Originally Posted by BC-Axeman (Post 1273085)

A DOZEN squash!!!
Pick it...more to come.
General watering instruction is frequent until the plant gets established then less often but more thorough. I look at each plant and make a decision based on what it looks like it needs. Everything you mentioned likes damp deep soil.

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman (Post 1273124)

Clay keeps the water from draining and it's hard for roots to work through. You don't want your plants sitting in water. As long as the topsoil is more than a foot deep the clay may work to your advantage by allowing you to water less. In sandy soil the water passes right through it and dries too fast. Lots of organic material (compost) fixes everything, sand or clay.

Originally Posted by Scothew (Post 1273213)

Im not sure how much top soil I really have, i dont think its a foot honestly. Most of it was pulled to the part of the property next to me when it was initially cleared off years ago.

Originally Posted by Noodles (Post 1273050)

Am I in trouble? I am using Miracle Gro garden soil and just noticed a big No Container sign at the back of the package. I replanted my Tomato in one of those Smart Pots using MG garden soil. Should I replant using a different soil? Maybe one of those soilless or potting soil?

Please help.

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman (Post 1273228)

Sounds like what I started with, except our "clay" is a really fine grained sand, like powder, sometimes called "mudstone" here. I finally gave up on it and built boxes. I would go with Jamie's advice, above. That's about how I do it, too.

Originally Posted by wayner123 (Post 1273289)

I may be wrong, but I believe that warning is because MG garden soil has uncomposted cow manure in it. That is what I have found in my experience. It also does not drain well at all.

When growing in containers, it really is a whole different ball game on what type of soils are used. You should do some reading over at the gardenweb container growing section.

Originally Posted by Noodles (Post 1273638)

I ended up mixing garden soil with potting mix. Hopefully it is a little better. I don't want to replant them again for fear of shocking the tomatoes. I might do another tomato with all potting mix on another smart pot. Fingers crossed.

Uncomposted cow manure is bad for container? What will happen to the plant?

Originally Posted by Scothew (Post 1273031)

Hey guys, havent checked into this thread yet, but figured i should since i had a question.

My wife and I have a small garden, about 20 stalks of corn, about a dozen mounds each of cucumbers and squash, 8 tomatoe plants, 3 jalapenos and 2 banana peppers.

I live in central AL so its hot and dry. How often should I water, and when should I? We've gone so far about 2 weeks now without rain, been watering every day or every other. I went for a bit without waterign over the course of about 4-5 days and didnt notice much growth, but now since watering daily definitely getting growth and also now have some tomatoes and jalapenos showing up. Just wanted to see what I should be doing watering wise.

Also One Jalapeno pepper is about 2.5" long, so wasnt sure when I shoudl pick it, if by letting it grow would stunt the growth of the plant itself, as its only about 8" tall.

Thanks!

I'll try to get some pics. We also built a herb rack on the back deck and have about 10 different herbs that we planted from seed over the weekend, already got basils sprouting. We had to redo all of them due to the sun baked and killed all our previous sprouts. Now I modified the rack to where it shaded the mid-day sun and i have a net over the front to sort of cut the amount of afternoon sun down.

Originally Posted by Average Joe (Post 1274038)

Small garden my #@$. That's a dang nice size garden! I am in south-central AL so I feel your pain on watering. What I do is pull back some mulch and feel to see if it is wet or not. I normally water at night or early morning.

I am pulling squash and cucumbers left and right, with tons of tomatoes sitting on the plant green as a leaf. I was hoping to have 'mater sandwiches by now but I am stuck with everything but! Peppers are nice though.

Originally Posted by wayner123 (Post 1274010)

The dangers of uncomposted manure in a closed container are, harmful bacteria and as the manure is composting... heat.

Originally Posted by Noodles (Post 1274267)

I've done some reading and it seems they don't even recommend using Miracle Gro potting mix. They the chemical fertilizer in it is too strong for tomato.

Damn.

Originally Posted by SvilleKid (Post 1274259)

Contrary to Joe's method, do not water at night, if you can help it. Water in the morning is the best plan. Watering late inthe evening and/or night can lead to blossom end rot on many veggies, especially tomatoes, squash and Zucs. Watering tomatoes starting at high noon, in the hot, hot sun is a big cause of tomatoes splitting the skin on the vine. The cold water on the hot skin does it. Tomatoes are susceptible to several issues if they "go to bed" with wet leaves and fruit, so water in the morning, the plant dries before nightfall. A good plan for most of the leafy plants you might be growing.

Good luck, ALL!

Originally Posted by Noodles (Post 1274267)

I've done some reading and it seems they don't even recommend using Miracle Gro potting mix. They the chemical fertilizer in it is too strong for tomato.

Damn.

Originally Posted by jjirons69 (Post 1274521)

Gave a big handful of squash to my neighbor yesterday evening. Those babies are putting out like mad. It's easy to say I'll have my fill of squash this year. Also have a couple jalapenos ready to pick. Tomatoes are filling in nicely, too, with many greens ones on the vines. No cukes yet, but plenty of flowers.

Originally Posted by wayner123 (Post 1274303)

I never knew that was a cause for BER. I had always thought it was from a low concentration of calcium in the fruit.

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman (Post 1274534)

Still cold and cloudy here.:(