What a difference...

[PotterWatch]

a week makes! We were on vacation for a week and boy is there is difference in my garden. My garlic is much bigger, my broccoli is really tall and flowered... how do I harvest seed from it if I choose to? My corn has grown, my beans are up, the carrots and onion are doing well, the peas are climbing, and my tomatoes have flowered.

The only things not doing well are my zuchini, beets, and potatoes. The zuchini and beets were purchased plants and were in those pots you just put directly in the ground to save on waste. Well, they may save on waste, but they don't work well. Neither plant has grown much at all, I think because it's too hard for them to develop their roots outside that darn pot. I won't be doing that again.

The potatoes aren't doing a thing yet. Very disappointing. I was really hoping for some nice potatoes. I'm sure I did something wrong in planting them or something. This was my first try at it in 5gal buckets. I still have hope they will start to sprout, but I'm not holding my breath at this point.

 

[HunkieDorie23]

I wonder if you score the pots at the sides if they would let the roots out a bit or maybe just peel them back. I know I had the same thing with the peat pellets. The netting kinda stayed and didn't deteriorate. The roots could grow out of them but when I pull them in the fall, you could clearly see the seed pellet still there. I don't use them anymore, they are too expensive and there are easier ways to plant.

If you get a chance maybe post of pic of the garden gone green.

:tools

 

[Ridgerunner]

I can never remember where you are located. It's still way too early for me to even think about planting corn or setting out tomatoes. Ground is still too cold and frost is way too regular.

I always direct seed my zucchini and beets. I know some people do it and have great success, but I've never had good luck transplanting any kind of squash. For me, they don't live well and if they do live, they seem kind of stunted. Direct seeding squash works great in my location and is less work for me. The beet seeds are large enough that they are pretty easy to plant individually and get the right spacing, nothing like carrots.

Someone else just started a thread on growing potatoes in buckets. You'll probably see it anyway, but just in case I'll give a link.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28134

 

[vfem]

I rip up the bottoms on those pots, and sometimes I tear a few holes in the sides. That seems to make all the difference. Some plants I don't bother leaving them on, like the few herbs I've bought. Then I just through the pots into the compost... so its still win win. Hope that helps!!!

 

[PotterWatch]

I can never remember where you are located.

I kept forgetting to go and put my location in. It's done now though!

I'm wondering if I should dig up the zuchini and beets and try to take the pots off or just rip through them a bit. I guess if they aren't doing well as it is, it wouldn't make much difference even if they die.