Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

Kay
You make a good point. Big box stores sell garden plants at times of the year when they don't have a ghost of a chance.
As far as nematodes in raised beds, I grow tomatoes in them every season and not so sure that nematodes are always a problem. My RBs, all except one, are several seasons old. Most of my tomato plants are F1 and probably nematode resistant to some degree. But I am growing 2 Brandywine Cherry Dark plants in separate RBs and I assume BCD is not nematode resistant. However both plants have done well and one is in my shallowest RB which I have and I have used it by only adding additional compost as necessary and it has been with me for several years. The BDC plants look very good and there are quite a number of tomatoes left to harvest over the next month. Also I have grown Summer Girl F1 which is not nematode resistant and it normally did fairly well for me. Now I do know that on occasion at season end i have pulled a plant in a RB which looks short of roots. However, I'm guessing that this may be more an issue in the fall season. I need to pay more attention and document more to get a better understanding. Also, I need to dig through my log and see if I can form a better opinion on this subject. But for this season nematodes in my RBs is not an issue. And overall I grow way more and bigger tomatoes in RBs than I every grow in pots of 10 gallon and less. Maybe if I had 15 gallon pots I would get closer to similar results, but I can build RBs for way less money than buying very expensive 15 gallon pots.
Larry

Larry, what are your raised beds lined with?

[brocnizer]

Sooooooooo, I was up and running with plants in the ground end of Feb here is St Aug. I'm starting to get fruit but 1/3rd of my plants have early blight. I sprayed with daconil and due to white flies did malithion. Well blight is growing, and white flies in low numbers but there. With the 10 plants I have I Do predict 100 pounds of crop. Some big guys turning red! But all new flowers seem to be dried looking after a few days and not setting. Just a report here, enjoy!

[Windi17]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

Windi17, you did plant the tomatoes too late for 9A/B. I wish the stores would not even sell tomato plants that late. I always plant either the last week in February or the first week in March in our zone. If you happen to get cold you can always cover small plants. Hopefully you will get some tomatoes.

Most of us grow tomatoes in containers because Florida has such a problem with nematodes and they love tomato plants. Even if you do build raised beds they will find their way in there after a season or two. I use my raised beds for all my other crops with good success.

Don't fret too much over any failures with your new garden. Just pay attention to what does work and what does not. It is all a learning experience and each year can get better.

Kay,

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, and also for the insight on nematodes. Do you have any recommendations for fighting them, since I already have the plants in the ground? I am taking this all as a learning experience, at least this time around. Tomatoes are a bonus! Thank you again.

[Windi17]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

Kay
You make a good point. Big box stores sell garden plants at times of the year when they don't have a ghost of a chance.
As far as nematodes in raised beds, I grow tomatoes in them every season and not so sure that nematodes are always a problem. My RBs, all except one, are several seasons old. Most of my tomato plants are F1 and probably nematode resistant to some degree. But I am growing 2 Brandywine Cherry Dark plants in separate RBs and I assume BCD is not nematode resistant. However both plants have done well and one is in my shallowest RB which I have and I have used it by only adding additional compost as necessary and it has been with me for several years. The BDC plants look very good and there are quite a number of tomatoes left to harvest over the next month. Also I have grown Summer Girl F1 which is not nematode resistant and it normally did fairly well for me. Now I do know that on occasion at season end i have pulled a plant in a RB which looks short of roots. However, I'm guessing that this may be more an issue in the fall season. I need to pay more attention and document more to get a better understanding. Also, I need to dig through my log and see if I can form a better opinion on this subject. But for this season nematodes in my RBs is not an issue. And overall I grow way more and bigger tomatoes in RBs than I every grow in pots of 10 gallon and less. Maybe if I had 15 gallon pots I would get closer to similar results, but I can build RBs for way less money than buying very expensive 15 gallon pots.
Larry
PS I just returned from my gardens and I picked quite a lot of tomatoes. I have I believe 26 plants in Raised Beds and I have over 50 plants in pots, mostly in 10 gallon pots. They all get watered on the same days and they all get fertilized on the same days. Tonight I counted and estimated the size of tomatoes picked per variety as I always do. The results, easily over 90% of the tomatoes harvested came from Raised Beds and only a small amount from containers. Also, while there is very little left on the container tomatoes the RB plants are loaded. I have 2 Granada F1 plum tomato plants and they look like a wall of tomatoes. Others including non nematode resistant Brandywine Cherry Dark have lots of tomatoes in the RBs and even the same varieties in 10 gallon pots have literally nothing.

Larry,
Thank you for sharing your experience with RB's. Maybe I'll try both next season to see what works for me - an RB and pouches or SWC's. Are your RB's lined or otherwise protected from nematodes somehow?

[Windi17]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Hi Windi, welcome to the Floridians thread. I just want to second what Kay said about containers and nematodes. All of Florida is infested, and they will starve your plants of nutrients with the root knots they make. You will have a very short and unproductive season.
Most of us use self watering containers, and root poches, no native soil in them, potting mix made of peat/ perlite, some dolomite lime and some type of fertilizer seems to be the way to at least some success. I am in zone 10b, we haven't had a frost in over 5 years, so I start seeds in mid August, and plant out by early October, that way my plants can grow large enough to have some flowering by the time it cools off. Cooling off was in late October, but this year it didn't happen until January 3! If I had known, I wouldn't have started seeds until mid November.

Most of us grow from seeds so we can grow interesting varieties that taste good, and if you would like a sampler of some of my favorites, just pm me.

Ginny,

I'll certainly PM you in the morning. It's so kind of you to offer me some of your seeds. Thank you! Interesting that our winter was so late this year. I am beginning to see how choosing the right time to start seeds can be really tricky.

[Windi17]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

[kayrobbins]

Nematodes are next to impossible to control. It usually takes several growing seasons before it becomes a problem so you may not have them now. University of Florida has good information about them. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng032

Larry, if you happen to have a full service nursery (one that does landscape design and installation) near you check with them as a source for pots. I have one near me that piles all of them in the back of the nursery and sells them at very cheap prices.

[ginger2778]

Windi- one thing that helps with nematodes is solarizing your beds, should be done with clear not black plastic, as the temp under the clear gets about 15 degrees hotter and you are trying to cook the soil to sterilize it. It should be done for the month of August when it is hottest. I am forever in Barb's debt for doing the experiment with black vs clear plastic, thank you Barb for teaching us that. but that is for next year, too late now that they are planted.
Solarizing will give you several months nematode free because it kills everything. You might need to inoculate your plants with a mycorrhizae dip at plant out, as I also do with my Earthboxes( SWCs).
Ginny is another member here, you can call me Marsha. My username of Ginger was my little dog who passed at age 15.

Kay, in S. FL. the nematodes are so bad that right away the first season they are a problem.

[kurt]

Soil Solarization
Soil solarization (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in856) is a process of using heat from the sun to kill nematodes and other pests. The soil should be worked with a hoe or rototiller to break up clods. Remove all sticks, roots, and clumps. The soil should be moist but not wet. Cover the soil with a clear plastic tarp and bury the edges of the plastic (Figure 14). Leave the plastic on the soil for at least 4 to 6 weeks. Do not remove the plastic until you are ready to plant.

[Click thumbnail to enlarge.] Figure 14. Soil solarization in a residential landscape.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
Sunlight goes through the clear plastic and heats the soil underneath. The plastic then holds in the heat so that it penetrates and warms the soil. Long-term exposure to high temperature kills nematodes, as well as many weeds, fungi, and insect pests. The disinfested zone is usually 6 to 8 inches deep. Do not till or mix the soil after solarization. That may reinfest the soil you just solarized with nematodes from below the treated zone. Because it depends on sunlight and heat, solarization works best during the summer months. It does not work well in areas that get shade. Only solarize planting beds that get full sun.

[Windi17]

Marsha - Sorry for calling you Ginny. I got confused. I understand about your little dog. I have two chihuahuas - Chloe is 13 1/2 and Bailey is 11. They are my babies!

Thank you everyone for the information on solarizing/sterilizing the soil. There's so much to learn! I'll be observant of my plants and plant roots when I pull them out to see if I may need to sterilize this summer. Hopefully, it won't be a problem for the first few seasons. I could sterilize the area where I will build my RB even if I don't see a problem, but then I might be killing good bacteria & fungi, and driving all my earthworms away.

Larry - You mentioned your plants all get watered and fertilized on the same days. Would you mind sharing your watering / fertilization routine?

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by kurt

Soil Solarization
Soil solarization (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in856) is a process of using heat from the sun to kill nematodes and other pests. The soil should be worked with a hoe or rototiller to break up clods. Remove all sticks, roots, and clumps. The soil should be moist but not wet. Cover the soil with a clear plastic tarp and bury the edges of the plastic (Figure 14). Leave the plastic on the soil for at least 4 to 6 weeks. Do not remove the plastic until you are ready to plant.

[Click thumbnail to enlarge.] Figure 14. Soil solarization in a residential landscape.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
Sunlight goes through the clear plastic and heats the soil underneath. The plastic then holds in the heat so that it penetrates and warms the soil. Long-term exposure to high temperature kills nematodes, as well as many weeds, fungi, and insect pests. The disinfested zone is usually 6 to 8 inches deep. Do not till or mix the soil after solarization. That may reinfest the soil you just solarized with nematodes from below the treated zone. Because it depends on sunlight and heat, solarization works best during the summer months. It does not work well in areas that get shade. Only solarize planting beds that get full sun.

Kurt,
Thanks for a timely post. I have the plastic and need to cover the raised beds in which I grow tomatoes and peppers this summer. The fall seems a time when nematodes are more of a problem than in the spring here in Orlando. I used to grow tomatoes down close to your neighborhood. I lived east of Perrine and east of Cutler Ridge right off Old Cutler Rd. In fact a friend said just the other day "remember when you lived down in South Dade and you grew all those tomatoes and egg plants. Man you were giving tomatoes and egg plants to everyone." I certainly do remember and they were all grown in the dirt. Some folks don't think you can grow tomatoes in a Raised Bed let alone the dirt. But as they used to say the area from Perrine down through Homestead (before NAFTA) used to be America's winter tomato source. And of course they were all grown in the dirt.
When I grew tomatoes in south Miami-Dade I thought I was in Tomato Heaven but when I started growing tomatoes in the mostly sand soil here in Orlando I thought I was in the other end of the spectrum from Tomato Heaven.
As luck would have it when I started growing a garden here in Orlando the County Extension Agency was a short walk from my house. Master Gardeners were heavily promoting growing in Raised Beds with compost amended with Peat Moss. I did and I started growing way more and better tomatoes. I used the Peat Moss for a while but it was a bit expensive so I went with all compost and for me it seemed to work the same.
I have a lot of great memories from living in South Miami-Dade. I think it was Marsha who was talking about Corvina Fish here the other day. A friend of mine and I used to fish South Biscayne Bay a lot. We either put in at Black Point or Homestead. We used to catch more Sea Bass (Corvina) than any thing else. Now about the only time I eat much fish is when I go to Costa Rica and ounce again eat Corvina or Pargo (red snapper). Both cost the same. Here in the US with fresh fish so expensive my fish now comes from Bumble Bee.
Thanks again for your post.
Larry

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Windi17

Larry - You mentioned your plants all get watered and fertilized on the same days. Would you mind sharing your watering / fertilization routine?

I water every other day by hand with a hose. If I was growing tomatoes entirely in Raised Beds (RBs) I could easily stretch that to every 3rd day and possibly to twice a week. However I have a large amount of containers and they require much more frequent watering. From my experience the smaller the container (nursery pot or root pouch) the more frequent the watering. To some extent it is also tomato variety related. For example while a Bush Early Girl (BEG) is a small plant and will comfortable fit in a 3 gallon it will require watering at least every day. The reason is BEG is a hugely productive little plant and it profusely blossoms and sets fruit which requires lots of nutrients and lots of water, therefore, BEG is much more at home in a larger container.
As for fertilizing I start at the time of transplant to RB or container. Before I put the plant in the hole I sprinkle a bit of Kelp Meal, a bit of ground egg shells, if I have them, and a bit of 10-10-10 garden fertilizer. After that I fertilize with 10-10-10 every two weeks. I do what is called side dressing, i.e. just sprinkle around the base of the plant. I use very little fertilizer when the plant is small and increase as it grows. I do not pretend that my method or timing of fertilizing is best because I don't know, but I do know that it seems to work for me and it is quite inexpensive.
I wish you every success
Larry

[kurt]

Larry,my actual homestead exemption is at our other place in "CUTLER BAY".We got incorporated and the original name was changed from Cutler Ridge.Mostly we try to hide in Homestead-Everglades City.ONE ANOTHER NOTE:The info says that the solarization may only occur 4-6 inches.Just in time to eek out some crop if severely infected.There is another deep steam injection(Steam soil sterilization used by commercial farmers if needed) that will penetrate up to 18 inche.There is some info here on Tville,but for the homeowner it is expensive.Can't believe I ran into another "Ridge Rat"on TVille.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ght=steam+soil

[Windi17]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

I water every other day by hand with a hose. If I was growing tomatoes entirely in Raised Beds (RBs) I could easily stretch that to every 3rd day and possibly to twice a week. However I have a large amount of containers and they require much more frequent watering. From my experience the smaller the container (nursery pot or root pouch) the more frequent the watering. To some extent it is also tomato variety related. For example while a Bush Early Girl (BEG) is a small plant and will comfortable fit in a 3 gallon it will require watering at least every day. The reason is BEG is a hugely productive little plant and it profusely blossoms and sets fruit which requires lots of nutrients and lots of water, therefore, BEG is much more at home in a larger container.
As for fertilizing I start at the time of transplant to RB or container. Before I put the plant in the hole I sprinkle a bit of Kelp Meal, a bit of ground egg shells, if I have them, and a bit of 10-10-10 garden fertilizer. After that I fertilize with 10-10-10 every two weeks. I do what is called side dressing, i.e. just sprinkle around the base of the plant. I use very little fertilizer when the plant is small and increase as it grows. I do not pretend that my method or timing of fertilizing is best because I don't know, but I do know that it seems to work for me and it is quite inexpensive.
I wish you every success
Larry

Thank you, Larry. This really helps. It seems like everyone has slightly different methods that work for them, and I like that your approach is simple enough for a beginner like me. I added BEG to my container list for the fall. The watering approach makes perfect sense, too.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Larry, what are your raised beds lined with?

Marsha,
I don' line them with anything. To begin with a Master Gardener who was growing in RBs encouraged me to build them as he was. I did to an extend but not completely. He built his from 2"x10" pressure treated lumber. At that time I wasn't comfortable using pressure treated because of the chemicals they were using at that time. Today pressure treated lumber appears mush safer as far as human contact is concerned so the last RB I built uses it.
Another thing he did was cover the bottom with a plastic sheet in an attempt to keep the nematodes out. I didn't like the idea that my plant roots would not be able to get more than few inches deep. Also, I didn't like the idea that as the plastic (polyethylene terephthalate) deteriorated my plant roots would be in contact with it. Therefore, I left the bottom open. I did put a layers of cardboard in the bottom in hopes of that by the time the cardboard rotted any grass/weed and their seeds would be dead.
He encouraged me to fill them with compost amended heavily with sphagnum peat moss which I did. Later I used coco coir in place of the peat moos and later yet I went with 100% compost. To me it didn't seem to make a difference and it cut my cost of compost to nearly zero.
Larry