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    Hot weather melons?

    I'm looking for recommendations on melons that do well in a hot, humid climate (besides the usual watermelons & cantelope). I read the thread about the Asian melons from Baker Creek (yes, I'm getting sucked in by the pretty pictures ;) ); Rich Sweetness & Sakata's Sweet were suggested, I think...
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    Why isn't there a "bell" in my bell peppers??

    So, I have 2 varieties of "bell" peppers growing this year. The plants are tall, but kinda spindly & not very bushy (I think it's too shady where I planted them). The few peppers I've gotten so far are not round & bell-like but kind of long & squished-looking (as if all the air has been sucked...
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    My first taters!! Now what?

    I'm so excited!! :weee I dug up THREE red potatoes today!!! My first EVER!!! :throw Now...I seem to remember (& I'm too lazy to search right now) that I need to let them kinda "dry out" before eating/storing...is that right? In the shade or sun? For how long? Ooooh, they look good, too!!! :cool:
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    What are eating my 'maters NOW??!

    After getting the Invasion of the Tomato Worms under control, I now have a new pest. :( These are about an inch long, thin (as opposed to roundish like japanese beetles) with what appears to be two black stripes on its back (altho it could be the topside of its wings), with gray borders & gray...
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    Tomato worms - did I screw up??

    I'd always heard you were just supposed to squish them when you found them (altho I couldn't personally do it, I have too much of a gag reflex :sick ), but recently I read that if you found one with white egg sacks stuck to them to leave it be, because they were braconid wasps that would kill...
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    Raspberry/blackberry bushes

    I'm not sure of the technical name for this berry; growing up, when they were still red we called them raspberries & when they turned dark purple we called them "black raspberries" altho I understand people also call them blackberries. They're the little knobbly berries with the thorny bushes...
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    What is this on my 'maters???

    I was inspecting my tomatoes a few days ago & noticed that a couple of vines had these wierd little bumps on them (on the green vines, not the actual fruit). They're very small & line up one after the other, like peas in a pod. This morning I noticed that some of these bumps are turning whitish...
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    Blossom end rot?

    Howdy experts! I think I may be seeing blossom end rot on a few of my 'maters. One website indicates one cause of this is low calcium in the soil, but I put oyster shell in each hole while transplanting (but who knows). The other causes are supposed to be heat distress or over-watering. It has...
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    What went wrong with my radishes??

    This is my first year for radishes (since kiddie-hood, anyway). I only planted (from seed) 20 or so. I probably got 4-5 actual radishy-looking bulbs, the rest look like rhubarb! :P So what did I do wrong? Why didn't they develop bulbs instead of just thick red stalks? If I can figure out where...
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    Calling potato experts - another question!

    My tater experiment continues... ...and my Red Pontiac plants are ready to bolt (if that's the right word when speaking of tater plants forming flowers). Is that a good thing or bad thing? Does that mean they're done growing, so I can stop hilling? :P I could probably mulch them another 6...
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    Composting corn husks?

    My BIL gave me a large bag of corn husks, assuring me "of course you can compost them!" (he's also given me peanut shells & whole lemon rinds). :rolleyes: I'm thinking they would take forever to compost unless shredded into small pieces...or am I mistaken?
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    Are radishes ready?

    I haven't grown radishes since I was a kid...how do I know if they're "ripe" without pulling them out of the ground & thereby ruining them if they aren't ready? Some appear to have a rounded red top sticking out of the ground, others don't. :/
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    Problems with hilling taters

    Hey ya'll...I'm looking for some creative ideas, as I'm starting to feel like Sisyphus, rolling the rock up the hill over & over & over...:P Here's the problem - how do I keep my taters "hilled"? Whenever it rains or I water them, they flatten back out! (these are in raised beds; I have some in...
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    What do you use?

    Okay, I've seen it all now...at TSC, right at the counter, they were selling "kitchen scrap bins" (or something to that effect, I can't remember exactly now)...heavy enamel-coated pots with tight-fitting lids to put your scraps in before going into the compost...all for the lowlowlow price of...
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    Taters - disease, or bugs?

    I am growing taters for the first time, & saw something disturbing this morning... One patch I have growing in a barrell in the backyard, & mulching with wheat straw & compost. I planted a 2nd patch in a raised bed out front, which I am just starting to "hill" with soil. (I am trying both...
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    Arugula question - frostbite or...?

    Last night the temps got to 28-30 or so...I had everything covered by sheets, but I noticed today that my arugula, which is about 3" or so high, has some whitish splotches on some of the leaves. :/ I'll mention here that I've never grown arugula before (I don't even particularly like it, I'm...
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    When do you give up & start over??

    My grand idea this year was to grow everything from seed - not one single thing transplanted from the nursery! :D HOWEVER...my grand plans are falling apart! (I think.) Some things I seeded in peat pots (broc, cuke, tomatoes, peppers), others have gone directly into the raised beds (lettuce...
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    Deep beds vs shallow beds - need advice

    Hi ya'll! I have to use raised beds due to my rock-hard clay soil. DH bought some scrap manufactured deck boards that are 11" wide. He's made one bed so far, then asked me if I wanted him to split the boards lengthwise so he could get twice as much out of it (so, 2 pieces that are 6" wide). I...
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    Crop rotation question

    I was wondering if someone could point me to a website (or thread here) that would give me a quick-and-easy (if possible!) chart on crop rotation. I am planning my garden for this spring, with several new beds, & want to make sure I get this right! For instance, I grew tomatoes "here", & this...
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    Material for raised beds

    We have a couple of raised beds, made with just regular pine boards which I know will rot within a few years... ...but DH says he has access to some architectural decking; I said, okay, but what the heck is it?? :/ He found it it on a website: "Trex Composite decking"; it's described as "a...
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