Outdoor

Powdery mildew

Jenni — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 05:54:55 +0000

Powdery mildew Jenni Thu, 07/28/2016 - 22:54

Powdery mildew is a problem for me every year. I live in an apartment that runs their sprinklers several times throughout the night from about 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Since these run at night when it's cool, it never fails that mildew starts to grow. Not to mention that it never fails that we get rainy days that are cool.

I've tried just about everything over the years. Several people mentioned Neem Oil, so I finally picked some up at the store recently when I found it on sale. I mixed up some and put it in a spray bottle and went to work. I gave everything that had mildew on them a good spraying and everything else that could get mildew got a light spray. And then I waited to see what happened.

A week later and there was maybe 30% the amount of mildew on the leaves as there had been previously. I was so excited, as some of the leaves were just completely white and fuzzy. I've got to do another spraying, as the bottle recommended every week until it's cleared up and every 14 days to help prevent mildew.

Hopefully within a few weeks the plants will all nice and healthy again. Having this mildew on it makes it hard for the plant to photosynthesize, and it can die.

Topic

Rain, rain, rain

Jenni — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 05:38:02 +0000

Rain, rain, rain Jenni Fri, 06/17/2016 - 22:38

I haven't posted much lately because it's just been rainy, rainy, rainy. Lots of rain. Even some hail and thunderstorms. Thankfully the hail was smaller and my plants a good size, as early in the season that could have decimated the garden.

I'm noticing a lot of pale leaves and yellow leaves across plants. This is because when you get this amount of rain it washes much of the nutrients out of your garden, especially if you are container gardening. After you've had a lot of rain it is very important to make sure you feed your plants and make up for the nutrition they lost from all the rain. I'll do my usual weekly treatment, but will also likely do some fish fertilizer and Epsom salts to make up for what they lost.

Topic

Outdoor

Rain

Weather

So hot!

Jenni — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 05:50:54 +0000

So hot! Jenni Sat, 06/04/2016 - 22:50

It is so hot here this weekend. Normally in June this area of Oregon should average about 78° for the high. This weekend we're expected to hit 100°+. With it being so hot, you've got to be certain to take care of your plants so that they make it through such high temps. That is especially true if you go from lower temperatures to really high ones like we've done (we were in the 60s).

If you're growing in pots, you may find you need to water multiple times throughout the day. I try to water in the morning, check them in the afternoon (water if necessary), and then give them another watering in the evening. Typically if you've gotten that hot, you're also going to be hot at night and the plants will need more water to get them through the day and night than normal.

If you can, think about setting up a sprinkler hose, soaker hose, etc through your garden. I picked up two 50' hoses last night to do exactly that, but realized with my back limitations that I can't do it on my own. So my husband will have to help me later tonight or tomorrow morning to hook it up. This allows for a constant trickle of water to your plants. This will better help them get through the hot days than just a bunch of water once or twice a day. A sprinkler hose has little holes in it that can either be directed down to the ground or allowed to spray things. A soaker hose is made of a porous material that allows the water to seep through.

Another thing you might want to do if your plants are in containers is move anything that isn't ready for all that heat and sun into the shade. I planted my cucumbers a week ago, but they are not ready for all of this. As such, we moved the containers onto the patio where they will get more shade.

When watering, try not to get too much water on the leaves. While it may evaporate quickly, it can also act like a magnifying glass on your leaves while it's still there, burning the leaves.

If you have plants like lettuce, broccoli, spinach, etc, don't be surprised if they bolt in the heat. My lettuce was big and fat and now suddenly because of all the heat it is bolting. This is the process where the plant puts up a shoot that will have the flowers and seeds in it. It's also referred to as going to seed. You can try to delay this process by keeping them shaded, but once the process starts your plants likely don't have a lot longer.

If you're in an area that gets a lot of extreme sun and heat, you might want to consider putting up a sun shade. They come in various strengths, which block out some of the sun and heat. When we get into a house I'm planning to set one up to put my greens, chinese cabbages, spinach, etc in so that they last longer and don't bolt.

Hope you don't have to deal with too much extreme heat this summer, but if you do, I hope these tips help.

Topic

How-to

Outdoor

Weather

Tomatoes grow quickly

Jenni — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 05:51:30 +0000

Tomatoes grow quickly Jenni Wed, 06/01/2016 - 22:51

Typically once planted in the ground or in a large pot, tomato plants will grow quickly. I usually see at least a foot's growth in the first few weeks, as well as a lot more branches.

If yours aren't growing very well, there are a few reasons this could be:

- It's too cold. Tomato plants are not fond of the cold and might not grow as well under those conditions.

- Not enough nutrients. Did you give the plant some kind of tomato food, fertilizer, etc when you planted it? Mine get a handful of long lasting granular fertilizer in the hole before I put in the plant.

- Using too much energy on buds/tomatoes. Did you pinch off any buds that popped up? It may seem crazy, but until your plant is a good size you should pinch off any buds that appear. This allows the plants to focus their energy on growing the plant instead of growing tomatoes. This will meant a healthier plant and more tomatoes later.

I planted my tomatoes in their pots on May 5th. I started growing them inside from seed at the beginning of March and then moved them outside a couple weeks before I planted them so they could harden off.

Here's what they looked like the day I planted them:

(click for larger photo)

Here's a comparison of what they looked like on May 23 (when my husband helped me stake and mulch them) and today on June 1:

(click for larger photo)

And here are some plant to plant comparisons between May 23 and June 1:

As you can see from the photos, they grew both taller and bushier in just a few weeks. This even includes pruning some sucker branches and bottom branches off the plant in order to concentrate growth further up the plant.

Topic

How-to

Outdoor

Planting tomatoes

Jenni — Mon, 30 May 2016 05:51:58 +0000

Planting tomatoes Jenni Sun, 05/29/2016 - 22:51

Planting tomatoes for the first time? Maybe been growing them for a while, but just been putting them into the ground without much thought to their roots? If so, did you know that tomatoes like to be planted nice and deep? Tomatoes are one of the plants that thrives on being transplanted because they love it when you bury their stem deep. I do this when I transplant the tomatoes from the seedling cells to the 4" pots and again when I plant them in my garden. This helps build a strong root system, which means better access to the water and nutrients in your soil.

All those little hairs and bumps that you see on a tomato plant can become roots if they get close to or touch the dirt. This is why sometimes when you buy a tomato plant you'll see roots right at the surface. This isn't a problem plant, it's one that is developing a better root system.

Plant part of the stem

When you dig your hole for your tomato plant, be sure to dig it quite a bit deeper than you'd need just to sit the plant down into the dirt. This is because you're going to plant at least a couple inches of the stem into the dirt as well. Carefully snap off any branches that are on the part of the stem that will be planted, as well as those within a few inches of the ground. Once the plant is tall enough, I snap off any branches that are within a minimum of 6" of the ground since those leaves will end up splashed with water and can end up with fungus and other such problems.

I also throw a handful of long lasting granular fertilizer in the hole before I plant the tomato start. This is especially important if you're container gardening, like I am. Then I plant the start.

By doing this, you give the plant the chance to build an even better root system, which means more tomatoes and a healthier plant.

Pinching off flower buds

I know it seems crazy, but you will want to pinch off any flower buds that pop up while your plant is still small. This is because you want your plant putting all of its energy into growing the plant and not growing tomatoes yet. This means you sacrifice some tomatoes at the beginning, but are helping to ensure a lot more tomatoes later.

If you let tomatoes grow on your plant while it is still small, your plant won't get as big as it can. That means it won't be able to produce as many tomatoes, will be more likely to break if you have larger tomatoes, etc.

Once the plant is a good size (4'+ with a good amount of healthy branches), then I allow it to grow buds and produce tomatoes.

Topic

How-to

Containers

Outdoor

Garden is doing well

Jenni — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:52:33 +0000

Garden is doing well Jenni Sun, 05/22/2016 - 22:52

The garden is doing pretty well. Planted more carrot seeds a little while back, as something happened and most did not germinate. It could be that the cats were in the planters again. Lots of little carrot plants popping up now.

The tomato plants are growing like crazy. I think they really like that new fertilizer I bought. Same with the squash.

I'm planning to post a bunch of pictures sometime soon. Things have just been hectic with work and I haven't gotten a chance to prep all the photos for posting on the web.

Hope your gardens are doing well!

Topic

Outdoor

Hot weather

Jenni — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 05:54:25 +0000

Hot weather Jenni Mon, 04/18/2016 - 22:54

Many parts of the country are having abnormally high temperatures. That is definitely the case here where I live in Oregon. We're seeing temps in the mid to upper 80s and there's been some talk of us hitting 90 this month. For this part of Oregon, that is just crazy. We should be in the 60s and 70s right now.

For those of us who container garden, that means lots of watering. The plants haven't grown strong enough roots yet to be able to seek out all the water in the pot and the plants aren't strong enough yet to deal with this weather. That means a lot of wilting, shock, and possibly death. So how do you deal with this?

Go out first thing in the morning and give everyone a really good watering. Make sure not to miss anyone. Doing it early in the day before it gets too hot out decreases the amount of water lost due to evaporation and allows it to seep into the dirt.

Put mulch around your plants. Several of my pots have mulch all around the plants. Home Depot has been running a special lately on the weekends where big bags are only $2/each. I bought three, which appears to be way too much for my garden. Having never worked with mulch, I didn't realize that a little goes a long way. And be sure to have gloves as well, otherwise you will end up like me and be covered in slivers. I like working in the garden with my bare hands, but not with mulch! Adding mulch helps to keep moisture in your pots longer, which means they can better make it through these hot days.

Check on your plants during the day. If it's extremely hot outside, you may find some plants need a second watering. Just be careful, as you don't want to overwater and wash all your nutrients away. You can look at the soil and see how dry it looks, is it pulling away from the sides of the pot, etc.

Hopefully all of this will help you to protect your plants during these heat waves.

Topic

How-to

Mistakes

Outdoor

Spending time outside

Jenni — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:46:25 +0000

Spending time outside Jenni Thu, 04/07/2016 - 22:46

We're having unusually nice and warm weather here in my part of Oregon (80s in early April!), which means I'm busy outside in the garden. I have to take it slow and only do things in short bursts (and wait for others to do the heavy stuff), but I am getting as much done as I can. Trying to clear out all the peas, beans, and greens so that tomatoes can begin moving out to the greenhouse. Some have grown significantly faster than others and are blocking the light. As such, I'd like to get the big ones moved outdoors and give more room for the little ones. Plus it's about time to transplant all the peppers, eggplant, and cucumbers into bigger pots. That means I need the space.

Topic

Outdoor

Weather

Seedlings

Plants are doing well

Jenni — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:47:00 +0000

Plants are doing well Jenni Fri, 04/01/2016 - 22:47

My outside plants are doing really well. Lots of flower buds everywhere, including on my beans. I probably need to see about setting up my trellis soon for the peas and beans.

Picked up a bunch of potting soil yesterday as well as some new containers. Looking forward to transplanting more veggies soon. I'm a little behind last year, as I already had squash in containers on March 21st. Hoping to do those in the next few days. I've had them all outside hardening off the last few days.

Bought Abby some new flowers to go along with the ones she already has. She always likes having a number of flowers and I like all the pollinators they attract to the garden. I picked up a few colors of mums as well as some red Asiatic Lilies. We really love those kind and have been trying to get them in various colors. Each year we've added on a new color. We now have pink, yellow, orange, and red.

The snapdragons are doing really well, which makes me happy. I grew them all from seed last year and these are the ones that have returned for a second year. I also found a pansy in bloom, which is another flower I grew from seed last year.

Topic

Outdoor

Seedlings

Carrots are sprouting

Jenni — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 05:47:34 +0000

Carrots are sprouting Jenni Mon, 03/28/2016 - 22:47

I planted two large pots of carrots this year - one is the Short 'n Sweet variety, which is often times used for baby carrots. They grow shorter and sweeter than the average carrot variety. The other pot has heirloom rainbow carrots.

Last year I tried growing them, but we got a lot of rain shortly after I planted them. That caused the seeds to all run to the edge of the pots, which led to very few growing. This year the seeds were better established before we ended up with a bunch of rain.

Over the last week or so, little plants have slowly been emerging. I can't wait to have fresh carrots later this year.

Topic

Outdoor