文章
Miss Chen
2018年07月01日
With container gardens, you can have fresh vegetables all year even when garden space is not available. Zucchini is a summer squash that grows best in full sun and warm conditions. As container culture gains popularity, many new dwarf or small growing varieties of vegetables are being developed; compact zucchini varieties are no exception, and include the culitvars Black Magic, Hybrid Jackpot, Gold Rush and Classic. Grow zucchini indoors all year round. In winter, place the pots in a south facing window where they will get the most sun.
Step 1
Fill 2-inch pots with soil-less seed starting mix. Use a pre-mixed formula available at garden centers or make your own by mixing equal parts vermiculite and peat moss. Dampen the mixture and fill the 2-inch pots.
Step 2
Place one zucchini seed in each pot and cover it with 1/2 inch of soil. Place the pots in dappled or filtered sun with a temperature range between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the soil around the seedlings damp with frequent light applications of water. The seedlings will germinate in five to seven days and be ready to transplant into a large, permanent container in three to four weeks.
Step 3
Fill one 5-gallon container for each zucchini plant. Use a well-draining soil-less potting mix and fill the pot to 1-inch below the lip of the container. Garden centers sell pre-formulated mixes for indoor vegetable container growing. Alternately, mix your own by combining equal parts loam, peat and coarse clean sand. Add a 14-14-14 liquid fertilizer to the mix. Check the back of the package to determine the correct amount.
Step 4
Dampen the potting mix with water until it is light and crumbly. Scoop out a shallow hole in the center of the pot large enough to accommodate the root ball of one zucchini plant. Select the strongest of the zucchini seedlings for planting.
Step 5
Slide the seedling out of the small pot and place it into the large container with the base of the stem planted at the same depth in the soil as it was in the seeding pot. Fill in around the roots and pat down the soil to secure the seedling in the pot. Place the potted zucchini in a sunny window where it will get at least five to six hours of sun each day.
Step 6
Fertilize once a week using a fertilizer formulated for complete nutrition. There are many combinations on the market for vegetable growing. A good, basic fertilizer formula like a 5-10-10 or a 10-10-10 fertilizer is suitable. Check the package for the correct application amount and method.
Step 7
Water when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch, usually daily or every other day for container grown zucchini plants. Soak the soil thoroughly at each watering. Place the pot on a saucer or tray to catch water and protect surfaces. Empty the saucer after every watering to prevent water from sitting around the root system.
Step 8
Harvest the zucchini plants as when they are 3 to 4 inches long and still tender. Harvest continuously as the fruits ripen to encourage the plant to keep producing. Zucchini are ready to harvest 50 to 70 days after planting.
Step 1
Fill 2-inch pots with soil-less seed starting mix. Use a pre-mixed formula available at garden centers or make your own by mixing equal parts vermiculite and peat moss. Dampen the mixture and fill the 2-inch pots.
Step 2
Place one zucchini seed in each pot and cover it with 1/2 inch of soil. Place the pots in dappled or filtered sun with a temperature range between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the soil around the seedlings damp with frequent light applications of water. The seedlings will germinate in five to seven days and be ready to transplant into a large, permanent container in three to four weeks.
Step 3
Fill one 5-gallon container for each zucchini plant. Use a well-draining soil-less potting mix and fill the pot to 1-inch below the lip of the container. Garden centers sell pre-formulated mixes for indoor vegetable container growing. Alternately, mix your own by combining equal parts loam, peat and coarse clean sand. Add a 14-14-14 liquid fertilizer to the mix. Check the back of the package to determine the correct amount.
Step 4
Dampen the potting mix with water until it is light and crumbly. Scoop out a shallow hole in the center of the pot large enough to accommodate the root ball of one zucchini plant. Select the strongest of the zucchini seedlings for planting.
Step 5
Slide the seedling out of the small pot and place it into the large container with the base of the stem planted at the same depth in the soil as it was in the seeding pot. Fill in around the roots and pat down the soil to secure the seedling in the pot. Place the potted zucchini in a sunny window where it will get at least five to six hours of sun each day.
Step 6
Fertilize once a week using a fertilizer formulated for complete nutrition. There are many combinations on the market for vegetable growing. A good, basic fertilizer formula like a 5-10-10 or a 10-10-10 fertilizer is suitable. Check the package for the correct application amount and method.
Step 7
Water when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch, usually daily or every other day for container grown zucchini plants. Soak the soil thoroughly at each watering. Place the pot on a saucer or tray to catch water and protect surfaces. Empty the saucer after every watering to prevent water from sitting around the root system.
Step 8
Harvest the zucchini plants as when they are 3 to 4 inches long and still tender. Harvest continuously as the fruits ripen to encourage the plant to keep producing. Zucchini are ready to harvest 50 to 70 days after planting.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年07月01日
If you're interested in growing potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) in your home garden, don't overlook a variety called Yukon Gold, which yields yellow-fleshed potatoes in the early to middle part of the season. Yukon Gold potatoes are high in vitamin A, which gives them their colorful flesh, and are good for eating unpeeled because they have extra-thin skins. They grow as annuals in all parts of the United States and are easy-to-grow plants, needing only basic care while growing and a bit of special attention at harvest time.
Starting Plants
Like most varieties, Yukon Gold potatoes can be started from seed potatoes, which are small tubers grown during the previous season. You can also start plants from pieces of larger potatoes, as long as each piece you plant has at least one bud, or "eye," at its surface. Before planting, allow cut pieces to dry, or heal, for seven to 10 days at 65 degrees Fahrenheit and dust cut surfaces with a powdered fungicide labeled for use on potato pieces; do this in a wind-protected spot and wear gloves to protect your hands.
Plant seed potatoes or pieces in early spring, but wait until the soil has warmed to 40 degrees Fahrenheit because Yukon Gold potatoes are a bit slow to sprout, and planting in soil that's too cool can promote growth of fungus.
Soil, Sun and Water
Yukon Gold potatoes grow best in well-drained soil that's loose and easily dug. If your soil is dense and heavy, and compacts easily, amend it with organic matter such as compost to loosen it while also improving fertility. Space potato pieces 10 to 15 inches apart, setting them in a trench at a depth of 6 inches; deep planting prevents tubers from jutting out of the soil as they grow. For best results, choose a sunny site where plants get at least six hours of sun each day. Plants need regular, consistent moisture during the period of greatest growth, early summer to midsummer; they do best when watered well every two or three days, to reach a total of 1 inch of water weekly, including rain; later in the season, when green tops begin to die back, avoid fungal problems by watering only when soil is dry to the touch.
Fertilizing and Hilling
Because potatoes form underground, you'll need to bury the plants' tops to ensure that tubers remain covered -- a process called hilling. When plants are about 8 inches tall, cover the lower half of the plants with soil or straw, and repeat this about three weeks later. Fertilizing Yukon Gold potatoes helps ensure a good harvest, starting when you plant seed potatoes or potato pieces. Scatter fertilizer into a small trench about 2 or 3 inches to the side of the planting row, preventing contact of fertilizer with the seed potatoes or pieces because it can burn tender roots. Use about 3 pounds of a granular, 8-16-16 formula for each 100 square feet of planted area. Once plants are about 6 inches tall, repeat fertilization by broadcasting about 2 pounds of the same formula per 100 square feet, applying it in a band about 10 inches away from the plants.
Problems and Harvest
Yukon Gold potatoes can attract Colorado potato beetles, yellow and brown striped, hard-shelled insects; control these pests by hand-picking. Aphids -- small, soft-bodied greenish-yellow pests -- might also be a problem; wash plants with a strong water stream early on sunny days to remove and destroy them. Fungal problems such as blight, which might cause limp, blackened leaves and stems, can be prevented by purchasing seed potatoes certified free of the disease. Planting in an area with good air circulation and removing debris regularly from under the plants also keeps down fungus.
Yukon Gold potatoes are ready to harvest about 50 days after planting, once vines begin dying back and foliage yellows. Use a fork to lift potatoes gently, then shake off loose dirt, cover tubers with paper or towels and let them dry in a cool, dark place for a few days; store them in a cool spot at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Starting Plants
Like most varieties, Yukon Gold potatoes can be started from seed potatoes, which are small tubers grown during the previous season. You can also start plants from pieces of larger potatoes, as long as each piece you plant has at least one bud, or "eye," at its surface. Before planting, allow cut pieces to dry, or heal, for seven to 10 days at 65 degrees Fahrenheit and dust cut surfaces with a powdered fungicide labeled for use on potato pieces; do this in a wind-protected spot and wear gloves to protect your hands.
Plant seed potatoes or pieces in early spring, but wait until the soil has warmed to 40 degrees Fahrenheit because Yukon Gold potatoes are a bit slow to sprout, and planting in soil that's too cool can promote growth of fungus.
Soil, Sun and Water
Yukon Gold potatoes grow best in well-drained soil that's loose and easily dug. If your soil is dense and heavy, and compacts easily, amend it with organic matter such as compost to loosen it while also improving fertility. Space potato pieces 10 to 15 inches apart, setting them in a trench at a depth of 6 inches; deep planting prevents tubers from jutting out of the soil as they grow. For best results, choose a sunny site where plants get at least six hours of sun each day. Plants need regular, consistent moisture during the period of greatest growth, early summer to midsummer; they do best when watered well every two or three days, to reach a total of 1 inch of water weekly, including rain; later in the season, when green tops begin to die back, avoid fungal problems by watering only when soil is dry to the touch.
Fertilizing and Hilling
Because potatoes form underground, you'll need to bury the plants' tops to ensure that tubers remain covered -- a process called hilling. When plants are about 8 inches tall, cover the lower half of the plants with soil or straw, and repeat this about three weeks later. Fertilizing Yukon Gold potatoes helps ensure a good harvest, starting when you plant seed potatoes or potato pieces. Scatter fertilizer into a small trench about 2 or 3 inches to the side of the planting row, preventing contact of fertilizer with the seed potatoes or pieces because it can burn tender roots. Use about 3 pounds of a granular, 8-16-16 formula for each 100 square feet of planted area. Once plants are about 6 inches tall, repeat fertilization by broadcasting about 2 pounds of the same formula per 100 square feet, applying it in a band about 10 inches away from the plants.
Problems and Harvest
Yukon Gold potatoes can attract Colorado potato beetles, yellow and brown striped, hard-shelled insects; control these pests by hand-picking. Aphids -- small, soft-bodied greenish-yellow pests -- might also be a problem; wash plants with a strong water stream early on sunny days to remove and destroy them. Fungal problems such as blight, which might cause limp, blackened leaves and stems, can be prevented by purchasing seed potatoes certified free of the disease. Planting in an area with good air circulation and removing debris regularly from under the plants also keeps down fungus.
Yukon Gold potatoes are ready to harvest about 50 days after planting, once vines begin dying back and foliage yellows. Use a fork to lift potatoes gently, then shake off loose dirt, cover tubers with paper or towels and let them dry in a cool, dark place for a few days; store them in a cool spot at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
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