PEACHTREE CITY COMMUNITY GARDEN
  • Home
    • About
  • Registration
  • Ask Larry
  • Photo Gallery
  • Veggie Files
  • Contact

Nightshades

3/1/2015

7 Comments

 
  We turned the calendar to traditionally the first month of spring. But, after checking the 10 day weather forecast, spring may be late this year. Regardless, we have to prepare for the coming growing season and now is the time to start transplants of those warm season, heat loving nightshades. Aren't nightshades poisonous you ask? Yes they are if you eat the leaves, but who doesn't like a tomato slice smothered in mayo between two slices of bread? The nightshade crops we grow are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes.
  So today I started my seeds for transplants of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants with the plan to have the transplants ready to go in the garden in six weeks or so. I planted 7 varieties of tomatoes including "Matt's Wild" cherry tomato, "Celebrity" and "Goliath" slicing tomatoes, 3 other varieties I'm testing for blight resistance and then a large fruited variety to enter into the tomato contest at the PTC Farmers Market. I can already envision the grand champion ribbon I'll win for that big tomato. Gardeners are pretty passionate about their produce!! One advantage seed starter have is the ability to hunt down those grand champion seeds and start their own varieties that few other gardeners will have. So I encourage you to read through the seeds catalogs and try something new this year.
  Back to seedling nightshades, these crops like heat so it is especially important to give these seeds plenty of heat to germinate. I actually put 2 heat mats under the racks and drape plastic over the racks to create a warm moist microclimate for the seeds to get started. Once the seeds sprout they do not require supplemental heat but plenty of light to prevent the plants from getting long and lanky. 
  I plant "Olympus" peppers and "Orient Charm" eggplants. Two varieties that produce well.
  If you aren't starting your own transplants, don't be impatient. Although those transplants will start showing up in the local garden centers soon, any cool weather will stunt their growth and a frost will kill them.
7 Comments
Ginger
3/6/2015 08:51:11 pm

Hi Larry,
I don't have a nightshade question, but am going to pose my questions here. I have access to some horse manure but it is mixed with untreated sawdust. Not a ton of sawdust, but enough for me to wonder if this is okay? Also, I thought about getting some soil from the bottom of drained Lake Peachtree.... all that matter at the bottom, would that be a good amendment...soil at bottom of lake? Lastly, all this worm amendment talk. I met a gardener last season that was talking about "black gold." Something with worms. I don't know if it was the castings or what. I want to say it might have been something else. I guess worm castings is the same as worm poop? What could you pick up at a fishing supply place to do with worms with any amount of volume? He spoke of getting stuff from a fishing connection for free. Any free tips on this worm thing and what he was talking about? Thanks so much, Larry.

Reply
Larry
3/7/2015 09:38:46 am

1.Horse manure with sawdust is fine for the garden although I generally avoid it if the horses have been wormed recently. (Ask the owners). The wormer treatment will kill earthworms. If you use the manure and sawdust on the garden add extra nitrogen fertilizer, the sawdust will tie up nitrogen as it breaks down.
2. The soil from the lake should be OK. Since it is contaminated with storm runoff from the roads I am a bit concerned about heavy metal contamination. Don't use too much of it at one time.
3.Black gold is indeed worm castings (poop). Great stuff. Most bait shops don't grow their own worms so they won't have too much of the castings to sell. It is easier to buy bags of compost at a garden center.

Reply
Ginger
3/8/2015 10:23:29 am

Thank you so much, very informative. I think I will try to see if I can get any horse manure with no sawdust. Is one form of animal manure better than another? Thanks.

Reply
Larry
3/11/2015 11:03:34 am

Poultry manure is best. Birds have a craw that grinds the seeds they eat and usually there are no seeds that come out intact from a bird. Cows and horses will pass seeds which willingly sprout wherever they are dropped.

Jenny
3/11/2015 11:32:02 am

Ginger, Mike Cunningham sells worm castings at his farm (Country Gardens Farm)

Reply
Julie
3/12/2015 01:41:13 pm

Larry,

When is the best time to plant white and red potatoes? Is it too early now?

Reply
Larry
3/12/2015 09:53:20 pm

Although some folks will plant potatoes now, I'm waiting at least 2 weeks. If we get a freeze/frost once the potatoes sprout the cold weather will burn the leaves and set the plants back. Better to wait unless you are prepared to cover the potatoes if they sprout and we get another freeze.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Larry Dove, of Two Doves Farm,.

    Archives

    December 2019
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly