Do you protect you young veggies somehow? Earlier I had problems with carrots seedlings, this time it's lettuce. A HARD rain hit a few days after planting and most of them are wilted and beat into the soil now. I think a few may survive, but at least half I'm not so confident on. How do you avoid this? Or is it just part of the game?
Protecting young veggies
- Thread starter vette-kid
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If they are just beat into the soil and not broken in half they will come back as the soil dries. You can protect against cold and wind but not against heavy rain unless you build a hoop/tunnel.
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I don't protect the plants you mentioned (which I also have), because they are cold-loving plants here in my locale (and plus what Chuck said above).
However, I do have a few volunteer tomatoes growing now and I'm considering protecting them from freezing, just to see how the end up producing, if I can save them over the winter.
However, I do have a few volunteer tomatoes growing now and I'm considering protecting them from freezing, just to see how the end up producing, if I can save them over the winter.
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Although you may loose a few leaves your new growth is undamaged. I would get something like a bamboo skewer and lift the leaves that are stuck in the soil. You might also rinse off the dirt from the leaves also to help prevent a soil born pathogen. What you need most of all is a little sunshine.
Agree 1000% on the sunshine. The Sunshine State hasn't been for a week now.
I should add, the iceberg in the second pic appears salvageable. The first pick is snap something or other (for the life of me, I can never remember the name unless I'm looking at it) I don't have much hope for.
I should add, the iceberg in the second pic appears salvageable. The first pick is snap something or other (for the life of me, I can never remember the name unless I'm looking at it) I don't have much hope for.
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They both look like lettuce to me. The first pic a leaf lettuce and the second a romaine. So long as you don't have a severe freeze they should be OK.
Hmm, well the second is supposed to be iceberg... Guess I'll see how it goes. I planted some more just in case, along with spinach and buttercrunch. Severe freeze is unlikely, occasionally below freezing for a few hours, but not in the forecast yet.
My pansies got demolished in the same storm. Everything is still a soggy mess without any sun to dry it up.
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Think of it this way. If heavy rain killed plants then there wouldn't be any plants anywhere. When water kills plants it is because the plants actually drown because the roots cannot obtain enough oxygen. As long as you have adequate drainage they will be OK.
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Don't forget how slow things grow in the winter. It is temp related also. Not just sun. It grows 4 times slower to me. Try some auxin like superthrive. My leafy plants are just busting with plumpness, and to a degree, that cellular elongation the auxin promotes helps stiffen things up with the swelling. If you try it, its only 1.25ml strictly to a gallon so no need but for the smallest bottle because it will last so long even then.