Good morning! For those of you in Central New York who are still experiencing the heatwaves, I've included a photo of a shady forest.
We are a friendly group of people who love digging in the dirt, whether it's outdoors or indoors in potted plants. Everyone is welcome! We're here on Saturdays and Sundays. Some people stop by during the week. And sometimes we do crazy things!!!
Today's thread is an open one for gardening questions and advice from those with more experience.
Is the weather causing the problem? Is it too hot? Too cold? Too humid? Too dry? Or a combination?
Are pests eating away at your garden?
Having problems with your houseplants?
Are you new to vegetable and flower growing and need advice on where to start?
Please feel free to post your questions.
I live in upstate New York. We had a relatively normal spring, then it got wet. Nighttime temperatures dropped into the 40s. This was in May/early June. I encountered more slugs than I've seen in years. We are now coming off a week of temperatures that went from the high 80s to the mid 90s to near 100s. I've had to repot most of my growing bags of beets, carrots, and parsnips. (I think there are some “composted tomato plants” beside the parsnips!)
In the veggie patch, the climbing beans are slowing growing. I think the radishes, arugula, and Swiss chard that sprouted are finally starting to get big. Since I held off on planting anything else, the veggie patch is getting weedy again. This weekend's plan is to pull back the weeds and plant some mini cucumber seeds that sprouted indoors. I'll also plant some direct-sown tuna (thanks to the straw bales!), collards, kale, and arugula. Barring a thunderstorm, that's all.
I have 3 Sally's Dwarf Gina plants that are big enough to plant (thanks to DHM seeds). I'll put them in grow bags (aged cow manure mixed with homemade compost) and keep them in a mini greenhouse with the root vegetable grow bags. I don't want to go to the trouble of separating the roots since I grew them in the same container. So, I'm hoping this project works out. I bought one Sunsweet cherry tomato plant at my local food co-op, which is big enough to plant directly in the veggie patch. Cherry tomato varieties usually do fine there. They don't seem to need much sun. You can always move the plant if it looks weak.
Good luck with the unpredictable and changeable weather, we gardeners are tough and creative people!
