kustrud1
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New Here - First Garden 2 months in!

New here - first garden and so far so well but have some questions. I'll post some pics later today about my corn and a couple of vegetables I have some questions about. What's the easiest way to post pics?

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Meatburner
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One the home page, look in the "Introduce Yourself Please" and it will display a link to posting pictures. It also outlines how to put your location in your profile.

Oops, I meant this link: Tips for New Members & Posting Guidelines

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jal_ut
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About photos, it is best to use an online photo server. You upload your photos to the server then to use them on a forum you just need to paste in the link to the photo. Go to Photobucket.com and set up an account.

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rainbowgardener
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yes, you can upload photos directly from your computer, using the grey upload attachment button, but frequently it will tell you that your photo is too big (too many pixels, I guess?). So you end up having to upload it to somewhere like photobucket anyway.

kustrud1
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Thanks guys, here they are.

Tomatoes plants are growing great - had a hornworm infestation a few days ago but seem to be recovering now. Why are there no tomatoes though? Planted about 2 1/2 months ago from seeds. Green peppers, yellow peppers, and jalapenos seem to look OK - right haha? Corn, has been doing awesome (from seeds) and even have some husks now. Two days ago though started to get a little yellow so I watered it some more yesterday hoping to bring it back - this look normal? Okra - from seeds - looks great but out of all those plants only two okra so far. Lastly, recently planted watermelons and carrots from seeds that shot up quick! This is about two weeks in on those. Everything else is about 2 1/2 months old. Only things not from seeds are the jalapenos and peppers. I also planted some cucumbers from seed that grew like crazy but turned into round yellow balls so I ripped them out. Alright, give me your feedback! Sorry so long!

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kustrud1
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Nothing back now? Come on, need some help!

gumbo2176
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I'll give you a tutorial on okra if that helps. They are way too closely planted in that area. I generally keep mine 1 ft. apart in rows that are 3 ft. apart. My okra grows from late spring until I pull it, still producing, in early to mid September. By then, the plants are pushing 8 ft. tall and have stalks 2-3 inches across.

Once they start putting out okra, it is best to pick every day as the pods grow quickly and if they get too big, they tend to get stringy along the ribs, or raised portion of the pods. I like to pick mine in the 4-5 in. long range, and if using them for pickling, a bit shorter at 3-4 inches so make packing the jars easier.

Edited to add additional information.

Okra are very drought and heat tolerant, so they don't necessarily need to be watered as much as things like tomatoes, squash, cucumbers or peppers. They respond well to full sun----the more sun the better really. Once I read rainbowgardener's response, I realized I left off some pertinent information, especially about their love of sunlight. Mine grow in full sun all day long, and I'm in the deep south, so it is hot as hades here this time of year.
Last edited by gumbo2176 on Mon Jul 18, 2016 11:49 am, edited 2 times in total.

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rainbowgardener
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Tomato plants are not growing "great;" they are growing very tall and spindly, "leggy," because they are not getting enough sun, there against the wall. What direction is that wall facing?

I tried growing tomatoes in areas that were too shady. As you are seeing, the plants grew, but I got little to no tomato production from them.

Here's someone growing tomatoes on a balcony with not enough sun:
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note lack of leaves, long stem space between leaf nodes.

Here are healthy tomato plants:
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much leafier, little stem visible.

You don't want tall spindly tomato plants; you want short stocky ones.

kustrud1
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Alright, thanks for the feedback that helps a lot. That wall is facing NorthEast so really doesnt start getting sun until around 12 o 1, maybe later - I'll have to check. If I move them to the wall on the other side they will get the most sun. Also, seems like I have too many plants planted in that amount of space. Can I remove some and relocate them if I get the soil right in the new spot successfully?

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rainbowgardener
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Have you told us where you are located yet? There are hardly any garden questions that can be discussed without regard to location/ climate. It is relevant to the transplant question. Digging a plant up and moving it is quite possible, but is always a stress. If plants are already stressed by hot, dry weather, it is even harder to get them to survive the move.

If you want to try (if the other option is just composting the plants, why not try! :) ) dig the plant up with as much of the roots and surrounding soil as you can. Have the hole where they will be moved to already prepared, including filling it with water and letting it drain. Move the plant with root ball immediately to the new location. Fill in the hole, water well, pack the soil down a bit to fill in air pockets and water again. Keep the plant damp but not soggy all the time until it shows new growth.

Other plants should be planted at the same level they were. Tomato plants should always be buried a bit deeper than they were before.

kustrud1
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I am in Georgia, so it is hot!

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rainbowgardener
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I am in No. GA, so I know what you mean! :shock:

So not at all an easy time to be transplanting things. But if the alternative is composting, you could still try. Just understand that you will have to water the transplants every day until they are growing again.

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rainbowgardener
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I bumped in to this thread again and discovered that they healthy tomato plants image has disappeared. So I thought I would show another one:

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imafan26
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Most vegetables need at least 6 hours of sun and a rich soil improved with compost. A south facing garden is best. East facing if it gets really hot in the afternoons. It is good to get a soil test at least as a baseline. It will give you recommendations for fertilizer and amendments. The least expensive tests will be through your local extention office or master gardeners.

It is better to plant in an open space rather than against a house or fence wall. It is bad for the house to have so much water around the foundation and the wall will block some of the light.
Here is a link to vegetable garden spacing chart. you have to space plants to accommodate their full size. It looks sparse when they are small, but they will fill in.
https://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide/step02.cfm

This is the monthly garden calendar for Georgia
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/d ... umber=C943

Your garden will grow better if you take the time to plan and amend the garden first. If you use square foot garden guidelines, you can make the most of the space. I find SFG spacing a bit tight, but it is a good place to start.

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jal_ut
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Good to see you getting into gardening. It can be fun and rewarding. It can also be frustrating. Since the things we try to grow
are subject to the weather variables, and all manner of critters, bugs etc. it is never a given. We plant and tend and hope. Have fun!



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