6shooter
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Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 10:45 pm
Location: Just North of Atl. GA.

Problems: Carrots, Spinach,Lettuce and Peppers.

Please read through as I have multiple problems going on here. :(

I have several small planters on my porch with the following "growing"

Basil
Rosemary
Lettuce (Not head)
Spinach
Jalapeño Peppers
Habanero Peppers
Carrots

Basil is growing great. Several harvests.
Rosemary also doing well.

Lettuce - Grew up in a sad stalks with few broad leaves that never really filled in.

Spinach - Sprouts were coming in well and 2 days later all sprouts but 1 died. The sole survivor never got over 3" tall and has only 4 small (pea sized) leaves.

Jalapeño - Plant grew into two "stalks" each stalk grew only 1 pepper. One of the stalks has a 2nd pepper, but it has been 1/16" for over 1.5 months now

Habanero - Plant looks great, but only 1 pepper which has now ripened into a lovely orange. Several more spurts of flowering has occurred, but each flower stalk turns yellow and dies :(

Carrots - Nice greens growing 6+" tall, but no sign of 'carrot' peeking through the ground, so today I dug one up. The root went down about 3" in a sad white strand. No sign of carrot development.


Any tips on what I did so wrong here? All have been watered regularly, and fed "Miracle Grow" for veggies.

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

It would help to know more, like what has your weather been like and what kind of sun exposure do your plants get on your porch.. usually there is no way that there's going to be full sun on a porch, because the house is behind them. It's just not the best situation for growing veggies. Also how big were the containers? Pictures always help.

But off the top of my head without knowing any more, if you were expecting to be harvesting spinach and lettuce now, you planted them at the wrong time. They are cool weather crops, that do not like heat. I just planted some now to have for fall, but being so far south it's too early yet for you. Try planting some more spinach and lettuce seeds after the first of Sept, they should do a lot better.

All of the rest of what you planted really likes full sun. The rosemary is adaptable that way, but I'm surprised you basil did so well. But there's no way you are going to get peppers without full sun. Move the containers off the porch out into the sun (except when you redo the lettuce and spinach which does not like hot southern sun) and see if things do better.

You said "small containers." Your peppers want to be in big containers, so when you are moving them, you might repot into bigger containers.

Hope this helps. If you don't think any of this is it, write back with more info and pics...

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kimbledawn
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Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:18 am
Location: Memphis

I kinda planted like you, everything at the same time and I had the same types of problems. One of my problems was that I was feeding everyone the same way. With your peppers, when they are mature, you want to lower the nitrogen so they will set and grow fruit so what you give them should be high in P and K and low in N or you should stopp all fertilizer and just water the peppers. Your spinach and lettuce is the opposite because you want lots of leaf growth. Put the lettuce and spinach in a shadier or cooler part of your porch and they may grow a little now. For you carrots I cant say much because my carrotts aren't big either. I just know You don't want too much nitrigen because that would encourage more top growth and not much root growth.

6shooter
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Posts: 6
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 10:45 pm
Location: Just North of Atl. GA.

rainbowgardener wrote:It would help to know more, like what has your weather been like and what kind of sun exposure do your plants get on your porch..
Weather's been fairly warm 85-90 ish
Lettuce/Spinace pots are pushed in a corner where they only get about 1 hr of sun, per advice I got earlier. The rest of the plants get about 3-4 hours.
Also how big were the containers? Pictures always help.
The peppers/carrots are in this:
https://www.shoplet.com/office/db/RHP5337CYL.html

The rest of the plants are in something like this:
https://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/elho-algarve-trough-with-saucer-75cm-green.html
But off the top of my head without knowing any more, if you were expecting to be harvesting spinach and lettuce now, you planted them at the wrong time. They are cool weather crops, that do not like heat.
I shouldn't have trusted the Home Depot guy.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Well 3-4 hrs sun is not enough for your peppers and carrots and it's way too hot for your spinach and lettuce. Like I said plant some more spinach and lettuce seeds in Sept and they will do much better.

Your storage box is big enough for say two or three pepper plants or a couple short rows of carrots. I'm having trouble visiualizing the dimensions, since it just gave gallon capacity. 28 gallons is lots of soil, but surface area matters too, re how close together your plants are. But drainage is an issue (you did of course make lots of holes in the bottom!?) Even with holes added something like that can tend to hold moisture. Did you put a layer of gravel or broken clay pots or something in the bottom for drainage?

You are right about not trusting staff at big box stores. They are not trained or knowledgeable about gardening. It's why it's a good thing to support our friendly local nurseries where there are knowledgeable staff.

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pharmerphil
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Posts: 158
Joined: Sat May 02, 2009 7:13 am
Location: Minnesota

trusting the Home Depot guy was your biggest mistake...
:lol:
Generally speaking, root crops and leaf crops can tolerate partial shade, but vegetables grown for their fruits(I.e. peppers/tomatoes, etc.) need at least 5-6 hours of full/direct sunlight each day, with 8 to 10 hours being preferred.
Rainbow gardener is correct, this time of year, even where we live, is very hot for a crop of lettuce or spinach, the spinach we do grow, but takes a close watch to harvest the leaves before the plants "bolt"
Lettuce, we have a fresh planting, doing well, But, it gets Afternoon sun only, and that's about 5 hours worth..

Here is a link to a VERY good chart with light, container requirements for all crops grown in containers...Enjoy, and I hope this helps..(Chart is at bottom of page)
[url=https://pharmerphil.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=planning]Container Plant Requirements[/url]

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somegeek
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Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:51 am
Location: Vancouver, WA - zone 8a/b

6shooter wrote:Jalapeño - Plant grew into two "stalks" each stalk grew only 1 pepper. One of the stalks has a 2nd pepper, but it has been 1/16" for over 1.5 months now
I had a plant stall for a few months without any peppers and then just take off about a month back and it's loaded up now. Odd though that you have a few peppers stalled. Peppers like dry feet. How are you watering it?

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Diane
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Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:38 am
Location: Mass

Peppers are fussy and difficult for me. That said, I picked the first three little (slow) jalapenos and then I picked three much larger and faster growing peppers.
I have a bunch growing now.
I always pick when something is taking too long. We have a short season and I can't wait it out. It's worked so far.



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