Many questions about my garden.

[wolfenstien]

I will first start by apologizing if this turns out to be a book.
I tilled and planted a 10 x 25 piece in my back yard where I also have a small dog. The area is about a 2 feet from my fence that runs along the back side of my yard, and borders a large wooded area. I planted as follows:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+A A A A A A A A A D D F F D D M L K J+
+B B B B B B B A A D D F F D D D D D I+
+B B B B B B B A A D D F F D D D D D I+
+B B B B B B B A A D D F F D D D D D I+
+B B B B B B B A A D D F F D D D D D G+
+B B B B B B B A C D D F F D D D D D G+
+B B B B B B B A C D D F F D D D D D H+
+B B B B B B B A C D D F F D D D D D F+
+B B B B B B B C C D D F F D D D D D F+
+B B B B B B B C C D D F F D D D D D E+
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++


A: Pumpkin
B: Corn
C: Watermelon
D: Peas
E: Peppers
F: Cucumber
G: Squash
H: Zucchini
I: Cantaloupe
J: Strawberry
K: Cherry Tomato
L: Tomato
M: Tomato

And what has grown is:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+A X X X X X X X X X X X X X X M L K J+
+B X B B B X B X X X X X X X X X X X I+
+X B X X B B B A X X X X X X X X X X I+
+B X B B B B B A X X X X X X X X X X I+
+B B X X B X B A X X X X X X X X X X G+
+B B B X B X B A X X X X X X X X X X G+
+B B X B B B B A X X X X X X X X X X H+
+X B X B B B B A X X X X X X X X X X F+
+B X X B B B B C X X X X X X X X X X F+
+X B B B B X B C X X X X X X X X X X E+
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

X Would indicate area that did not grow.

Thus far, we have harvested 4 squash, and 2 Zucchini, 2 larger tomatoes, a large hand full of cherry tomatoes, one very small pumpkin (the stem dried up and broke away from the pumpkin as I was turning it last night. I also had the beginnings of a watermelon but it started to shrivel and turn black on its end so I broke her loose and discarded it.

I have have a few blooms on the pepper "bush" and three or four on the strawberry plant (of which looks like it is shrinking and disappearing on me), and several blooms on the pumpkin and watermelon but the blooms seem to last most of the day, shrivel up and die by night fall.

The corn seems to be doing ok, tho I don't know when to pick it, and I did pick two ears last night that were pointing downward instead of pointing upward, I shucked them and found that half the kernels were not developed.

Everything in my garden it turning yellowish then brown and dying. I have been told that I am missing a nutrient in the soil, so I got the miracle gro stuff and spray it on the garden and what has grown once a week with daily/semi daily waterings at night after sunset (unless it rains). the leaves are still turning yellow then brown on me. Now, I did allow the weeds to grow up through out the garden, would this be a major cause of the garden not growing and killing what has grown?

How and what should I do here to help it thrive? Should I just burn it all and forget about it? No? Didnt think so... So what do I do here... it is a bit late to weed it out, it is in there thick... the pumpkin and watermelon I was able to direct away from the corn into the area the peas would have sprouted, and the cantaloupe and cucumber into the same direction as well to keep them from running over and choking the zucchini or anything else.

I was able to manage to keep the weeds away from the tomato plants, but they seem to have a problem of their own. The larger tomatoes do not want to ripen, they just sit there green. Growing for over a month, I have had two ripen for me. The cherry tomatoes will ripen (and they are very tasty) but I have a problem with worms (?) boring holes in them and having to throw away over half of them. I find them on the ground and on the bush with holes in them. Anything I can do about this?

The garden is in the sun all day long from about an hour after sun up to about an hour before sunset.

How do I know when it is time to harvest the corn?

I have not caught him doing it, but would the dog urinating in and on the garden hurt it any? How about rabbits? I know I have many rabbits in the woods and they come into the yard to eat my grass.

Any and all help is appreciated! Thanks

[NewjerseyTea]

Hi wolfenstein,
Besides tilling how did you prepare the vegetable bed ? Did you add compost and composted manure? Have you been watering and feeding regularly with a seaweed/fish emulsion fertilizer? Most vegetables are very heavy feeders and need large amounts of water. Mulching between rows can help keep the weeds down and the soil moist.

The dog urine will kill plants and make your vegetables inedible. Fencing the area would help keep the dog out. It can be one of those cheap folding portable 3' tall big box store fences. Just make sure, if you have a male dog, you place the fencing far enough outside the garden to protect it properly . Fencing will help with the rabbit damage also.

[cynthia_h]

Welcome to The Helpful Gardener.

I can address a few of your points:

--The dog will not urinate in such a formal pattern. It's most likely not his fault.

--The peas didn't come up. They prefer cool weather, unlike tomatoes. Peas want to be planted very early and are usually done by June.

--No idea about the cucumbers, unless these seeds were very tasty to small thieves (birds, mice).

--Weeds will rob your veggies of water and other nutrients. But they won't kill the plants in the way you've described; they just contribute to poor growth in general.

--If your soil is lacking in organic matter, no amount of fertilizer will make up for it. The water retention will be poor and water penetration likewise. Solution: start making compost to add to the soil. Compost should be ready for late fall/early spring. Many people like to add mulch as well. I personally don't, because what's available to me is chipped wood from the city, and most veggies don't like the acidic byproducts of wood breakdown.

--The random corn/watermelon/other veggies that didn't grow could also have been due to birds, mice, or other small critters taking the seeds. Also, if the seeds *did* sprout roots but then went dry, that would have been it for the year for those particular seeds.

--If someone has told you that you're missing "a nutrient," a soil test will help narrow this down. Compost will also help, so long as it's from many sources (in other words, "composted steer manure" will probably NOT help, as it has only one source)--your own will be the best.

If you're within easy distance of an independent garden-supply store or plant nursery (NOT a big box store like Home Despot or Lowe's, etc.), the staff will be knowledgeable about local growing conditions. They'll be able to make locally-relevant recommendations. A real PLUS to them if they talk about building your soil rather than applying prescription-type "fixes" to the veggies.

Good luck! and happy gardening.

Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17

[Roger]

" A general guideline to harvesting your corn - when the silk on the ear begins to turn very dark, almost black, it is approaching ripeness. You'll have to squeeze the ear; it should be firm, but slightly yielding to pressure. There is a window of peak freshness of about ten days around this time when the corn is best. If they continue growing, they get harder and harder, to the point where the ear is no longer soft and the kernels begin developing a very thick outer 'hull'. "

Or so they say. Personally, I can hardly tell by feel ; I end up having to pick and shuck one or two every couple of days and see for myself. The darkening & wilting tassles are a good sign though that they are begining to get ready to harvest. You want to pick them before the kernels begin making a little dimple atop their crown.

[wolfenstien]

Hi wolfenstein,
Besides tilling how did you prepare the vegetable bed ? Did you add compost and composted manure? Have you been watering and feeding regularly with a seaweed/fish emulsion fertilizer? Most vegetables are very heavy feeders and need large amounts of water. Mulching between rows can help keep the weeds down and the soil moist.

The dog urine will kill plants and make your vegetables inedible. Fencing the area would help keep the dog out. It can be one of those cheap folding portable 3' tall big box store fences. Just make sure, if you have a male dog, you place the fencing far enough outside the garden to protect it properly . Fencing will help with the rabbit damage also.

I didnt do anything to prep the soil before planting. I didnt know I needed to do anything, and I figured that nothing had been planted there or grown there probably since the house was built in 1965. As a kid I remember being told about alternating crops and moving them from year to year to allow the earth replenish itself. No one ever told me I needed to do anything to the soil to prep it other than till it.
I was also told not to use mulch because of the same reasons Cynthia mentions below.

Welcome to The Helpful Gardener.

I can address a few of your points:

--The dog will not urinate in such a formal pattern. It's most likely not his fault.

--The peas didn't come up. They prefer cool weather, unlike tomatoes. Peas want to be planted very early and are usually done by June.

--No idea about the cucumbers, unless these seeds were very tasty to small thieves (birds, mice).

--Weeds will rob your veggies of water and other nutrients. But they won't kill the plants in the way you've described; they just contribute to poor growth in general.

--If your soil is lacking in organic matter, no amount of fertilizer will make up for it. The water retention will be poor and water penetration likewise. Solution: start making compost to add to the soil. Compost should be ready for late fall/early spring. Many people like to add mulch as well. I personally don't, because what's available to me is chipped wood from the city, and most veggies don't like the acidic byproducts of wood breakdown.

--The random corn/watermelon/other veggies that didn't grow could also have been due to birds, mice, or other small critters taking the seeds. Also, if the seeds *did* sprout roots but then went dry, that would have been it for the year for those particular seeds.

--If someone has told you that you're missing "a nutrient," a soil test will help narrow this down. Compost will also help, so long as it's from many sources (in other words, "composted steer manure" will probably NOT help, as it has only one source)--your own will be the best.

If you're within easy distance of an independent garden-supply store or plant nursery (NOT a big box store like Home Despot or Lowe's, etc.), the staff will be knowledgeable about local growing conditions. They'll be able to make locally-relevant recommendations. A real PLUS to them if they talk about building your soil rather than applying prescription-type "fixes" to the veggies.

Good luck! and happy gardening.

Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17

I have a Local garden place that I have went to a few times, but I really don't get a good feel from the folks there that I have talked to. They either seem to be bothered with me asking "stupid" questions and they answer way over my head, or they have no clue...
As for a compost... I again have no clue... I will be checking out the compost forum and trying to learn how to get one started. My biggest thing about a compost dump is the rodents and other unwanted scavengers.

" A general guideline to harvesting your corn - when the silk on the ear begins to turn very dark, almost black, it is approaching ripeness. You'll have to squeeze the ear; it should be firm, but slightly yielding to pressure. There is a window of peak freshness of about ten days around this time when the corn is best. If they continue growing, they get harder and harder, to the point where the ear is no longer soft and the kernels begin developing a very thick outer 'hull'. "

Or so they say. Personally, I can hardly tell by feel ; I end up having to pick and shuck one or two every couple of days and see for myself. The darkening & wilting tassles are a good sign though that they are begining to get ready to harvest. You want to pick them before the kernels begin making a little dimple atop their crown.

Thank you Roger. I have two strains.... one produces yellow silk, the other white silk.... will both turn black when ripe?They are all turning brown right now....
Also, what would cause the ears to start to point to the ground? I have a few that have started pointing towards the ground instead of the sky.

Thanks for the replies,
Mike

[JennyC]

--The peas didn't come up. They prefer cool weather, unlike tomatoes. Peas want to be planted very early and are usually done by June.

Depends on the kind of pea, though. I've learned to specify on the boards here, but in general, when I say "pea" I mean blackeyed peas or some other variety of field pea, which should do well in the heat. When I mean early peas/ garden peas, I say "English peas." That's a Southern thing, I think.

For the holes in tomates, go out at dawn or dusk (or do what I did and go out at 11 at night with a flashlight). Look up and down your tomatoes and when you find big, fat, green caterpillars bigger than you ever knew caterpillars could be, squish 'em (I throw on the ground and stomp; they splash!) These guys are tomato hornworms -- a Google image search may help. I bet that's what you have Holes about 1/4 - 1/2 inch in diameter? They don't like the heat, so they eat your tomatoes at night. If you happen to find one covered in white lumps on its back, leave that one alone; it has the larvae of a parasitic wasp which will soon take care of that hornworm plus any you miss. Look for one worm per plant, maybe less.

Adding more organic matter to the soil next time you turn it will help more than anything else.

[wolfenstien]

Jenny, where in NW Georgia are you? Technically I am in NW Ga too.... I am just over the state line in Ga from Tennessee.... I can spit into Tennessee from my back yard.... Do you have any specific soil issues where you are?

[Jess]

Hi Mike.

Just looking at the areas that have become crosses on your plan. Thought I would go with the first thing that came into my head. The crosses are in the centre (mainly) of your planting. Is that the hottest area? Are the edges more shaded? Does the sun rise on the left and set on the right? Or perhaps the other way round?

If your soil has not had anything added to it in years chances are it compacts very easily. This would mean that the soil will look dry and cracked on the surface but be wet underneath. This would account for the yellowing of your plants. It is not that you are watering too much but that the water does not drain through. This is why you need to add organic matter...compost...It not only feeds the soil but also opens it up allowing water to move freely through and not collect, which is what you need for a good crop.
The edges would have some shade and therefore (I am guessing) you would not have watered as much as the top of the soil still looked damp.

I have been told that I am missing a nutrient in the soil, so I got the miracle gro stuff and spray it on the garden and what has grown once a week with daily/semi daily waterings at night after sunset (unless it rains). the leaves are still turning yellow then brown on me

I would doubt you are missing just the one nutrient but many. Miracle grow will only temporarily solve the problem, as you have now found out. Organic matter should solve all your nutrient problems as long as it is well balanced. If you cannot make your own in time for next year then I would buy some in.
I could be completely wrong of course but those were my thoughts.

[JennyC]

Mike, I'm about 45 miles out of Chattanooga. We have good topsoil in the garden, but it slopes and the topsoil is only thick at the very top of the garden (probably the most improved by the former residents). Below that is clay hardpan "augmented" with many rocks and other remains of an old refuse heap or maybe an older homeplace -- we keep getting pieces of glass and pottery. I've not tested the soil, so I don't know the nutrient content. I assume it's fairly basic; we're sitting on limestone, and my hydrageas are blue.

We're amended heavily with aged manure, and I should have good compost next year. We'll also plant a cover crop this winter, soybeans if I can get them, clover if I can't -- either will fix nitrogen in the soil.

But, probably thanks to the manure, I can say I've had no nutrient problems except the tomatoes have some blossom end rot, which is more my fault for not watering during a dry spell a they were setting fruit. The plants can't take up calcium if they lack water. I've added calcium and helped the newer tomatoes.

[petalfuzz]

Good luck with your garden! The good news is that you've got a long time to read up before next spring. Check out your local library and read your way through the gardening section. Wealth of knowledge for the best garden with good, ammended soil too.