Personally this has been a horrible week for me. I have got some sort of throat infection and I have been sick since Saturday. My throat is so raw and I am so congested. I have not been to work all week and I have barely been keeping everything watered and picked in the garden.
I have been picking zucchini every single day. I am amazed at how much production I have gotten from 3 plants. This variety is called Elite Hybrid and it is a huge producer. I have couple of plants that engulf an entire 4x8 bed and have harvested 22+ pounds of zukes.
Now lets compare that to my Dixie Hybrid squash. I have planted 8 plants and only harvested a measley 3.5 pounds. The zukes have produced 700% more with 50% less plants. I decided to plant some squash in one of my 4x4 beds that has the same good soil as my zucchini bed. I am trying to see if the soil is the reason my squash isn't producing. I also planted more zucchini in the area that my existing squash is. This should be a good test to see what role the soil / location plays in production.
On a separate note, my attempt at eggplant and jalapeno peppers has been a complete bust. I planted a 4x4 bed of each and had nothing germinate. I don't know if I planted the seeds too deep or if it was too hot for them to germinate, but I planted squash and pink eye purple hulls in their place. I might try growing some eggplant and peppers in containers in a few weeks. Here are a few pics of the latest zukes.
Elite Hybrid Zucchini
Look at how huge this plant is, that is a 4X8 bed
Look at branching system on that one plant
Here are the eight tiny squash plants by comparison
7 comments:
Kris - eggplant and peppers can't be sown directly in the garden - they must be started in flats under lights before hints of spring arrives. My peppers were started around the first of February...
The Dixie hybrid squash have a deficiency of some kind....either the soil ph is not between 6.0 and 6.5, or one of the 16 nutrients the plants need is lacking. Try applying a water-soluble fertilizer to them.....
Thanks EG, I didn't know that about eggplants and peppers. You can see I am still learning. Those squash are in a natural area in my yard that is surrounded by pine straw so I am wondering if the soil is too acidic. I planted watermelons in that exact same spot last year and they did awesome. I will hit them with some fertilizer and see what happens. Thanks for the tips.
Eggplant take FOREVER to grow and EG's right about needing to start them under lights. What about finding some transplants?
Ribbit
Hope you get to feeling better! Nothing is worse than a summer cold. My yellow squash are doing the same as yours. I have been contemplating ripping them up this week. They are in the same bed as my spaghetti squash and the spaghetti squash look great. I'm not sure what the deal is. I have fertilized and it has not helped. Hopefully you will have better luck!
Ribbit - I am probably going to have to buy some seedlings unless I try to get them started inside. It stays hot here so long I think I still have time, but I may just wait till next year.
Cindy - I gave them a dose of Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer tonight. I will see if that makes a difference. I have got that second batch I just planted in my good soil if this doesn't work. I really just need some rain, it has not rained here in so long. That last rain we got was a 5 minute burst on May 26th and before that I don't even remember. We are in Level 4 drought in my county and more than 8 inches below our year to date average already.
Sorry about your cold..hope you're feeling better! As a first time newbie with a vegetable garden in Hart Co., I was ready to cry when I saw your beautiful corn...mine barely even got out of the ground and has been a free for all feast for every kind of bug known to sweet corn ever since...but your eight squash plants gave me real hope, as a few of mine look just the same while others seem to be thriving. I can see that vegetable gardening is a continuous learning process for all of us, no matter what our level of experience! :o) We're in dire need of a good rain here, too, and temps not quite so high in the 90's!!!! I hope the Miracle Grow is just what your plants needed!
Edsel, thanks and I am feeling much better now. The one advantage I have is that I live in a suburban area. I don't have to worry about deer and racoons eating my corn. We do have a lot of squirrels, but so far they haven't been a problem. I am hoping my other squash I planted will do better in my raised beds. Hopefully the rain will come for all parts of Georgia. Sorry to hear about your corn, what variety did you plant if you don't mind me asking?
Post a Comment