some photos and questions about my garden

13 years ago

so, as i'm kind of new to this gardening thing, i've got some questions... most everything seems to be going along fine, but there's a couple of troubles....

some of my carrot seedlings are kind of droopy and spindly... not sure if i'm watering enough, not enough, or worry about nothing....

these are my peanuts, we pulled one up the other day, and it was really cute, the shell was white, and when we opened it up, the little guy looked just like we hope it would... i'm thinking i can leave them in the ground for a little longer? it's my first time with them (and just about everything else!)

then there's the rutabaga's... something was chomping on them, and i thought it must be slugs, so i shook some of that "slug be gone" stuff around. it seems to have stopped, but then i found a little white worm near them today, (he's dead now, btw) so i'm not sure....

and last but not least, the beets.... some are doing ok, this one's not... there's a sticky, webby, icky-ness on the leaf, and it was stuck folded in half until i took this picture. Don't know what this is, and if it will spread or not.. do i take this plant out or all the plants. to be on the safe side, i did plant some more beet seeds...

so anyway, i appreciate you taking the time to read this, and any constructive criticism is more than welcome...

dody :)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

mulberryknob
13 years ago
Some of the more knowledgeable gardeners will be along but until they get here, I'll give a few opinions.

I wonder how much sun your carrots get. Spindliness is usually a lack of light problem. But those don't look too bad to me.

It's been years since we raised peanuts, but we always waited until after a light frost to dig them--or right before a hard freeze if the first frost was forcast to be hard.

Dawn will know which of the brassica-loving worms your little white one was but I usually have less trouble in the fall than in the spring with them. I just squish the ones I find or in a heavy infestation dust with Dipel.

Don't pull up all your beets. Here again, Dawn will know the name of the little pest that glues leaves together. I just crush the thing in the middle of the folded together leaf when I find it. You're lucky to get fall beets. The grasshoppers got mine last fall and this fall I didn't even try.
dodemeister
Original Author
13 years ago
thanks so much for your input. you might have a point on the carrots...the ones looking the puniest (is that a word?!) are right up against the south side of a 2x6.

this is really my first year to try anything other that tomatoes and peppers... i have found the tomatoes to be pretty discouraging in the past few years, and thought i might have better luck, and something to actually put on the table if i branched out and got to exploring! i am lovin' it!! who knew that a salad grown in your own back yard didn't taste like the stuff from the store... not me, and now i'll do everything i can not to have to buy it ever again :)

we've got a cold frame we built this summer waiting....

i'm learning so much just reading these forums...
Related Discussions
Some questions about my garden
Q
Comments (6)
...But, they are flowering before they are big enough to eat. Is there away to prevent this? No, not for the existing plants. They are bolting. You did plant them too late. In the future, check with your state's Extension Service. Each county should have it's own Cooperative Extension Office which provides free publications and information for the asking. They will have valuable vegetable/gardening tables available specifically for your area determined by universities and horticultural research scientists who have collected data from growing those crops in your state. Your tax dollars are already paying for this service so you may as well get some use out of it. Vegetable Planting and Planning Calendar for Missouri (download the pdf) complete with spring and fall planting dates (underneath the spring planting dates for appropriate crops), how much to plant per person, etc. They can also tell you the average last frost date for your area and ideal planting times for specific crops and varieties in your area. See how detailed this example is:
...See More
Some photos of my 'little cottage' garden
Q
Comments (20)
THANK YOU everyone for your very nice comments. This is the first I was able to check back, and was I ever surprised. We are located 40 miles north and a little west of Harrisburg in a rural community. We are surrounded by farmland which they no longer prepare the 'old fashioned way'. It is now done by the no till method, and until the crop is somewhat mature the fields look ugly to me. I am of the generation of laying in bed, late at night, listening to the John Deere tractors putt, putt. I will post some close photos of the little house/potting shed, and some garden areas. The fourth photo background plant is a 'Karley Rose' grass. It is a favorite. When the dew is on it in the morning, and the sun comes up, it looks like it is wearing diamonds, as does the Smoke Tree. A lot of the daylilies found a good home, but over several years the DL bed became taken over with thistles. I contacted the county extension agent and he said in the DL bed they would be practically impossible to eradicate since they are a perennial. The daylilies were planted on a grid of 24" with not much room to work and it became such a chore I gave up on them. I am glad to say the thistles are almost non-existent, but being surrounded by fields they will always make their presence known, (along with a zazillion dandelion), but controllable. The agent though I might have gotten them originally from mushroom mulch. I will try and post more photos tomorrow evening. My DH and I are now making a wind chime with 8 chimes. I found the directions on the length of each chime and I marked the Conduit accordingly. My DH did the manual labor, but I would have tackled it if he had not taken pity on me. It is almost ready for it's unveiling. It sounds great with 3/4" tubing and the longest is 24" and a fraction long. Thanks again. Jane
...See More
Some questions about my new garden
Q
Comments (6)
Well the rhododendron does not have black vine weevils, thank goodness, they sound like a real pest! I decided to only trim up the dead branches, and in addition to the buds (that are opening- yay!) I think I'm seeing the beginnings of some new leaves. Poor thing isn't out of the woods yet, as the house is being completely resided, but it should have a few months before that happens. The forsythia is about to get a haircut, I've been convinced. It seems like a vigorous grower so as a beginner in the pruning dept. I'm confident I can't kill it. I also think instead of the hillside meadow I dreamed of, I'll just plant a couple fast growers, I've already gotten the butterfly bush, even more bee balm, and a few cultivars of echinacea, although I've been reading some conflicting reports on how well they should do so all I can do is hope. Are there any other fast growers that you guys can recommend? Unfortunately, I am the only one left in the neighborhood with the hill as most people have put up their retaining walls and lawns in YEARS ago. I think it will look very nice once I can get something established... if I can that is! lol The ivy bed/ shade garden has me so torn also, I love the ivy- it's also growing up the arbovitaes and down some hideous concrete steps down the hill. I'm not sure of the variety, it seems to be standard run of the mill English ivy, leaves are a couple inches in diameter and it's pretty dark green. I made a mistake- I have sweet woodruff growing, not the sweet William. It's doing very well in the spot I put it, already spreading with little white flowers. And I bought MORE heuchera, I think they might be my favorites. I think I might keep the ivy, but keep a close eye on it and remove any new vines growing to close to my new babies! The clematis are staying put in pots right now, and are going to be rehomed on an arbor if I can get it up in time this summer. I'm very excited about my new garden, previous to this it's been hostas and violets and admiring other gardens from afar! I absolutely wish I had taken some real before pictures, of when I first bought the house. It was a real dump, but definitley a diamond in the rough. I'm definitley taking pictures either today or tomorrow, and I will post them ASAP. I might take a couple of plants I can't ID, if you all could help me out with those. Thank you so much for everyone who responded!!
...See More
Some questions about my first fall square foot garden
Q
Comments (5)
I never tried "pure Mel's mix". I merely incorporated vermiculite, peat and extra compost into my existing soil. (After all, I'd spent the previous 5 years of gardening amending my clay soil...I didn't want all the previous effort to go to waste, besides, I had finally gotten my mix to the level I was almost happy with it....it was crumbly...full of worms...and wasn't as compacted as it had been.) I have had no problems with moisture retention (of course, that's probably in large part due to the level of clay content) even when I don't water quite as often as I should (life can get down right ridiculous sometimes!). My garden takes only a small step back, but bounces right back when I water, or a big storm comes through. advaya, Your plant choices look perfect. Some others to consider: Parsnips and rutabagas...all root crops do well in the fall garden. Also, they tend to be sweeter after they are nipped by a hard frost. The starches turn to sugars so that they can survive the winter! Personally, I don't even harvest them until I am going to eat them. I just mulch over the top, and if a really cold snap hits....wait for it to thaw out. They are great!
...See More
joellenh
13 years ago
I have no advice but just wanted to let you know I am so excited that there is another SF Gardener in Jenks! Your garden looks nice! I had no idea we could grow peanuts here. YUM.

Jo
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
13 years ago
Dody, Dorothy IS one of the more knowledgeable and more experienced gardeners here and I agree with everything she said.

CARROTS: With the carrots, without knowing how often you water or how well the soil does or does not hold moisture and without knowing how much light they get, I think they might be staying a tiny bit too dry or getting too little direct sunlight. I do think the ones closest to the raised beds' wooden edging might be too crowded too. If today was the first time you noticed drooping, it could be a slight reaction to last night's cooler temps.

PEANUTS: I don't grow them, but they're a commercial crop in our county (though not as much as they used to be) and I've noticed about half the fields are harvested right now. I think that here the harvest doesn't end until almost November so think you can leave yours in the ground a bit longer.

CATERPILLARS ON BRASSICA CROPS: Cats are almost always a problem on all brassica family crops. I tend to handpick them (wearing medical-type nitrile gloves) and either drop them into a dish of soapy water to drown them or feed them to my chickens. They most commonly are found on the underside of the plant's leaves. You also can use Bt 'kurstaki' as Dorothy suggested, and it is available in a powdered form (Dipel) or a liquid form (many are available, Bonide's Thuricide is the one I see most in stores here). There are various kinds of caterpillars that target brassica family crops and they tend to be more of an issue in spring, but sometimes in the fall as well. In my garden, the pests usually are the Cabbage Loopers or Imported Cabbage Worms but some folks have the larvae of the Diamondback moths too.

BEETS: These likely have the same pests as the rutabagas so the solution would be the same.

Dawn
dodemeister
Original Author
13 years ago
thanks dawn and dorothy (my "real" name is dorothy, btw :)) lots of good info and i'll get that dipel tomorrow. i have the feeling i'll be needing it :)

lookie who i just found hanging out in the rutabagas...

i think it's some kind of tent caterpillar(?), but i don't know for sure...

jo, this is my first year doing sfq, and so far, i'm loving it! wish i had more room, but i'm here in jenks proper (by city hall) and only have a city size lot....

had a salad out of the garden tonite with all my little baby greens, basil, dill and cilantro... amazing.
mulberryknob
13 years ago
I think army cutworm. (The stripe is diagnostic.) They feed at the surface of the soil, cutting seedlings off when they are small. Bt will control them too, although I usually just step on them.

some photos and questions about my garden

Comments (6)

mulberryknob

dodemeister
Original Author

Related Discussions

joellenh

Okiedawn OK Zone 7

dodemeister
Original Author

mulberryknob

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

some photos and questions about my garden

Comments (6)

mulberryknob

dodemeisterOriginal Author

Related Discussions

joellenh

Okiedawn OK Zone 7

dodemeisterOriginal Author

mulberryknob

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

dodemeister
Original Author

dodemeister
Original Author