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EEK! Where? When? How tall? How much? How deep? Is it Friday?? How do I plant my VEGGIES??? Helllllllllllp!

Never fear, for I am near... I've got your list right over here!

(From that guy they call The Garden Helper)

what type of soil do i need to start my veggie seed in i want to start them indoors

Sandy, your starting kind of late. I believe people who started inside under lights started theirs in Feb or march the latest. You would be better off planting most of your veg's directly into the soil now. You will most probably have to buy tomatoe plants at the nursery. You don't say where you are, what zone?
joyce

I read in a gardening magazine that you can make a mixture of 1 tbsp epsom salts to 1/2 gal water and pour 1/2 on each tomato, gr pepper, zucchini, cuc etc plant just as the blooms begin to appear.

It is supposed to encourgage fruit formation.

Does anyone know.....do you just do this once in the beginning or every 2-3 weeks as more blooms appear?

Although I claim to be no expert from what I have read I would think this would be a one time application as it would effect the salt level in your soil. However I supposed that all depends on how often and how much you water. I will do some research and see what I can find out.

Here I am again but this time I have done the research and have come up with an answer for you. It's amazing what simple searches will do for you! You were correct about the 2-3 week rule. It applies to epsom salt method as well. There are people who use this on every type plant in their yard. The forum I found was very helpful and very informational as well. Most prefer a method of dissolving the salt in water and then doing the application but there were people who have used the straight salt sprinkled around the root of the plants and then watering well. The information said that the salt doesnt effect the pH of the soil either, so in that case I was wrong as I often am. I hope this has helped and I am not getting to you a day late and a dollar short.

Thanks, Garden Helper!

rosiegirl, thanks for informative posts! :)

Hi Sandy, though others are stating that you are late in planting your seed beds indoors, I'm in a zone 4 to 6 and I always begin my tomatoes now, the mid to end of March.
I'll be starting my Okra and my cucumbers now also. I don't begin my sweet green peppers until mid April.
All my indoor started plants go outdoors at the same time, end of May to the first week of June.
By October, I'm harvesting all.

I have always found that wether I plant indoors in March, our directly outdoors in late May, all plants seem to catch up to each other. But, it saves me money on having to buy the actual plant late in May rather than having my own plants ready for the garden, grown indoors for a few months.

I use peat pots and pellets to germ my seeds in. In flats. Covered with a clear dome. Under full spectrum lighting.

Peat and a rich soil are what works best for me.

'Good luck and just have fun!!!

cece! we've missed you!

Hi cece good to see you.

In your area I think it is a great time to start indoors.

I'm late this year but we've had a very cold season so far so I'll still be starting indoors rather than outdoors.

I just use miracle gro potting soil. The starter potting soil are all to dry for me.

Here is a question for everyone.. What is the best thing I could add to my veggie garden area prior to putting in my plants? I have my seedlings started inside and still have about 4 - 6 weeks before I put them out. I believe the area I selected for our garden has pretty decent soil. I am able to easily step on the shovel and it goes 8 inches deep without any problems. When I pull up a shovel full of soil it is loosely compacted and easily breaks up when I hit it with said shovel. So with stating that, am I correct in thinking this is decent soil and is there anything I should or could add to make it better? Thanks all!!

Rotted cow manure if you have some.
Or Miracle gro for sure.
Or compose......

Water..

thanks for your info,it is so helpful to me.



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Sounds good daniel. I'd advise a soil test, but the "tilth" or texture sounds perfect as long as pH and nutrients are acceptable. You'll know if there are problems within a week or two of planting, but a soil test is always a good thing. Your County Extension Agency will do a test for cheap.

I am wanting to try and grow peaches & cream sweet corn in my garden this year.
Last time I tried was 15-16 yr's ago and got that black fungus in the ears.
Anyone have any good ideas for me to use when trying this again? I am in IL.
and according to all I read I guess zone 3.Thanks to any helpful hints with this
I am planning to plant beginning of May so a little over a week,the only fertilizer that I use is Miracle-Gro other then that nothing no pesticides on
anything because my grandkids love to help in the garden and some times they
pick and eat it right then and there,so I play it safe for them so that they
will not get sick..But please any help on how to grow this corn safe and
hopefully no fugus would love to hear from ya!

Hi and welcome..

The main reason for corn fungus is usually too much nitrogen in your soil..but some fungus are air born it seems...high heat and humidity seem to be the time you'll see it start.

I plant corn..peaches and cream also. I just make my drills in a block pattern so that pollination is easier, I plant 4 small rows next to each other.

To help prevent fungus, make sure you have good space..don't over crowd your plants and check to see if you can buy treated seed..the seeds will be pink.

Thank you again tamara For answering me and welcoming me!Yes my seeds are pink
and my garden is plunty big 100 ft. wide by 60 ft. deep.May I ask what you mean
by a block pattern? I grow alot of things but like I said corn has been a while.
I did read up on it and saw nothing about fungus worries with peaches and cream
corn.How close do you plant your rows.Mine will be 100' each and I was planning
2 to 3 rows (it did say to plant atleast 2 rows for good pollination)but I do
not know what you mean by the block pattern?!

Your better to do 50 feet and 4 rows...takes up the same amount of space as 100 ft by 2 rows but gives better pollination....block pattern means to try keep it more square with more rows than planting long rows.

I find the 4 row or more method gives better corn.

Here's a couple of links you might like to read.

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/vegtips.html

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/topic/67/1768.html

Me again tamara I was talking with my husband and was wondering if you mean by
block pattern that the rows are the same long as they are wide? So the space
would be a 5'X5'area etc.?If that is what you mean then I have to rethink how
I would do this because that would be my whole garden.LOL!!!I grow many veggies
and fruits so do not want to take it all for corn..I mean we all love corn on the cob but other things too.

OK I see that you did answer me before I asked this and Thank you!Great idea
and will try it.My husband said that he heard that it also can help in high
windy area's also..Thank You for the links also I will use them.

I too live in Illinois and I do not think you are in zone 3, but then I could be wrong (for sure) Believe me I have been known to be wrong.

I too begin planting plants the first part of May, and I am in zone 6.


Below is the zone map from here (the garden helper). Once on the link, click on your general area and it will become larger for you so that you can see it better.


http://www.thegardenhelper.com/hardiness.htm

Junigirl
When did you move out of zone 6?
Or were you dividing it in half to get there quicker?

no dodge, I did not move out of zone 6.
I said I did live in zone 6 the other person said they thought they lived in zone 3 and since they live in Illinois also I thought they might be confused.

I will have to go and see what I did write after all, won't I???

I intend to try Mint and Rosemary for this Summer. Does anyone have any recommendation for this? Do you have any experiment with planting Mint and Rosemary?
Share it with me and thank you for your help

I have no experience with Rosemary but I do with mint.
It is VERY invasive.
so my advice would be to either plant it where you don't mind if it spreads OR to plant it in a big pot & also if you like you can bury the pot, so it looks like it is part of the garden.

I read one could do that once. The theory was with it being in the pot it will not spread any further than the area of the pot. I will say that I have not ever tried it. I wish you luck.

Rosemary needs to be left alone. Don't water or care for it like you would any other plant. The more it is ignored the happier it gets. It like full sun.

Mint needs to be grown from a cutting not from seed. They don't grow true from seed.

Rodents don't like mint so planting it around your building foundations is a nice natural repellant. It is invasive but considering that it takes two cups of the leaves packed to make one jar of jelly I use a bunch. It can take being planted underneath your outdoor water spigot.

Good luck with your plants. Oh also, I find the rosemary that is more like a ground cover than an evergreen bush works better for me.

I'll drink to that.

I got so much mint in the cowpasture, all started from one stalk at my sis house.

It is very invasive.

dodge

yep my friend was moving & askled me if I wanted some form her yard. she broguth me over 4 small single stalked plants. Inside of a year I had an area 4 feet by 2-1/2 feet full. Then it was a job keeping it in that space afterward.

Yep.

And it gets worse. Might have to use roundup to stop the invasion. Hd was going to an forgot.

b

what type of soil must i use to grow tomatoes??

Welcome, dionisis. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and love a lot of good well rotted compost.

Thats because of the high Magnesium content in Epsom salt.

hi
how many cantaloupe plants would you recommend to plant on a 4 foot wide by 6 foot high trellis ? .I've never trust any melons before and don't know the species requires