Comments on: Cucumber conundrum

By: trudy

trudy — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:37:37 +0000

Yes, with nasturtiums, soak the seeds overnight before planting.

Peat bogs are endangered. I have never liked using peat anyway, because let it dry out, it’s a pain in the neck to rewet.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:21:10 +0000

oh…and look at them closely each day. those pesky cucumber beetles tend to show up very quickly sometimes before you know it. If you get them early you should be fine.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:18:59 +0000

I highly recommend a trellis for cukes, the don’t end up rotting on the ground and you get so many more out of one plant in a smaller space.

By: Jaime Chismar

Jaime Chismar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:15:51 +0000

Laura,

Congrats on your nasturtiums! The blossoms and leaves make great additions to your spring salads. One trick to try next year: Soak the seeds in warm water over night, then plant. Those skins are so tough, it’s hard for the sprouts to break through!

By: Peter Hoh

Peter Hoh — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:01:45 +0000

After my cukes started running wild last summer, I put up a small trellis. That worked out well.

I love that pumpkin pic, too. Especially the asymmetrical eyes. Looks too cute to be Gorey. More like Tim Burton, in my opinion.

Composted manure and compost tea made from (or contaminated with) manure are two different things.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:23:06 +0000

I don’t start my cukes indoors anymore. They sprout nicely direct seeded. I also make a silo out of woven wire and plan the seeds outside the little silo. I put my compost stuff in the silo. The cukes get more nutrients, have wire to grow up (gives nice straight cukes), and probably stay hydrated than other methods I’ve tried.

By: deb w

deb w — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:03:54 +0000

I must be fearless as I have been using composted (rabbit) manure and the old fishy water for years and have never had adverse affects. I am not sure what I would catch from the Koi, fin rot?, ick? If they are in good health I will continue.
We live in a balance of bacteria, some good (take a bite of yogurt here), some not so friendly. Living in a sterile world gives us no resistance to any of the baddies so we must grow more of the helpful bacteria like compost and the ones that grow on legume roots.

By: laura

laura — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:40:17 +0000

i’ve tried two year past to grow nasturtiums, and never did a single seed sprout. this year i purchased the seeds from seeds of change instead of the local hardware stores. and for the first time ever i have a grow light set up for my tomato seedlings, and i decided to try nasturtiums again. i figured the grow light, good seeds, and extra moist starting conditions would give me a better chance, and i was right! nearly every seed sprouted! i shall have nasturtiums at last!

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:18:53 +0000

I don’t start my cucumber seeds until may 1st, they grow so fast and you shouldn’t put them in the garden until late May first part of June, from what I understand. Anyhow…I’ve had great luck the last three years, so it seems to be working.

By: Connie Nelson

Connie Nelson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:47:06 +0000

He is equating the two, because he says they are made the same way. He doesn’t do his own research on this, but cites several scientific studies.

If you’re at all interested, check out his book. It’s cheap. And I found it really interesting.

By: bsimon

bsimon — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:42:27 +0000

:”… the use of compost or manure tea, because of the environment it provides for bacterial growth, could spread harmful bacteria.”
That sounds kinda scary.

That does sound scary. Is he over-emphasizing the risk? I’m no expert, but if he equates manure tea with compost tea, perhaps he is.

By: Connie Nelson

Connie Nelson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:27:14 +0000

I’m a little concerned about compost teas, especially after reading the new book, “The Truth About Organic Gardening,” by Jeff Gillman. He’s an associate proferssor of horticulture who researched organic gardening methods and products. In his book he writes:”… the use of compost or manure tea, because of the environment it provides for bacterial growth, could spread harmful bacteria.”
That sounds kinda scary.

By: Robyn Dochterman

Robyn Dochterman — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:08:48 +0000

Bonus points to both Sandra (for the great pic of the pumpkin) and Deb (for using “skank” as a verb). I like the idea of using compost tea from fish skank. Ok, mostly I like saying the word.

By: deb w

deb w — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:52:04 +0000

I am a total convert to the coconut “peat” as it is less acidic, holds no fungus, and is easy to come by. Straight sifted compost is good too.
My seed babies do pretty well in a sterized compost seed start mix. If you think they are going to need food them compost tea or the draining from the aquarium with the Koi (boy, can they skank up a 15 gal aquarium in short order!)

By: Jaime Chismar

Jaime Chismar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:44:32 +0000

Ha! That is a total Edward Gorey pumpkin! Seriously, do not get me started on squirrels. Those little (insert swearing here) have gotten fat off my garden, not to mention, bold as hell.

I’ve read that New Zealand has sustainable peat practices but if a bog takes 10,000 years to regenerate, those efforts seem rather futile, no?

By: Sandra

Sandra — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:40:45 +0000

I wasted 50% of my full-sun gardening space on a pumpkin patch last year. Doh! It yielded one lame greenish little thing that the sqirrels or rabbits gnawed on before I could even pick it. Although as you can see, the rodents *actually carved a spooky face into it. I’ll never waste space on pumpkins again.

I just read recently that England has run out of peat for horticultural use, and Ireland is going to stop harvesting soon too. Apparently it takes 10,000 years for a peat bog to form?