STARTING OUR SPRING VEGGIE GARDEN Pt. 2

Kitt,
You're on to something.

My whole problem was find something with a not-so-big diameter that the post would wobble around in the hole. If I can tape a couple tall narrow cans together (22" tall) and drop them down into the hole, then put the concrete in, that solves my problem in an EZ way.

I couldn't find any kind of pipe that was snug enough around the fence post. The closest pvc pipe was 4". The fence post diameter is only 3". Too much play in the uprights.

Linda,

Make a sleeve for your pipe by wrapping thin, strong, flexible plastic sheet (think flexible cutting board) around the pipe to make an open ended cylinder. Tape the roll with duct tape then use that plastic when you pour the concrete.

YOU GUYS ARE THE BESTEST IN THE WHOLE GARDEN WORLD!

Got me seeing a pic of me on a mission- tape measure in pocket and going shoppin for asparagus for supper, chuckl. Take the bottoms out, but 22"/23" is agood depth for bottom brace, and just shim wedges in beside the posts to holdem tite in the holes. Will make your life easier at breakdown later to simply shim the slack.

????? Take the bottoms out of what? The asparagus cans?

"Shim the slack?"

If you use asparagus cans as braces against the concrete- yes remove the bottoms. Shims are wedges of wood or brick that are used as a brace to tighten objects in a device. A hammer or axe head when placed on a handle has a small wefge ( shim)that is driven into the hole to tighten the met part down. For your postholes if there is too much slack on the posts- add a wedge that helps tighten the post against wobble- shim the slack. The wedge can be removed later if you want to remove the post.

Oh, I see!

If you can read this self correcting illiterate phone you are doing better than i do sometimes... Simple is Always best.

Linda,
All of the advice above is good, but do brace the pipe straight before you pour your concrete. No one could hold it that long, and you will be busy doing other things.

Vaseline is good, but ordinary lubricant grease would be better and cheaper.

Be sure to grease the bottom and inside the pipe so no concrete will stick there. Or stuff it tight with rags to keep concrete from getting in.

Have a pipe wrench handy and when concrete is firm, turn pipe slightly occasionally to keep it from sticking where the vaseline might have been rubbed off.

Less than 8 inch tube will not give you enough support.

The tubes need to be cut in order to be to removed, so instead you may want to backfill the hole around the tube, to help hold the tube and the post straight. Then just cut the tube off level with the top of the concrete.

Just a little bit of concrete sticking to the pipe will make it difficult or impossible to pull out.

All of the above will give you a nearly perfect fit, but it is going to be very difficult to get the pipe in and out of a hole that fits perfectly, and you may want to wrap the pipe so you have a half inch clearance and then you can use wedges if necessary to stand it plumb or to correct any tilt in the pipe if the hole is off plumb a bit.

And last but not least, i do believe you can find tubing at a fence supply place that will be the right size to be a sleeve for your post. If you can find that it would be ever so much easier, but then again, it has to be perfectly plumb as your post will follow and tilt the sleeve has.

Ernie

I am trying old swing set type tubing set first in a soda bottle , then up the pole with cut soda bottles and duct tape . I find heavy cardboard tubing easier to remove only more difficult to work with....

Seems half pipe with fencing type brackets would be reusable and more stable ..a thought ..

That is to say if this about cement poles or stakes , I lost this conversation a while ago .. I don't understand ...

This message was edited Feb 19, 2013 10:19 PM

>> Like the sales person said it almost guarantees 2 sales 1 now and another after the next freeze. Lol.

I know what you mean! A few years ago I bought some tomato starts from a nursery, and the lady in charge saw me walk past. I could practically hear her muscles clench to keep from rolling her eyes and keep a straight face. She was thinking "OPTIMIST!" so loudly I didn't need telepathy to hear her.

She was right, and I knew it already. But I had so few plants that I could pot them up big, then trot them indoors every night, and trot them back out every morning. I just didn't expect to do it for six weeks!


>> they both look at me like I was very "strange" ...

Ahhh, everyone looks at gardeners that way. Where do they think food comes from, anyway, magic trucks?


Susieqrn,

Welcome to indoor seed starting! I love it because I can watch the seedlings emerge and grow face-to-face.

I'm repeating some advice, from the perspective of someone who killed a LOT of seeds, within the last three years, then learned one way to avoid killing so many seeds.

Smart people learn how to avoid overwatering. Instead, I make my seed-starting mix drain faster. You can water from the top or from the bottom, but don't get the mix soggy. Barely moist is OK. It needs as much air in the mix as water.

Always poke, melt or drill drainage holes. They let air in, as well as excess water out. Too much water means not enough air, which means dead, drowned roots.

Try not to overwater - I did a lot of that my first two years starting seeds indoors. Drainage and "perched water" are much bigger issues for containers, especially 2-3 inch deep containers, than they are outdoors.

"They" say the soil-less mix should be no damper than a WRUNG-OUT sponge. Moisten the mix before packing the mix into the cups, then think twice before adding more water before the seedlings are up.

Don't start seeds in garden SOIL or potting SOIL. Buy potting MIX or seed starting MIX. It drains better, holds more air, and lacks all the fungus and mold that outdoor soil has. They call it "sterile", but really it is just clean and pretty pathogen-free.

If you can find a small bag of Sunshine or ProMix potting / starting mix, they are great. Lots of people use "Jiffy-Mix" successfully, but they must really KNOW how to avoid overwatering.

To get better drainage, I would add something coarse to almost any commercial peaty-mix, like coarse Perlite, coarse grit or crushed stone, (like chicken grit #2 - crushed granite, not oyster shells). Sand isn't coarse enough to improve your drainage.

I like to screen bark nuggets to get grains coarser than Perlite: like 2-4 mm grains. But don't get too fancy your first year.

Just ask someone who knows, HOW they manage to keep themselves from over watering! I guess "don't start too wet, and then don't add more water until you need to".

If you cover the tray of Dixie cups with Saran wrap or a dry-cleaning bag until they emerge, they won't need more water until they emerge. But remove it as soon as they emerge! 100% humidity is too much and will encourage damping off. If the soil is damp enough, some fog or mist will probably collect on the plastic film. If big droplets collect, the soil is wetter than ideal, and you could remove the film an d shake the droplets off. . Or maybe even set the cups down on some cotton fabric like a sheet or towel, for an hour or two, to encourage some of the water to wick away. (Or paper towel over the fabric to reduce mud.)

It's not like container plants where you can water until it comes out the bottom, and trust the roots to suck up any excess.

You know the seedlings will need fairly bright light as soon as they emerge, and some flower seeds even need light to germinate? Like 48" shop lights?

If the surface of the mix in the Dixie cups is damp, a fan might help prevent damping off (soil fungus infecting seedling stems right at the soil line). Some people water with chamomile tea to fight that fungus. Or sprinkle cinnamon on the soil. Or water with 3% hydrogen peroxide, DILUTED 30:1 to 10:1, like 1-3 ounces per quart.

Or ... don't overwater.

Enjoy! I'm just paranoid about over-watering.

Okay I recognize the marigolds and oriental type lilies ,What else do you have there? Someone had to ask ,right?

In keeping with the thread last weeks tomato seedlings

Looks good guys.

Do all types of Rosemary bloom? All except mine, that is?

Finally got a chance to get some pictures of the tomato seed that was started January 21st. Feeling pretty good about these plants, they have decent stem size. These have been sitting under the T8 lights, so far so good....

Looking really good, Kevin!

All rosemary I know of blooms- you may be not neglecting it enuff.

LOL...

LOL!

What's wrong with sitting around in one's nighty - I do it all the time! Don't own Wellington boots (we British call them Wellies) - but do wear nice warm slippers this time of the year. In the summer, I've been known to walk around in bare feet! (gasp!) (LOL)

My tomato seedlings (now plants) have outgrown their lights! Hubby is going to lower the shelf today so they can have ample space to grow. He's also going to set up the third light we have. (He doesn't know all this yet! LOL)

Should I go ahead and trim off the lower leaves (that are touching the dirt) on the plants?

Steph,
Your babies are looking wonderful!

At this point, I would venture to say it's time to start setting them outside for hardening off. They certainly look hardy enough to go on some field trips! You're going to have some nice days in the next several weeks, and, you can go ahead and start acclimating them.

Mine have been in and out now for the last three weeks. (I brought them into the garage when night temps dipped below 48°). They're getting planted out this weekend.

I wouldn't recommend pulling any leaf off. If it still anchored too much, you run the risk of pulling a strip of the plant stem tissue away -- room for fungus to attack the site. Just let 'em fall off when they're ready to.

Hugs!

Linda

I would, save doin it later when they go in ground- some of the job tended and healed early.f

Like Lynda says, be careful tho to pinch em clean.

That was so many years ago - Zinnias?

When my soil was even worse, and slugs ruled the earth, and it seemed as if spring lasted right through June, I started most things indoors.

I agree with Gymgirl: we SHOULD stage an intervention. That lady should get into seed SAVING! And seed swaps!

OK, it's time for me to jump in- I have been busy adding coffee grounds to my gardens and cleaning all of them in anticipation of planting. I now have peppers up in trays, tomatoes are sprouting, lettuce & cabbage are coming up. Here is a look at my beds all ready-
1-all the tomato cages are ready along with trellises for pole beans & cucumbers
2-my pyramids for growing nice long carrots!
3- my garlic looks really good.
4The brown buckets are for lettuce- the tree shades so much that's all that will grow.
5-looking back at my house and back deck from the corner. I have 3 big tubs made of half 55gallon drums- for potatoes.
I also have a plot in our community garden- I plan to grow corn there since I don't have room in my yard.

I love the way you prop up your step-pyramids!

Thank you, Rick- I foune it easiest to just put some cross beams for support- that way they are movable if needed, and the tops don't sink down. Last year I grew some carrots over 12" long!

Nice!!

I'm trying to think how to imitate you with paving stones, but I just think that concrete is not ideal for the upper stories.

My first several attempts at Daikon radishes were pathetic . Lots of foliage and pods, barely visible roots.

I think that "light, loose" soil doesn't mean what I thought it meant. "Lighter than the awful clay in most of my yard" isn't good enough, even in a raised bed. It was good enough for French Breakfast radishes, but not Daikon. Clay really needs a LOT of compost added, plus more every year.

I finally got one Daikon root 5-6 inches long, far short of their 16" potential. Alas, it was much too hot for me. Now I'll only grow them for the pods, if at all.

Jo>> I would beg to differ, it looks like you have some space over there by the a/c unit for a row or 2 of corn...LOL...

No way, kevcarr- I ain't diggin' up any more grass! Besides, the grand dogs have to have a little room to run!

Grass is HIGHLY over-rated!!!!

Depends on whether your smoking it or trimming /cutting it ,Me ?I just enjoy walking barefoot on clean full grass when I can find any....

ME, TOO!!!

Talk about contrary weather!

The Good Lord KNOWS we need rain down here, and I'm truly grateful for any I get around my cracked foundation.

However, I need to plant my tomato seedlings this weekend WITHOUT FAIL, and my raised beds have just got a good dousing, this morning. I sure hope they'll dry out enough for me to work in them Saturday.

Question: My pln is to top off the RBs with a blend of topsoil (which I never had in the RBs), MG garden soil, and some composted cow manure. The topsoil says it has compost in it, too. I also have about 15 gallons of homemade compost (mostly leaf decomp and veggie peels that have broken down since last spring).

I plan on mixing this up on a tarp outside the bed, and shoveling it in to level off the beds. As I can see, I'll need to add about 3-4" to top the beds. Can I spread this mix right on top of the beds that just got rained on? I wouldn't disturb the soil below at all. The beds will have dried out a bit by Saturday, cause they're already fast draining. Or, do I run the risk of compacting the soil beneath if I add the topsoil blend on top?

LMK ASAP please. And, thank you!

Linda

I doubt it would compact the old mix you had, but wait to work it around and into the other til the bed has dried some, Are the rains supposed to be done down tbere? You may end up just forking the dirts a bit...

Update on my tomatoes adventure.
I did cover my tomatoes two nights ago with a extra frost cover on top of the perforated plastic.
I did choose to cover them in this way because I saw two days of rain and cold.
Last year I have learn that tomatoes don't like to be cold and wet at the same time during this time the year. The white cover did keep them dry.
I did put a wireless temperature sensor inside the hoop house.
Yesterday it didn't go below 44F and the soil temperature was 50F or higher.

off course I couldn't believe it ... so I took a few pictures under the hoop-cover ...
by 10am the temperature inside the hoop house was 69F !!

Those plants look pretty good to me.
Please ignore anything you see on the leaves ... I did sprinkled DE and some egg shells.

The problem I had this year was with cutworm or armyworm ... some kind of worm ...
It was only in one area and I lost 5 plants (sight ...). While the rest of my tomato bed was emptied out more than one week or so ... in one area I left radishes growing and I did remove them the day before planting out !!
Those worms were eating some of my radishes ... and off course they went for the tender tomatoes ... ahhh
First morning : 2 casualties right away ... I sprayed with BT ... and sprinkled DE.
Second morning: 3 casualties ... but found dead worms ... made paper collars and sprinkled broken eggshells ...
no more casualties ... so far !

Every year is a learning experience. If I can get the plants to survive the next couple of nights I will be seriously rewarded on my harvests.

Indoor: zucchini are making lots of buds and soon ready to flower