[glow=red,2,300]Tips and Information about plants[/glow]Cucumbers: Tips: > Normally cucumber plants vine out, so be sure to post or insert either a fence or a wall for them to climb up and produce.
> They do cover up a lot of sun so be sure to plant smaller plants in front of them so that small plants can get sun instead of being shaded out by the cucumbers.
> Pick cucumbers when they are about 6" in length, this is a perfect length!
> Miracle Grow or fertilize the plants about once a week for optimum results!
> Leave a walk path about 3-4' in width for easier harvestation
> Sometimes cucumbers grow near or on the ground, so check all over for any cucumbers ready to be picked.
> Spread 7-dust or other pesticides to prevent insects
> Be sure not to over water them, overwatering could result in drowning the plant or the production of disease carrying fungi (may look like a fuzzy "Worm".
Tomatoes:> Tomatoes do not vine out instead they produce large, long branches that may hang over or tumbe over when big or tons of tomatoes form, to prevent this stake them up with a stake and put string around the entire plant (no fishing line! this will cut them! soft rope works well or cloth) or purchasing or making a tomato cage
> Tomatoes are ready when red be sure to leave about 1/8th to a half inch of the stalk in the tomato when picked, this will prevent from rotting early
> Add pesticide such as 7-dust to prevent bugs or insects, if any cuts or holes appear immediately dispose tomato
> Miracle Grow or fertilize the tomato plants once a week for optimum results
> Be sure to leave a 2-3' walkway path for easier harvesting
> Be sure to check every branch possible or go over a few times to be sure every ripe tomato is picked
> Tomatoes provide tons of tomatoes! I have about 7 tomato plants and we've had to give tomatoes away because we've had too much! they filled up a large popcorn bowl in 3 days! Recommended number of plants: about 4-5
Bell Peppers: > Perfer a PH level of about 5.5 - 6.0
> Increase acidity buy taking the head of a match (made of sulfur) and placing it under the roots before planting
> Harvest when bell peppers get about 3-4" in length
> Miracle Grow once a week for optimum results
> Use pesticide or 7-dust to prevent insects from taking over, toss any bell peppers that show any signs of disease or insect intrusions
> Bell pepper plants may get pretty tall so staking them will help (but they do not vine)
> Leave about 2-3' for a walkway for easier harvesting
> Bell pepper plants give good harvest times, it is common for one plant to produce about 4 or 5 bell peppers
Radishes: > non vining, the radish heads themselves are underground, the green foilage above allows them to get their sun and allows them to transfer nutrition to the head which is underground.
> ready when either the head "peeks" above soil line or when the head is about 2-3" in diam. or when the foilage is about 2-3 feet above the ground.
> Miracle Grow or fertilize once a week for optimum results
> Add pesticide or 7-dust to prevent insects from intruding
> if any foilage plants bud out, toss them, it shows that the foilage is getting all the nutrition and not the heads
> Leave about 1-2" for separation between each foilage
> Leave about 3-4' of space for a walkpath for easier harvesting
> Seeds are small so be sure to spread seeds with a wavy motion, or make a 1/2" trench in soil and spread seeds in it and cover them up, when foils show, thin them out to about 1 plant per 2".
Squash: (I used Summer Yellow Crookedneck Squash)
> Seeds are rather large, space them about 1' from another seed
> Miracle grow or fertilize for optimum results
> Ready when visable squash turns yellow or when they reach about 3-4" in diam. (body)
> Be sure not to overwater them in case of drowning or growing of disease infected fungi (Looks like fuzzy "Worms")
> Plants themselves get rather large, so be sure to leave at least 3-4' of space for a walkway
> Yield (or amount) is about 10 squash per plant
Carrots: > Seeds are small, dig about a 1/2" deep trench and spread seeds close to evenly, thin them out when foilage is visable, leaving about 1 carrot plant per 2-3"
> Miracle Grow or fertilize once a week for optimum results
> Ready when the base of the stem is about pencil size (in diam.) or about 2' from the ground
> It is a root plant, so water or fertilize at base of plant or where foilage meets soil
> are super sweet and are good to eat!
> Use pesticide to prevent insects
> Do not over water or they will drown or disease will form on the root or foilage
> Be sure to keep rabbits and other critters out of the garden!!
Pumpkin: > Plant in the late spring, or early summer
> seeds are rather large, they vine out instead of up, leave them on ground. They do grow out a good ways (6+ foot)
> Miracle Grow or fertilize once a week for optimum results
> Harvest or ready when fruit skins turn orange or when the vine connected to the fruit breaks when introduced to light pressure, or when it sounds real hollow inside
> Use pesticide or 7-dust to prevent insects
> Do not over water, it may either drown the plant or grow disease carrying fungi (Fuzzy looking "Worms")
> Be sure to keep one fruit per vine, any more and nutrition will be dispersed to each fruit and fruit may not get very big. Leaving one fruit per branch or vine ensures all nutrition goes to fruit
> also after fruit cut off any extra vine like this...be sure to leave maybe about 1' of vine after fruit to ensure the plant doesn't die...
root------vine----|--/ -cut -------rest of vine-----
O -fruit
[glow=red,2,300]My garden Design[/glow]The way I did my garden is parallel from the drainfield and perpendicular to the woods...
_____________woods__________ - s equals strawberries
s |
- cucumbers
s|========================== - tomatoes
s |---------------------------------------===== - bell peppers/tomatoes
s |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX - radishes
s |>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> -squash
s |CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC - carrots
- watermelon
The sun rises from E to W, which is from R of screen to Left (this view is facing my garden; Facing north)
If anyone has any questions or any comments on these subjects, tips or ideas feel free to email or pm me! I will update this journal on....
[glow=red,2,300]Wednsday, July, 19th 2006[/glow]