My Veggie Garden So Far!

I planted cukes, brussel sprouts, okra and stringbeans in my EBs and so far so good except for the stringbeans? I planted Burpee Blue Lake 74 a week ago or so and they have not yet sprouted? Hope they sprout soon? I have broccoli, Bok Choy, peas and possibly spinach yet to plant but I am waiting for cooler weather. Probably a week or two more. Surprised to see the brussel sprouts doing so well in this heat. At this rate I should have fresh sprouts late January or early February. Tomato seedlings doing just great!
Forgot to mention that my first batch of Blue Lake beans from Burpee was defective and would not sprout. I think it was #244. They informed me of the problem and gave me an extra packet but no luck so I'm trying #274 Blue Lake. Also decided to start a fresh thread on the veggies....


This message was edited Sep 20, 2007 9:29 PM

This message was edited Sep 27, 2007 12:58 PM

Hey, Paw!

Glad to see you're feeling better. Sorry you were under the weather.

My EBs are doing fine, now that I found the hornworm. Thank you eversomuch for that tip. Never would've thought it was a caterpiller!

So far in th EBs I have 9 plants going. 3 Black Krims and 3 Pruden's Purple averaging 15" tall. I have 3 more "mystery" plants going, about the same height. And then I have 2 really small ones trying to catch up. And one bit the dust...

Trying to decide what to put in that one empty hole in the box with a Pruden's Purple. I have lettuce and spinach and Kentucky Wonder Green Bean seeds, and believe these should be direct sown, not transplanted. We're feeling just a teensy bit of a nip in the morning air. The maters are enjoying the sunshine after all that monsoon rain, too!

The cucumbers and okra have really grown since I last planted them but if you notice to their right are the stringbeans and still no sign of life? Brussel sprouts are in the corner of the picture almost out of sight.

Picture of the sprouts. I couldn't adjust the picture? Weird!!

I tried to grow Bok Choy once, I was so excited about it! Then I found out the insects loved it as much as I do...
I hope you have better luck with it!

Two of my four melons that are almost ready for eating.

You know, TPlant, I tried a fall planting of Blue Lake 274 bush beans from LakeValley Seed (purchased at my local nursery). I planted 9 plants (attempting a square-foot garden), and got zero germination. I also did 9 seeds of Pencil Pod Black Wax bush beans from the same company and nursery and got 3 germinated. Wonder what's going on with the bush beans this fall?

I put 6 red pepper transplants in my marvelous new EB, and they're going to town. Can't wait to see what happens from here!

My Blue Lake 74 stringbeans also failed to germinate at this time. What is with the Blue Lake beans?

This message was edited Sep 27, 2007 12:57 PM

I guess I'm glad it's not just me... I don't have much experience with starting things from seeds, so I was busy wondering what I was doing wrong. If even the mighty Tplant is having problems, at least I'm in good company! :)

I just came back from Lowes and bought a pack of bush beans. The label reads "Frejol,Huerto". Darned if I know what I bought? It also reads "Tendergreen Improved (Arbusto)" Must be Italian or somethin?

I'm wondering if the package was also labeled in Spanish, perhaps? "Frejol" looks more like Italian, but you don't get many Italian/English bilingual packages in this country...

Whatever they are, I hope they do better for you!

Paw,
Would you mind taking a look at this post and offering some assistance? Thanks.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4024379

Paw,
I thought okra liked it hot, hot, hot. But you've planted them out now. What gives? Is Florida THAT hot right now?

Ok. I have one space each in two EBs where 2 of my maters bit the dust. What do you suggest I could put in those holes in Zone 9a at this point. It would need to be something from seed, or I could stop by Lowe's and pick up something already started. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!

Gymgirl --- Your climate is cooler than mine as my temp at this moment is 90 deg. The safest crops to plant now would be brussell sprouts, spinach, beans, cucumbers and tomatos but I'm only comparing to my short stay in Orlando. I believe it would be a comparable zone but it did get below freezing many times?

As far as the peppers in the previous thread I would say the peppers on the right side of the EB are getting more sun than the others providing they are all the same variety?

Thanks, Paw.

That was my conclusion, too. Either that, or her fertilizer. There's some yellowing going on with that side of her EB. Also, thanks for the veggie suggestions. We're thinking along the same line with the sprouts, spinach and I'm thinking lettuce. Not so sold on cukes, though, cause I'm not ready for those bugs I hear like to munch on them. I'm just getting friendly with the mater hornworms!

I'll keep you posted, and hope to post some pics this weekend. The maters are doing really well. Blossoms much sooner than in the Spring, too. And they doubled overnight with the rainwater! Even the okra plant is sending out "fruit" it wouldn't give up in the Springtime monsoon! I only have two okra plants, but if they keep on like this, and I freeze the okra one at a time, I should have a potful by the winter!

Jumping in with my opinion about the bush beans. Could be a couple of things here... You could have planted the beans too deep. Most packages say 1", and cover with soil. I plant my bush beans at about 1/2 inch. Plus in really hot weather, I always moisten the beans over night. I wet a few paper towels, place the seeds on the towels and roll them up. I plant the moist, wrinkled seed the next day. They sprout in no time. It's been hot in Virginia, and we have had no rain in weeks. And I always lay bean seed on it's side. Weird, but it works. Make sure each seed is on it's side, before covering with soil. Be sure to tamp the soil firmly after planting, and water it well. Finally, it could be just too hot for the seeds to sprout.

Some good tips, there, Arias--thanks! I did soak mine, but might have planted too deep. I'm going to give it another try in the spring, I'll hope for better results with your tips!

And Tplant, Gymgirl, thanks again for your assistance on my EB pepper problem. Didn't mean to hijack this thread, but I sure appreciate the help!

The stringbeans that I planted last week have sprouted a couple of days ago. They were the ones I purchased from Lowes. "Tendersweet". Because of all the bad weather I've not checked on them on a daily basis but ner the less they are here! Thank goodness! The Bush Blue Lake were a dud. Guess they had a bad crop. I'll notify Burpee.... "Festiva" beans were the very best last year. I should have saved the seed and grown more this season instead of Blue Lake. Oh well--Live and learn!!! Going to go to Home Depot today and pick up another package of beans so I'll have two varieties.

Tplant,

That's good to hear. I guess we all get a dud packet once in awhile. Happy planting.

Getting the tomatos going as they were planted on 10/05 and are doing well.

A picture of the cucumbers (Diva) which are delicious and a real winner at our home. A little sunburn on the leaves because of the heat and they do face south which gives them full sun all day, however, their neighbor, okra, just loves the heat and the sun. I'm not the okra lover but my daughter-in-law loves fresh okra. I must say they are a beautiful plant in themselves and could be planted in the main garden as an ornamental as the flowers are very picturesque, if that is how it is spelled? They give her more than she can eat!

The Brussel Sprouts have been doing very well up until today as it was very hot this morning when I took this picture and they were a little wilted. They do not like the heat. It is cloudy and much cooler now for we are expecting some showers so they will "pop" right back again.

Stringbeans, of another variety that I purchased at Lowes are called Tendersweet but are puny looking. I ordered "Festina" from Parks Seed and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. They were terrific last season and I kick myself for not sticking with them but so were the "Blue Lake" last season but this time they were a dud? Ya never know? Can you imagine what a professional farmer goes through with a failed crop?

Second batch of corn is coming along but not as quickly as the first crop or am I just impatient for those deliciously, sweet, fresh ears of my prior crop? Oh well, we will just have to wait and see. Heavy winds kind of knocked some of the stalks over a week ago and I've been trying to keep them upright ever since but having a difficult time ever since. Will keep trying...

Recieved three new EBs. Thought I'd try white EBS this time. I had an area on the east side of our home that was doing nothing so I thought I'd use it for veggies such as celery, peas, stringbeans, (Festina stringbeans that is) broccoli and such in my new EBs. I'm also going to plant a papaya tree in the clay container that you see in the center.I get a good six hours of sun there each day so all should do well. Probably will order three more EBs but that will have to wait till November as I had a very expensive October and it is only half over!

Forgot to mention that the melons are finished till next season but I have a fantastic variety of seed as the packages are marked for 08 and the distributor told me that I was fortunate to order now as the selection at this time is always available so order early if you want a specific variety....

This message was edited Oct 17, 2007 4:00 PM

Couldn't do any more gardening today as the weather is threatening and lightning down here is nothing to be fooled with especially in my case as we are in an open field and all alone and I make a good target. The skies just opened up and the rain is pouring down. Typical South Florida day but no lightning which is OK by me.

Pardon all that BBQ stuff in the garden but AT&T is supposed to replace a pole and we had to move everything into my garden to give them plenty of room. They were supposed to be here on the 15th but no show! Typical for them....

This message was edited Oct 17, 2007 4:10 PM

Love the pics, Tplant! I've got okra (the burgundy kind), mostly for looks, too. Although, my kids have just discovered they love gumbo, so maybe it'll be more practical than I had thought! I got more bean seeds for spring planting. I think they might be tendersweets too, I'll look forward to hearing about your experiences with them as they grow. Hey, at least they germinated, which is a big step beyond our experiences with the Blue Lake 274s this year!

The only bad (?) parts about your threads--you grow so many wonderful looking things in your EBs, I keep wanting to try more and more things in my own... I think I'm gonna need more boxes to try everything you make look so good! :)

TP - nice veggie pics.
Mine are going pretty good also. In addition to all the tomatos, I've got pole beans, bush beans, radishes, cukes, lettuce, sweet and hot peppers and some herbs.
Also, that picture of your dark sky is cool. My sky's been like that down here all afternoon. It's been lightning, thundering and pouring rain for several hours now and it's still raining pretty hard now.
When mine get a little bigger I'll post a pic or two.
Flip

Watch out Jill! It can be contangious but very rewarding and lots of fun!!!
Flip --- No lightning or thunder but lots of water. Sure hope Lake Okeechobee gets plenty of it. The water restrictions are a bummer and being as my son is a cop I have to set an example for the neighborhood. Ya never know who is watching? ( LOL) Never thought of lettuce? Hhhhmmmmm! Need more EBS for them? Only have twenty-two now...

Tplant everything looks so good. Your EBs are sure the way to go. Great growth on the maters. I planted mine around the same time and they are just starting to grow again. Yours looks great.

I am also growing lettuce, garlic, peppers, maters, squash 3 kinds and collards, carrots, and my dad is bringing me 50 strawberry plants next weekend. Have no idea what I am going to do with those. He bought 200 plants. crazy guy.

Is there anything special you do with your cucumbers? I can never get those these to grow. They always seem to catch something and die.

Michelle
Nice to see you back.

Michelle -- In addition to Spectricide Spray for molds etc. I also use Spray n Grow products. They are organic and though I am not 100% organic will use it if it works. I spray Spectricde every week and especially after a rain and high humidity. I have been getting beautiful cucumbers from four plants and it seems the more I pick the more I get. I'll take pictures of the next batch.
I too have had horrible results in the past with cukes and was about to give up on them this time but I'm not a quitter and always faced a challenge and decided to give it one more try. The Spectricide was purchased at Lowes. It comes pre mixed in a 20 oz or so plastic spray bottle and it really works as we have had hot, humid and wet weather down here but not enough to ease our drought restrictions.
I must spray again tomorrow with Spectricide because of our current weather conditions and the following day with Spray n Grow products. I have the growth formula and fertilizer plus the spray that makes it adhere to the plants. The seed "Diva" was also purchased at Lowes.

Paw,
You're looking good, as usual. Thanks for the updates.

Went out to look at my garden today and my stringbeans look kind of wimpy? They are not the blue lake but the Ferris beans. It may be the fertilizer that I used in this EB. I forgot that stringbeans provide their own nitrogen and I used a 15-30-15 Super Bloom formula as an experiment. It seems to have been to powerful. Guess I'll go back to 10-10-10 as they loved it last season. I have Festina beans on order and hope they arrive soon but I still have plenty of time for a new crop. I'll be working out back setting up my new white EBs today even though the seeds for them have not arrived but I'll be ready when they do!
Think I'll order three more...

Planted broccoli, peas and spinach yesterday before the downpours got me. Here in So. Fl. it does not just rain it pours and most time with not enough warning to take shelter. It will be cloudy for quite a while so you continue to work and then a torrential downpour soaking you to the skin. That is exactly what happened to me yesterday. Still waiting for more seed from Thompson & Morgan. They are slow to deliver.

I would love a torrential downpour, Tplant. It's day 60 with no real rain. Mandatory water restrictions have been enforced in my county. No rain, just a dryness I have never seen before in late October. It's warm too, no nip in the air, no frost. Even the trees look tired. Kindly send all your excess rain our way. Thanks.

By the way, your garden looks super !!

I set up the rest of my new white EBs this morning and will seed them when my seed order of celery and zuchinni arrives. I will also be using 20" clay and plastic containers as a comparison using the same lime and fertilizer. Figure I'll plant the zuchinni in pots and celery in one EB. Don't know what to plant in the remaining EB. Probably Pak Choy but I'll decide later on. Might plant another papaya in a clay container. Already planted the seed in one container next to my purple bouganvilla and triple palm trees. The palms are in a cluster so the papaya will look nice in that group plus the fact that there is nothing better than a refrigerated tree ripened papaya. My back felt a little tight awhile ago so I decided not to push it and knock off for the rest of the day. Normally I am outside from 8am till 5pm but not today. I know my limits and warning signs and do respect them as tomorrow is another day!

Paw,
I need an 8 to 5 job like yours....

Gymgirl ---- It will happen to you! All you have to do is work forty-five years, have an ulcer and heart attack and that's all there is to it...

Meanwhile it is off to the garden to do some more planting.

Finished all my veggie planting today except for some transplanting of some of my remaining tomato seedlings which are now ready for my EBs. I am pooped! Weather was just beautiful. A little windy but very low humidity, a clear blue sky with a few powder puffs for clouds which makes for a perfect So. Fl. day when I really enjoy gardening and am outside all day. Just a slight hint of our beautiful weather for the coming months. This is the time of year when I can grow most anything with few exceptions such as melons and corn which love heat. I'll take some pictures tomorrow.

My Brussell Sprouts are coming along just fine. Although our weather is still a little warm for them they are doing very well. I probably won't see any sprouts until March as they are a long growing plant before they have sprouts. At least five to six months but I'm in no hurry...

Along side of them are peas which are just beginning to sprout and broccoli next to the peas are also starting to sprout. All are cool weather crops and very common in Florida during our winter months (LOL) if you can call it that? In the next picture we will go around the corner.