joe6pack
08-22-2006, 01:20 AM
This spring I built into the side of a slope in my back yard a garden. I used pressure treated 4"x6" to build the frame and dug it into the slope. The end result is a 10' by 6' raised bed. I turned the grass and soil in there. Then we added dolomite lime, a bale of peat, and 12" of really nice screened topsoil and composted manure - just wonderful organic stuff. Plenty of earthworms were already in the top soil and they found the bed full of organics matter to be a welcome home, I can hardly dig a trowel without finding pulling up a worm :)
My garden is located around 43 degrees north latitude. I get direct sun from 7:30 am until 3:30pm.
So we planted a bunch of tomatoes, brandywine, beafsteak, grape, cherry, and something else. Planted some cucumbers with a trellis. Planted some peppers, bannana, jalepeno, bell, and choco bell. Planted herbs thyme, thai basil, oregono, sage, rosemary, tarragon, parsley, chives, and a but load of sweet italian basil.
Unfortunately due to the deluge of rain we had this spring around the beggining of June these plants did not go in until second weekend of june (6/10) and some later.
I fed my plants alaskan fish emulsion every three weeks folair and in the soil - rest of time just watered as needed.
I provided trellis supports for my tomatoes and prunned appropriately.
Bugs ate my basil and pepper plants - I tried to safers soap as that was all I was willing to use on my veggies.
We had a sudden attack of horned tomato worms, 6 total were found each 4" long and as thick as my thumb. We picked them off and drowned them in a bucket.
For the most part things have grown incredibly well and pests have not been a problem.
So now my tomato plants are 6' tall now and flopping all over the place over the top of the trellises. I have tons of tomatos but they're all still green. Not a single ripe red one.
We got a few cucumbers so far.
No bell peppers and a few bannana peppers.
Seems like things are gonna come to the end of summer and stuff will be finally becoming ripe.
It seems like the plants went crazy and grew alot vegatatively before going into flower and fruit production.
So a couple questions to you gardeners out there...
1. have you been experiencing similar lateness in your veggies this year? Is this related to the unusual weather many places have recieved (really wet spring, then really hot early summer, then cooler mid-late-summer)
2. Was this caused soley by the late planting? generally they say plant by memorial day weekend or the week before in my area.
3. is there an issue with my soil (like too much N) that may be behind the late fruiting?
3.b. Should I work in some bone meal or other organic additive into the soil this fall? What organic amendments are recommended?
3.c. Should I give them a feeding of some hydro flower nutrients that I normally use for cannabis in flower?
3. I'm really disappointed in my peppers - they went in especially late (6/24) and did not get too big - now unfortunately they've been shaded by the tomatos and attacked by runners from the cucumbers.
4. what do y'all use to combat bugs that is organic and friendly?
I tried to get some marigolds going as I know they're good companion plants. I've also used garlic in the past. What do people recommend for sprays - I've heard hot pepper water and garlic.
-joe
p.s. - some day I wish I was free to grow a couple nice ganja plants in this garden, but for now that will be just a dream.
My garden is located around 43 degrees north latitude. I get direct sun from 7:30 am until 3:30pm.
So we planted a bunch of tomatoes, brandywine, beafsteak, grape, cherry, and something else. Planted some cucumbers with a trellis. Planted some peppers, bannana, jalepeno, bell, and choco bell. Planted herbs thyme, thai basil, oregono, sage, rosemary, tarragon, parsley, chives, and a but load of sweet italian basil.
Unfortunately due to the deluge of rain we had this spring around the beggining of June these plants did not go in until second weekend of june (6/10) and some later.
I fed my plants alaskan fish emulsion every three weeks folair and in the soil - rest of time just watered as needed.
I provided trellis supports for my tomatoes and prunned appropriately.
Bugs ate my basil and pepper plants - I tried to safers soap as that was all I was willing to use on my veggies.
We had a sudden attack of horned tomato worms, 6 total were found each 4" long and as thick as my thumb. We picked them off and drowned them in a bucket.
For the most part things have grown incredibly well and pests have not been a problem.
So now my tomato plants are 6' tall now and flopping all over the place over the top of the trellises. I have tons of tomatos but they're all still green. Not a single ripe red one.
We got a few cucumbers so far.
No bell peppers and a few bannana peppers.
Seems like things are gonna come to the end of summer and stuff will be finally becoming ripe.
It seems like the plants went crazy and grew alot vegatatively before going into flower and fruit production.
So a couple questions to you gardeners out there...
1. have you been experiencing similar lateness in your veggies this year? Is this related to the unusual weather many places have recieved (really wet spring, then really hot early summer, then cooler mid-late-summer)
2. Was this caused soley by the late planting? generally they say plant by memorial day weekend or the week before in my area.
3. is there an issue with my soil (like too much N) that may be behind the late fruiting?
3.b. Should I work in some bone meal or other organic additive into the soil this fall? What organic amendments are recommended?
3.c. Should I give them a feeding of some hydro flower nutrients that I normally use for cannabis in flower?
3. I'm really disappointed in my peppers - they went in especially late (6/24) and did not get too big - now unfortunately they've been shaded by the tomatos and attacked by runners from the cucumbers.
4. what do y'all use to combat bugs that is organic and friendly?
I tried to get some marigolds going as I know they're good companion plants. I've also used garlic in the past. What do people recommend for sprays - I've heard hot pepper water and garlic.
-joe
p.s. - some day I wish I was free to grow a couple nice ganja plants in this garden, but for now that will be just a dream.