Garden Question

[whomper]

This is my second year having a garden. Last year I pretty much did all Tomatoes with 2 small pepper plants. I planned on doing that again but went to the garden store with the wife and kids and they kept putting all different stuff they wanted me to grow. Long story short I have Tomatoes, cucumbers, Sweet corn, eggplant and zuccini now. Im glad I did load up to be honest because I really enjoy it but through trial and error I realize I made some mistakes which I will correct next year. One mistake I made was I planted some of the new stuff a little too close to each other. Iam managing but wouldve been better served to spread them out..Here is my question.

 

I had no idea zuccini grows as big as they do. My zuccini look really good and have flowered nicely over the last few weeks. The problem is the plants are a little crowded which I cant do anything about but they basically grow on the floor . Ive noticed im losing some flowers. My brother in law said I need to vine it ..Whatever that means. My question is. Is it normal that they just grow like that laying on the ground or should I be doing something like staking it or small cones or something ? This is what it looks like

 

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One other quick question..Is there anything you can put down in the beginning of the season similar to what you would put on a lawn but in a garden that would eliminate weeds yet still enable the vegtables to grow ?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[nuke'em ttg]

just let the zuccini grow on the floor, their stalks are kind of hollow and prolly wouldn't hold up...don't use grass clippings to block weeds... it gets fungas growin....

[Chief Dick]

You could put that black stuff down, but for me, I kind of like having the weeds grow. gives me an excuse to go out there with a cold beer and pull weeds. Alone.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

This is my second year having a garden. Last year I pretty much did all Tomatoes with 2 small pepper plants. I planned on doing that again but went to the garden store with the wife and kids and they kept putting all different stuff they wanted me to grow. Long story short I have Tomatoes, cucumbers, Sweet corn, eggplant and zuccini now. Im glad I did load up to be honest because I really enjoy it but through trial and error I realize I made some mistakes which I will correct next year. One mistake I made was I planted some of the new stuff a little too close to each other. Iam managing but wouldve been better served to spread them out..Here is my question.

 

I had no idea zuccini grows as big as they do. My zuccini look really good and have flowered nicely over the last few weeks. The problem is the plants are a little crowded which I cant do anything about but they basically grow on the floor . Ive noticed im losing some flowers. My brother in law said I need to vine it ..Whatever that means. My question is. Is it normal that they just grow like that laying on the ground or should I be doing something like staking it or small cones or something ? This is what it looks like

 

1

 

2

 

3

One other quick question..Is there anything you can put down in the beginning of the season similar to what you would put on a lawn but in a garden that would eliminate weeds yet still enable the vegtables to grow ?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

when squash flower,half the flowers are male and the the others female(I think).Only half grow fruit(the ones that grow the fruit on the stem with the flower).There's nothing that will help your garden yet kill weeds that I know of.It won't hurt your zucchini to be too close.Those f*****s grow like wild fire.Once your other plants get small fruit on them,put the miracle grow right to 'em.Once every 2 weks should be good.If you don't wait for the small veggies to get on there first,it just helps the plant itself grow bigger.Get yourself a good garden book.Lots of good info and tips in them.And it won't hurt to let your squash lay on the ground unless it stays wet for awhile and you let them get big,they'll get soft on the side that's on the ground.Good luck!

[Footballjoe]

Squash is fine laying on the ground. You can let your cucumbers grow up the fence to save space if you want. It also helps that they hang down and makes them easier to find. I use newspaper to put around my plants and put some straw on top of them. This keeps the weeds out and it helps keep the plants moist. If you have a slug problem use a small saucer of beer to get rid of them, they will eat your plants. Next year get some compost for your garden, your plants will love it. You can get some good books at the library or go on-line, there are some good sites out there. Happy eating.

[BiPolarBear]

You could put that black stuff down, but for me, I kind of like having the weeds grow. gives me an excuse to go out there with a cold beer and pull weeds. Alone.

 

 

This is exactly what I did. I put the black stuff down the first year to cut down the weeds and just pulled them in later years. I use the line of least resistance in determining what I plant. If the bugs jump all over something, I just don't plant it again. I grow jalapenos and serano peppers, cilantro and tomatos for salsa. I also grow a lot of spices.

[whomper]

This is exactly what I did. I put the black stuff down the first year to cut down the weeds and just pulled them in later years. I use the line of least resistance in determining what I plant. If the bugs jump all over something, I just don't plant it again. I grow jalapenos and serano peppers, cilantro and tomatos for salsa. I also grow a lot of spices.

 

 

 

The black stuff keeps you from seeing the weeds but arent they still there under the black stuff and isnt it possible they can choke your plants ?

[aqualung]

The black stuff keeps you from seeing the weeds but arent they still there under the black stuff and isnt it possible they can choke your plants ?

 

 

No. It more or less cooks them up under that black stuff.

[Hardrocker]

This is exactly what I did. I put the black stuff down the first year to cut down the weeds and just pulled them in later years. I use the line of least resistance in determining what I plant. If the bugs jump all over something, I just don't plant it again. I grow jalapenos and serano peppers, cilantro and tomatos for salsa. I also grow a lot of spices.

 

 

Dont be afraid of planting stuff the bugs get on. Something like Sevin Dust is good for a good majority of the bugs. Some are more stubborn but it is worth the work.

[whomper]

No. It more or less cooks them up under that black stuff.

 

 

 

Thanks Aqua and everyone else. I appreciate it.