I need gardeneing 101
My little plot is taking off and I'm trying to decide if I'm impatient or need to feed my plants more. Info on the various things follows:
Potatoes:
My sweet potato is looking quite dead, but the piece of potato underground looks healthy so it may put out more sprouts. The yukon gold potato has one nice huge stalk coming up. I have grand hopes the that one.
Greens:
I have planted Durkee Organic lettuce mix, mesclun mix and a flat leaf variety spinach. The lettuces were the first to come up out of the ground, but have stalled in their growth. Mesclun mix is getting taller to one end and definitely needs to be thinned. Even though it was the last to sprout, it is ahead of all the other greens. Spinach is doing okay and the first leaves are now accompanied by some real spinach looking leaves. So I'm thinking the lettuce mix needs help.
Carrots: Started out strong and have slowed down immensely. Probably could be thinned at this point.
Onions: Amazing!!! The first row of sets that I put out are 6-8" tall, the second row I put out 2 weeks later has done almost nothing, but I have confidence.
Garlic: finally started to break the surface last week, but I was getting worried. I put more cloves in the ground, thinking that the first set was not going to do anything, but now they are all going crazy. The shortest stems are about 2" and the tallest about 6".
Brussels sprouts: I bought starter plants from Home Depot for these and only one of the 9 in the tray seems to be really doing well. They all have new leaves, but are no taller than they were when I put them in the ground. I really want these to work out, cuz they are a favorite of me and my best friend.
Sugar peas: Same deal as with the Brussels sprouts. I have one or two that seem to be okay, not very much growth, but there are a few pea pods getting started. I need to anchor some string out there to lead them over to the trellis that I put up. Its only a few inches away, but they aren't inclined to go that direction on their own.
In addition to the above I have some well started crook neck squash from seed that needs to be transplanted soon into bigger containers if not into the ground. Six crookneck squash plants will make about 5.5 squash plants more than I will eat in a lifetime so I will need to figure out what to do with the rest. (How about not actually plant them all?) The boyfriend wants to grow them and trade them for chickens and eggs, but I'm pretty sure that six plants will feed all my friends and enemies without needing to get anything in return.
I started some bell peppers from seed and so far none of them have come up. I planted more seeds last night and we'll see if they come up.
Last but not least I planted some beefsteak tomatoes and only two of the six starters
came up. One had the seed hull stuck on the leaves so it looks like it isn't going to make it. The other looks okay.
Any gardeners out there know what they're doing? I have fish emulsion to foliar feed, I'm just wondering if the time has come. Should I wait until I know it won't rain for a couple days? Should I just go for it?
I'm willing to take any suggestions since this is the first time I've really done a garden by myself.
Potatoes:
My sweet potato is looking quite dead, but the piece of potato underground looks healthy so it may put out more sprouts. The yukon gold potato has one nice huge stalk coming up. I have grand hopes the that one.
Greens:
I have planted Durkee Organic lettuce mix, mesclun mix and a flat leaf variety spinach. The lettuces were the first to come up out of the ground, but have stalled in their growth. Mesclun mix is getting taller to one end and definitely needs to be thinned. Even though it was the last to sprout, it is ahead of all the other greens. Spinach is doing okay and the first leaves are now accompanied by some real spinach looking leaves. So I'm thinking the lettuce mix needs help.
Carrots: Started out strong and have slowed down immensely. Probably could be thinned at this point.
Onions: Amazing!!! The first row of sets that I put out are 6-8" tall, the second row I put out 2 weeks later has done almost nothing, but I have confidence.
Garlic: finally started to break the surface last week, but I was getting worried. I put more cloves in the ground, thinking that the first set was not going to do anything, but now they are all going crazy. The shortest stems are about 2" and the tallest about 6".
Brussels sprouts: I bought starter plants from Home Depot for these and only one of the 9 in the tray seems to be really doing well. They all have new leaves, but are no taller than they were when I put them in the ground. I really want these to work out, cuz they are a favorite of me and my best friend.
Sugar peas: Same deal as with the Brussels sprouts. I have one or two that seem to be okay, not very much growth, but there are a few pea pods getting started. I need to anchor some string out there to lead them over to the trellis that I put up. Its only a few inches away, but they aren't inclined to go that direction on their own.
In addition to the above I have some well started crook neck squash from seed that needs to be transplanted soon into bigger containers if not into the ground. Six crookneck squash plants will make about 5.5 squash plants more than I will eat in a lifetime so I will need to figure out what to do with the rest. (How about not actually plant them all?) The boyfriend wants to grow them and trade them for chickens and eggs, but I'm pretty sure that six plants will feed all my friends and enemies without needing to get anything in return.
I started some bell peppers from seed and so far none of them have come up. I planted more seeds last night and we'll see if they come up.
Last but not least I planted some beefsteak tomatoes and only two of the six starters
came up. One had the seed hull stuck on the leaves so it looks like it isn't going to make it. The other looks okay.
Any gardeners out there know what they're doing? I have fish emulsion to foliar feed, I'm just wondering if the time has come. Should I wait until I know it won't rain for a couple days? Should I just go for it?
I'm willing to take any suggestions since this is the first time I've really done a garden by myself.