Northwest Vegetable Gardening

[beauxbrie]

I resisted peppers again ..I want to ..I yearn to but I have wasted so much time and space to grow the worst peppers imaginable ..

I will just wait for the ones from Eastern WA they are doing great with chiles the past few years!

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Well, I have had the same problem...waste time and space and just a few small peppers. But, I still could not resist this year, and put 8 pepper plants in the ground yesterday. Covered them up to keep them warm, but I always do that and it doesn't help. But a woman in my p-patch grew handfuls and handfuls of peppers last year with seemingly little effort--she was kind enough to share them with me. But of course that memory made me buy more plants and give it a chance yet again! She told me she heard a story that burying a couple of matches under the plant makes them happy--I don't know if that's what made them work, but can't hurt huh? I forgot to do that yesterday, but maybe I'll go tuck some in.

[LaurieA-B]

Our "garden" right now consists of two 6-inch pots that Iris and Matthew planted with cilantro. The cilantro sprouted and is flourishing, 3 or so inches tall right now. Each pot has at least ten tiny plants. The seed packet says to thin it to 12 inches apart. Hm. So, should we pull out a lot, or leave them crammed in? (We have no ground or larger pots, though of course we could get those if necessary.)

A friend suggested we grow lettuce on our balcony. I saw some lettuce starts at the Broadway farmers market. How much space and depth do those need? Could I put one lettuce plant into a small pot, or do they need something larger? Thank you for any container tips.

[hummingbirdkiss]

Our "garden" right now consists of two 6-inch pots that Iris and Matthew planted with cilantro. The cilantro sprouted and is flourishing, 3 or so inches tall right now. Each pot has at least ten tiny plants. The seed packet says to thin it to 12 inches apart. Hm. So, should we pull out a lot, or leave them crammed in? (We have no ground or larger pots, though of course we could get those if necessary.)

A friend suggested we grow lettuce on our balcony. I saw some lettuce starts at the Broadway farmers market. How much space and depth do those need? Could I put one lettuce plant into a small pot, or do they need something larger? Thank you for any container tips.

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as you thin the cilantro and you should use the sprouts in salad or anyway you want to I think you will need bigger pots however 6 inchers are kind of small ..great for starting but small for growning .. if you can swing it I would use at least gallon sized pots for them and the lettuce..go for it ..I have peas growing like crazy in a three gallon bucket I get those for free from local restaurants poke holes in the bottom and they work beautifully for all kinds of things...lettuce tomatoes...just about anything you can think of you can grow in a 3 gallon bucket!

when I grow lettuce I always just pick the outer leaves and leave the center growing until it bolts .....unless it is butter lettuce or something I want an entire head of ...so in a pot you can make more room by just trimming the plants as they grown

good luck container planting is fun!

[tamiam]

My cilantro always bolts before I can get any, but I read an idea where you plant two bowls of cilantro, then you trim one one week, and the other the other week, and that way you have a ready supply. I think they used 10-12" bowls in their example. Dont know if it works, but it sounded nice.

For lettuce, I've grown 3-4 kinds in a 12-14" pot, and like Hummingbird, I just harvest the outer leaves. It keeps coming back till late summer when it finally bolts. A lot of times you can find lettuce bowls already planted at the Farmer's Market.

[crouching tyler]

My cilantro always bolts before I can get any, but I read an idea where you plant two bowls of cilantro, then you trim one one week, and the other the other week, and that way you have a ready supply.  I think they used 10-12" bowls in their example.  Dont know if it works, but it sounded nice.

For lettuce, I've grown 3-4 kinds in a 12-14" pot, and like Hummingbird, I just harvest the outer leaves.  It keeps coming back till late summer when it finally bolts.  A lot of times you can find lettuce bowls already planted at the Farmer's Market.

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Last year, I planted my cilantro in a spot where the cucumber vines rather quickly grew around it - shading the roots. My cilantro lasted quite a bit further into the summer this way. I am going to try it again this year to see if it is consistent, or I just got lucky.

[crouching tyler]

does anyone grow okra

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I tried okra last year - got great looking plants with not even a shred of okra on them. I couldn't even figure out where the okra would have been if there had been okra (having never seen an okra plant before). So, if anyone gets okra going, I'd love to see it.

[tsquare]

does anyone grow okra

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I tried okra last year - got great looking plants with not even a shred of okra on them. I couldn't even figure out where the okra would have been if there had been okra (having never seen an okra plant before). So, if anyone gets okra going, I'd love to see it.

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I grew some in Seattle years back - the flowers (I think they only bloom for one day?) are similar to hollyhocks and the pod is left after the flower is gone.

[beauxbrie]

does anyone grow okra

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I tried okra last year - got great looking plants with not even a shred of okra on them. I couldn't even figure out where the okra would have been if there had been okra (having never seen an okra plant before). So, if anyone gets okra going, I'd love to see it.

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I grew some in Seattle years back - the flowers (I think they only bloom for one day?) are similar to hollyhocks and the pod is left after the flower is gone.

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I grew some a few years ago. The flowers were open only one day and then the pod would grow. It seemed a lot like zucchini in that one day I would go look at them and they would seem almost ready to pick, then I'd go back a couple days later and they were too big (and therefore too tough). However, I only had maybe 6 plants, and could never get enough ready at once to pick a full serving. So they typically just got added to other dishes with veggies.

I decided it wasn't worth it.

[tamiam]

Two nights in row with no creepy eggplant demolishing worms/larvae. Am I out of the woods?

I used multiple methods so I dont know if their absence is due to one or more of those, pure luck, or maybe the larvae have grown into their next stage and later on I will have problems with the next stage critter or its young.

I read that they live in the top few inches of soil, so I "cultivated" it with my trowel. Didnt see any, but hopefully it disturbed them. Also read that a type of miniature wasp is attracted to parsley, and lays eggs on worm larvae and feeds on them (that's karma!!), so I planted an old parsley from last year in the bed. Finally, I applied BT, a quasi-organic pest control based on a bacteria that kills the critters off and is safe for me and my kitty. Supposed to be good for tent caterpillars too, so I will have it for the next huge grossout creepy infestation.

[Eden]

I got a 3 pack of zucchini and have planted the first one in the sunniest location available, but will the other two be all right in a partial sun location that has done OK by tomatos in past years? My only experience with Zukes is from watching my mom grow them in California in my youth...

Both types of purslane are popping miniscule little leaves out of their pots. (I decided to keep them in pots rather than straight in the ground per warnings here...)

the mache & arugula are getting away from me - I will have to plant far less for the next round! We're grazing on snap peas pretty constantly at this point, and it's probably time to plant the next round of those as well.

I have about a million roses blooming right now & I think its time to start cooking with them. I have a fabulous recipe for rose pudding, but need to think of other uses as well. I really don't care much for the fussiness of eating small birds, but might have to adapt the quail in rose-petal sauce recipe for a larger bird...

[hummingbirdkiss]

I am extremely depressed and want to cry...my garlic has some kind of blight and it turning yellow and rotting ..I have two huge beds ..I pulled the yellowing ones this morning put them into regular trash to get whatever it is out of here ..

looked so good a week ago ..big strong ..healthy...and now about a 1/3 have been pulled

this was all certified seed garlic from Mason Co

I want to cry

[LaurieA-B]

Thanks for the cilantro encouragement. We've thinned the pots (into quesadillas) and will see how the rest does. We've got a couple of larger containers and are going to try planting arugula next.

[mamster]

I put some into cowboy beans last night, too. It's really doing great so far--no signs of bolting.

[Eden]

Oooh mamster's Cowboy Beans one of the only justifications for cilantro in my universe...

Arugula's a great choice for your next pot, it grows quickly & easily. Plus when it bolts the flowers are SOOO yummy. (ditto Mache)

hummingbird, I hope the rest of your garlic is doing OK! You have all my sympathy - something is eating the borage I planted

I dug up & gave away two of the uber celery plants. If the celeric I got at the tilth sale takes off I'll probably send away at least one of the remaining two as well. They're certainly thriving, but I only use celery a stalk or so at a time for making Stock & the like, so I really don't need much. we got a 4 pack initially in the theory that they wouldn't all make it - hah! They not only did well initially but they overwintered & came back even bigger & stronger this year.

[crouching tyler]

Oooh mamster's Cowboy Beans one of the only justifications for cilantro in my universe...

Arugula's a great choice for your next pot,  it grows quickly & easily.  Plus when it bolts the flowers are SOOO yummy.  (ditto Mache)

hummingbird, I hope the rest of your garlic is doing OK!  You have all my sympathy - something is eating the borage I planted

I dug up & gave away two of the uber celery plants.  If the celeric I got at the tilth sale takes off I'll probably send away at least one of the remaining two as well.  They're certainly thriving, but I only use celery a stalk or so at a time for making Stock & the like, so I really don't need much.  we got a 4 pack initially in the theory that they wouldn't all make it - hah! They not only did well initially but they overwintered & came back even bigger & stronger this year.

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I read somewhere that celery was fantastically difficult to grow. Is this your first experience with growing celery?

[crouching tyler]

And a question, for all you Seattle area gardeners. My fava bean plants are still just in the flowering stage, even though summer begins to approach. This is my first time growing favas. Have I missed the boat, or are things just a little behind schedule due to our cooler than usual spring?

[Eden]

I read somewhere that celery was fantastically difficult to grow. Is this your first experience with growing celery?

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I read the same thing just this morning, but it was by a gardener form somewhere back east in a much warmer climate, so I assume that's the difference. It is indeed my first experience with them, but so far I'd say the things are hardy & easy to grow.

My fava beans are still in floral mode too so I think it's just a long cool spring this year...

[tamiam]

I wish it would warm up and stay warm already. My basil is just sitting there, not looking happy at all. There are two different types of eggplant, one of which attracts bugs like crazy and one that doesnt get touched. The scientist in me finds that interesting. The beginning gardener finds it annoying.

On the bright side, the tomato plants have grown a lot over the past couple of weeks and I have lots of flowers and baby tomatos all over the plants. I was lucky to find starts in such great shape.

[Eden]

Not that weather forecasts are dependable, but the forecast for next weekend has it dropping down to about 38 at night and a high of 51 in the day for next Monday, so some kind of protection for the delicate plants like tomatoes may be in order.

I don't mind for me, but I do worry about what this could do to my plants!

[kiliki]

My understanding is that basil is unhappy at temps below 50 degrees. I don't usually plant basil until mid June for that reason.

Speaking of plants unhappy in cool weather, my special little "homemade pickles" pickling cuke starts I got at the Tilth sale, which were VERY small, were eaten while I was on vacation. If anyone sees any interesting varieties of pickling cuke starts, let me know.

[beauxbrie]

Not that weather forecasts are dependable, but the forecast for next weekend has it dropping down to about 38 at night and a high of 51 in the day for next Monday, so some kind of protection for the delicate plants like tomatoes may be in order. 

I don't mind for me, but I do worry about what this could do to my plants!

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I do mind for me!, but I guess for the tomatoes it just means they stay in their wall-o-waters. They seem to be quite happy in them, and are starting to push out of the top. The peppers are also under cover in the (usually futile) hopes that they will make something of themselves.

I don't know what the mache looks like when it sprouts, but I don't see anything yet in that area--and I've put seeds in twice!

The favas are only about 8" tall--we are always way behind since we can't plant until mid-April, but we still usually get a good crop, so for those of you in the flower stage--in my book you're way ahead!

[kiliki]

Operating on the theory that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I planted more radishes, spinach and lettuce. *sigh* I didn't bother to replace the pickling cukes.

[Eden]

I hear radishes are super easy to grow, but we've had awful luck with root crops thus far so I'm still a little gun-shy...

There are beans on my fava bushes! yay fresh favas, coming soon to a dinner plate near you

[hummingbirdkiss]

I do not like the radishes I grow here in the garden ..they look good and my dog loves them ..but I think the soil is too acidic or something because I just think they are awful tasting! I have tried all types of seeds now local ..not local ..I just give up on the radishes all together now ..

my garden is just bursting!!! we eat three times a day from it now!!

[kiliki]

My radishes were all tops and no radish when I used organic veggie fertilizer on them. So I started just seeding and watering, no fertilizer, and they are great (French breakfast and cherry belle).

I have peas on my english peas finally (still too small to harvest though).

Edited June 16, 2008 by kiliki (log)