sbernard
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:26 am
Location: New Delhi,India

lettuce,chinese cabbage,broccoli,fenugreek,mustard,parsley

Hi ,
can anyone guide me when to sow these veges in India(temp 34 degree c):

lettuce (great lakes)(grand rapids)
parsley(curled moss)
broccoli(F1)
mustard
fenugreek
Chinese


its monsoon here,temp will go down further from this month on .winter will start from december to february.
Medium that I use is cocopeat+soil+cow manure+vermicompost.also I put a handfull of neemcake+bone meal+agro after potting the plant.
Is this mix allright?

Also which of these veges can be transplanted and at which stage?

Hope I'll receive quick advise.

Thanks

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Need more information:

- When will it start cooling down to overnight temp of less than 20°C(about 68°F) and daytime temp of around 27°C(about 80°F)?
>> this is around when you can sow broccoli for fall crop IF there is enough time before frost

- Do you get frost? When? (this will determine when you can plant other things for fall)

- What is the average coldest winter temperature? (this will determine if/what you can plant for winter harvest)

Planning for spring...

- When does it start reaching 27°C(about 80°F) and warmer again?

- When does it start reaching 32°C(about 90°F)?

For seed starting, I would use cocopeat+soil+vermicompost and skip the manure. Seeds don't like too rich soil to germinate in. Uppot to richer soil after true leaves have grown.

sbernard
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Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:26 am
Location: New Delhi,India

thanx Applestar for the quick reply.
It is between 29 degree to 34 degree celcius these days here in delhi due to rainy season.we get frost in oct,nov.it will be around 14-19 in december,late december nd early january it goes down to -2 at times ,plus during this time there is fog,chilling cold,no sunlight.
what should bethe size of container/pots for green leafy veges mentioned in the above post.

can u also tell me when to transplant bell peppers?out of 4-5 seedlings 2 have survived and now r about 3inch tall.I have also observed they r growing at a very slow pace.even eggplants r showing slow growth.what could be the reason as they look healthy.they(bell ppper+eggplants) were sown in june which was one of hottest season 43degree cel.
when transplanting what should be the container/pot size in inches?
sorry Applestar for bothering u as the anxiety of the well being of my plants is giving me nightmares.hope u understand.

Thanks in advance.

sbernard
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Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:26 am
Location: New Delhi,India

Can anyone help me regarding the above querry please.

I'm waiting for advise and help. :(

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applestar
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Sorry I was hoping more people will jump in.
I would imagine that bell pepper variety sold in India would be better adapted to the heat, but my understanding of bell peppers is that they do not like extremes of heat or cold and grow best in 80's to 70's Fahrenheit. So it may just be too hot right now. What kind of direct sun are they getting right now? (or don't they, due to the rainy season?). They will probably be happier where you are most comfortable provided they get sufficient light.

If they are getting rained on all the time, then it may be that they are getting overwatered and would benefit from overhead cover.

3 inches is a variable term when describing seedlings. Please describe seedling size by how many true leaves. But if they have stopped growing, and they are in small cells/pots, it may help to Uppot them.

Will you be growing them in containers? Each pepper plant should ultimately get at least 12"-18" cubic space. Bigger would be better. People often use 5 gallon plastic buckets after drilling plenty of drainage holes in them. Here in the U.S. you can usually get them for free from grocery stores, bakeries, and deli sandwich shops. Plastic crates lined with burlap or coir would make good containers as well, though they dry out faster.

Eggplants need a lot of fertility. So give them a richer potting mix than peppers. They should be able to handle the hot weather, although even they might be defeated by 43°C -- I can't even imagine how hot that would be.... Some shade might help? Eggplants need larger containers than bell peppers.

IF you are not growing them in containers, I like to Uppot seedlings from their first small/shallower seed starting pots/flats to 6" deep containers for the next stage before actually planting them out. I sometimes use 4" containers fill to the top but I would plant them out earlier.

As regards the other crops you mentioned, I think you could start sowing lettuce, parsley and mustard around the same time when you would plant out the broccoli, then continue to succession sow every two weeks until about a month before first frost. Especially when they are small seedlings, they can survive frost as long as it doesn't freeze and you can protect them by providing some lightweight cover that is liftd up with support to not touch the leaves. Some varieties are more heat tolerant and some varieties are more frost tolerant. It's a good idea to get different varieties to suit the weather conditions.

I can't help you with fenugreek as I have never tried growing them.

sbernard
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:26 am
Location: New Delhi,India

Thanx Applestar.

Eggplants nd Bell peppers are potted in 6" pots saperately. some eggplants in 12" pot.they have already shed some of the leaves say 2 set of true leaves.however peppers still have 4 set of leaves on.
The plants when raining r kept in a patio,when sunny(direct sunlight) outside for atleast 3-4 hrs.

do u recommend starting the other greens in the by the end of october?
people do grow these veges here in India.

Anyways thanks again for the advise.

Berny

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applestar
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OK, we're looking at maybe not enough light if all they get are 3-4 hrs of direct sunlight. Can you manage at least 6 hrs of direct but not noonday sun or else at least 5 to 6 consecutive hours of gentler morning sun for peppers? I think more than 6 minimum -- at least 8 hrs -- would be better for the eggplants. Making use of reflected light from white/light colored walls/objects or even mirrors or Mylar covered screens/walls can provide extra light if necessary.

If noonday/hot afternoon sun is unavoidable, lattice or screen or openweave fabric shade may help. Avoid dark colored containers especially for peppers, or do something to shade the containers from the sun. I put all my container plants on the grass during the summer and the grass grows around the containers to keep the roots from overheating and mulches the area to keep the moisture in the soil a little bit longer. This works well except during drought -- then the grass steals all the moisture and the dried and cracking soil steals moisture out of the containers.

People who live in hotter summer/milder winter parts of the U.S. -- Texas, Florida, Southern California -- grow those greens in late fall through winter. You might start sowing them at beginning of October, maybe? It all depends on your climate.

In my case, I expect first light frost around mid- to late October, some heavier frosts by late to early November, but warmer weather too, through mid-November, and hard frost/ground freeze by mid- late November. But every year is different. I'll be starting to sow lettuce and Asian greens/mustards and spinach around mid-August to early September through beginning of October depending on the weather. I'll harvest the fall matured crop and hope to overwinter later sown crop with some protection.

snorkel4u
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Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:29 am
Location: Delhi, India

Hi sbernard,

I see you've arrived ;)

sbernard
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Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:26 am
Location: New Delhi,India

Hi Applestar n Snorlek4u,

Thanks applestar will follow ur advise while growing greens.

@snorkel4u,yeah my friend at last Ive joined the forum .hope to ill catch u here often .

TC



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