Gardening Methods and plants that are hard to grow

[curly_kate]

I have issues with watermelons and pumpkins. I can't grow large varieties of either.

 

[catjac1975]

I have issues with watermelons and pumpkins. I can't grow large varieties of either.

Experiment with different varieties of seed. Watermelon need lots of sun,heat and are heavy feeders. They are a southern crop so you need a short growing season variety.It is unlikely you can grow one of the giants that you find in the supermarket. When you do get small fruit to set, raise them up on an inverted plant pot. It lifts them into the sun for greater sweetness and keeps mice from eating it from the bottom at the peak of ripeness.

Pumpkins are a much shorter season crop. I find there are years I get 3 and years I get 40. It is a crop very much subject to different changes in the growing season. If you plant several types of pumpkin , even in a bad year, you will get something. I have good luck with Connecticut Field Grown but usually grow 5-6 different types of seed. I never save seed. They are too much subject to weird crosses with other curcubits. I am a big believer in consecutive planting. I set out seedlings, set out seed and then a few weeks later put out more seed. That essentially gives you 3 consecutive plantings. One is bound to be just right for the particular cultivar.

 

[smileyfacecat]

Bell peppers. I can never get more than one puny scraggly pepper per plant.

I had this problem a few years ago, however, things changed for the better after an acquaintance gave me a helpful sprig of advice. I was first told to start them inside early, which for me is early February, and not to baby them (that way only the fittest survive). Then, about two - three weeks before you transplant them to the great outdoors (during which time, you should start hardening them off), treat the soil with coffee grounds, epsom salt and crushed eggshells. On the day of planting, make sure it's cloudy, and put some more epsom salt in the hole where the pepper plant will go. Water, and add epsom salt around the base of the plant every four weeks or so after the initial planting, up until you see blossoms. You'll be amazed at how many there will be, and how many peppers the plant will produce (that is if the weather cooperates and delves out some heat). It works like a charm for me. Every summer since, I've harvest a good haul of big and juicy peppers.
Good luck and my the forces of Mother Nature be on your side.
:watering

 

[catjac1975]

Bell peppers. I can never get more than one puny scraggly pepper per plant.

I had this problem a few years ago, however, things changed for the better after an acquaintance gave me a helpful sprig of advice. I was first told to start them inside early, which for me is early February, and not to baby them (that way only the fittest survive). Then, about two - three weeks before you transplant them to the great outdoors (during which time, you should start hardening them off), treat the soil with coffee grounds, epsom salt and crushed eggshells. On the day of planting, make sure it's cloudy, and put some more epsom salt in the hole where the pepper plant will go. Water, and add epsom salt around the base of the plant every four weeks or so after the initial planting, up until you see blossoms. You'll be amazed at how many there will be, and how many peppers the plant will produce (that is if the weather cooperates and delves out some heat). It works like a charm for me. Every summer since, I've harvest a good haul of big and juicy peppers.
Good luck and my the forces of Mother Nature be on your side.
:watering

I also use a tunnel greenhouse to lengthen each end of the growing season. Peppers are really good for this. I plant a big pepper plant in a black rubber tub with the bottom cut out. The black tub increases the soil temperature and with the addition of greenhouse conditions I get very early and ver late peppers and many of them. This supplements the outdoor crop.

 

[momofdrew]

The best carrots I ever grew-not quite baseball bats tender and sweet.
You need to choose the correct seed for your soil. Royal chantenay are wonderful long and sweet for me. But every soil and climate is different.

I dug a trench 1 foot deep and sifted the soil back into it. It was already composted, limed, peat added, etc.
I learned this from "Crocket's Victory Garden."
If you can get a copy of his old book it's helpful for planting time if you are in Massachusetts or have a similar zone.

He was not totally organic but did promote compost, and soil, soil, soil. It was a great book when I was a beginner-set up for times to do different gardening chores.

I loved his program...and his books...It worked well when I was in Massachusetts now in New Hampshire the zone is different and it is harder to get good harvests all the time...but the book is worth reading you probably could find it at the library still...

I have trouble with beets usually the tops are woody...
I have learned to use vermiculite with sifted soil for carrots and to use radishes in the same row to mark the rows so I wont disturb the rows...
I will try starting my peppers earlier I usually start them with my tomatoes...
I have learned to use the water wells for my eggplant the season is short here...
I have never had luck with melons
and last year I was very disappointed in the sweet potatoes
and corn... I never know when to harvest the ears

 

[The Mama Chicken]

I believe te way to tell if sweet corn is ready to harvest is to pull back the husk part way and break one of the kernels with you fingernail. If the juice is milky it's ready.

 

[lesa]

Good luck with your volunteer experiment! I usually have tons of volunteer tomatoes (never had a pepper). The ones I get the most of are the cherries and pear shaped. I pull mine, only because I am still fighting blight and I don't want to take any chances...Happy Gardening!

 

[chris09]

Bell peppers. I can never get more than one puny scraggly pepper per plant.
Carrots. I have yet to have a carrot seed sprout for me.

On the bell peppers,
They are to me heavy feeders, if you want lots of big peppers you need to feed them.

This is a idea on how I plant mine.

1- Dig a whole about 2 times as deep needed,
2- Put 2 tablespoons of 20-20-20 fertilizer in the bottom of the whole along with a hand full of well rotted manure,
3- Fill in the whole with enough soil so that the root ball of the plant is a 1/2" below the ground then plant the pepper,
4- Water well with a starter solution of a good liquid fertilizer (I like 20-20-20 for this) * Note a starter solution is fertilizer mixed at 1/2 strength. *

After you pepper is planted water weekly with liquid fertilizer (again I like 20-20-20) until the pepper sets blossoms then switch to a good low nitrogen high phosphorous and potassium fertilizer (some times referred to a Blossom Booster, and I like 10-30-20) and water weekly with Blossom Booster instead of the 20-20-20.

You will have more peppers than you will know what to do with.

As for the carrots,

Tamp the grown a little then plant your carrot seed on the tamped ground (no trench) then cover them with a good fine seed starting soil-less mix, mist the soil then cover the row with either plastic or a old plank of wood. (this will protect the seeds from rain that could push the tiny seeds deep in the soil) keep the soil-less mix moist and once the plants start to pop out of the ground then you can remove the plastic/ wood.


Chris

 

[catjac1975]

I believe te way to tell if sweet corn is ready to harvest is to pull back the husk part way and break one of the kernels with you fingernail. If the juice is milky it's ready.

It's perfection when the raccoons start to steal it.

 

[catjac1975]

The best carrots I ever grew-not quite baseball bats tender and sweet.
You need to choose the correct seed for your soil. Royal chantenay are wonderful long and sweet for me. But every soil and climate is different.

I dug a trench 1 foot deep and sifted the soil back into it. It was already composted, limed, peat added, etc.
I learned this from "Crocket's Victory Garden."
If you can get a copy of his old book it's helpful for planting time if you are in Massachusetts or have a similar zone.

He was not totally organic but did promote compost, and soil, soil, soil. It was a great book when I was a beginner-set up for times to do different gardening chores.

I loved his program...and his books...It worked well when I was in Massachusetts now in New Hampshire the zone is different and it is harder to get good harvests all the time...but the book is worth reading you probably could find it at the library still...

I have trouble with beets usually the tops are woody...
I have learned to use vermiculite with sifted soil for carrots and to use radishes in the same row to mark the rows so I wont disturb the rows...
I will try starting my peppers earlier I usually start them with my tomatoes...
I have learned to use the water wells for my eggplant the season is short here...
I have never had luck with melons
and last year I was very disappointed in the sweet potatoes
and corn... I never know when to harvest the ears

There was a great gardening show segment of an Alaska gardener who grows giant vegetables. In may have been the Victory Garden. They have an even shorter growing season than you do in New Hampshire, and had some great season extending tips. That is what you need for melons. Choose your variety carefully and give them lots of heat and nutrients. I believe in trying many varieties until you find the ones best for your location.
Corn silk is brown when they are ready-Again use a shorter season variety-heavy feeder.
Beets like green sand-plant as early as you can.
I had the best sweet potatoes ever last year. They need heat, room, no weeds, shortest season variety. I think they need a lot of water. That seems to be the difference when I have a good crop or not. (I use Georgia jets, and sometimes buy the northern collection. I like the GJ the best.) I get them from George's plant farm. I have had some of the big companies, cancel my order, send them too late, send moldy dead plants. A farm that specializes in sweets is the best.