, as you mentioned, will serve you better as will not planting directly from seed. If you can start tomatoes indoors in February you will have good sized well developed plants ready to transplant by the middle of May and have some protection for them available in case of a late frost. Or since you use containers, just bring them inside.

Start your squashes indoors in late April. That way you will have big established plants resistant to flea beetles to go out the 1st of June.

Your cole crops can be started indoors in February as well to go into the garden in early to mid-April as they will easily tolerate frosts and even light snows. Just have a light cover to put on them in case of a really hard freeze.

And start extras to keep inside longer so that you have replacements readily available. Granted it is a gamble but it is one we all take every year. We had a 4 day long hard, late freeze here this year too - in May 4 weeks after our frost date - that killed all my first planting of tomatoes despite all the protection. But I had plenty of extras ready to go into the ground to replace them the next week so only 1 week was lost.

Planting established plants a little bit early rather than planting or re-planting late will give you much better odds. But explore those zone ranges and freeze dates a bit more and see it you can't narrow down your zone better and read up on microclimates to learn what to look for in your backyard that can help you get a more clear picture of when to plant.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Microclimate info:

Microclimates

Cornell University: Keys to Microclimates

Colorado State University: Microclimates in Your Backyard

The aggravating thing is that I *did* start all of these plants early indoors. AND I had extras. But a heat wave, and wave after wave of flea beetles, killed my first transplants AND their replacements.

And I just looked at a website today that listed Denver's frost dates as June 1 and September 10. This year we dipped below freezing on June 4, and we've had blizzards in mid-May and mid-September.

In the old zone maps, Denver-Boulder is listed as Zone 5, as is most of the eastern plains of Colorado. In the newer Arbor Day maps, we're right on the cusp of Zone 5/6, with the Denver-Boulder area being a Zone 6 microclimate.

I'm sure I have microclimates in my yard, too. Some things I plant in a bed that's partially shaded a lot of the afternoon. On the other side of my yard is the "hot zone," raised beds in full sun all day.

I'm taking copious notes about what happens in my garden to help me in future years.

One thing that helped my latest attempts is spraying with Spinosad or Pyola at least once a week. That helped keep the flea beetles at bay. But after the end of June, they go away, and the plants I put in after that date aren't much bothered by flea beetles or other bugs. I've seen some holes, but nothing the plants can't handle.

As of today, I have big tomato plants with a couple buds each. Next year I may try putting them in the ground by the fence. They'll get southern exposure all day.

My zucchini are growing well and most have buds. My melons are real little, only a couple true leaves.

My carrots and lettuce are growing. They're small. I only planted them a month ago, but I suppose I might get something out of them.

I have hot hats, a cold frame, and row covers. I will of course use them as the year gets older. I'm going to be unemployed as of November, so I really wanted to get some produce to put by this fall.

*sigh* Ok, I give up.

Dave

???

Did I say something wrong?

You planted too late and since you said you planted in a spot that gets shade all afternoon your plants are probably not getting enough sun. I planted my toms right after Memorial Day and picked my first ripe ones the last week of July. You may get some zuc's though as they are pretty fast growing. Carrots and lettuce are cool weather crops so you should be fine there. Good luck!

It doesn't get shade all afternoon. It gets dappled sun. Sometimes full sun, sometimes shade, sometimes dappled sun. My tomatoes were out probably only a week after yours. Were yours in the ground or in containers? I think I read somewhere that container plants ripened first.

Lilac, I think much of the country is having strange weather this year. Your notes should be very helpful for you in the future, I find its the best way to remember what happened that was good and bad.

Veggies like full sun, any kind of shade will slow their growth rate. I know because for years I gardned in the shade of my neighbors trees to the south.

Setting your Toms out on May 20 you should have green fruit on them already. If you dont I would doubt you will get any ripe fruits before frost. And as far as pollinating; yes go out there every day and gently shake the blossoms, this will help them pollinate themselves and you will get fruit faster. How larger were your plants when you set them out? This could be a factor why yours seem to be behind.

You are too late for your melons (sorry). I had to replant mine too cuz they did not germinate due to drought. I finally had germination around June 1, and I was worried I was too late, but I have large fruit on most of my plants.

The good news; you WILL get zucchini. Hand pollinate these for guaranteed results, but once formed the fruit will be ready to go within a week.

More good news: You have about 4 weeks til your last frost date (maybe more with luck), you can still plant radish, lettuce, spinach, early peas and those broccoli plants and expect to get some harvest.

Enjoy the garden, I know we get better at it every year, you will too.

Sigh. And I worked so hard finally getting melons to take. I hope my zucchini don't do what they did last year and give me male blossoms for two weeks before any of the ladies show up.

I assume mating a Black Eel with an 8-Ball won't get me Black Balled? :)

There's always next year, right? How many melon plants could I fit into a 3x3 raised bed? No, that's not a joke. I really want to know.

Yeah, this is only my second year, so a lot of this is still experimental. That's why the copious notes. I have a place I'm clearing on the northeast side of the house that gets morning sun. I was going to put bulbs there, but I suppose I can leave a place for some vegetables. And clearing out the weeds will vacate the northern fence area. That'll get sun almost all day, but maybe not as intense as the raised beds.

Sigh. My poor melons. I used up an entire packet of canteloupe seeds trying to get some canteloupes. Next year I just have to figure out a better way of battling flea beetles.

lilac: a 3x3 is only large enough for one plant, and it will grow over the sides from there. If you have room (lawn or something) around the 3x3 area you could try planting 4 hills; one in each corner; and training them to grow in the lawn.

I am fortunate to have a large (2 acre) area to garden that gets full sun. When I planted my row of melons I planted them 3.5' apart and gave them 6' on either side. They are touching each other as well as the soybeans & zucchini to their flanks. So they can get large.

With limited space you may be able to find a smaller bush type melon to grow in your area. Ask the people here; if one exists I'm sure someone is growing it.

I thought a 3x3 wouldn't be large enough.

I just read that tomatoes won't flower if the temperature's in the 90s. It is 96 as I speak. I wonder if that's why I only have buds.

I didn't realize tomatoes were so fussy. As I remember from my childhood, they were one of the easiest things to grow.

There IS one other place I can try to put veggies next year. The southwest side of my house is all terraced. Right now it's choked with weeds, but if I clear those out and amend the soil, I might be able to put some veggies there. They'd get a half day of full sun. I was thinking of planting blueberry bushes there, but I didn't know how they'd do right up against the house.

Neptune's Harvest every 2 weeks is NOT enough either. If you insist on using organic type ferts instead of water solubles like Miracle-Gro, Peters, Jack's, etc, I'd use Neptune's Harvest every 5 days. What you really needed was a water soluble "Bloom Booster" as well as a professional soil test.

I don't believe in the USDA last & first frost dates. They are only about good for low temps. I'm zone 6 and have had a foot of snow on the ground later than April 15th and have had frost before the end of September.

Plus Lilacs is in Colorado. She still has time to get tomatoes if the temps cooperate and she doesn't get a frost before October. If her temps get below 90 there's still a chance, however slim it may be.

If you continue to try organic methods, and keep getting discouraged, you may get discouraged enough to quit gardening. I'd recommend water soluble fertilizers and lots of organic type ammendments to your soil, plus consider trimming some trees or planting elsewhere. I think, because you are closer to a beginner gardener than an advanced/experienced gardener, you should go inorganic until you get a harvest to enjoy, then slowly work your way to organic. This way, you'll be successful enough not to discourage yourself away from gardening.

I do have Miracle Gro and was using that until I got the Neptune's Harvest about three months ago. I could start using it again, but frankly I didn't see any real difference. I figured it would be okay to use it until it's gone, because now that it's bought it's going into the environment no matter what I do with it, no matter whether it gets dumped on my garden, down the drain, or in a landfill. But I really thought that Neptune's Harvest would be better all around. Not only gentler but more effective than Miracle-Gro.

They also have fertilizer specifically for tomatoes.

The tomatoes are in containers. I could either put them on the porch next to the house, or I could carry them inside. They're rather heavy, though, and it might be a problem keeping the cats off them. (The cats actually outnumber the tomato plants.) I could also move them to where they could get more sun. I have a shed, but I don't know how much protection that would be, and they'd get no light.

I have a cold frame that I still have to put together. I could put that over the melons and maybe add a week or two. It's doubtful that would be enough, but who knows, I may luck out.

Broccoli can freeze solid and still survive, although if it's frozen it can't grow. But brassica are hardy enough that I might actually get something this year.

The potatoes were a little late going in, but not more than a week or two. I'm sure I'll get potatoes this year.

The zukes and maters are iffy, but with luck and some protection, I wouldn't rule them out. It's possible I could get a couple.

The melons...well, it's kind of a matter of pride now. I'll keep them going for as long as I can, and if nothing else, that'll teach me what the hot hats and cold frame can do.

Don't forget that you can eat squash blossoms. Mexicans use them in casseroles and quesadillas. Italians often stuff them with cheese and bake them. Ive also seen them battered and deep fried. They are considered quite a delicacy.

Post here what version of Miracle-Gro you have--read the label carefully, it should say the N-P-K amount somewhere, usually the back or side... they make at least a half dozen different versions.

Also, how big are the tomato plants and

how big are the containers?

What varieties are you growing?

How often do you water them & how much?

ALSO, what did you use in the containers for soilless mix? BE SPECIFIC, especially if it was a Miracle-Gro product... do you still have the bag to get the exact full name of the product?