Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyBubbles
I grow everything outside, I live on a hill in Oklahoma "Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains" isn't just a line in a song. Our garden is in steps on a retaining wall so even though I'm planting in the ground it may as well be containers.
I have tied silver curling ribbon to my tomato cages but they may not have been large enough to reflect enough light. My cucs start to shrivel before I think they are large enough. I haven't tried the past two years... Is there something I can plant this year to prep soil for them next year?
I have done onion in pots, was afraid to put them in the ground because they reseed so easily, in our wind you wind up with a lawn full of onion. I will try garlic or lemon grass. I have also put marigold and/or radish in the garden to keep beetles away from squash, radish worked better but not well. I've given up on those as well.
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Ah... tornado alley? Some people use an old cd on string.
As for prepping soil, I use no chemicals in my garden so the only thing I add is good ol' horse manure to the veggie patch. I use a good compost, personal favourite is in a 60L purple bag from B&Q. As you're in the US so I can't help compost wise unless you have a compost bin. But if you can get your hands on horse manure it'll help. It'll smell so I suggest putting it on over winter. Don't need to dig it in, let the rain and worms do that for you. Just dig it over to loosen the soil before you plant
Now you can use shavings or paper pellets (with hamster poop still attached) as well to give the ground a boost.
Cucumbers can burn and shrivel so easily. Have you got a patch of ground where there's shade? So the plants don't have full sun? I had my triffids in a green house and some in the ground. Some did burn but those where left in full fun. Also, have you tried not watering by the stem? Only water a inch or so away from the stem so no water touches the plant? Cucs can be a bit fussy but once you have the knack for it you're good to go.
When I start doing my cucs I'll add photos to show you how I do it. May help, might not. I would like to say I'm pretty good with them. Last year I planted 25 seeds ( they were old, didn't think they'd all come as they weren't stored well) 21 came. 5 in the 6x4ft greenhouse and they filled the whole thing, they'd meet you at the door. On one plant I had 50 coming at one time. So don't do what I did unless you really, really like cucs lol.
I'll probably start planting late April, depends on the frost's though. If there's anything else people struggle to grow and they want to grow it, just say and I'll try and help you out. Nothing beats home grown fruits and veggies. It takes some work, but worth it.
Onions can grow in pots. I did them in pots last year and probably will this year too. My uncle does them in the ground and they come up huge! Biggest I've got is the size of a small apple lol. Can't be good at everything. You could try planting carrots near onions as the smell of onion repels carrot fly and the smell of carrot repels the onion fly.
Going back to the cucumbers...do you plant Tomato near them? If so, they hate each other and can cause each other to die off
