Anyone else growing any Chinese vegetables in dry conditions? Last year my bok choi didn't do very well; this year I've planted them in a different location, with the rose bushes on the east side of the trailer, which is shaded in summer part of the day.
And I put the Chinese turnips under a tree (partial shade)in front, facing windy west.
The Chinese cucumber are doing okay so far in a south-facing sand-enriched with straw and manure tea bed, interplanted between different tomatoes,including Golden Mandarin, since they seem to take the same amount of water.
Dau gowk (asparagus bean/long bean) probably will go in same south bed as last year, since they did well there, and I've since dug it deeper and enriched with composting straw for better water retention. May have some volunteer from seed looseleaf Chinese cabbage and Swiss chard there too.
Suggestions?
bok choi, Chinese turnips, etc.
tashak2,
Most Asian brassica greens need constant moisture and nutrition to accomplish their roles as FAST food (25-35 days from seed) to be grown mostly in the cool months. There are other greens (amaranths, shiso, some mustards,etc.) to be grown during the warmer months. If you are growing for greens, some shade is okay although the plants might be leggy, less nutritious.
So choose for the right season and don't skimp on water -- mulching can help conserve moisture and keep soil cooler as warmer months approach.
Cukes and beans (some) need regular water; others (Vigna group) are pretty tolerant once established but will yield less than if regularly watered.
Turnips and radishes need regular watering to perform well and not be too hot or too woody. The Asian radishes, both daikon and the large chinese type put down some serious tap roots, so if your soil is deep enough, they can go after moisture.
Hope this helps.
PS I am in semidesert but very cool and coastal.
Marsh
Marshseed, problem last year with bok choi (other than soil and heat) was birds, birds, birds. So far they haven't gone after anything by the roses which abut the trailer and its screened porch where the dog likes to hang out. (His inside porch bark seems to work as a bird deterrent only for ten to fifteen feet.) And that little bed is easy to water.
The Chinese turnips are mostly for root for stirfry, and an experiment to see if anything will grow under the front yard elms. (Don't ask me why I have elms here in NV; they seem to be over fifteen years old, judging from rings in branches I've trimmed.)
Dau gauk (asparagus/yardlong bean) went in ground last week, quite a bit earlier than last year, but from different seed company so that is two variables to complicate comparision. Gads, that really produced last year despite late start.
Haven't planted any mustard or collard yet, waiting a bit longer for more consistently hot weather which is certain soon. Thanks for reminding me about the amaranth and shiso; I think I have a tiny packet of each somewhere.
Just put in more Blue Dent corn, some Bloody Butcher corn, Masai bush beans and Tennessee Green Pod Bush beans, and more squash (yellow straightneck and eightball) and more cucumber. Started Italian pole beans in deep little containers, and if they do a Jack-and-the-beanstalk growth spurt, they can go next to the corn that is already up; I also started a patch of directly seeded coriander this morning.
Have some other tiny packets of Asian stuff, but I forget the names and have to look up what it is and when to plant. I'm quickly wearing out the old copy of Harrington's Grow Your Own Chinese Vegetables.
One tiny yucca is surviving; pumpkins (direct seeded) are coming up; transplanted squash, cucumber and tomatoes like their straw bed. I'm resisting the temptation to dig up the new potatoes which blossomed two-three weeks ago.
How is your stuff doing? Are you having a hiatus in planting until end of August/early Sept.? Do you have cool enough nights to do brussels sprouts? (Haven't had or seen any on the stalk since the Farmers' Market, Civic Center, in San Francisco years ago.)
Do you know of any other Asian vegetable books or websites that are good for beginners and cooks? Thanks.
Repeat after me: I will not plant food crops, root or leaf, under elm trees. I will not plant flowers under elm trees.
Sigh. Live and learn.