snowNH Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Do you bring your plants in under heavy rain, like a severe thunderstorm? Or let nature take its course? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Do you bring your plants in under heavy rain, like a severe thunderstorm? Or let nature take its course? I bring the containers in for really bad weather like frosts or severe thunderstorms...hail is really damaging to the plants as are high winds. This is especially practical early in the season when the plants are more fragile and the containers more mobile. It becomes less necessary, and harder to do, as you get deeper into the summer. Planting a garden is, in many ways, a fight about nature taking its course...of course that doesn't mean harming the ecosystem outside of your garden with excess fertilizer and pesticides, but taming nature within the garden walls is the name of the game. If you have an easy place to put the plants, like the garage, then go for it. One thing to watch out for is crops that are trellised/staked, which can easily be damaged if they are moved and separated from their support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
free_man Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Yeah, overwatering is a real problem for non-professional gardeners... That being said, I'm going to have to water my container crops every day with the forecast for 96F tomorrow and 98F Thursday. The pots lose water very quickly when it is this hot, unlike the crops in the ground where the long-term surplus in rainfall has a bigger impact. I am no pro, but have a lot of experience. That is the main top two or three things newer gardeners make the mistake of. . They see wilting or yellowing leaves, or crisping and go even more gun-ho with the water, when overwatering is usually the problem to begin with. lol Agree about the potted plants, definitely want to monitor that soil moisture when you're running +20 for several days June-Sept Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I am no pro, but have a lot of experience. That is the main top two or three things newer gardeners make the mistake of. . They see wilting or yellowing leaves, or crisping and go even more gun-ho with the water, when overwatering is usually the problem to begin with. lol Agree about the potted plants, definitely want to monitor that soil moisture when you're running +20 for several days June-Sept Yeah, I've been guilty of it too...you get worried about the plants so you want to do something to "Fix It"... I watered tonight and they absorbed it so fast...going to have to give a light watering tomorrow evening, even though I generally dislike two days in a row. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneypitmike Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Some lawns are starting to burn around the area. The dry spell the last few weeks is starting to show..May have to drag out the sprinklers if we don't get any storms this week That's unseemly. Nothing REMOTELY close to that here. The only dry grass here is the freshly bailed hay in my field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damage In Tolland Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 That's unseemly. Nothing REMOTELY close to that here. The only dry grass here is the freshly bailed hay in my field. You've had a few t-storms that have missed CT..It's gotten very dry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneypitmike Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 You've had a few t-storms that have missed CT..It's gotten very dry .64" on the month--a little in any case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroclinic Zone Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 .64" on the month--a little in any case. LOL. I've seen 0.02" this June. My last meaningful rain was back on May 24th and even than it was only 0.15". I have seen less than 0.25" of rain in the past 20 days. Things are drying up fast around here. The soccer fields are browning. People who cut their lawns to short have browning lawns. I have not touched my lawn in 2 weeks. I will likely cut it this weekend but will raise the blade a notch. A good long soaker of a rain would be nice right about tnow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowNH Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 My transplanted cukes looked great this morning.. right after transplanted they kinda faded and whithered a bit due to shock but they firmed right up over night and look great.. Glad I moved them.. too many plants in one pot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJonesWX Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Some lawns are starting to burn around the area. The dry spell the last few weeks is starting to show..May have to drag out the sprinklers if we don't get any storms this week i pretty much guaranteed no measurable rain in new england when i seeded ~2,000 SF of new lawn this past weekend. i didn't want to do it this late in the season, but had no choice. now I get to watch my well pump work overtime twice a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tropopause_Fold Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 LOL. I've seen 0.02" this June. My last meaningful rain was back on May 24th and even than it was only 0.15". I have seen less than 0.25" of rain in the past 20 days. Things are drying up fast around here. The soccer fields are browning. People who cut their lawns to short have browning lawns. I have not touched my lawn in 2 weeks. I will likely cut it this weekend but will raise the blade a notch. A good long soaker of a rain would be nice right about tnow. yep. same deal down here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 LOL. I've seen 0.02" this June. My last meaningful rain was back on May 24th and even than it was only 0.15". I have seen less than 0.25" of rain in the past 20 days. Things are drying up fast around here. The soccer fields are browning. People who cut their lawns to short have browning lawns. I have not touched my lawn in 2 weeks. I will likely cut it this weekend but will raise the blade a notch. A good long soaker of a rain would be nice right about tnow. I've had no measureable rainfall this June. My last rainfall was .20" on 5/30. I know I'm not SNE but just commenting on how dry this pattern has gotten here. 77.7/69 My transplanted cukes looked great this morning.. right after transplanted they kinda faded and whithered a bit due to shock but they firmed right up over night and look great.. Glad I moved them.. too many plants in one pot Good to hear! You made the correct decision in transplanting them, as the plants get pretty big and need space. I have two cuke plants in one pot, they have perked up a lot with the warmer temperatures the last two days. I've never seen the garden come along this fast...for me to have decent-sized tomatoes on the vine on June 8th is pretty ridiculous. The constant sunshine and heat wave in late May have given the plants a shot of speed. I'm also experimenting with kelp this year, and it seems to be promoting healthier and faster leaf development. Worried about the lettuces and cauliflower today though, they may need to be sprayed individually with water. Too hot for green vegetables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneypitmike Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 LOL. I've seen 0.02" this June. My last meaningful rain was back on May 24th and even than it was only 0.15". I have seen less than 0.25" of rain in the past 20 days. Things are drying up fast around here. The soccer fields are browning. People who cut their lawns to short have browning lawns. I have not touched my lawn in 2 weeks. I will likely cut it this weekend but will raise the blade a notch. A good long soaker of a rain would be nice right about tnow. Hey--Bob. I need to stay at a hotel for a meeting in Easton tomorrow. What's the nearest town for that? Taunton? Foxoboro? (I'm coming south on 495 so hopefully I can be on this side of Easton. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damage In Tolland Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 LOL. I've seen 0.02" this June. My last meaningful rain was back on May 24th and even than it was only 0.15". I have seen less than 0.25" of rain in the past 20 days. Things are drying up fast around here. The soccer fields are browning. People who cut their lawns to short have browning lawns. I have not touched my lawn in 2 weeks. I will likely cut it this weekend but will raise the blade a notch. A good long soaker of a rain would be nice right about tnow. Burning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowNH Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I've had no measureable rainfall this June. My last rainfall was .20" on 5/30. I know I'm not SNE but just commenting on how dry this pattern has gotten here. 77.7/69 Good to hear! You made the correct decision in transplanting them, as the plants get pretty big and need space. I have two cuke plants in one pot, they have perked up a lot with the warmer temperatures the last two days. I've never seen the garden come along this fast...for me to have decent-sized tomatoes on the vine on June 8th is pretty ridiculous. The constant sunshine and heat wave in late May have given the plants a shot of speed. I'm also experimenting with kelp this year, and it seems to be promoting healthier and faster leaf development. Worried about the lettuces and cauliflower today though, they may need to be sprayed individually with water. Too hot for green vegetables. Yeah I'm afraid I tied the cucumbers plants to the stake too high.. I might go get some nitrogen today.. where could I go for that? Are there brands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey--Bob. I need to stay at a hotel for a meeting in Easton tomorrow. What's the nearest town for that? Taunton? Foxoboro? (I'm coming south on 495 so hopefully I can be on this side of Easton. TIA There is a big hotel right off of 495 in Easton (I think) that used to be a Holiday Inn. Not sure what it is now... Boundary Road. Big conference center. Also plenty of hotels off of 495 in Mansfield (Rte 140) 1 town away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Burning We are doing ok in my neck of the woods. Yard is very green. We got a little rain last week during the severe day so that helps. Couple other brief showers since then. Our ball fields are very green. They water them a little I think. I have run the sprinkler a few times in the unshaded parts of my lawn at appropriate times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneypitmike Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 There is a big hotel right off of 495 in Easton (I think) that used to be a Holiday Inn. Not sure what it is now... Boundary Road. Big conference center. Also plenty of hotels off of 495 in Mansfield (Rte 140) 1 town away Thanks. I'm presenting at a conference at 8:30a.m. and I had a fear last night that I'd be stuck in traffic and miss it if I drove in tomorrow. The heat keeps some people awake; work anxiety does it for me. lol 74.6/65, cloudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Yeah I'm afraid I tied the cucumbers plants to the stake too high.. I might go get some nitrogen today.. where could I go for that? Are there brands? I wouldn't worry about it too much....you are going to need to trellis the cucumbers completely, so you are going to have to tie them multiple times to the stake, use some latticework or fencing, or something. Where you put the first tie isn't going to make much of a difference since you'll need to devise a larger trellis structure eventually. You don't really "get nitrogen"...it's something you find in a lot of fertilizers. You can just go to Home Depot or Agway and get a couple bags of composted manure...the manure is high in nitrogen, completely natural, and soaks into the garden slowly if you apply it on top of the soil. This way the plants get a long-lasting dose of nitrogen to help their leaves grow properly. Manure is also a 1-1-1 fertilizer so it gives you every macronutrient you need for the plants. Once you start seeing flowers/fruits, then you hit the plants with the high-phosphorous fertilizer, either fish fertilizer or bone meal, if you want to encourage larger and better fruits. Just make sure you don't overfertilize...you can put as much manure as you want in the garden, but you have to be careful with fish fertilizer or chemical treatments like Miracle Gro, another way to get nitrogen into the plants. If you want a complete fertilizer, all in one, buy Miracle Gro's garden soil...mix it in a bit and place it on top of your current soil. It containers chemical nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous fertilizers, as well as manure for balanced nutrition, and peat moss to allow the plants root aeration. This is NOT organic, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowNH Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 For my cukes, I bought green plastic stakes from home depot and I was planning on using fish wire to.make a trellis.. What Do you recommend for a trellis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 For my cukes, I bought green plastic stakes from home depot and I was planning on using fish wire to.make a trellis.. What Do you recommend for a trellis? This sounds fine...I have a few wooden trellises for my peas, never used the fish wire, but it's probably a cheap and easy option. Should work fine. You will have to tie the vines to the trellis at some points if the fruits start to become heavy. Just make sure you tie the plant so that it will be stable in a windstorm and not move in different directions, which could result in damage to the plant. This is my first year growing cucumbers so I am not really an expert; I have just learned about them from friends, gardening books, and reading online. Things like peas, tomatoes and squashes I've grown for years so can give more specific advice. I'll post more pictures of my garden set-up sometime, but the basic idea is that I have the cucumbers in a large round pot on the outside of the main garden, near the fencing that protects the main garden which contains most of my tomatoes, squashes, cauliflowers, etc. I am planning on training the vines up the outside of this mesh deer fence, using string to support the vines and tie them as they grow higher. They should grow right up the outside of the garden's fence, which is along a narrow ledge that protects it from animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroclinic Zone Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey--Bob. I need to stay at a hotel for a meeting in Easton tomorrow. What's the nearest town for that? Taunton? Foxoboro? (I'm coming south on 495 so hopefully I can be on this side of Easton. TIA There is the Holiday Inn on Myles Standish Blvd right off of I-495. That is in Taunton and is 1/4m from BOX on the same street. There is also the Holiday Inn in Mansfield in the Cabot & Forbes Industrial Park. That is right off of I-495 as well. Where's the meeting in Easton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klw Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 It looks like my lawn mower (10 yr old Craftsman) is on its last legs. It is getting very difficult to start. 7 or 8 pulls in which the first three or four are very difficult to get the string going. The last two times I got it to start it stopped after about 2 minutes. The first time this happened i got it going after about 5 minutes. The last time it did not restart and has not since. I put in a new sparkplug and air filter but no change. If I get a new one I am most likely looking at Craftsman or Troy Bilt push mowers. I have about half an acre of land which is probably about half lawn. The way it is set up even if I had a rider I would still need a push for some areas and I would rather have a walk behind. Any body have any brand suggestions, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneypitmike Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 There is the Holiday Inn on Myles Standish Blvd right off of I-495. That is in Taunton and is 1/4m from BOX on the same street. There is also the Holiday Inn in Mansfield in the Cabot & Forbes Industrial Park. That is right off of I-495 as well. Where's the meeting in Easton? Thanks. They made me a reservation at the Courtyard in Foxboro. My meeting's at Stonehill, so I guess it's North Easton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroclinic Zone Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Thanks. They made me a reservation at the Courtyard in Foxboro. My meeting's at Stonehill, so I guess it's North Easton. Nice, the Courtyard Marriot is nice. There's a Picadilly Pub right next door if you are looking for a place to grab drinks. You'll still have a 30 min ride to Stonehill though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowNH Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Zuck, I'm trying to cut back on watering, but in this heat and sunshine should I water everyday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Zuck, I'm trying to cut back on watering, but in this heat and sunshine should I water everyday? The plants in containers should be watered every day if you're dealing with 90F and sunny, sure. I would go a little lighter on the water than normal, however, as you don't want them to be getting 3X the amount that they'd get during a normal stretch when you water every third day. Also, make sure to water late in the evening or early in the morning, when most of the water will be absorbed by the roots instead of evaporated by the sun. Plants that are in the ground with deep roots probably can be watered every 2 days in this, except for green vegetables like lettuce and broccoli which need daily watering during heat. There's a big difference between the ground and containers; older plants in the ground have deeper roots which can reach moisture further down in the soil where daily temperatures have less of an effect on the amount of said moisture remaining. Exceptions are certain herbs which don't like much water, such as oregano and rosemary. These Mediterranean herbs are fine without watering during long periods of hot, droughty weather. That is the climate they grew up in...get your moisture from the winter rains, stay tough during the long, hot summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowNH Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Zuck, I'm trying to cut back on watering, but in this heat and sunshine should I water everyday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 The iris bed came out nice this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroclinic Zone Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 The iris bed came out nice this year. me likey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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