JAP69's Blog

Checked that pansy just now. Found stem rot on the stems that dropped. Found this article
which was helpful.
No doubt the potting mix I used is not at the right PH either as I used the same potting mix as the vegetables.
5.0 and 5.5 is low.

May just as well discard the plant and the mix in the container.

________________________________
Black Root Rot Of Pansy

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1053/index2.tmpl

"Adjust potting media to a pH between 5.0 and 5.5."

Fresh vegetables: salt free and no after harvest additives.

Seen a caterpillar on the a cuke plant. Picked him off and gave him the sole of a size ten boot. One of the flower plants look sick. Flopped over and looks in distress. Tomato plants look like the fungus is back.

One thing about container gardening I only have one or two containers containing the same type of plant. Quite a loss ratio when you lose the plant in a container. The growing season is only so long even in the south with a spring and fall garden. Get wicked hot for vegetables in July and August and cold temps in mid December to mid February.

You lose the season when you lose a plant variety.

Checked this morning and it looks like the browning on the leaf edge has not advanced any further.

Got to thinking what else could have stressed the cuke besides over fertilization. Monday afternoon when it was not raining I had taken a trowel and dug around a small cuke plant next to the big that was shading the small one.  The larger one is about four inches or so high and the smaller one is about one inch or a little taller. I transplanted the smaller one a little further away from the larger one. I thought I had read a week or so earlier that cukes needed to be direct seeded and not transplanted as cukes do not like to be disturbed once they germinate and sprout into seedlings. The digging around next to the big and small ones root system probably put stress on both of them causing the brown leaf edge.

See if they survive this episode.

Yep,

Just done a search on winter wheat and came up with this article.
A thought just occurred to me that I could plant a crop of something in the container broad casting the seed thickly. Maybe turnips as they sprout and grow quickly to about 3 or 4 inches high. Just work the greens into the soil when transplanting time comes around.

I did read an article not to long ago where serious and knowledgeable container or yard gardeners manage their soil where they do not need to add fertilizers.

________________________________

Green manure cover crops for Minnesota

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/green-manure-cover-crops-for-minnesota/

Read up some on compost for the potting mix. Did not use compost except for a couple handful's of black cow on the top layer of the container. Probably was not enough. Checked the garden supply and may use mushroom compost. Might just forget the 20 gallon mulch bin and buy the compost.
I still will get a bale of straw to layer the top of the soil. They say that is a helpful benefit for container gardening.

Never really gave compost much thought when I done the containers for transplanting.

A thought occurred to me about ten minutes ago from back on the farm. My father use to plant winter wheat in the fall and when spring time came it got up a ways and he plowed it under. He probably told me why back then but I can not remember why he did it. It has been 60 years since my farm childhood days and leaving for the military.
No doubt the winter wheat was plowed under as green compost.

The cuke plants have a brown edge on the leaves. Could be stress from something. Maybe too much fertilizer.

Tomatoes are up to 12 and 13 inches in height. Doing fine

Peppers are up to 6 inches in height. Doing fine

Squash are doing fine.

Siberian tomato up to 4 inches in height. doing fine.

Just the cukes took a turn downhill.

Flowers in hanging pots have flowers in bloom and still look healthy.

Two containers of intermediate tomato named Big Daddy. Each tomato will grow to 12 to 15 Oz in size. My granddaughter likes stuffed tomatoes. They will also be a good size slicing tomato. I like tomato sandwiches once in a while. slather them with mayo and top it with sugar.

One container of lemon cherry tomato. A sweet yellow tomato. I think that is an intermediate tomato also. grows to about 6 feet high. Will need a tall chimney for that one.

Still have the larger size yellow tomato on the list. Have not picked that out yet. Or maybe I will just skip that one since having the Lemon Cherry tomato already.

Found a seed house with a large selection of seeds. Even categorized by continent or country.

Reimer seeds. http://www.reimerseeds.com/Departments/Vegetables.aspx

Front pair ascending 06X
Returned the same three digit number 066
These are the numbers that will fit the 06X ascanding
066-067-068-069

09/11 E 606-06X__***__***
10/09 E 660-06X__X66__0X6

 

Search South Carolina Pick 3 Midday and Evening Past Results

Draw Date	State	Game	Results
Mon, Oct 9, 2017	South Carolina	Pick 3 Evening	6-6-0
Mon, Sep 11, 2017	South Carolina	Pick 3 Evening	6-0-6
Mon, Sep 4, 2017	South Carolina	Pick 3 Midday	7-6-0
Mon, Jul 31, 2017	South Carolina	Pick 3 Midday	6-7-0
Thu, Jul 6, 2017	South Carolina	Pick 3 Midday	0-6-6
Mon, Jun 19, 2017	South Carolina	Pick 3 Midday	0-8-6
Fri, Apr 14, 2017	South Carolina	Pick 3 Midday	0-6-7

I had purchased two small concrete mixing pans to plant stuff in. Had dirt in them also which was dumped. I taped over the holes in one and use it for a mixing pan for the potting mix when I add the water saving crystals or potting mix with black cow and ironite. Five gallons of potting mix fit quite nicely in a pan.

The other pan is in the garage with holes in it. The pans are about two feet by three feet and about six inches deep. I was thinking of building a box around the pan and have the top lip of the pan rest on the sides of the box. Will put a few one by twos for a base to hold the bottom of the pan. When I am done with that I will use it for planting varieties of lettuce in it. Should be able to fit quite a few plants in it. Will space planting about every two or three weeks. A head of leafy lettuce from the store lasts me about a week. Might even plant some fresh herbs on one end.

For the space size of a container I like to use maximum production type plants. Tomatoes, peppers and squash produce quite a bit from a healthy plant. If I planted one cabbage or cauliflower in a container I would be tying up that container which costs about $25.00 for initial setup for one meal out of it from the length of time it takes from seedling to harvest. We have a two season growing season down here so that would be two harvest per year per container. Not counting crop failures .

Seeing I have peppers, tomatoes, cukes and squash doing well so far . It is time to make some vegetable chimneys. I will call them chimneys rather than cages. Cages sound like I am putting the vegetables in prison. Can not treat them to harshly you knoowww.

For the chimneys I do not like the looks of the wire hoop spacing in the store bough ones. I am going to use concrete wire and make my own chimneys with about a twelve inch diameter and to the height required for each plant. Have room to put a hand in and if necessary I can run wire diameter wise for support. Cut the wire to have legs that go in the container for support.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/42-in-x-84-in-Sheared-Welded-Steel-Wire-06415/206514118

Another advantage to using steel wire is that it rusts. With the wire legs rusting below the potting mix the iron in the rust will leech into the mix. The rusting above the potting mix will wash down into the potting mix when it rains or by hand watering. That may solve some of the iron deficiency.

Just out in the backroom having a chew. The yard light is generally not on but a little light shines through the screen door. I noticed some motion up next to the screen door. It was an opossum sniffing around the door. I yelled scat and it took off. Maybe the opossum and the snake will have a chance meeting one of these days.

Made up that recipe using baking soda but used vegetable oil. Sprayed that on. The tomatoes and peppers knew what was happening and raised up their leaves so I could spray under them. They all gave a sigh of relief when I finished.

This container garden thing is like raising kids with all the care and attention they need.

Baking Soda/ Potassium Bicarbonate Fungus Control. Mix 4 teaspoons (about 1 rounded tablespoon) of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of horticultural oil into one gallon of water. Spray lightly on foliage of plants afflicted with black spot, powdery mildew, brown patch and other fungal diseases.

horticultural oil: What the hell is that?

 

There it is

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Monterey-Horticultural-Oil-Quart-Organic-Concentrate-for-Outdoor-Insect-Control-LG-6290/206453987?&cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|B|0|B-BASE-D28O+Outdoor+Garden|&mid=pknp6xJN|dc_mtid_8903vry57826_pcrid_73254969630340_pkw__pmt__

Went out and thinned the turnip patch. Came back in house and sat in back room having a chew of tobaccy and had a caterpillar crawling on my arm. Seen them before. About one half inch long, whitish in color with very small dark spots the length of it.

Guess I will need to start on bug control. Maybe this for starters. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Monterey-B-T-Bacillus-Thuringiensis-Pint-Concentrate-Outdoor-Organic-Insecticide-LG6332/206211430?&cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|B|0|B-BASE-D28O+Outdoor+Garden|&mid=pknp6xJN|dc_mtid_8903vry57826_pcrid_73254969630340_pkw__pmt__

Went out to look at the vegetables this morning to see how they were doing. One tomato had a lower leaf with brown spots on it. Nipped it off and threw it on the ground. Will need to go out and dispose of it properly.

Done some research on that dilemma. Guess I will need to start more extensive research on plant disease and what can be done about it. Did find an article about it and solutions to the problem. Will need to look further into  Organocide remedies. Bookmarked a site where they have Organocide for sale. https://www.planetnatural.com/product/exel-lg-systemic-fungicide/

Going out now and finish thinning my turnip patch to about three inches apart. Thinned out some two days ago and added them to my green salad. Will not use any this time in the salad. They were o'k if you like the flavor. Used blue cheese dressing so that kicked up the flavor of the greens in the salad to a more palatable taste.

With all the problems produce growers go through to have a harvest able crop is mind boggling. I remember my father complaining about it. Then purchasers have a problem on the price they pay for food crops.