Gardener's help

[RotBaron]

For those of us out there that have a garden, just thought I'd make a lighter thread. A hobby of mine that provides a lot of stress relief and sometimes some satisfaction to my palate.

Gardening in Phoenix can be a love hate relationship. We have a lot of pests, low humidity and lots of heat. Some plants do ok, some are cool to look at and novel to have and others are actually worthwhile and produce.  Tomatoes do well with lots of water. One thing we don't have is rich soil. So I'm told what we actually have isn't soil at all, rather pulverized granite, which turns into something like clay when saturated. So of course we must use/add soil, getting it right hasn't been easy for me, I don't use pesticides, rather "home remedies" I can find on the net. Some work, some don't...

As you can see the tomatoes are doing well, got a late start though, hopefully July heat/weather doesn't arrive quicker than we can handle.



Anybody have any suggestions on this broccoli plant? It hasn't produced many crowns, is big n leafy. I've read it is not a very heat tolerant plant and in one month our day time highs will exceed 105 degress regularly, if not even higher...




Poor little strawberry plant...Kale seems to like where it is.



 

[Randy1]

Don't over look having a couple of apple trees.  The dry heat prevents a lot of disease problems that other areas have.

Okra is another good garden heat plant.

I have a garden, apple trees, peach trees plum trees, cherry trees, pecan trees, citrus trees and even bananas.  Keeps me very busy.

[cattb]

http://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-broccoli/


maybe this will help
many things could be wrong
PH
amount of nutruients in soil (example; to much nitrogen in the soil with some plants can keep them in a vegetive state)
soil...does the soil need amending?
time of planting?

[RotBaron]

Just noticed the first pic is sideways, sorry.

hmmm seems like I really should test the pH. I suspected that, we get irrigation and I'm told (prolly shouldn't rely on) that the irrigation keeps our soil fairly neutral. Will look into the test kit. Thanks for the website.

[MrGeezer]

Go with peppers, New Mexico and Big Jim's are best for your area....but you will have to go with plants at this rate--a tad late for seeds.  If you need seeds for next year let me know.

[NatCigg]

add good organic matter (peat, compost, ext..) to your soil every year. it will decompose every year, help create a living soil, aid in aeration (if needed) moisture and nutrient retention.  Have a soil particle test and a soil nutrient test done to determine your ratio of sand silt and clay in your soil and available nutrients.  Understanding the inorganic structure of your soil can help you better understand how to manage it for each plant you grow.  A good silt loam is ideal for most plants (good ratio of drainage, aeration, nutrient retention, and structure).  pH test your soil and water.  Most likely your pH will match your irrigation water.  pH can affect nutrient availability to plants.  Consider foiliar feeding if pH or a poor root system is an issue. 

[-ammo-]

Broccoli likes temperate climates - it's a big thing here in Stuttgart Germany where the weather is mild in comparison to your location.  Good luck!

OTOH, we have had zero luck with tomatoes.  It just doesn't get hot enough here. However, oddly enough, I can grow jalepeno and habenero peppers without an issue.

[Flench]

Two much work . I give mine up . First time I never had a garden .

[DubiousKB]

Peppers need a cooler climate as they will dedicate their energy to growing the plant in the heat as opposed to generating fruit.

As for your soil type, Compost is going to be critical. Without organic matter in that soil, your plants will have a hard time obtaining the nutrients required to facilitate strong growth... As this type of soil is susceptible to erosion/runoff, having straw worked into the soil with compost will help retain moisture without saturating the soil and provide additional nutrients to the plant.

...I also very much enjoy "puttering" in my garden. I'm not experienced, but if my gramps could do it... I'll be goto hell, so can I! 

My first tray of starters this year didn't make it... Didn't have wind on them early enough and they outgrew their own ability to stand upright..

[morfiend]

 I started my garden last week,I've had to cover over things a couple times because of frost. It's late this year compared to last as at this time last year the garden was in and about a month old.

   I don't grow vegies,well a couple tomato plants in large pots usually gives me more than I can use. I mostly grow flowers,this year I hope to grow quite afew papaver somniferum,they have such nice blooms!

  I have a new hybred to try this year,I'm hoping for a good yield.....



   

[RotBaron]

Thanks for all the info and replies.

I'm wondering if I should cut my losses on the broccoli, it's going to be 105 here by week's end. I just wonder how much in nutrients the broccoli is using up that my other veggies could use.

I've got a pretty good soil mixture going this year. I dug deep and got rid of our "clay" like soil to about 2 feet down. Replaced that with a mixture of compost, mulch and manure this year. Of course I've kept the potting soil from all the plants over the years and added that too, but it dries too quickly to use only potting soil here. I started a compost pile with grass clippings and every thing that is yellow or eaten on by pests goes in it. I tilled the soil quite a lot in the winter/spring, in years past I've had big problems with the tomato hornworm a.k.a. caterpillar. Caught only one so far this year.  Those pesky things can devastate in just a few days...They even ate my eggplant last year, which didn't make it through our frost this winter. We had a couple freezes this winter (unusual for Phoenix) in which consecutive nights were well below freezing. 

I'll look into the suggestions about soil pH and the rest you made NatCigg, thanks gents.

  

[morfiend]

Rot,


  If you're having problems with tomato bugs try a simple solution. I used skoals chewing tobacco and steep it in boiling water and leave overnight,then add a couple of drops of dishsoap to the solution and put in a sprayer.

  It's a fairly safe option to deal with pests,keep the solution away from pets and children and a simple wash should remove any residue before you eat the vegtables.

  I use this on my gardens all the time and it even works on aphids that my roses get!


  Use caution and common sense with this solution,it is very toxic.


   

[DubiousKB]

Interesting mix, but I read the other day in a couple grandfathered books I received that Tomato plants are very susceptible to tobacco born disease.

I was shocked to read that, "if you are a smoker, ensure you wash your hands before handling tomato plants as they are not resistant to tobacco plant diseases." I'm not sure on how susceptible they are, especially if you've used a "tobacco wash" in the past.

I do like the implication of deterring aphids from roses, i had an infestation last year.   

Thanks for the tips fellas! 

[NatCigg]

Rot,


  If you're having problems with tomato bugs try a simple solution. I used skoals chewing tobacco and steep it in boiling water and leave overnight,then add a couple of drops of dishsoap to the solution and put in a sprayer.

  It's a fairly safe option to deal with pests,keep the solution away from pets and children and a simple wash should remove any residue before you eat the vegtables.

  I use this on my gardens all the time and it even works on aphids that my roses get!


  Use caution and common sense with this solution,it is very toxic.


   

Systemic neonicitinoid insecticides are chemically related to nicotine.  Nicotinoid insecticides are the most common insecticides nowadays.  This in and attempt to limit chemicals toxic to people and also provide control for many months.  Unfortunately, the systemic action and residual is possibly leading to the decline of our bee population.  As a good practice i would not put a nicotinoid insecticide on a flowering plant. 

[VonMessa]

I started my garden last week,I've had to cover over things a couple times because of frost. It's late this year compared to last as at this time last year the garden was in and about a month old.

   I don't grow vegies,well a couple tomato plants in large pots usually gives me more than I can use. I mostly grow flowers,this year I hope to grow quite afew papaver somniferum,they have such nice blooms!

  I have a new hybred to try this year,I'm hoping for a good yield.....



   

I'll bet