Late Summer Veggie Garden Pt 3 & Fall Veggie Gardens (Pt 2)

Is molding not a problem with those packages closed like that? Or do you open them up now and then?

Hi, Jo!

Never have had a mold issue on any seedling I've started this way. There is venting on the ends of the drawstring bag, and a couple have a hole or two pinched in. Since most of these are new baggies, they don't have vent holes.

I purposely don't vent them, to keep the heat in the soil. They're planted in recycled Roots Organic potting mix (probably the second recycling to date). I figured all the amendments were sucked out of the mix, so, after running it through the microwave for 20 minutes, I added 8 scoops of fresh RO to each batch coming out and mixed it in. Just to give it an "oomph."

Once the steaming mix (I moisten before microwaving) cooled down enough for me to handle it, I work very quickly. I filled the 4" pots and 6 oz. yogurt cups (only cause they fit the excess space in the tray) with the warm potting mix, dropped the seeds on top, covered them with a thin layer of Vermiculite (first time doing it this way), then watered them in with the hose faucet sprayer and hot water, and shove them in those bags as fast as I can.

The heat gets trapped inside the bags, and creates enough humidity so there's a bit of run-off into the pots. If there's too much condensation building up, I prop the drawstring end open a bit more, or poke a couple more holes in the top of the baggies.

Not sure what's gonna come up this season, because the seeds are a year old, or more. I know that's not necessarily a bad thing, but they've also been in my lunch kit going in and out of the fridge. Sheesh... talk about winter upheaval...

Linda

Thanks for all that info, Linda

I finally got my English peas & sugar snaps in the ground. Today, it's going to be carrots going in. I've still got to get a bed full of mixed greens to feed to the chickens & to keep the bed growing something during the winter. Also, I really need to plant the green onion & the regular onion seeds. Just have to decide where to put them.
Jo-Ann

This message was edited Sep 20, 2013 5:34 PM

Some spot you won't need for at least the next 6-8 months for the regular onions to grow to full size....

Planting onion seeds now may be iffy. Ideally, onion transplants (they look like little dried up green onions) go in in November. Your seedlings may not get big enough by then.

I started my onion seeds last August and grew them for 12 weeks, to have them the right size for transplanting into the garden last November...

I'm chomping at the bit to order my transplants from Dixondale. They won't start taking orders until the end of October...

Jomoncon,
Go ahead with those onion seeds!

I did more research, and found out we can transplant seedlings in January, too. I'd forgotten that I set transplants in January year before last!

Now, I gotta go find some FRESH, short or intermediate day seeds.

JoParrot,
I just checked and the Arcadia Broccoli in the baggies have declared! TWO days after sowing!

They're sure not waiting on me, huh?

LOL!!!


This message was edited Sep 19, 2013 8:59 PM

Linda, I ordered from Dixondale last year & had great success, especially that it was my first time growing onions. I thought I'd try seeds this year. The LSU Ag Center says I can plant seeds until 10/15 and onions until 1/30.

If the seeds don't do well enough to transplant, I'll still have time to order from DD. Last year, I ordered Texas Legend & Southern Belle Red. Both grew great.

I wish I could find someone in the New Orleans area so I could share an order. The price really drops down when you order more. Maybe I'll put an ad on Craiglist to try to find someone.

Anyone in the New Orleans area want to share a purchase?

Jo-Ann

Jo,
I'll share an order with you. Stay away from Craigslist, LOL!

Tell me how you grew those gorgeous onions. What soil, fertilizer did you use?

Linda, the soil in my raised beds is some cheap garden soil I bought last year, amended with lots & lots of compost & chicken manure. Some com post I bought, some I made. The chicken manure comes from my 8 little ladies. For fertilizer, I started with a combo of fish meal, blood meal & an organic fertilizer. Following DD recommendations, I applied the equivalent amount of blood meal every 2 weeks. I have a drip irrigation system, so it's pretty easy to water if we have no rain.
Jo-Ann

We're getting a gully washer today!

Started last night, and progressing steadily. Picking up this evening, too, and through tomorrow!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Linda, jumping for joy, and doing the rain dance! ^^_^^

UPDATE:
►The BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER seedlings I sowed this Monday are poppin' up like popcorn! Cabbages aren't up yet...

►I picked up a fistful of seed packets from Southwest Fertilizer yesterday. Self-serve from the bins, with labeled packets, and a coffee scoop. Avg: $.99/packet.

For $12, I've got about a bazillion seeds -- enough seeds to feed a small nation, LOL!

The "HUNGRY GAMES" are officially underway!

Linda, The rain Texas got today, New Orleans is going to get Saturday & Sunday. I think I'll skip my farmers market tomorrow.
Jo-Ann

We're supposed to see rain tonight and tomorrow. Hope we get a bunch! After a soggy year its gotten just dry enough to keep at lot of fall goodies from sprouting.

It rained 2.15 inches the last 2 days....was rather dry.

We got a solid 4" of lovely rain last night and today, most of it gentle with only some spots of hard downpours. We sure needed it!

I started a new job and it's kicking my butt! I work 4 ten-hour days and need the other 3 to recuperate! LOL We had a bit of rain yesterday and a cold front came through. I should have good weather the next couple of mornings to get out in the garden. My cucumbers are doing great, though! They are starting to flower, too.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW JOB!!!!

Thank you!

What's going on in the Zone 8a-9a veggie gardens????

The temps have just started to dip here. Free...er, cold front expected Monday morning. The high FIFTIES, LOL!

My broccolis are putting on true leaves inside under lights, and I'm trying to decide if I'm gonna pot them up for a few weeks of individual growth (there are multiples growing where they came up in the 4" pots).

Seems like a waste of time, but, they need more true leaves before I set them out. Won't take long to do, but, I'm gonna end up with 3x as many seedlings as I sowed!!!

And, ya'll, I HAD to start feeding them. I put about 1/8 tsp. MG water soluble plant food in a gallon of water and bottom watered. The whole tray of seedlings threw on a new leaf overnight! These really do grow like baby hippos, and those babies are hungry!

Trying to get the drip irrigation set up. In the meanwhile, I may as well pot the seedlings up for the next 3-4 weeks...there's still plenty of time before the cutoff, December 20th.

Linda

Cabbage looks great, peanuts and peppers are going crazy and I'm harvesting turnips and a few radishes (bad year for them for some reason.) My snap peas up and died for no reason I can tell; I'm letting the few left mature to seed, I hope, since they are clearly tougher than the rest!

Niccole, Apparently a rabbit mowed my young sugar snap seedlings last spring, but they came on a month late and did very well. This fall's crop was apparently mowed off again and they did not recover much so I sowed a cover crop there [Daikon type radishes].

Looks like the place to jump in. New member here. I have been working this little spot for about eleven years. Mainly grow spring tomato crops. Just a city dweller, so knowledge has been slow coming. This year I gave more of an effort on the fall garden.

Have a few things that will never make it, but overall I am really happy with how its turning out. Most plants were direct sown, starting September 1st. Crops are, Kentucky Wonder, Fillet, Contender, Romano beans. English peas, Amish Sugar snaps, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Mustard, Kale, Collards, mixed lettuces, carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips, onions, garlic, shallots. I also have some Corn, pumpkin, and winter squash. The corn is a maybe, and the squashes are no way, but still produce blossoms.

I seeded wheat today -- more for fun than anything else -- and the pigeons are feasting. It'll be a miracle if any comes up.

Garlic went in today as well. 3 heads each of Lorz Italian and Broadleaf Czech, so next year I have plenty to share.

Nice little plot, Tim! Gymgirl is in your neck of the woods as are a few others. They'll be able to steer you in the right direction.

Welcome, Tim!

Yes, I AM in your neck of the woods! Always excited to meet another Houston grower!

You're waaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of me at this point. I delayed planting out because the heat was hanging on. Last year my seedlings were in by mid-September, but the heat held on until well into the 3rd-4th week of October, and I was a bit miffed about having to use up all my water to keep those plants happy until the chill came.

I had started everything from seeds, inside under lights the week of August 6-7th, too...

This year, I started the seeds for broccoli, cauliflowers, and cabbages the weekend of September 16th. They're still under lights with about 3-4 true leaves. I'll start hardening them off in the next two weeks from transplanting outside the end of this month.

Still need to sow my root seeds, too.

Getting closer to some chill around here. This weekend will be perfect as we're supposed to get some rain and cloud cover. That'll help keep the seeds moist for a few days until germination, if I manage to get them sowed.

Heading to a Winter Vegetables class presented by Urban Harvest this week. You might wanna attend, Tim.

http://urbanharvest.org/classes?p_p_id=shoppingeducation&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&_shoppingeducation_struts_action=%2Fshopping_education%2Fview_item&_shoppingeducation_redirect=http%3A%2F%2Furbanharvest.org%2Fclasses%3Fp_p_id%3Dshoppingeducation%26p_p_lifecycle%3D0%26p_p_state%3Dnormal%26p_p_mode%3Dview%26p_p_col_id%3Dcolumn-1%26p_p_col_pos%3D1%26p_p_col_count%3D3%26_shoppingeducation_categoryId%3D140841%26_shoppingeducation_struts_action%3D%252Fshopping_education%252Fview&_shoppingeducation_itemId=314862

Linda

"Ashley" Cucumbers growing up the ladder trellis
"Muncher" cucumber
Cucumbers are at the top of the wire trellis. These are Munchers and National Pickling.
Jalapenos galore!
Tomatillo Morado (purple tomatillos)

Unfortunately, I had to go out of town for 6 days. I told & told my DH to PLEASE water my carrot, beet & onion seedlings every day. They were just beginning to sprout & needed the extra moisture. He "forgot" so everything died. I'll be replanting everything this week.

At least he remembered to take in the eggs. Although the chickens can make so much noise that they are hard to ignore.
Jo-Ann

You are a better woman than I am....he is still alive.....

Uh, I'd look into installing a drip irrigation system as soon as possible, LOL!

So sorry for your loss....I know it takes coordination to keep those seedlings moist until they pop. I'll be sowing carrots, beets, turnip seed this weekend. Expecting rain, so the ground will be nice and moist. I might try laying sheets down to help keep them moist. Also, I'll soak the beet and turnip seeds for a couple hours before I sow them. That'll get them outta the shells a bit sooner, since they'll have some oxygenation to help wake em up!

I have about 200 seedlings inside under lights that need to be potted up. I sowed Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbages on September 16th. There are multiples growing in 4" pots and since I started feeding them, they're getting huge! Don't relish this chore at all! I'm torn between potting them up to individual pots now, or just setting them out to harden off, and transplanting them directly into the ground in another week...

I prefer to put a larger cole crop seedling into the ground because of my pillbug population. Also, it is a VERY humid 85° outside today after a short sprinkle. We're due for a cool snap starting tonight (nights in the mid-50°s and days in the low-70°s), for the rest of this week. But, who knows after that. We could be back in swim suits next week!

Jo, are you growing any green beans or snap peas? How about garlic?

Also, you decided to sow your onion seeds rather than go with Dixondale? LMK.

Linda

Linda, I had such a large garlic crop last year that I still have plenty. So I'm only planing about 2 dozen or so garlic cloves and about a dozen shallots that I got from a local feed store. The onions were planted about 2 weeks ago & have just started sprouting. I grew long beans for the first time this past summer, both Thai #3 extra long beans and Thai Purple Podded Yard Long Beans. They quit producing about 3 weeks ago and I have about 15 2-pound bags in the freezer. I just didn't need any more green beans. These long beans taste so good, I may just grow these & skip the regular green beans.

Luckily the English & snap peas were big enough that they didn't need the constant watering. I grew a few snap peas last year, but they were so good I ate them all in the garden! This year, I planted a lot more. We love peas & if the fall ones do good, I'll also plant some more in late December/early January.

With the onions, I think I'll still have to order from Dixondale. Those were some of the ones that succumbed to DH's not watering.
Jo-Ann

Jo-Ann,
I called Dixondale today. November 1st is the day to order. She said ordering online would greatly expedite the order.

I have a package of Red Burgundy seeds from Ferry-Morse, and I think I'll go ahead and start those. I keep forgetting the first time I ever did onions from Dixondale, I didn't get the transplants in until January and I had really nice onions, so I could have these ready by then too!

Linda

My eggplants just won't stop in our Texas heat, even with the cool fronts that are coming through.

I harvested 4.97 lbs. today.

Unfortunately, I have about 200 leggy broccolis, cauliflowers, and cabbages under lights. Gonna try to salvage as many as I can for plant out next weekend. Start hardening them off this week.....

About to build a new light kit, and start some more seedlings. Should have them out in 8 weeks.

Good thing I'm not in a big hurry this season, LOL!

Helping a friend build a raised bed, 4'w x 20'L x 15"H out of cedar fence pickets. Once I used the measuring tape to show her how much growing space she'd have, she was very excited and relieved.

Ya'll pray for this construction project, please, LOL!

Linda

I pulled the peanuts yesterday and got quite a haul considering I only planted a handful of seeds. My boyfriend kept asking where the jars were. I'm not sure how to get from green peanut to roasted peanut, but I am sure the internet will know at least 8 ways, and one of them might even be right.

Nicole, do you have any photos of your peanuts growing? I bought 2 plants from a garden center this year and planted them. I know now that they should have had a lot more room to peg into the soil, but it looks like I may actually get a couple dozen peanuts. How do you know when to pull them up? Mine are still green on top in spite of several light frosts.

I just finished getting all my gourmet garlic planted. I planted Turban, Artichoke, and Creole and a total of eight varieties. I planted approximately 350 cloves in my raised garden, each variety enclosed in a 48"x48"x6" box. The boxes created a raised garden on top of a raised garden and will not only have more depth but also better drainage. Hopefully I will have a better growing season than last year (extended cold and wet in the spring). I planted a Turban variety about 7 days ago and it is already up and is 8-10" tall. Other varieties are just beginning to break ground. I don't know why that particular variety grew so quickly.

Ken

Today's harvest, after over an inch of rain and significantly cooler temps this week.

2 "Muncher" cucumbers, Hill Country Red okra, Lg. Cherry tomatoes and a jalapeno. My jalapeno plant is LOADED with peppers!

Still looks delightful , next few days here garden is done (sigh) (i know , no such thing) a few winter greens ...
No new Vegie pic's until next year .. from here ..

peanuts- the tops are baled for hay in large fields, the peanuts are spread to dry. I always loved em green, but be careful, they will give you a tummy ache. Havent found a boiled peanut I like, taste like a poor cousin to a purple hull. When they are dry-er, tho, my little skillet gets a pat of butter and just enough peanuts to cover the bottom of the skillet, I dont like em toasted to dryness, so stop as soon as they are hot thru and thru, salt and enjoy. yummmm. Love you guys harvests, was impressed with my ping tung eggplants, but think I like the green Louisianas ep better than this Calliope, my basilos are doing the best this year, but we had carrots for many meals and just dug what we needed til they were gone. Just got my seeds in for carrots/beets/turnip/collards, and am trying a hugelkulture mini mound for a new bed. Also changing companies to one out of Fon du lac, doubt my veggies will get much more attention than before, but I may be happier- the serranos are delirious, took em all summer to come back from the deer topping them, but the plant is loaded down and my daughter is sharing at work with her co workers. As warm as it has been all summer we may try overwintering a few things without yanking them.

Goodbye summer plants.

We got our first frosts. Just a nip last night but there's frost everywhere this morning. That's a solid week or 10 days earlier than normal for us, although last winter I don't think we had first frost until late November.

We had just a bit of frost this morning but I don't think it got down to 34 F as predicted. Though last winter was fairly mild, it was sure prolonged and wet. Normally I begin putting out my plumeria in early March but last year they did not go out (permanently) until April. The wetness reduced my garlic crop's weight by 40%, which is a substantial reduction.

Ken

Planted my strawberries yesterday, about 45 of them. They may be planted too close together, but we'll see.
Jo-Ann