Vegetable gardens

Alan said:
I was advised that Marigolds were a pest repellent. However having planted a few they have quickly been decimated. I'm not sure by what though but it seems the stem under the flowerhead just gives in. I'm not seeing any other signs of damage.

Any idea on what it could be and what methods could be used to prevent this happening again? My other plants have been unaffected so far but I doubt they'd last long if whatever has targeted the Marigolds turns it attention to them
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When I hear decimated I think snail's, very sneaky! Especially when talking about marigolds because they are very effective.

I plant my vegetables in containers and use snail bait around the edges as nessasary so it doesn't come in contact with the plant. A friend refuses to kill them and waits for rainy days and catches and releases. Whatever works for you.

For prevention I spray the plants with Kirchhoffs Organic Insecticide and Margaret Roberts biological caterpillar insecticide and have good results.

If you don't already know about other types of companion planting like the marriage of tomatoes and basil for example it is a great thing to research and makes for a happy eco system that attracts beneficial insects and repels pests.

I have found it is also good practice to fully rotate the crops as this helps prevent certain pests that like a specific plant from gaining momentum.
 
purpleheart said:
When I hear decimated I think snail's, very sneaky! Especially when talking about marigolds because they are very effective.
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I have removed a few very small snails on various plants but I'm doubtful they're responsible for this. I'm inclined to think it's something like cutworm
For prevention I spray the plants with Kirchhoffs Organic Insecticide and Margaret Roberts biological caterpillar insecticide and have good results.
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Thanks I'll give those a try.
 
Alan said:
I have removed a few very small snails on various plants but I'm doubtful they're responsible for this. I'm inclined to think it's something like cutworm


Thanks I'll give those a try.
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You can also try...
8aa478174d94beca135d234c069ae9aa.jpg
 
I did the organic thing for a while pesticide wise.

Worked perfectly fine in residential areas but not much use on a plot.

Margaret Roberts Organic Insecticide stuff: About R70 for a 500ml bottle?

Spray my roses Saturday morning. they are Aphid free by Saturday night.
Sunday afternoon I see the first 20 Aphids.
Monday night it looks like it did Saturday morning before spraying.

Methomex 900 SP: About R20 for 100g (1g makes 10l insecticide).
Spray my roses once a month, sommer spray everthing in a 20 meter radius of the roses as well.

Spray the whole bloody garden at a cost of around R10 then make a barrier outside the garden for another R10 then I only have to spray veggies and roses about once a month at a cost of around R4 a session.
 
purpleheart said:
When I hear decimated I think snail's, very sneaky! Especially when talking about marigolds because they are very effective.

I plant my vegetables in containers and use snail bait around the edges as nessasary so it doesn't come in contact with the plant. A friend refuses to kill them and waits for rainy days and catches and releases. Whatever works for you.

For prevention I spray the plants with Kirchhoffs Organic Insecticide and Margaret Roberts biological caterpillar insecticide and have good results.

If you don't already know about other types of companion planting like the marriage of tomatoes and basil for example it is a great thing to research and makes for a happy eco system that attracts beneficial insects and repels pests.

I have found it is also good practice to fully rotate the crops as this helps prevent certain pests that like a specific plant from gaining momentum.
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do you have a pic of your container setup? i don't have a lot of space and looking for ideas to grow veggies.
 
akescpt said:
looks expensive..
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works out around R250 per pot for initial setup.

But what do you get paid per hour?

"potting" around the garden took me hours before i bought a watering system (terrible water pressure where I live). The system cost me R1400 and has saved me around on average 30 minutes a day weekdays and around 2 hours over weekends.
That is around 308 hours a year.

Anyway, work out the manual labour part vs what you earn per hour and decide how much time you want to spend doing the tedious.

My sister loves the watering and weeding, me? not so much. up to what you want to do.
 
akescpt said:
do you have a pic of your container setup? i don't have a lot of space and looking for ideas to grow veggies.
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I bought 8 round flat containers for cheap cheap at a Chinese shop and SO put drainage holes in the bottom. Not much going at the moment most has already gone to flower (I will post more in summer) but I still have a couple of lettuce, spring onion, tomato and herbs. The garden is out of the way so the plastic is fine for me and because it is not so heavy I can move it to make the most of the sun/shade in different seasons.

7c6a570fa543ac9cb1160291abdcebd9.jpg
 
Keeping my fledgling veggie planter alive in summer is paying dividends. It seems to be thriving in the winter, spinach, herbs and tomatoes are growing like crazy, will try snap some pics this weekend.
 
Hi guys, how's the gardens going?

I bought quite a few things from Living Seeds:
Tomatoes
Watermelon (crimson sweet)
Spaghetti squash
Gem squash
Spanspek
Chillies
Swiss chard
Red Popcorn

I have planted the seeds in a tray the past weekend and need to prepare the beds and containers over the weekend. I bought some wood to make raised beds. Will get my hands dirty over the weekend. I'm new to most of the things mentioned above and very excited to see how it goes.

I've got some Swiss Chard and habanero (sp? ) peppers from last season that's still going strong.

At the start of the winter I also planted the following fruit trees (they're so cheap at the nursery):
Orange
Lemon
Naartjie
Plum
Peach
Nectarine

I guess it's still going to be a few years before they'll bear fruit, although they have made blossoms already. I think they're too small to have fruit this season.

Anyways, it's weird but I find the edible garden idee very excited as I previously hated normal gardening.
 
Pakka said:
Hi guys, how's the gardens going?

I bought quite a few things from Living Seeds:
Tomatoes
Watermelon (crimson sweet)
Spaghetti squash
Gem squash
Spanspek
Chillies
Swiss chard
Red Popcorn

I have planted the seeds in a tray the past weekend and need to prepare the beds and containers over the weekend. I bought some wood to make raised beds. Will get my hands dirty over the weekend. I'm new to most of the things mentioned above and very excited to see how it goes.

I've got some Swiss Chard and habanero (sp? ) peppers from last season that's still going strong.

At the start of the winter I also planted the following fruit trees (they're so cheap at the nursery):
Orange
Lemon
Naartjie
Plum
Peach
Nectarine

I guess it's still going to be a few years before they'll bear fruit, although they have made blossoms already. I think they're too small to have fruit this season.

Anyways, it's weird but I find the edible garden idee very excited as I previously hated normal gardening.
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Spring is here,time to start planting. Get yourself radish,turnip,carrots,beet, easy to grow and can harvest a lot in a small space.
 
I had carrots and beet and won't be planting it again. Time to harvest is way too long
 
I'm in the process of redoing my vegetable patch that I started last year.

My first change has been to switch to drip irrigation.

After a month it's working well, now in the process of "tuning" for my seedlings (from Living Seeds) that arrive next week.
 
This weekend I tried my hand at building beds. I'm quite happy with the outcome.

Next, I'll like to square foot gardening. Have any of you got experience with that? How deep do the containers need to be?

99e261d8a626739db85931742deffe5e.jpg
 
Pakka said:
This weekend I tried my hand at building beds. I'm quite happy with the outcome.

Next, I'll like to square foot gardening. Have any of you got experience with that? How deep do the containers need to be?

99e261d8a626739db85931742deffe5e.jpg
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Very nice, how long do they last before rot creeps in?
 
Hendrix said:
Very nice, how long do they last before rot creeps in?
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I'll have to keep you updated on that. It's solid pine wood and I'm not sure if it's okay to treat the inside as well?

Anyways, if it only lasts for 2 years its still okay, the wood cost me only R170 for one bed
 
Yes treat the inside as well. I used carbolineum on mine just let it dry well (a week or so) before planting.
The feet may need a bit of strengthening, I suspect they will just sink into the ground like that. Otherwise it should work well.
 
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Pakka said:
This weekend I tried my hand at building beds. I'm quite happy with the outcome.

Next, I'll like to square foot gardening. Have any of you got experience with that? How deep do the containers need to be?

99e261d8a626739db85931742deffe5e.jpg
Click to expand...

The site hasn't been updated for a couple of years but the basics are solid: http://sfgsa.co.za/
 
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